My breasts SPRAY like a fountain. . .?

Question

My daughter is a little over a week old, and I am breastfeeding her. Most of the time, when she nurses, too much milk comes out (it literally SPRAYS out like a fountain) and she has to pull back to catch her breath or to cough because she chokes on it a little.
Has anyone else had a similar situation? If so, how did you fix the problem?
I would really like to know how other breastfeeding mothers handled this before I go to the doctor for her appointment next week.
I can't stand seeing my little girl wore out from coughing. She looks so tiny and so sad, but trust me, she's getting enough to eat.

Answer 1

Congratualtions! On your newborn, the fact that you're choosing what's best for your baby- the mommy milk, and for the fact that you definitely make enough milk! I nursed both of my kids and my son is now sixteen months and I continue to nurse him. I can remember nursing my kids and the spraying action would happen and I once had a lactation consultant tell me that it's ok to take your baby off during the peak of let down. I'm not sure if you've noticed but when you're letting down that is the most likely time that your baby is gonna cough and the milk is gonna spray. You know your milk is letting down when you feel a tingling sensation in your breast and your breast will physically tighten up and harden a little (Just thought I should say that in case you weren't sure). Another thing the consultant told me (and I learned) was that it's ok to kinda' tilt your baby up a little so that gravity isn't contributing to the forcefulness of the letdown and flow. Think about it- if your baby is directly under your breast and the milk is going the direction down it is gonna come down slightly faster than if you placed your baby in front of the breast and the milk came out across. It helped my son out and since he was a big nurser by breasts were making massive amounts of milk and that did make him choke up a little in the first couple of weeks. If you want to express a little before you nurse her be careful. Breastmilk is made on a supply and demand basis. If you use a breast pump before nursing then nurse her your body is gonna make that much more for next time. This can aggravate the problem and set you up for clogs. I would litterally hand express some out into a burp cloth or cloth diaper but just enough to get past the let down depending on how fast you typically let down (for me it was really quick, thirty seconds, when my kids were newborns). After the forceful part of let down you can then begin nursing your baby and see how she handles it. If you want to consider storing breast milk for some time later than I would wait until she's about three to four weeks and your breasts have gotten the supply and demand down pat. But taking her off when she coughs is the right thing to do. Then placing her back on and sometimes that is the way it goes until the breast and baby adjust to it. But it sounds like your baby is gonna be a great nurser and that is wonderful. Good luck to you both :)
And hey, just know that although she looks worn out and exhausted from nursing, by next week she'll be that much more better and by one month she'll be not only better but also much bigger from the milk (not to mention protected from many different illnesses and infections). You're giving your baby the best and she deserves the best :)

Answer 2

I agree with several of the responses. I have 4 children and I breastfed all of them. I had a very strong letdown and had a similar problem that you are having. It could be that your daughter does not want to nurse very often. Anything more than 2 hours between feedings is going to leave you engorged. But this is just until your body gets into your daughters feeding rhythms. If she is waiting 3 to 4 hours between feedings, you may want to pump a little after 2 hours and freeze it. Don't pump too much, though, because then you will just be telling your body to produce more milk. Also, you should place a breast shield or cloth diaper over the breast that you are not nursing with and apply some pressure with your arm. This will keep that breast from leaking while you are nursing on the other side. I also agree that you should not depend on your pediatrician to help you with breastfeeding unless they are very pro-breastfeeding. Luckily, by the time I had my 3rd child, I found a wonderful pediatrician who was very supportive of breastfeeding mothers. With my 4th, I had to consult a lactation consultant because my baby had a high palate and had a difficult time sucking. It was a wonderful and informative experience.

Whatever you do, DO NOT dump your milk!! I can't believe people would suggest that. Breastmilk is very precious. And the first milk that comes out is the richest. Good luck and hang in there. It will get better. Just be patient and enjoy your baby.

Do not pump just before you breastfeed. Your baby should be getting that first milk. It is very rich and full of nutrients.

