severe/oversupply/oald-need advice-ready to give up

[@llli*phi]

with all of mommal's sage words. If you can hand express just enough to cover what your baby needs while at work, it would be best for your oversupply. If you need to pump, I would still only pump just enough to cover bottles for the next day. For the plugs, you can firmly massage your breasts when you have a minute here and there throughout the day, and hand express just enough to get comfortable. Hand expression never worked well for me, but when my OS was at it's worst I could just lean over the sink, give my breasts a squeeze, and milk would shoot out. A brief massage followed by hand expression or giving a quick squeeze over the sink doesn't require set up or clean up so it's quick and can be done whenever you use the washroom or just have a minute in between patients/projects/whatever and will help prevent plugs as well as ease the discomfort.

You can also put cabbage leaves in your bra to help with the engorgement. I used cold compresses, which were wonderful relief, but that would be much more difficult at work.

Do you do anything for your baby's gas throughout the day? I had significant OS but really insane OALD, and while my baby spewed huge amounts of spit up it was the gas that actually bothered him. I had to give him a tummy massage and bicycle his legs between every single feeding, then give him a warm bath followed by more leg bicycling every evening. Sometimes he needed a couple of baths on his really bad days. This really helped him get more comfortable and resulted in much less screaming in the evenings for us.

I'm sorry that you are struggling. It does get better, but it sometimes takes awhile. My supply didn't fully regulate until 6-7 months, but things did start improving a lot before that. Just stick with the blocks that work best for you and your daughter, nurse frequently while you are together, and express as little as possible otherwise.

[@llli*t.meyer]

I am sorry for your frustration but I am also glad to know I am not alone. WHen I read your post, I thought this sounds like me and my DD. She is 11 weeks today, gaining
weight and nursing every 3 hrs during day and sleeps 10-11 hrs at night. But she is crabby when awake, gassy, having green mucous stools (when she does have stool) lately
she wil go 3 days then have a green mucous stool. I do believe I have OS and OALD. I too have tried block feeding, nursing from one side, pumping an oz off prior to feeding,
and every imaginable OTC remedy for gas and colic, and peppermint water and anise water. ALL to no avail!!!!! So I do feel your pain. I am currently nursing one breast per
feeding and leaving the other alone until next feeding when I will once again pump an oz or so to get out some fore milk. Is this making matters worse? Im trying to help her
get less foremilk as it contains more lactose which turns into glucose then sugar then more gas when not converted by lactase enzyme. Believe me hubby and I have done a lot
of searching for answers... How long willie take for OS to level off? Nighttime is also a problem she nurses at 830 goes down for night and by 4am I am engorged and leaking.
so I have been getting up then to pump just enough to get relief, which is about 2 oz from the side she last ate on and 4 on the other. Thats not close to empty just relief. Im at wits end with these breast and also want DD to be happy and gas free. I know their systems need time to mature, but this is overwhelming. I am also a nurse in labor and
delivery and just returned to working 12 hr shifts this week. On the days I work I am pumping the same time or close to it as DD is home drinking bottle. ANy advice would be
helpful. Thanks....

[@llli*lllkaren]

t.meyer, I think your questions warrant their own thread, so I've copied your post out to a new thread here --

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.ph...ersupply-oald)

[@llli*jah73]

I have had SEVERE OS/OALD for the last 8 months, so believe me, I understand what you are going through. I would say, stick with the sage, use capsule form, start with 1200mg, it helped me a bit. I also found that the homeopathic remedy Belladona 30c helped to reduce supply a little (temporarily) but look in to it yourself and decide what is right for you, as I am not a homeopath. Block feeding did not really help me long term but it did help me get through a really bad patch. I did 12hr blocks, and like you say, the let down on the swap was terrible and my baby would be sick, however by the 4th feed on the same side she could cope without choking and could comfort nurse. I combated the problems of swapping sides by, when the swap was due, starting her off on the side that she had been on for the last 12hrs, and as soon as the let down had finished quickly un latching her and swapping her to the full side. Whilst your supply is SO bad, let the full side spray whilst baby is on the emptier side, this way, baby will get less foremilk when they go on to the full side, baby will have had some fattier milk off the emptier side 1st and babies suck will be less strong when they swap to full side as it is stronger right at the beginning of the feed. You should find that doing this will help baby to cope with the flow, but baby will still be gassy, however after about a week of this, you should find that baby will fuss on the emptier side before you are due to swap sides, when this happens, let baby go on to fuller side for as long as they want and then let them finish the feed on emptier side if they want to, and/or go back to the side they should be on at the next feed. When you 1st start this, you will get REALLY full on the side not being used but you will find that as time goes on, it will fill up more slowly. If you get really full, let the side not being used, spray every time you feed on the other side, put cold savoy cabbage leaves(cut hole for nipple) in bra between feeds. If still too full, try leaning forward and massaging breasts towards nipple, if still unmanageable hand express as little as possible(so little and often, just for comfort). This was not a cure for me, just a coping method until baby was big enough to deal with my supply better! When baby can sit and crawl, they will deal with gas much better. Try feeding upright in a carrier, will help gas come up during feed. Time is what will really help! Can you easily hand express?

[@llli*djs.mom]

OH Good! Jah I was hoping you'd show up to light this tunnel. ::