Baby gasping

[winterbabies3]

The breast I put dd on was quiet full, would that cause baby to gasp like she was drowning? I had to unlatch her to make sure she caught her breath! Is this normal?

 

[TTC 84]

Yep my Bub does this a lot , let down is too fast then he's ok .

 

[jessmke]

Yes that is normal, I have a fast let down and my baby gasps for air trying to gulp it all down fast enough. I usually unlatch her until my boobs stop erupting (even though this means I often squirt her in the eyes and get milk everywhere!) to keep her from gasping/gulping, as she ends up being gassy if she swallows too much air.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Yes it's normal. My LO is the same as I have a fast letdown and he struggles to catch his breath trying to keep up with it!

 

[noon_child]

Feeding in a reclined position so that baby is on top of you can help work against the fast flow.

 

[winterbabies3]

^^Will have to try this!! Baby gets hiccups a lot now too=/

 

[jessmke]

I have a hard time feeding in the reclining position because it squishes baby's nose up into my boob and then she can't breathe! I'm a FTM so still trying to get the hang of things!

 

[noon_child]

I have a hard time feeding in the reclining position because it squishes baby's nose up into my boob and then she can't breathe! I'm a FTM so still trying to get the hang of things!

You don't have to be super reclined, anything which means that your baby's head isn't lower than the breast helps. If you have very large breasts you may want to try rolling a muslin or wash cloth in to a tube and placing it under your breast - this lifts the breast and stops the nipple pointing downward so much. Also watch to see if her chin is the first thing to touch the breast when she latches - if instead she latches full face first she may not be getting the right latch (and yes this will increase nose squashing) and needs to be more 'sniffing the nipple' or nose to nipple before latching.

It is hard with a newborn as their head control doesn't seem to help them stay well positioned for long sometimes, but they improve so quickly - hang in there!