Answer 3

I had this problem with both of my children. I consulted a lactation consultant as well, so this isn't just my opinion. To allow the milk to settle down, make sure your baby has completely emptied one breast before putting her on the other. This may take several feedings. This is how to regulate your milk. Your other breast may become engorged in the mean time, but this truely does work. It is possible that you have something called hyperactive letdown (that's what I had) and this is also how you fix that problem. Never pump first, it only tells your body to make more milk and makes the problem worse. To help your baby out, try lying on your back when you're nursing her, or lean way back so your baby is propped up on your breast. This way the milk is flowing up into her mouth, and working against gravity. It gives her more control also, because it's not pouring down her throat. I've had two babies, I nursed the first one for 2 1/2 years and I'm currently nursing my 6 months old. Email me if you have anymore questions, maybe I can help. God Bless

Here's a website on hyperactive letdown:
http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,3x0p,00.html

Answer 4

You are waiting to long between feedings. I would do 2 things different. In the shower with warm water flowing on your breast express some of the milk. Or while she is nursing try to take her off the breast to allow her to breath. Make sure that the breast isn't obstructing the nasal passage too. I didn't think it was to bad until my daughter started choking on breast milk. But what she was doing was moving her head so she could get air and inhaling the milk as she was eating.

good luck if all else falls you could pump and give it to her in a bottle, but if you have a lactation specialist in your area I would try to contact her. Mine is through the WIC program and she has given me a lot of pointers.

good luck and congrats

Answer 5

This is called Forceful Let-down. There are things you can do to help her.

Position baby so that she is nursing "uphill" in relation to mom's breast, where gravity is working against the flow of milk. The most effective positions are those where baby's head and throat are above the level of your nipple. Some nursing positions to try:
Cradle hold, but with mom leaning back (a recliner or lots of pillows helps)
Football hold, but with mom leaning back
Elevated football hold - like the football hold, but baby is sitting up and facing mom to nurse instead of lying down (good for nursing in public).
Side lying position - this allows baby to dribble the extra milk out of her mouth when it's coming too fast
Australian position (mom is "down under", aka posture feeding) - in this position, mom is lying on her back and baby is on top (facing down), tummy to tummy with mom. Avoid using this positioning frequently, as it may lead to plugged ducts.
Burp baby frequently if she is swallowing a lot of air.
Nurse more frequently. This will reduce the amount of milk that accumulates between feedings, so feedings are more manageable for baby.
Nurse when baby is sleepy and relaxed. Baby will suck more gently at this time, and the milk flow will be slower.
Wait until let-down occurs, then take baby off the breast while at the same time catching the milk in a towel or cloth diaper. Once the flow slows, you can put your baby back to the breast.
Pump or hand express until the flow of milk slows down, and then put baby to the breast. Use this only if nothing else is working, as it stimulates additional milk production. If you do this, try to express a little less milk each time until you are no longer expressing before nursing.

Adjust your milk supply to meet her needs. Some tips for this:

If baby is gaining weight well, then having baby nurse from only one breast per feeding can be helpful.

If baby finishes nursing on the first side and wants to continue nursing, just put baby back onto the first side.
If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you're more comfortable and then use cool compresses - aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.
Avoid extra breast stimulation, for example, unnecessary pumping, running the shower on your breasts for a long time or wearing breast shells.
Between feedings, try applying cool compresses to the breast (on for 30 minutes, off for at least an hour). This can discourage blood flow and milk production.

Answer 6

Overactive letdown is very common. I had it bad in one breast and less so in the other -weird.
Express some milk before trying to get baby to latch on - by hand or pump. Also you don't want to get too engorged so feed her more often. It also helped me that I didn't wear a bra around the house so it was free to leak when it got full.
Don't worry, mommy, you are doing great and in another month or two she'll be able to handle that extra strong spray.

Answer 7

I agree with both answere so far. As a mother of four I nursed all of them. Expressing milk before nursing works. Also having something to soak up the extra is important to. Your body will adjust in time. Until then good luck. Mine usedto spray like that after getting out of the shower. Used to freak my husband out!!

Answer 8

Oh yes, My hubby would laugh and laugh because I would pull out and my daugher would catch her breath and I would spray all over the chair. LMAO.

You are still new to breastfeeding, your body needs to get used to her and how much she needs. When it's time to each, hand pump a bit out. Two good things with that:

1.) Freeze it in breastmilk bags for a ready meal if you go out away from her for more than 2 hours

2.) It wont spray her as much!

:) Good luck! Contact me if you ever want someone to talk to about it!

Answer 9

Boy do I remember those days!! What finally worked for me was using a cloth diaper over both sides right before I nursed my son, let myself think I was nursing him, thus soaking the diapers, but the spray was slower and I could let my son nurse. Be warned though you'll still be leaking from the non-nursing side, so keep a pad there!! Good luck.

Answer 10

Sounds like you have forceful letdown. There are things you can do to help. Here's a link you should read: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

http://www.kellymom.com is an EXCELLENT resource for breastfeeding moms. Don't assume your pediatrician will have answers for you. Most of them know very little about breastfeeding, unless of course your baby's doctor is/was a breastfeeding mom herself.