Over supply

[hazandduck]

Does anyone have any tips on how to reduce my supply.

I am so ill with mastitis. DD is a week old today and since she was born I have been unable to wear anything that doesn’t end up drenched, both breasts are a constant dripping tap. All I can do is wedge a towel under both breasts and after about five minutes it’s drenched. I have been catching what I can in bottles.

She had a tongue tie snipped yesterday and last night was better, she had been feeding every half an hour before this and has never once emptied my breasts, she then cries because she is still hungry but again can’t get the hind milk out, so to relieve the absolute agony of my engorged breasts I have had to pump and then finally she will guzzle the bottle like she’s never been fed at all, and then go to sleep.

I just want to be able to combi feed so I can afford to miss feeds and have support froM DH.

I breastfed my 2 year old for 15 months and had mastitis with her when she was 7 months becahse I left her overnight once, ended up hospitalised and so unwell as turned in to sepsis, so I knew immediately when I had it again.

I know it is rare to have such a supply established but I know my body and I know I do, I just feel like if I had a bit less milk we could manage this so much better.

I’m laid here now with a wet flannel over my breasts and a towel under them to try and relieve the burning heat radiating off them.

Please someone help me! I so want to keep feeding but I cannot handle this.

Maybe you should try to express some milk. Maybe it helps. Good luck 🤞

Firstly, go get antibiotics.

Cabbage leaves are supposed to reduce supply (it's why they shouldn't be recommended for relief from bf normally) and might help with comfort.

Express only at times you'd ideally like to feed baby if your aim is mixed feeding. You can reduce these later when you're less overwhelmed or baby is feeding more. Tbh baby is probably over stimulating but not feeding with tt so potentially exclusively pumping for a few days might help if the division doesn't have enough impact.

If caused by a blocked duct you really need to find and squeeze that out.

Thank you. I got antibiotics immediately as soon as I felt myself come down with it (this afternoon). I’ve taken two doses so far.

I did pump almost exclusively the first few days as her tongue tie really was restricting her. And it seemed to really help (she always has milk round her mouth now after feeding on me) and I’ve been massaging any lumps I can.

What do I do with cabbage leaves? Sorry dumb question. Thank you for your replies.

I had this too. What helped me was sticking to a schedule of 4 to 5 hours each side. So any time I fed in the first 4 hours it was from the right side, then after 4 hours I switched to the left for however many feeds happened during that time. This seemed to even things out and it meant that DS got to right down to the hind milk at the end of the 4 hours.

That makes sense! Thank you @Throughabushbackwards I will try that. I’m in so much pain. I did everything this time to
Try and avoid getting mastitis again, and it still wasn’t enough. I wish I could wave a magic wand and take my milk away!

Get a green cabbage and put in fridge. Put one leaf over each breast under bra and replace as often as needed.

And following on from Through, that will help but you may need to work up over a few days starting from 2/3 hours especially if you already have mastitis - just see how it goes with the engorgement.

Thank you @WreathsAndRopes I have woken up this morning feeling far more positive (why is everything worse at night) and my fever has broken so feeling less out of it. Going to get some cabbage today!

Hi, I have a 3 week old baby, I’m breast feeding and it seems like I’m over producing milk, baby will feed constantly gulp splutter and choke. She’s then quite gassy and has bad sick days, when she’s feeding she’s crying pulling her self off then demanding to go back on,plenty of pooey (orange) and wet nappies, she’s gaining weight nicely but I’m worn out with it all, when I speak to the midwife or health visitor they just tell me she’s probably just a hungry baby!! Any advice would be appreciated