"Super boob?"

[BadMamaJAMA]

Hi, ladies!

As someone who was flat-chested for life, I find myself in an unexpected conundrum: my milk supply is NUTS!

This is wonderful, don't get me wrong. However, I almost can't nurse with my right breast, as it is so swollen. I squeezed it yesterday, and a stream came shooting straight up in the air and hit me in the face. Also, if I don't put the pad over my nipple right after feeding, I have a stain the size of an orange on my shirt.

I notice when the baby nurses from the right breast, she's more prone to choking and spitting up. My question is: what do I do?

My breast pump arrived yesterday... I imagine it's too soon to start feeding bottles to the baby, but is it too soon for me to start pumping and storing? If I pump on the right side before feeding baby, will it just continue to swell crazily? Should I even bother pumping on the other side?

Help! My boob is taking over the house!

 

[amurray]

thats exactly how i was!! my daughter would always choke on one boob poor girl haha i def had and still have a forceful letdown... i would say just let her feed on it-eventually she will get used to it and be able to handle it. you could pump it and give it to her in a bottle if you want, but if you decide to freeze it you will just continue to make as much milk as you are using so most likely it would continue to be engorged until your body regulates and becomes more efficient. you'll get through it though!! i dont leak much anymore and havent really since she was maybe 2 and a half months old... before that though i would wake up soaked. even if i was just looking at her during the day i would just start leaking. now i just leak a little on the opposite breast when she is feeding during letdown-not much at all

 

[bekkie]

I had the same issue - I ended up having to hand express some milk so that Cordi wouldn't choke, I also found it helped a bit with her spitting up. It took a few weeks for my milk to regulate, and if still happens occasionally if she's been comfort sucking for a few days.

Forgetting breast pads is the worst, because it soaks through everything!

I'm very thankful though - really struggled with supply for DS at first, it's nice to have the opposite 'problem' this time.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

I pumped for comfort in the early days. But I would limit it to a couple times per day so I didn't have a crazy excessive supply.

From my personal experience, an early bottle was a good thing because he wasn't offended by it upon introduction as I've heard some babies are.

Currently, at 3 months, I pump from one breast for the first morning feed as I know he will be satisfied with one. I also usually pump in the evening when dh gives ds a bottle of my frozen stash of ebm (to rotate stash and for bonding etc).

In short, if I were you I would pump occasionally to start a stash, but allow yourself to be uncomfortable for longer spurts so your body decreases its milk production.

 

[Elmo5]

With the fast flow they just have to grow into it. Pumping will make it worse however so I would hold off.

 

[annio84]

I wouldn't pump at this stage. I had the same issue and was advised to hand express just a little before putting baby to boob so she didn't get the forceful letdown.

 

[harley81]

Mine are different too, when we started nursing I fed baby from the slower one at the start of feed then put him on the faster one so he wasn't as hungry and sucking as hard, this seemed to minimise the spluttering and choking on the fast flow

 

[BadMamaJAMA]

Thanks, all! Glad I'm not alone.

 

[CandyDay]

You could try feeding your LO on the fast flow side in a reclined position. Then you have gravity helping out with slowing the flow. You could also hand express or pump till you get the letdown and the put Lo on to feed. I wouldn't pump too much though as you will just make it worse.
You could also try block feeding for a few days and then go back to normal nursing. Feed on one side for a 3 hour period of time and then switch to the other side for the next 3 hour time frame.