no letdown at night

N

newmom35

New member
I am having a breastfeeding problem. It seems that everything is ok during the day but at night, it's another story. I either am having a delayed letdown or no letdown. I try to express some before putting my son on, which seems to help a little bit, but it's nowhere near what I had during the day.

My son will fuss, cry, pull himself off...this will go on for awhile and then I just can't take it anymore. I will have my husband make him some formula and he will give my son a bottle. I am already eating oatmeal daily, drinking the Mother's Milk Tea and waiting for my supplements (fenugreek and blessed thistle) to come in the mail. I have not had any caffeine or alcohol. I am not dehydrated either. I just don't understand why I can't keep up or why I am having a letdown problem.

Today we fed about every two-three hours (from start of one feeding to the start of the next one) and they lasted about 40 minutes each (he did not do major drinking during these 40 minutes -- there were some breaks and some suckling). Any suggestions or ideas why this may be happening and how I can fix it? I really don't want to give formula if I don't have too, but I just don't know what else to do.

Thank you.
 
Is it all night long that you have no let down or just early evening? I have a small let down in the early evening, (something that is apparently quite normal) so during the day i just express a little extra whenever i express so i can give him a bottle of ebm when my supply is low. (haven't had to give formula yet and baby is 11 weeks old)

If it's all night long then that's another story and i guess you have to give formula.

I breastfeed all night long but for most feeds during the day i express and give bottle. It means my helper can feed him when i need to do something and it's easy to make a few extra bottles over a couple of days to store for days when i don't seem to meet my babies needs.
 
Are you breastfeeding differently at night to during the day?

Often a delayed letdown is to do with stress or discomfort. Try to make sure you are in a comfortable position for breastfeeding. Usually we suggest some sort of lying down position, either you in reclined position with the baby on top of you or side-lying with the baby next to you.

Have you tried swapping sides? As often when the baby gets fussy on the first side they will drink from the second. Then when they get fussy on the second they will drink from the first again. It is fine to keep swapping sides; swapping six, seven, eight times in each feed.

Please check out the post on http://www.geobaby.com/forum/thread130181-2.html#post915423 which explains how to get baby to drink more.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Thank you for your replies. I really try to be comfortable when feeding at night and I try to do things to take my mind off of my letdown (watching TV, puzzles, internet). It seems to happen on an every other night routine. Last night was ok, tonight was not...I do swap sides frequently when this happens. My left side seems to have a much greater supply than my right.

I have done the lying down position twice -- once in the morning and once at night. It did seem to work that night so maybe I should try that again. Oh, I am BF the same at night as I am during the day.

I just am starting to think something is wrong with me. I just don't understand why this is happening and why I can't remedy the situation. Anyway, I will give all your suggestions a try.
Thanks again.
 
I read this late... I hope you are getting on better in this last week.
I also have trouble letting down from time to time. And when my baby is impatient it makes it much much longer, so I know what you mean. Usually it`s not in the middle of the night for me bc I`m more relaxed and the baby is half asleep and will generally just suck and suck until I let down.

Some things I tried when I first had my baby was really looking at him and studying all his cute little features, remembering when they pulled him out of me(c-section), remembering other cute moments.
Have you tried stimulating your nipples? I always do that when I dream feed so I can make the most out of the sucking time. It usually takes a bit of time that way but I get there in the end.
Also I used to let down in the shower a lot - maybe you can keep a hot compress near you and put it on your breasts for a minute before you put your baby on?
Another thing I do when my little one is impatient and crying, I get up and walk. It relaxes him and he latches back on and will suck for longer, stimulating me more.
Oh and also, I will pull his face slightly away while he`s sucking so there is more stimulation.
Try some of those things and see if you have some more luck, if you haven`t already. You also didn`t say how many weeks your baby is. In my first few weeks, I don`t ever remember letting down. I don`t know how my baby got any milk:)
 
Please remember that it is not necessary for the mother to feel a sensation for the let-down to happen. Some mothers always feel a sensation and some mothers feel a sensation some of the time and some mothers never feel a sensation but the letdown (or milk ejection reflex) still happens.

The best way to know if the let-down has happened is to watch how the baby is sucking. When the baby first goes to the breast he sucks in a gulpy way and then chances to a rhythmic suck-suck-swallow type of sucking. When this change takes place the first let-down has happened. Most mothers have more than one let down maybe as many as six or seven during a feed. Usually a mother will only feel the first let-down.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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