What age could they handle your flow

[courts&munchkins]

With all of my kids I have had serious issues with flow and let down which ended with complete breast refusal from both of my boys. They became terrified of them. Now my dd is nearly 5 weeks old and we are starting to head down the same path. So I am wondering what age for those with a fast flow could they handle it??? I got to 3 months with ds2 and he still couldn't handle it then so I am wondering exactly when it gets better??

DD has started screaming and pulling off when I put her to the boob (left boob is most definately worse) I always burp her when she starts screaming and put her back on but within a couple of sucks she is screaming again. She is becoming harder and harder to settle after a feed, it can take up to 2hrs of constant on and off and screaming before I can settle her.

Her attachment is shocking because of it and she makes this horrible sucking noise whilst feeding which isn't normal. I've had the midwives come out and check for tongue tie, none. They tried to help me with her attachment but couldn't get her to do any differently. We tried posture feeding, feeding lying down, football hold, catching the let down... nothing makes any difference. Poor little thing has so much wind she's farting constantly.

People tell me its harder to express milk out rather than feed her but I can pump about 150ml in 3 minutes so I can just imagine how quickly it's pouring into her mouth. Even if I express the let down, everytime she pulls off it just keeps flowing, no matter how far into a feed she is. Poor thing just has to keep swallowing, everytime she tries to take a breath she inhales milk and chokes, not just a little gag, but proper choking.

Please tell me she will be able to handle the flow soon, I'm not even really engorged anymore and the flow is still super, super fast. I really want breastfeeding to work out this time but she is already starting the whole breast refusal stage. Every now and then we'll get a feed that's ok and I realise how good it could be and I want to be able to say in the end that I did it. It just seems that the bad feeds are getting more and more common as she's getting bigger rather than the other way around. I just want to get to a stage where I feel like we're able to feed happily and not like I'm trying to kill her.

We don't have an LC's I can see in this town so I have to wait until we are going on holidays in 10 days before I can see one. I hope they can help us in one session because I won't have another chance afterwards.

Please tell me she'll be big enough soon. Do you think nipple shields would help slow down the flow???

[HotI]

Have you tried feeding with bub on top of you, so you don't have extra effect of gravity pushing (pulling?) the milk into her mouth?

[courts&munchkins]

Yep done all the posture feeding and upright feeding etc. Doesn't make a scrap of difference. Never did with any of my kids.

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[Georgi]

I am having the exact same problem with DS2 at the moment. Except he's not hard to settle after a feed. I am also expressing before feeding, which is helping to some degree, but as soon as another let down comes he's pulling off screaming & refusing to go back on. Unfortunately I don't know how to fix it so I can't help but I can sympathise. My MCHN says it's just a phase and he'll come round. She said it will probably take 3 to 4 weeks. I hope that's true for both of us.

[onthefly]

Sounds like you may also have oversupply? - have you tried block feeding? What about calling the ABA for advice - 1800-686-2-686 - they might have some more advice for you

For me, my kids seem to be able to handle the flow better from around 3 months

[xXHopeXx]

I dont know if it would help, but I was having a similar problem that was starting to lead to breast refusal because of fast flow (but this was at about a week old)

Have you tried a nipple shield? It may be a PITA, but it may control the flow just enough for her to learn to cope and when she's bigger she can just wean off them?

My DD did that (my boob was also abit big for her, so it was for both issues combined really) and she's now feeding really well - even without the shield now!

HTH Hun, I know how frustrating it is when bubbas can't cope with the flow

[Cassius2]

i had fast flow and heaps of milk and the only thing i could do in the early days was express off and then lie on my back with her lying on her belly on my chest and feeding.

sorry that i dont have any other hints or tricks, it was just so trial and error for us. it took around 3-4 months until i felt confident that we would get a good attachement and not too much flow.