Too Much Milk Or Nipple Confusion?

My newborn is about to be 3 weeks old. I have exclusively breastfed but I introduced the bottle to her about a week ago, she took it fine and when I breastfed her there were no problems.

The last couple of days she's been so frustrated at my breast yelling and crying because she wants to eat but so much milk comes out that she spits it out and chokes on it many times.

I tried pumping out just a little so that the flow slows down but it still too much.

The reason I thought it might be nipple confusion too was because at times she puts her whole mouth on the nipple and areola but when she starts getting really frustrated she kind of just opens her mouth, looks for the nipple and just kind of licks at it.

This happened around the first week too when I just started getting my milk but it got better towards the end of that day. Both me and her are so frustrated! What could it be?

Baby Help Line:

Newborn Breastfeeding Problems

Congratulations on producing milk so well! I assume introducing the bottle was also using
expressed breastmilk? There can be a little confusion for new babies with your nipples and
the teat on a bottle, but more than likely you and your baby are still getting used to the whole
breast feeding thing. It isn't always as easy as you might think!

You are doing all the right things, expressing a little bit to stop the first squirting, and making sure she gets the whole aureole in her mouth is great. But just relax a bit, it does take a while for the flow to adjust to her feeding, and for both of you to learn how best to feed. Even though it is a natural process, it doesn't mean you both know exactly how to do it!

I remember getting in a terrible mess in the first few weeks of feeding, soaking everything, and even squirting my baby in the eye!

The most important thing is to relax with it all, your little girl is very tuned into you, so if you get stressed she will get anxious too. Even if she is frustrated, don't worry, she will latch on eventually and get stuck in. In a week or two you will both settle into a much easier feeding
regime, and enjoy it a lot more.

One of the most important things about feeding your little one, is the bonding, pleasure and love that you share while you nourish her. So just take it slowly, set the scene by having a quiet room, maybe put on some relaxing music, make sure you are sitting comfortably with lots of support.

Don't wait until she is really grumpy and hungry before feeding her, try when she is still happy and comfortable so she is not so stressed.

Good luck, I know it will all settle in a few weeks, just give it a bit of time.

Annie Desantis

Find answers and comments below.