Am I overfeeding her?!

[@llli*koux]

Have you tried bicycling her legs periodically throughout the day? My son had terrible gas (and spit ups to, but ony the gas seemed to bother him), and I had to give him a tummy massage then bicycle his legs between every single feeding. He got a warm bath followed by more leg bicycling every evening. That might help her tummy some if you are not already doing so. It certainly helped us.

Thanks, I'll try that! I did that once today and it seemed to help, I'll have to start doing it more often. Her cord stump just fell off today, (yay! ) so once that's all healed I'll start doing the warm baths too, I'm sure that would help.

[@llli*mommal]

I'm almost starting to wonder if a binky would be helpful in this situation - where she wants to suck, but the milk comes too fast. I haven't tried it because I'm afraid of messing with a good latch, and I don't want her to lose out on the extra milk.

A binky may help- but not yet. It's recommended that moms wait 3-4 weeks, or until breastfeeding is well-established, before introducing artificial nipples into the mix. Babies suck differently on pacifiers than they do on the breast, and that difference can mess up a baby's latching skills. Also, too much sucking on a pacifier can mean not enough time spent nursing, which can lead to inadequate milk intake. Finally, your milk supply is just getting going. Your body is figuring out how much to make and your baby is figuring out how much to take. Give your body and your baby time to make some adjustments before trying to tinker with what is obviously working overall. Spit-up is a normal part of being a baby.

[@llli*morningirl1981]

My baby is almost 9wks old and we went thru the same thing. My older daughter had a milk allergy, which caused the large spit-up amounts, so I thought maybe it was the same issue with my LO. It wasn't though. I think with the oversupply and forceful letdown, she was getting a lot of air in her tummy from gulping and gasping. Burping her a lot helped, and cycling her legs, but with time she's gotten better at managing my letdown. Plus, my supply has regulated, so she isn't being flooded with milk. So try not to worry too much Frequent nursing will give her the practice she needs to deal with everything better. Good luck!

[@llli*djs.mom]

I tried laid back nursing tonight and I don't like it. I feel like she doesn't have enough head control, she ended up with an ok latch, but it wasn't very comfortable for me. And she still spit up a ton after the feeding. I'm burping her as much as I can - before, during, and after the feeding - and it just doesn't seem to help. She does seem uncomfortable right before she burps/spits up, but then once she gets it out she's fine. I just worry about her tummy; it still feels a bit tight, and she seems uncomfortable when I push on it.

I'm almost starting to wonder if a binky would be helpful in this situation - where she wants to suck, but the milk comes too fast. I haven't tried it because I'm afraid of messing with a good latch, and I don't want her to lose out on the extra milk. I just don't know what to do!

Don't introduce a binky yet. What is happening right now is your child is in the throes of regulating your supply. You toss in a paci at this point and those are cues your body is going to MISS to make milk. You don't want that. No one is born knowing how to breastfeed. Your baby needs the practice and she needs to learn to self regulate. She eats too much, she spits it up. It's not the end of the world. Spit up isn't a feeding problem. It's a laundry problem. That's it. Babies spit up. It's not a big deal. A PITA sometimes, but nothing that should make you panic or stress you out. Feed your baby on demand while she is working to regulate your supply. Consider the spit up part of the process. She will learn to stop or release your breast sooner if it's truly an issue. Wait to introduce a paci until after the 4 week point so you and your baby can find your nursing groove.

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

Spit-up and gas are also very normal aspects of infancy. As long as baby is gaining adequate weight and spit-up is produced without evidence of pain, it's a laundry problem and not a health problem. A tight belly after nursing is also pretty common- remember, your baby is still really scrawny, relative to what she will become. Once she has a bit more body fat, you won't be able to feel the difference bwteen a full and empty tummy quite as easily.

That being said, many moms overproduce milk in the first few weeks/months of breastfeeding. It's nature's way of ensuring that the new baby gets fed while she masters the tricky art of nursing. When a mom is overproducing, it's common for a baby to feed on only one breast per feeding, and spit-ups may be copious.

Sorry, I haven't read all of the responses, but I have a five day old baby, and she is also spitting up a ton, gets a little bloated after feedings, and yet seems to eat constantly! So I'm right there with you. Since this is my second baby, I knew to expect this. I tend to make lots of milk in the beginning, so that definitely contributes to this. But that's a relatively good problem to have! Just let the baby set the pace, don't pump (!!) and things should even out soon. Your baby's tummy will get bigger and she'll be able to handle the flow better soon.

[@llli*koux]

Thank you, everyone, for the great advice! This has really helped me a lot. I do think the problem is just that I'm making too much milk right now. I think its coming out too fast for her. I'm super engorged this morning, and when she pulls off the breast the milk starts pouring out! I'm definitely going to keep nursing as often as I can, for my comfort if nothing else! Its good to know there's nothing wrong with her, now that I know what's going on I can better deal with the problem. I've been trying to nurse her more upright, rather than horizontally, and it's seemed to help a lot, along with frequent burping. I just hope my supply evens out soon, this sore tingly feeling is driving me crazy!

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

And don't be afraid to burp her frequently!! That might help with the bloating. When your milk ejection is strong, babies tend to swallow more air. It's nothing to really worry about, but frequent burping will keep baby more comfy. This baby sometimes vomits up so much milk I can't believe she got that much in her to begin with! The good news is that moms who have oversupply in the beginning rarely have to worry about slow weight gain in their babies. My little boy chunked up so fast! So don't let anyone tell you in three months that you are overfeeding your baby because she's super chubby, okay? It all evens out once they start moving.

[@llli*mommal]

Good plan! Frequent nursing is the best treatment for oversupply and engorgement, and upright nursing positions are the first line of defense against fast letdowns. If another week or two goes by and your supply is still in overdrive, let us know. you may have to graduate to block feeding (using just one breast per feeding for several feedings in a row) in order to get your body to throttle back- but you're not there yet. Give this a little time and see if it evens out on its own.

[@llli*mer.mer]

If you think there is something more going on, see your pedi. But I wouldn't for fear of it confusing the situation more. If she is generally happy and only a little fussy before spitting up but happy afterwards and it looks like milk with nothing else in it then I wouldn't worry too much. She is only a week old her tummy is still new and needs little time to catch up to this wonderful new food she gets to have.

I would not use a pacifier yet she is far too young and it could negatively impact your supply even if your overproducing now. Which I don't think was established as the case. Also you mentioned that the milk comes too fast and I'm not sure that was established as the case either. What makes you think the milk is coming too fast? If you have OALD that could cause some of the gassiness. But again she is just a week and babies bodies need a little time to adjust being out of the womb.

[@llli*mer.mer]

Sorry I somehow missed the whole second page of posts. :angry pin Sounds like you do have OALD and you've got it under control.

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