Oversupply really getting me down.

[overmilkwood]

My DD is 12 weeks and Excl BF. I enjoy feeding her and don't wish to stop BF but my oversupply, if that's what it is, is really really getting me down. At night I regularly soak at least 3 nightshirts, and DD as I feed her - necessitating total changes of her clothes and sleeping bags. And in the day it's not that much better - it simply pours out of both breasts - if she's not sucking the spray continues - covering her, or whatever is in front of me. It seems too much for DD if she's sleepy, making her upset.

It's also really embarassing for me, and I avoid going out as feeding in public is mortifying as I'm just a milk machine. I've tried breastpads, but even if I put about 5 in, I'm still soaked through.
Sometimes as I'm pulling my bra down, that's enough to stimulate a massive letdown and it just shoots everywhere.

Has anyone got any advice? I really thought it would have settled down by now, and am fearful that it's now not going to. I don't want to express as I believe that just creates more milk - also DD won't take a bottle, so there's no point in even collecting this deluge - what a waste!! Feeling very about the whole thing.

Have you tried block feeding - feeding for set period of time, say 4 hrs, only on one side (so if she has 1, 2 or even 3 feeds in that time they are all from the same breast)?

Sure someone more helpful will be along soon!

Would a nipple shield stem the flow a bit and help your daughter feed with a slower flow?

I haven't tried that. DD seems to dictate which side she feeds from as for some weird reason she randomly refuses certain sides at certain points. Thinking about it - maybe she kind of block feeds herself. I'll try and pay more attention to what side she will go on and how often.

• what a nuisance.

Any of the helplines will have a range of ideas on how to make this easier - one sided feeding for instance (am assuming your dd is gaining weight and is healthy).

Oh - I don't know about nipple shields. I think I have some from newborn days when I was worried about getting sore nipples (I was very lucky and didn't, so they're still in packet) - are they the things you mean? Didn't realise they could help with flow

Nipple shields not a great idea, sorry, JollyMrsXmas.

Yes she's perfectly healthy. Weight gain slightly on the slow side, but 99th centile for length so she's definitely growing upwards!

I'm no expert but from my experience with ds1 nipple sheilds and the collecting cup things made it worse.

sympathies. I stopped bf him for this reason. I hope you manage to sort it out.

Hi- I had massive oversupply as well, although my main irritation with it was the up and down-ness if my breasts, I fluctuated hugely and it was so uncomfortable.

I did block feed after reading about it on Kellymom and it helped. TBH though I just sort of stuck it out and it gradually got better- a lot better. I still shoot milk across the room if DS comes off suddenly (and the fast flow still causes him to cough and splutter sometimes) but have almost stopped leaking from the other side when he feeds now, which I thought would never happen!

I had to feed with a folded muslin poised by his face to catch the flood when he popped off. I got quite adept at it!

In my experience it did settle down- probably at 6 months, which struck me as indicative of how, as mammals we are physically 'supposed' to feed for much longer than what's normal in the uk. But that is an unhelpful musing, sorry!

Hope things get better and if it helps think of all that lovely milk your DD is revelling in... or blame her, as she stimulated it all!

I have BF 3 babies and was exactly like you in the early days.
Here are my tips.
Wear a BF bra 24/7 "with breast pads", yes night and day.
Do you feel your let down reflex whilst feeding? If yes, when baby feeds gently press the nipple of the opposite breast into the breast tissue using the flat of your hand until the reflex sensation passes and you should find you don't leak.
Do this every feed and eventually (months away), you should not have to do this at all and you won't leak.
Doing this long term will also make your letdown gentler so you won't gag your daughter when your BF her.

this solution is not going to help reduce your oversupply but it might be something you're interested in - you could put the oversupply to good use and donate to a milkbank. you can google for your nearest. they usually come and collect the bottles once every few months. I expressed while feeding from the other breast and because of the oversupply it was easy to fill the bottles. the milk goes to the neonatal units mostly

If you press the heal of you hand into your breast quite firmly you should be able to stop the let down at times when you dont want it (and in the breast you are not feeding from).

I had a similar situation of great supply and very strong let downs causing soaking soggy mess and much choking by the babies as they were deluged! I found I had to be v choosey about breast pads (Nuk, Boots ultra thin, Lanisoh were about the only ones worth getting - you need the ones which are basically like a nappy or sanitary pad with weird absorbant gel stuff) and learnt to manage it - lots of muslins, I always had a muslin in my hand as I opened my bra to catch spraying milk. All this was of course much easier to manage third time around after lots of practice. With DD1 I just made sure I had a cardigan or something I could button up over my shirt if I'd got all soggy. Good luck.

Thanks so much for all your messages. I spoke to a bf consultant today and got a few things to try - including the block feeding thing. Also going to donate the ridiculous amount of milk I have at night, which will at least make me feel as if something good is coming out of all the excess washing!

Isn't it weird...I'm currently fretting about my supply being low, you're drowning in milk...we should be able to share

I thought it would never stop with DD2. At the beginning I used to sleep with Pampers inside one of my bras as normal breast pads just weren't absorbant enough (I can grin now but was despairing at the time)

It does settle down I promise. IIRC it was at about 5-6 months.

Glad you got some useful advise today