[Ask Andrea]

Dear Andrea,
Over the past couple of days, when I feed my 12-week old son, he feeds for about 5-6 minutes and then pulls away, wriggling and crying. I then switch sides, and the same thing happens. If I switch back again, I can usually get another minute or two in, but it is a struggle.

This happened about a month and a half ago, and the pediatrician said it might be reflux. A lactation consultant I spoke to said it also might be that I have a fast let-down, and my son might be getting a "firehose" effect ( he was coughing and sputtering at that point--not happening now.) She suggested feeding on one side only and putting him in a more upright poisition.

I am trying to keep him more upright while feeding now, but have gone back to giving both breasts per feeding in order to try to get him to eat more. It was working fine until a couple days ago. Now I'm not sure what the problem is, or what to do about it!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can offer,

Erika
UWS

[Andrea]

Hi Erika,
Firstly, how wonderful for both you and your son that you continue to breastfeed!!

It seems to me that you do have an Over Active Letdown. This means that the rush of milk when your son first latches is overwhelming to him and this is probably the cause for his response. Because of this, my suggestion would be to return to that Lactation Consultant's original recommendation.

You said that you "have gone back to giving both breasts per feeding in order to try to get him to eat more", I suspect that this is your son and your body's way of letting you know that one breast per feeding is enough till the next meal! At 12 weeks, unless there is a concern for his intake , based on weight gain or lack of appropriate weight gain, your son is able to determine and regulate his intake.

Trust both your body and your son. When he is finished on one side, if your son seems interested, you may offer the other, this will cause your production to self-regulate more closely in line with your son's needs.