Breastfeeding question: So if baby only feeds for a few minutes and does not empty the breast, do I…

@haileybuttons @kimberlyyyy_the-preemie-mom @hellosweetie @dohmommy2016 😘😘😘 help

I would like to hear the responses as well. Just in the 4 hours between the last feed my right breast the right half of my boob you can feel plugged ducts. I swear I can't go more than half a day without this happening )):

I tried block feeding to bring down my supply but it backfired. It's like I'm stuck always pumping these ducts out. I hear it gets easier! There's hope @dohmommy2016

I hope so girl!! its so annoying! and painful as you of all people definitely know!

Okay, so first I gotta see if this is actually plugged ducts or just a case of painful engorgement, which is when the breasts aren't being emptied and they feel hard, full, and heavy and often sore or painful. You can often feel hard lumps while engorged, but if it is a plugged duct you will feel a hard lump or wedge that feels different than just "full" ducts, along with pain to that area, oftentimes redness and a "hot" feeling, and the milk flow will be obstructed. You may also noticed when hand expressing, the milk may come out from that side looking thicker and stringy, and it will hurt worse before a feed and feel better afterwards. Not sure if these apply to you, but the trick to getting rid of plugged ducts is to empty the breasts often, use warm compresses and massage, and I have also heard standing on hands and knees while pumping helps unclog it faster! I don't know all the symptoms you're having, but the hardness and pain is most likely due to engorgement, which sadly is also relieved by emptying the breasts lol if baby is popping off the breast and you are spraying, this is likely due to an over active let down, which usually comes hand in hand with an over active supply...what I did to fix this was if I felt the let down coming I would unlatch her or if she unlatched herself during one I would let it run off into a towel or a bottle if I remembered to keep it close by, then when it calmed down and stopped spraying I would offer the breast back to her so she could finish without being choked by the let down lol this worked surprisingly well! Plus I had a lot in my freezer from doing this and also expressing before nursings to help her latch!

When I dealt with over supply when my itty bitty left the nicu I just let whatever came out flow out and never tried expressing any more of it out. I would spray milk all over doctor offices and stuff 😭. I would say if it hurts you to feel that full even after you've sprayed out some milk and nursed then maybe put a warm rag over your breasts and hand express for a couple minutes (just enough to feel relief) and see if that helps. I wouldn't express too much because that confuses your body and will make you produce even more. Eventually your baby nursing will even out your supply and you won't have the issue anymore.

^^^ all fantastic advice!! Do you have a hand pump? That would speed it along I'm sure.

@hellosweetie, thank you so much for taking your time to write back! Yes, right now I'm dealing with engorgement. I'll take in that advice of unlatching and letting the milk flow out and once it calms down, latch her back on again. I get multiple let downs sometimes and each time she chokes and throws up everything. The hospital told me to pump every 3-4 hours to maintain supply. I think they were thinking is have low supply but my goodness, it's too much! I hope it regulates soon. It's so hard doing anything. But knowing you've been through it makes me feel a lot better because you're doing great now! It gives me a lot of hope ❤️ can't wait to get there.

@kimberlyyyy_the-preemie-mom, haha my room has to constantly be cleaned because I have my milk get sprayed all over as I'm rushing around to get a cloth to soak the milk with 😭 I need to stop pumping because I keep pumping till its empty and it feels so good that way, but a few hours later I'm back at being engorged. Thank you for responding back! How are you doing now with breastfeeding? Do you still have issues with it? 💕💕

@haileybuttons, I do! It helps me not pump so much out like with an electric pump. If I get hooked onto the electric double pump, I'll pump till I'm completely drained because it feels so good. I definitely need to limit how much I pump. It's just increasing my supply at an incredible rate.

@dohmommy2016, perfect advice from these perfect moms! Hope they help you just as much they help me. 😘

Hahahahaaaa yeah I remember those days. Usually a month or two into breastfeeding your body will regulate itself a bit. Do stop pumping before you get to that empty sensation. Sounds like a 5 minute session would be enough to take the edge off but not confuse your body. Breastfeeding has been a journey, but today marks 7 months of actual at-breast nursing (for the first month and a half while he was in the nicu I pumped and he got that milk because he was too little to do full feeds at Breast, plus they needed to measure how much he was eating). Our only issue is when I have to pump for work because my body has adjusted to what baby needs and doesn't respond to pumps well anymore. But other than that, things are great! It really does get easier as time goes on.

I'm glad things are going well for you and your son! I can't wait to get there myself!! @kimberlyyyy_the-preemie-mom ☺️