Projectile vomiting - baby overfeeding due to fast let down/oversupply?

[Jayneypops]

Hi,

For a few days now our LO has been projectile vomiting quite often after a feed, either during burping or soon after shes finished. She is still gaining weight (and quite a lot of weight according to HV) so she thinks she must be overfeeding due to my flow. When LO latches on she seems to gulp very quickly, often releases the nipple or pinches it as if trying to slow down the flow.

HV said to express a little before eaxh feed?
Any advice?

 

[missk1989]

I would try to hand express for just a few seconds and then latch lo on. It will be just enough to avoid the letdown.

 

[sugarpuff]

I'm in the same boat, I just keep a little collection cup near me and when she first pulls off me spluttering I let it drain into that for a minute and then relatch her, which seems to be helping a bit at the moment - I don't even need to hand express, it just pours out she is definitely less possety since I started doing it

 

[Jayneypops]

I would try to hand express for just a few seconds and then latch lo on. It will be just enough to avoid the letdown.

Thanks. Just wondering, why does hand expressing seem to be recommended rather than a few seconds of pump expressing?

 

[NoodleSnack]

It's less hassle than using a pump, and not everyone have a pump. After a while, my son learned to unlatch to avoid the let down and I just let it flow into a towel.

 

[Jayneypops]

It's less hassle than using a pump, and not everyone have a pump. After a while, my son learned to unlatch to avoid the let down and I just let it flow into a towel.

Ahh OK. I wasn't sure if there was a reason like pumps affecting supply or something

 

[Tacey]

Grr. Lost my post - take two!

A short amount of expressing with a pump should be fine. Obviously, too much would increase your supply, and have you in a worse position.

An easy but effective thing to do is make sure you nurse in a lying or leaning back position, with LO on top, so gravity is on your side.

Once your supply regulates, if you still have the same issue, you could consider block feeding, but give it a good while yet, as you don't want the opposite problem!

Good luck!

 

[Jayneypops]

Grr. Lost my post - take two!

A short amount of expressing with a pump should be fine. Obviously, too much would increase your supply, and have you in a worse position.

An easy but effective thing to do is make sure you nurse in a lying or leaning back position, with LO on top, so gravity is on your side.

Once your supply regulates, if you still have the same issue, you could consider block feeding, but give it a good while yet, as you don't want the opposite problem!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice I haven't heard of block feeding? As for positioning, I've started to lean back with lo in the "across the body" position (not sure of the proper name!) She's not really on top although I've seen pics of on top feeding positions I can't imagine lo could feed like that being so young, does it work with newborns?

 

[Tacey]

Yep, both mine did the breast crawl for their very first feeds. She might need a bit of support for her head, but it's a great position for newborns.

There's lots of advice about block feeding (and forceful letdown/oversupply in general actually) here.

Hope it helps!

 

[Jayneypops]

Yep, both mine did the breast crawl for their very first feeds. She might need a bit of support for her head, but it's a great position for newborns.

There's lots of advice about block feeding (and forceful letdown/oversupply in general actually) here.

Hope it helps!

Thanks for that - really useful link. Is the pic shown on the page an example of the breast crawl?

Looking at those signs and symptoms I definitely have a forceful letdown. ..

 

[Tacey]

I don't think so - there are some lovely videos of it on youtube though. I found mine didn't do it after the first couple of days, although that could be because it takes a while, and it was just simpler to give them a hand!

It's really common to have a forceful let down at first, but hopefully you'll find it eases off over time, and she'll get better at dealing with it too.