Oversupply?
Too much breastmilk? Is that really a problem? The answer is, YES, oversupply is a big problem for people who are struggling with this.
Milk everywhere, choking babies, are there answers? For sure! Listen to this podcast to get more information.
Symptoms:
Baby choking
Baby clucking at the beginning of feed (when the milk is flowing fast) or during let downs
Fussy babies
Milk everywhere!
What to do about an oversupply?
First, figure out what is really going on. Some families can actually just have a strong milk ejection reflex and actually not have too much milk, a true oversupply, but it can be confusing. Sometimes it can look like too much milk is the issue but actually it is the baby not being able to handle flow period. Babies are fussy for lots of reasons. Fast flow is just one of them! Getting help from an IBCLC can help sort out these questions for sure and make a strong plan to move forward.
Possible solutions for an oversupply
Many people turn to google when they think they have an oversupply. It’s what we do! Sadly, there is a lot of information on google that will come up first and actually potentially make breastfeeding worse. Many of the suggestions (such as blocked feedings, pumping after feeds to fully empty, and taking medications or eating certain foods to reduce your supply) can shift an oversupply into an under supply with the family being unaware that this is happening. Personally, we don’t use these methods very often (but never say never). Instead we help identify the cause of the trouble and then create a concrete plan as to how to address the issue.
It is common for families to start out in the first weeks with what feels like an oversupply but then milk supply naturally calms down as the milk supply shifts from being driven by hormones to supply and demand.
Please don’t sit with these issues yourself! Get help. Oversupplies are something that is fairly straightforward to resolve. It does take time and a good plan to make sure all is going well.
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