thread: Oversupply?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jul 2010
    Melbourne
    2,737

    Oversupply?

    I am only 4 weeks in, but the last few days when dd is feeding she is detching and screaming and it's like she is choking on my milk. MCHN said my let down may be a bit much and it's stretching her oesophagus causing her to scream. She will latch on again, but this can happen up to twice in a feeding. And she has also only been feeding from one side half the time and will just keep refusing the other side. My boobs are sore all the time and I was leaking when I got out of the shower this morning. I am also finding that by the time the next feed comes (3 hourly) they are big and sore.
    Does it sound like I am making too much milk? Can this even happen?

  2. #2
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Jan 2006
    11,633

    Yep, it can, and yes, this may be what's going on.

    Sitting her upright to feed, or lying back and putting her on to your chest (as you lie back in bed or on couch) to feed will mean she's working against gravity and may find it a lot easier to manage that fast letdown. It's a common problem with oversupply, but some young babies just struggle early on, though they do get the hang of it once they're a bit bigger, so you may find that in the next month or so it's not a problem any more.

    If you're finding you're getting very full between feeds and she's definitely getting enough - remembering the signs of adequate intake - then you can try gently hand expressing to remove some of the excess (you may want to try and keep this if you're using EBM at all) but try to avoid pumping out all the milk. The more you remove, the more you make, and you'd like to tell your breasts to make a bit less.

    Block feeding can also help, where you feed on one side each feed until it's empty, then switch to the other side. It's tricky if she's feeding infrequently, though, as your other side will probably be sore and lumpy in the mean time. So you could try block feeding + hand expressing and see how you go. do watch out for sore lumps, though, and switch to empty that lumpy side if need be.

    If you're not sure about her intake, then you could also try feeding slightly more frequently to ease the load, as it were.

    Many mums have an oversupply early on, but it settles down within the first 4-6 weeks as your body learns just how much milk it needs to make.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Jul 2010
    Melbourne
    2,737

    Thanks MadB! Yes, I was wary about expressing with my pump because I didn't want to produce more! But I haven't been expressing much anyway, so unsure where all the milk came from. I will try a bit of hand expressing, it may just ease that first bit so she doesn't choke.
    Poor little possum, she screams and still wants it, but her little face is all red and she looks sore

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jan 2011
    2,075

    I think I asked exactly the same question!

    It's all part of the milk regulating itself. Madb has made some great suggestions about changing feeding positions. I found it very helpful.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    1,714

    Yep I have to hand it to my body, it can make milk, and lots of it! As madb suggested different positions worked we'll for us until it settled down, I used to express a bit while I was in the shower too which under the hot water felt amazing you're doing an awesome job Hun