Too Much Milk!!! Frequent Feedings

It's wonderful that you are working so hard to keep up breastfeeding. I remember how hard it was at first!

I recommend the Lansinoh lanolin ointment, too. It will really help heal the cracking and relieve that pain.

Also, it was a tremendous help to me to have a feeding schedule/routine. (I don't know the term "block feeding" but maybe it's the same? The book I read called this "parent directed feeding".) For instance, on a three hour schedule, I would feed my daughter at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, 10 pm, and overnight only if she woke up hungry. It was a real benefit because I knew when my girl would be hungry and could easily schedule trips to the store, and if she were fussy at, say, 9 am, I knew it probably wasn't because she was hungry but more because she needed a nap. When my son was very small, I tried a feeding routine, but I didn't understand it well enough and had a lot of trouble getting it to work. But by the time my daughter was here, we had it down pat.

The key to getting on a schedule is to feed at the scheduled time even if the baby isn't fussing for food yet. You can give or take a few minutes of course, but I wouldn't vary the time more than 15 minutes. The ideal routine for is blocks of "feeding - awake time - nap", and repeat through the day. (The exception to this would be our 10 pm feeding, afterwhich I would put the baby right back to bed.) When you realize that the baby is routinely sleeping past their feeding time, then you know you can redo the schedule to 3 1/2 hours or even 3 1/4 hours. When my daughter was about 8 months or so we were on a very convenient 4 hour schedule, the ultimate goal. (For us it was, 8 am, 12 noon, 4 pm, 8 pm. It was able to transfer very nicely into breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.) One more thing about schedules, babies periodically have growth spurts when they need to nurse more frequently. So we would adjust out schedule to maybe 2 1/2 hours for a few days to accommodate.

Here's how you might get a feeding schedule started with your son. First take a day or so and write down the time each time you nurse him. Then look for a pattern. Perhaps he is usually wanting to eat every 1 1/2 hours (look for an average interval). Then set yourself a starting time in the morning, let's say 7 am, and write down the times you will feed him during the day. At 1 1/2 hours that would be 7, 8:30, 10, 11:30, 1, 2:30, 4, 5:30, 7, 8:30, and 10 (since he's not a newborn, don't worry about feeding overnight unless he wakes up for it). Then try it. If he starts fussing for food at 8:15, commfort him or play with him to hold him off until 8:30. If you're at the store at 2:30, find a place to nurse him (I always parked at the back of the parking lot so I could go to my car for some privacy). If he's sleeping at 10 am, wake him up and feed him anyway. I know that kind of sounds counter productive, but the idea is to get his little stomach to regulate itself to be hungry at regular intervals. Try really hard to keep as close to the schedule as you can at first, and as his digestive system gets more regulated you'll be able to be more flexible. Start at the same time every morning--if he is sleeping at 7 am, wake him up, or if he wakes up at 6:30, try to keep him busy until it gets closer to 7. After several days, he should become accustomed to the routine and you might try stretching it to 1 3/4 hours. Before long, hopefully you can get to 2 1/2 hours and then you'll have some more freedom in your day.

Hope this helps! Write anytime if you'd like more info on our feeding schedule. Good luck!

I am not experienced with tongue-tie and breastfeeding but I did have a huge engorgement issue. It was recommended to me not to pump too much (as it stimulates more milk production). I know I was going back to work at 3/4 months and it was recommended to me to introduce the bottle at 4-6 weeks. We did it at 6 weeks. It took us a few weeks to find the right nipple. Evenflo worked the best for us (with my engorgement the nipples were short). It also worked better if some one else fed her and I was out of sight and smell. We fed on demand and it developed int to a general schedule except for 'growth spurts'. If my daughter only fed for a short time (15 min) but I could tell if she was really full by feeling her belly was full. If not I would wake her up and go for it again.

For the nipples cracking, I didn't have that issue, but I used use Lansinoh lanolin ointment to keep them soft and talk to a lactation consultant about the latch.

Hope this helps.

I'm with Jen and Noelle on the Parent Directed Feeding. You need to ease him back to eating every 3-4 hours. That will allow you to heal, and he will eat big, full meals each time which will actually allow him to grow better, sleep longer, and be happier. My older daughter was demand-fed (like your son is doing now, eating every 1-2 hours around the clock) and it was an exhausting nightmare. With my second daughter I did PDF and it was wonderful. We were both soooo much happier! I wish you the best of luck, hang in there!

There isn't much I can add to the advice above, but I found that expressing a little milk onto my nipples after feeding and rubbing it in healed them very quickly, without any salve. It actually worked better than Lansinoh or any other salve I tried.
Like the other moms, I felt frustrated too, about the same time as you. It all worked itself out, and I nursed my daughter very successfully for over a year. Your body will help you establish a routine with your baby. Best wishes, and good for you for trying! The bonding is so rewarding.

