Breast feeding question

[Kimberlee_20]

I started feeding Dameon straight from my breast, then DH decided he wanted to be able to feed him too, so I pumped, and he was able to feed him. It turns out the baby has gotten used to ONLY taking a bottle, because it's easier, not to mention my boobs are so full of milk all the time, it flattens my nipples and he has no nipple to latch onto. Now I'm pumping only (and I like it better this way, I know exactly how much he's getting, and I don't have the stress of him latching on), and my boobs are filling up too quickly. Any suggestions on how to slow it down? I was going to just stop pumping as much, but it gets to the point where my boobs KILL because they're so full, I want to continue BF'ing but I don't know what to do about the situation.

[Mumita]

In my BF class they said that you can store milk in the back of the freezer for up to a year.  So Stock up as much as you can, he'll start going through a growth spurt soon in which he will be asking for more and more so it will be a good thing if you have a good supply stored.

[kmcghan]

Yep I say store it. I had to store mine for a while cause my girls had Jaundice and the dr. took them of breastmilk till the jaundice was gone. But the freezed supply was great ;)!

[Kimberlee_20]

thank you ladies, I sure hope so, they're SO FULL and sore all the time!

[tiredbuthappy]

yes- it will slow down. right now it's hormone driven, and it sounds like you are very lucky to have a supply where so many people would have to be supplementing for formula. Once the hormones calm down, it becomes more of a supply-demand situation.

Until reading your post, I actually managed to forget how much i was engorged in the beginning. I couldn't imagine going more than 2 hours between pumps because of it and it was very uncomfortable. And when I actually tried to get 4 hours of sleep- forget it! I promise it'll get better.

[GRose]

It's very normal to be engorged for the first few weeks after your milk comes in, it will slow down once your body knows how much it needs to produce.

I agree with tired, take advantage of the good supply, stock up while you can!!

[Kimberlee_20]

tiredbuthappy - I have been storing extra, but now between two boobs I'm pumping 4 ounces easily, and it replenishes very quickly. It will slow itself down??

[tiredbuthappy]

you had him less than a week ago, right? Your boobs will regulate soon enough. The general recommendation for now is to pump 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours. If you happen to be producing too much this way, go more towards 10 minutes, but I wouldn't cut it down anymore yet since your supply will be sensitive and fluctuate for a while. I remember in the beginning it hurt so much to go any more than 2 hours between pumpings, and I was only getting a couple of ounces. After a couple of months, I was able to go 8 hours and pump 18 ounces without feeling uncomfortable.

take advantage of a good supply- you can start storing any extra you get. Soon his demand will increase and it's always a comfort to have a bit extra in the fridge or freezer.