Over supply - when to worry

[JB0123]

Hi all,

First time mum here - my baby is 3 weeks old and due to a difficult latch I've been expressing breast milk and bottle feeding. This is working really well for us.

My concern is I'm producing over 2L (70fl OZ) in a 24 hour period. That's with 4 x 20 min pumping sessions.

My baby is drinking just under half of that a day (70-90 mls/ 2.5-3 fl oz every 2 hours ish).

Should I be worried? Will this cause me any problems in the long run? Should I just keep going?

Any thoughts or advice appreciated, thanks x

I would keep going. Your supply hasn't regulated yet so if you drop off pumping sessions too soon, you may find that it dramatically drops in a few weeks.

A freezer stash isn't a bad thing to have at all. I have a friend, similar to you, who bought an extra deep freezer for their milk supply and was able to stop pumping at 7 months and still have enough to give their baby exclusively breast milk until a week after they turned one!

Don't do that! The main point of breast feeding is that the baby gets your antibodies at the moment they need them. Freezer milk is slightly easier to digest than formula, but doesn't have that much benefit otherwise. Mine gets freezer milk for nursery on a Monday before I pump at work or if I'm delayed so I completely understand that there's a place for a stash, but I wouldn't do it much more often.

The over supply is fine unless your milk is too watery. That will make the nappies go foamy and green so you'll know. Things will settle down over the next few weeks

It worked completely fine for my friend. Her baby is happy and healthy. She didn't pump with the intention of stopping at 7 months, that's just how it worked out.

That sounds like an amazing supply, especially at just 3 weeks! It’s really common for milk production to overshoot in the early weeks, your body’s still figuring out what baby actually needs.

If expressing is working well for you, that’s great, but producing much more than baby takes can sometimes lead to engorgement or blocked ducts, so it’s worth keeping an eye on any discomfort or fullness. Maybe you can gradually reduce pumping time to help balance out your supply.

As for freezing, it’s totally fine to store expressed milk if you’d like a little stash for later. Fresh is ideal, but frozen milk is still full of goodness and super helpful when you need a break or want your partner to feed.

If you ever feel unsure, it can help to chat with a lactation consultant or your health visitor, they can give a quick check that everything’s on track.

You’re doing really well, it’s a lot to manage in those early weeks, and it sounds like you’ve found a good rhythm already. Keep going, you've got this xx

It sounds like you’re doing well at the moment. I’d actually be more concerned about your supply dropping given that you’re only pumping 4 times a day…At 3 weeks pp, to maintain a supply through exclusive pumping, you should be pumping much more frequently - 8-10 times every 24hrs and especially through the night…this is to mimic how often your baby is feeding. Your supply might seem abundant now, but the long gaps between pumps will tell your body that the milk isn’t required and it’s likely to slow down pretty quickly. And then it’s difficult to recover.
Are you able to increase the pumping? Have you had support to help your baby to latch?