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Oversupply, lowering your milk volume

Oversupply, What may your Lactation Professional recommend 

This is an educational resource not medical advice work with your Healthcare provider and an IBCLC to improve your situation



Do Not limit feedings, offer your breast at least 10 or more times in 24 hours in response to babies feeding cues

 Watch for signs of milk transfer, Count wet diapers (5-6 wet diapers in 24 hours), Have your lactation professional do weighted feeds, listen for swallowing pah pah or kah kah sound, and watch for suck:swallow patterns of (1:1, 2:1,& 3:1) showing milk is being transferred 

  Check your breast for lumps that could be plugged ducts and be aware of signs of mastitis by massaging your breast before feedings if possible, or at least once a day


If the oversupply is negatively affecting you or your baby a lactation professional may recommend one of these methods to lower your supply.

 Switching Sides Frequently is a method some nursing parents find work. This technique may worsen infant symptoms initially before improving. 
1. The nursing parent will offer the first breast but halfway through the feed move baby to the second breast. 
2. If a feed usually lasts 20 minutes the baby will be moved from the first breast to the second at the 10 minute point
3. You can switch more frequently if easier for you and baby




Block feeding, is when you nurse your baby on a single breast for a predetermined amount of time.
1. Offer first breast and only offer this breast for 3 hours 
2. hand express second breast if uncomfortable until manageable
3. After 3 hours offer second breast
4. Only offer second breast for the next 3 hours 
5. hand express first breast if uncomfortable until manageable
6. Repeat for the amount of time recommended by your lactation professional
7. Try to hand express less and less until you do not need to

  A lactation provider may ask you follow this for one week, possibly increasing the time in hour increments between switching breasts after the week if oversupply is still affecting you or baby.

 Full drainage, block feeding is a treatment a lactation professional may recommend if the fullness in block feeding alone is causing excessive discomfort to the nursing parent. 
1. The nursing parent will use an double electric pump to fully drain the breast during the first feed of the day.   
2. The nursing parent will offer both pumped breast until infant detaches on its on
3. The nursing parent will then offer the first breast and only the first breast for three hours . 
4. After the three hours have passed the nursing parent will offer the second breast only for the next 3 hours
5. The nursing parent will only fully drain once during the day unless engorgement becomes extremely uncomfortable 

A lactation provider may ask you follow this for one week, possibly increasing the time in hour increments between switching breasts after the week if oversupply is still affecting you or baby.
Resources :
Veldhuizen-Staas, C. G. (2007). Overabundant milk supply: an alternative way to intervene by full drainage and block feeding. Retrieved July 11, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2075483/

Oversupply & Forceful Letdown. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://nurturedchild.ca/index.php/breastfeeding/challenges/oversupply-forceful-letdown/

Am I making too much milk? (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://www.llli.org/faq/oversupply.html

Forceful Let-down (Milk Ejection Reflex) & Oversupply • KellyMom.com. (2017, March 21). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

The Maternal Hyperlactation Syndrome. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from https://www.scribd.com/document/344377811/The-Maternal-Hyperlactation-Syndrome

DigitalCommons@Fairfield. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/nursing-facultypubs/6/

And, L. T. (n.d.). Lauren Trimeloni. Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://www.jabfm.org/content/29/1/139.long

Block Feeding Dos & Don'ts. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2013/10/9/block-feeding-dos-donts.html

Gulping. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://www.normalfed.com/continuing/gulping/

Colic in the Breastfed Baby. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from https://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/colic-in-the-breastfed-baby/


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