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Breastfeeding/is there such a thing as a short letdown?
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Question
First of all, great website, it's wonderful to be able to tap into places like this when you need professional advice so thankyou!
I have a healthy 4 month baby girl who I love to breastfeed. She and I got off to a great start with the feeding and it all has been going well, but lately, she has been a bit extra fussy on the breast, poppin on and off and grizzling. I try to burp her (and sometimes do get one out)but she just gets more angry and wants to get back on the boob - only to pop back off again after a few sucks so it's not always a wind problem. My letdown comes in after about 30 seconds or so an she is a keen sucker but after about a minute or so, she starts to fuss, I can still squeeze out milk when I check, but could it be that the flow, slows down and it becomes too tuff for her to suck out or is it possible the letdown is too short? Also lately, she has always got her fingers in her mouth and wants to suck and chew on EVERYTHING. She seems frantic at times to do so. I feed her every 2 and half to 3 hours in the day and she wants a feed about 3 times in the night, surely this would mean that my milk production has been increased to meet her demands. It just seems like she is always hungry. (Or teething?) Other than this, she is meeting all her milestones.
Your advice would be really helpful! Thanks alot!
Dear Dee,
First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!
It's hard to know exactly what your baby's problem is right now without seeing her in person. I would suggest that you take her to her pediatrician and have the baby evaluated for GER (gastroesophageal reflux). This is a condition in which stomach contents back up into the esophagus. Remember what heartburn felt like when you were pregnant? GER babies seem to suffer the same feeling, but even more so. Symptoms of GER include pulling away from your nipple during feedings and refusing feedings, arching his back, crying loudly, and losing weight.
Treatment may include medication to reduce stomach acid, and also positioning the baby upright during feedings (so gravity helps keeping nutrients in the stomach). And you may be advised to take your baby to a pediatric gastroenterologist for a diagnosis.
Good luck!
Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.
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Answers by Expert:
Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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