Supply · Too much of a good thing

Oversupply and forceful letdown

How to tell oversupply from a forceful letdown, and what to do about each — laid-back latching, block feeding, complete drainage and switch nursing.

So the first question is which one you actually have.

Frequently engorged or overly full
Repeat mastitis or plugged ducts
Frothy green stools in your baby
Your baby chokes and sputters, maybe pulling away and crying
Your supply is normal — not overabundant

Before you change anything. Be sure oversupply is genuinely your issue before using any method to lower production — and then go slowly, so your supply doesn’t fall further than you meant it to.

We also recommend not reducing supply at all in the first two to four weeks. Your baby’s intake rises a great deal during that stretch, and what looks like too much milk now may be exactly right in a fortnight.

For a forceful letdown

Start with position, because it’s the simplest thing that works.

Latch in a laid-back position — you leaning back, your baby up over the breast, drinking “uphill.” Gravity works against the flow instead of with it, and it slows down.
If that isn’t enough, hand express or pump just the first minute or so of the letdown, then latch.

For an oversupply

Three approaches, in rough order of how commonly they’re used.

Block feeding. Feed on the same side for a set stretch of time rather than offering both breasts at a feeding. Most mothers start with three-hour blocks and lengthen them as needed.

If the other breast gets uncomfortably full during a block, hand express or pump just enough to be comfortable — then shorten that a little each day until you don’t need it.

Complete drainage and block feeding. The same as above, but you also pump after the first morning feeding — once you’re up for the day, or if you couldn’t get back to sleep for being too full — until the flow slows to drops. After that, pump at other feedings only for comfort, and wean that down slowly.

Switch nursing. Developed by Joan Fisher, IBCLC, in Ottawa. Switch breasts halfway through your baby’s usual feeding length — if he normally nurses 10 minutes a side, do 5 minutes on the first and 5 on the second, then switch again or stay put depending on whether he wants more.

This reduces supply the way block feeding does, but stimulates both breasts and leaves milk in each. Taking some milk from each side helps prevent mastitis and plugged ducts — which is the main advantage over straight block feeding.

Expect a day or two of a fussier baby while your body adjusts — and green stools may continue during that stretch if they were a problem to begin with.

Oversupply and forceful letdown

For a forceful letdown

For an oversupply

Further reading