I have to bottle feed breast milk to my son.?

Question

I have a serious case of overactive letdown and oversupply. I have tried every single trick in the book: block feeding, cabbage leaves, one breast per feeding, catching excess milk in a towel during letdown then relatching, etc. I've spoken to 4 different lactation consultants and my son's pediatrician. The overactive letdown and supply has caused my son incredible gastrointestinal problems and projectile vomiting. He is also now fussy at the breast and pulls of frequently.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? I feel like such a failure as a Mother. I won't formula feed him so all I can think to do is pump and give it to him in a bottle. Please do not recommend any treatments. I don't mean to sound snooty. I seriously have tried everything.

Answer 1

i see no problem with bottle feeding expressed milk, i have 2 because my son was a month preemie and never did latch very well.  don't let yourself feel like a failure.  you could try to pump for a while first and then see how he does on the breast.  just a thought.  good luck

Answer 2

You are not a failure.  It is good that you have decided to go ahead and pump.  Your baby is still getting the best nutrition, and you are still a great mommy.  I know lots of people who have had to do this, so don't feel bad.

Answer 3

how about pumping right before feeding, so that the overactive letdown can kick into gear, and then as the letdown slows down, you can begin to nurse. It takes lots of vigilance though, because you'll have to be one step ahead of your babies cries for hunger. Also, the gastrointestinal problems may be more related to your diet than the overactive letdown (personal experience!!) try cutting out dairy and veggies (esp. high fiber ones) from your diet for a while, and see if that makes a difference to his GI tract. (I had to even eliminate fruit, and all whole wheat, or whole grain products, and some of my friends had to eliminate all wheat or all gluten too.)

Answer 4

Because it is likely the oversupply will resolve on its own I would recommend that you use a cup or paladai to feed your son so that you do have a better chance of going back to breast.

However lots of moms do this for a lot of reasons, its called "human milk feeding" or "exclusive pumping" (EPing)

There are a lot of links here on exclusive pumping:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bf-li...

Alternative Feeding Methods

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alter...

Also you my need to pump foremilk and dump it, or wait for th milk to separate and then remove some of the "skim" milk.  If this is necessary you might need to measure the fat level of your milk: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/pro...

Also I know you don't want to hear about treatment, but I can't help it because oversupply can be a sign of a serious underlying health problem.  Have you been screened for your thyroid levels, diabetes, and PCOS.  Also I know I have worse supply problems when I let yeast get out of hand as I am prone to, if you are prone to yeast problems you could try some safe treatments like grapefruit seed extract, garlic, probiotics, etc.

Answer 5

You are not a failure as a mother.  Your child is being fed.  Whether it be at the breast, by the breast, or formula, your child is still being fed.

I formula-fed my daughter and when I have another child, I plan on pumping & bottle-feeding just because I'm not completely comfortable with breast feeding.

Answer 6

I had an excessive amount of milk while BF as well.  My son was also very fussy at the breast and had projectile vomitting episodes.  However, I was never once told that it could be from my milk letdown.  My son was diagnosed with Reflux at 6 months and put on ranitidine (Zantac) Since then things are much better.

Your baby may have other issues non related to your let down.  I would get a second opinion.

Answer 7

been there with both my kids. my son who is 3 1/2 i breast fed for 15 mos. and i just had my daughter who is 2 months old. with my son he projectile vomited too but was never fussy and pooped just fine, my daughter spit up but dosent vomit, but has explosive green stools and pulls away from the breast and is constantly crying all day long. i have found out with both my kids they were allergic to the dairy in my milk and peanuts. when i found out with my son he stop vomiting. and with my daughter she stopped the green p**p, and crying. and yes i had an overactive let down and tried everything too, with my son i did pump until he was 5-6 months old when my let down got under control, it will with time. with my daughter my let down is still overactive, but i think its getting better sooner. but i have been giving her half formula because she was such in pain from the dairy from my milk i wanted to give her a rest, cause it takes up to 4 weeks for dairy to get out of your system. but dont feel like a bad mom, i know i did. especially when i found out they were allergic to things in my milk. breast milk is expose to be the best.... idk... i feel for you though.  

Answer 8

I'm in your same situation my son is just over a month old. Since he was born I haven't been able to get him to latch without complication to the both of us so i have been pumping everyday since. I'm not going to say it easy cause its not. Make sure you pump on a schedule so your milk doesn't dry up. Don't give up your still doing a great job. Just because you pump doesn't mean your a failure. Your still willing to try and that's all that matters. Good Job.

   Also you might want to get a good pump that will help you out Lot.

Answer 9

You aren't a failure at all...you are doing what you can to get your son the breast milk that he needs...nothing worng with that.  I have a heavy let down also...so my son filled up quickly and wasn't getting the hind milk that he needed.  BUt by 6 weeks, it sorted itself out.  Its fine...he is still getting breast milk.