Between letdowns

[pgfairy]

I noticed after a second visit to the lactation consultant that I was wrong about when my LO starts pinching on the breast. Now he is getting better at it its much more obvious that he is turning my nipple into a straw between let downs, not during them. With his better technique he's even started to readjust the latch himself by releasing his suction in his mouth (not really breaking his seal on my breast) to push my nipple forward, and if I do suffer through it or if he isn't too hungry so doesn't suck too hard then when I get another letdown he readjusts again so it's correct.

This child is an angel in every aspect besides breastfeeding so I won't sell him to the circus today, but is there a workaround for this? Can I take him off for a few minutes between let downs and still get the second let down or does he have to stay on the breast for the second let down to happen?.

 

[SparklesHeart]

Interested in this too. 😊

 

[_Meep_]

Have you been advised to try breast compressions at all to keep him drinking between letdowns? It sounds like he might be 'riding' the letdowns a bit - that is, drinking well when the flow is fast, but then struggling to extract the milk a little when it slows down.

The milk during letdown is generally watery and profuse, gradually becoming thicker and harder to squeeze along the ducts as the feed progresses. I'm no expert, but he may be turning you into a human straw for this reason.

Breast compressions could help. They involve squeezing the breast in a certain way when he stops drinking properly, to help him keep on extracting the milk. Using compressions may also stimulate a second letdown quicker.

It's unlikely you would experience a second letdown without any stimulation.

As I said above, I'm not an expert, but I did suffer six months of nursing strikes and difficulty with breastfeeding until a posterior tongue tie was finally detected by a LC. If you haven't already, I would ask about this too.

HTH.

 

[pgfairy]

Thanks meep! All our problems also stem from a tight but well hidden posterior tie, so I am feeling your pain on that front!

We did get advised to do the breast compression but it actually hasn't helped much, he doesn't readjust to be more comfortable, and will actually switch from a good latch to a bad one because he then is getting the milk 'for free' so to speak. If effort does not directly correspond to milk flow my nipple is simply there to be smooshed

I'm sure it's just one more thing for us to ride out over the next week or so, and he'll get the hang of it just like he has the breath/suck/swallow routine etc. Still, I'm grateful for any and ALL advice, it's just nice to talk to you ladies while we go through all this We are willing to try everything

 

[noon_child]

Is the PTT being corrected? I was going to say it sounded like he wasn't able to actively remove the milk but was 'riding' the let downs like PP said. I think if you have a diagnosis of PTT then this is definately the cause.

 

[_Meep_]

Agreed, and I would absolutely get it sorted as soon as possible. My daughter's caused utter hell for us - by the time she was eight or nine weeks, I was suffering with oversupply, and she had become more aware of things, and was unable to cope with my flow at all - coughing, spluttering, screaming, etc. She started to refuse to feed from one side. Then both sides. Then I had to basically feed her while she was asleep, because she would fight me any other time. Nobody would listen to me about her tongue until I took her to see a specialist, and finally, at 4.5 months I was told that yes, it was there. At the back and under the mucous membrane, but it was there. We had it cut two weeks later. It took another month or so, but she finally stopped refusing and started coping better, as long as we lay down in bed to feed. Eventually, at 10 months, we were able to sit up. Things improved yet further when she fell and broke her lip tie on a coffee table when she was 11 months old. Nursing is a joy now.

She wasn't able to drink from a sippy cup without spluttering until about a month ago though. I do regret not pushing harder for an expert opinion, as I suspected early on that she was tied, but was repeatedly told she was not. I wish we had done something sooner.

She's fine though!