J., I salute you! Breastfeeding was harder for me than my 31 hour non-medicated painful back labour which ended in internal tearing! I am still nursing my 2 1/2 year old daughter. It does not hurt anymore both because we don't do it that often and because she is more gentle now. Do you use Lansinoh on your nipples to heal the cracking? I found it healed the cracking and bleading within the day. I just rubbed it on all day long untill it felt better on those days. Also breast milk itself has healing properties so rub some in. I think it is possible that your baby will just change his feeding habits as he gets older and this to will pass. I wonder if you were to offer the breast just a few minutes after your son finished nursing if he would take it again. Have you tried just offering it over and over until the hind milk comes in? I know it is probable the last thing you want to do.

Good luck,
S.

S.

By this point, most moms are worried that their babies aren't getting enough milk...so too much milk (while inconvenient) is a blessing.

Your body produces milk on a supply and demand basis. Your son does not need to eat every 1 to 2 hours. At 6 weeks, he should be fine to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That does multiple things: It allows your nipples a break, it tells your body that you don't need to produce as much milk, and it puts him on a schedule...a routine if you will. I don't know what "block feeding" is, but if it has anything to do with feeding on a schedule, then I'd say go for it. I had my daughter on a program called "Parent Directed Feeding" or PDF. She ate & slept on a schedule but it was directed by me as her parent. The schedule was a guideline that allowed me, the mom, to do what was best for my child. It was a book I used called "Babywise" and I HIGHLY recommend it. Every baby I know whose mom used Babywise was sleeping through the night by 8 weeks.

But let me also tell you, breastfeeding is one of the MOST difficult things about being a new mom. Trust me when I say that it gets better and that if you stick with it, you will actually end up LOVING it and probably want to go longer than 6 months. I remember feeling exactly how you are feeling when my daughter was 6 weeks. By the 7th or 8th week, I finally got the hang of nursing. There were still unsure bumps along the way but by 4 months, I was problem free and nursed until my daughter was a year...at which time, I cried when I finally decided to stop.

Think about this as well: The most difficult things about being a mom are usually the most rewarding in the end. Child birth is difficult and then we are blessed with a beautiful baby. Nursing is difficult at first, but the bond it creates between a mom and her baby is unlike any other. And now that my daughter is 2 and I am parenting through this stage of development, it is tough but it is also so rewarding when I see my daughter using the principles I am teaching her and other people in her life tell me what a good little girl I have.

So hang in there, Mom. It just gets better!!

Breastfeeding is difficult and can be painful even though all the books tell us there should be no pain. Both of you are learning how to do it. Do you have pure lanolin? After each feeding apply a little to your nipple and it will help with the cracked nipples. Your son knows how much milk he wants and when. I wouldn't worry about pumping or the hindmilk. He is getting everything he needs. Milk production will stablize with time. I really believe it takes a good 3 months for all the kinks of breastfeeding to work out. New moms really need a support system especially with nursing. Another piece of advice: Relax...you are doing a great job.

It can take over two months before the breastmilk production adjusts to the baby, so I think this will pass and get better really soon! (Although it feels like an eternity!)
Hang in there, sounds super tough!
A.

J.,
Cheers to you! Breastfeeding is the best thing you can give your baby! I have a 5 month old daughter and the first 6 weeks were the most painful time of my life. At about the 6-8 week mark, the pain will subside. 90% of women who breastfeed do not get a correct latch, if your at your witts end, i would suggest finding a lactation consultant. You can do this through the hospital or i believe the doula connection offers lactation consulting as well. Another idea is to try nipple sheilds.. until your nipples heal, that was a suggestion i received from my lactation consultant. Also, Keep a nipple cream on them, that helps as well. As far as bottles, your little one will not get nipple confusion past the 2 week mark, and the best time to introduce a bottle is at about 4 weeks. I know your a bit passed this, but you still may be able to sneak in the old bottle. I missed the 4 week window and my daughter refuses to take a bottle, to this day and i cannot go anywhere!
I know it's tough right now, but i promise the pain will subside, you have made it this far, just push a little longer and scream if you need to, it helped me! :)

I completely disagree with parent directed feedings, I say feed on demand, that is what comes naturally. If your baby wants to eat, whether it be because he is hungry or just wanting comfort, feed him. He will eventually start going longer between feedings naturally. Breastfeeding is your babies comfort, do not take that away from him. This was by far the best advice i EVER received from my lactation consultant :) We are still happily breastfeeding :)