How am I going to survive the next few months with this fountain
of milk spraying out of my breasts?
Inconvenient is the best description for the milk that
tends to issue from the breasts, especially from those of
first time mothers of newborns! It makes any trip into the
public eye fraught with the possibility of embarrassment.
Reassure yourself that very soon the supply will adjust
to match the demand and the problem will ease. In the meantime
there are two separate problems that this situation causes.
Firstly your let-down reflex may be too fast for your baby
to handle, causing baby to struggle when feeding and be
overwhelmed. Watch baby feeding, and as the letdown occurs
and baby is swamped, gently remove baby from the breast.
(Remember to break baby’s suction gently with your
little finger before removing from breast) Then have a towel
handy to mop up the first burst of milk. Once the flow has
slowed somewhat you can reposition baby onto the breast
and see if the situation is eased. Pumping some milk from
the breast before the feed may achieve the same goal with
less frustration for baby! By applying some pressure onto
the nipple area the flow may be stemmed somewhat. A change
of position may be of assistance. Some babies, when fed
upright, learn to allow the excess milk to trickle from
the side of the mouth and so overcome the overabundance.
Feeding in a lying position, maybe even on your back, can
slow the flow somewhat but may be difficult to get used
to! Doing a complete feed from one breast only can also
be helpful, but initially your discomfort between feeds
may outweigh this method. Pumping milk from the overfull
breast can help. However do be wary of using the breast
pump too liberally, as the extra milk produced will again
encourage your milk supply. It’s a question of trial
and error to find the balance.
The second situation is the difficulty of going out in
public without embarrassment. Especially doing the first
month, the volume of milk which can spray out of your breasts
at unexpected moments will amaze you. Timing a trip to the
shops straight after a feed can reduce the risk of leaking,
but the sound of another baby crying, or the thought of
your baby alone, can be enough to produce milk. Experimenting
with breast pads is the easiest course of action. Try to
avoid the type with the plastic backing which can cause
nipple problems due to the build up of fluid. Or keep those
for very short trips and change them regularly. Like nappies,
there are disposable and washable breast pads, and the choice
is a personal one. Dark clothing with small busy prints
provide a bit of camouflage.
Sleeping without soaking the bed can also be a challenge
in the early weeks. A large absorbent towel under your body
can help keep the rest of the bed dry. Extra absorbent pads,
or a double ration of pads in your bra at bedtime can help
you sleep longer, but keep a stash of fresh pads handy next
to the bed for easy changes in the middle of the night.
Once feeding is well established, applying pressure to
the breasts can slow the flow down considerably. However
early on it is better to let the milk flow to avoid creating
blockages.
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