If a baby is acting like he's drowning, but still not transferring 
enough milk, look for tongue-tie and other anatomical issues that could 
cause swallowing coordination difficulties.

It can be hard to figure out why a baby is unhappy at the breast. If you 
have a stethoscope, you can listen under the baby's chin (it's called 
cervical auscultation) .  You can clearly hear swallows and once you get 
good at it, you can hear difficulty coordinating sucking and swallowing. 
So, if the baby is squirming and complaining and NOT swallowing much, 
this points to slow or no milk transfer, and if the baby is miserable 
and swallowing every suck, it points to difficulty handling flow.

Catherine Watson Genna BS, IBCLC  NYC  cwgenna.com


On 6/20/2011 3:44 PM, Sonya Shaver wrote:
> Hello all,
> What are your thoughts on the following:
>
> Have you seen a mom with overactive letdown yet not enough milk?
>
> Do you sometimes see the signs of oversupply and not enough milk crossing
> over, to the point where you aren't sure which it might be?  For example, if
> baby is arching and fussing at the breast, trying to ascertain whether it's
> because there's oversupply and too much lactose upsetting baby's stomach, or
> because there's not much milk left?
>
> I often have moms who feed their baby, and then the baby won't take anymore,
> but then they offer a bottle and the baby will drink an ounce of formula.
> What are your thoughts on that?
>
> Looking forward to hearing perspectives.  Thanks for your time!
>
> Sonya Shaver, BS, CHES, IBCLC
>
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