breastfeeding help - its so messy!

Does anyone have any advice for managing the mess?

ive worked with a IBCLC to get the best latch we are ever going to get & we now feed half with shields & half without. However, the latch isnt perfect so milk still pour out of the side of his mouth, with or without the shields. It goes all over his face, neck, arm & shoulder & all down my stomach & pants.

currently when feeding I have to place a towel or cloth nappy across my lap & tuck another one down my bra. A face washer doesnt cut it. Usually the one tucked down my bra gets dislogged by ds during the feed so I wind up with milk everywhere anyway.

I also have to tuck something over ds's shoulder otherwise the top of his outfit is saturated after a feed.

Now its just way too hot here to be covering myself & ds in towels/terry flats every feed, we are both sweltering, then ds refuses to feed cause he's hot. But if I just feed like everyone else does (sit down, pull out boob & go) we both need a full outfit change after every feed.

this makes feeding a complete nightmare in public or at other peoples houses when we are both either covered in towels or milk. I dont drive so carting multiple sets of clothes around for both me & ds is not really an option.

any ideas?

:hug:

Ok so I know the feeling with using the terry flats. Unfortunately, I found them to be the most absorbent when soaking up excess milk. My dd wasn't leaking from her mouth but because of constantly getting mastitis I had to go bra free when feeding! Yeah talk about awkward when you're out!! Lol. So I can feel your pain. Are you using nursing pads too?

Can you put a bib on him when you feed? Or like one of those plastic smock looking bibs?

What seems to be the problem with his attachment? I ask because I fed dd1 with shields for 15 months and I found her mouth closure a lot better with shields. Can you get a smaller shield? I used the Avent ones because they had a place for their nose and chin to still be on the Breast and I know they came in about 3 different sizes. Maybe a different sized one will help him close his mouth more?

I cant use a smaller shield, the size I use pinches & rubs enough as it is.

Latch issues = not totally sure. He doesnt seem to have a tie but he just never used to be able to maintain his latch, which is why we started on shields. Now he can stay on for a bit but gets frustrated quickly without the shield.

Maybe the larger one then? I think I had the largest size because they said it's obviously better for the nipple, but also encourages them to keep their mouth open wider for nipple-shield transition.

My dd wouldn't even feed on my breasts after a while, but you get used to the shields, in the end you don't even think about it. Is the leaking better with the shield?

Does he damage you with his bad attachment?

I tuck a cloth nappy under my bra every time I feed. I call it my booby bib! Sounds like you are doing that already though, but thought I would post so you know you aren't alone.

I was truly shocked by how messy bfing was for me in those first months. I thought I was the only one! I had to tuck a cloth nappy into my bra under my boob and under ds's head when I sat up to feed. And at night we slept on them and they were wet every feed. Ds didn't have a poor latch, it was just super messy. It did get better though.

Hi,
Congrats on your baby! That does sound really messy and difficult for you.
I wonder: what has the LC determined is the problem here? If milk is pouring out of the breast your baby is feeding from then something is definitely not right with the latch (as you've figured out!). Did she check for tongue tie? (this will, at a minimum, involve her putting fingers in baby's mouth to have a feel).
It's possible there's more than one thing going on here. Is baby doing alright otherwise?
If you're in Aus, have you called the ABA helpline for some suggestions? 1800-686-268.
One thing that can be really helpful with latch issues is laid back nursing, also known as biological nursing or baby-led breastfeeding. Maybe this is something the LC has already suggested? If you're unsure on it, you can have a look here. It can be very effective with all sorts of feeding problems.
Good luck