COPING WITH HYPERLACTATION (OVERSUPPLY)

   Like most first time mothers, I didn't start to lactate immediately after childbirth and my baby yelled and yelled for his mother's milk.I was frustrated and worried about the delay and when finally my milk supply was established, I observed that I was producing more milk than my baby needs.

 When I nurse I felt a tingling sensation and while my baby feeds on one end the other is dripping and my breast pads are soaked most of the time.nursing became difficult and uncomfortable especially for my baby as he became fussy, pulling away from the breast when I have a fast let down, he coughs, sputters and clamps down on my nipple during feedings in a bid to stop the fast flow.he also passes out greenish explosive stools as a result of foremilk and hindmilk imbalance (see post on ABC OF YOUR BABY'S POOP)

 The last straw for me was when I was rushed to the hospital because of pain and fever resulting from breast engorgement. Even when I felt better, I still didn't know what was wrong until I researched my symptoms and I realised It was hyperlactation. Thanks to sites like Kellymom, la leche league international, breastfeeding.com and babycenter.com, I was able to cope effectively with it.so what causes hyperlactation and how can you cope effectively with it?

WHAT CAUSES HYPERLACTATION?

According to babycenter.com"This may be mostly a problem for mothers with a lot of alveoli (the milk-producing glands) in their breasts. The average number is 100,000 to 300,000 alveoli per breast, and mothers with hyperactive lactation tend to be at the top of the scale.Sometimes a mom will produce too much milk because she inadvertently gives her body cues to produce that much – for example, by pumping more milk than her baby needs.Certain hormonal imbalances, pituitary tumors, and medications can also put milk production in high gear"


HOW TO COPE WITH HYPERLACTATION?

Kellymom provides lots of practical tips that I've applied over time that worked for my baby and I so please read on
 
 

There are essentially two ways you can go about remedying a forceful let-down:

(1) help baby deal with the fast flow.

(2) take measures to adjust your milk supply down to baby’s needs. Since forceful let-down is generally a byproduct of oversupply, most moms will be working on both of these things. It may take a couple of weeks to see results from interventions for oversupply, so try to be patient and keep working on

A. HELP BABY DEAL WITH THE FAST FLOW

1.Position baby so that she is nursing “uphill” in relation to mom’s breast, where gravity is working against the flow of milk. The most effective positions are those where baby’s head and throat are above the level of your nipple.

SUGGESTED NURSING POSITIONS

I.Cradle hold, but with mom leaning back (a recliner or lots of pillows helps)

ii.Football hold, but with mom leaning back

iii.Elevated football hold – like the football hold, but baby is sitting up and facing mom to nurse instead of lying down (good for nursing in public).

iv.Side lying position – this allows baby to dribble the extra milk out of her mouth when it’s coming too fast

v.Australian position (mom is “down under”, aka posture feeding) – in this position, mom is lying on her back and baby is on top (facing down), tummy to tummy with mom. Avoid using this positioning frequently, as it may lead to plugged ducts.

(See pictures for suggested positions in nursing positions post)

2.Burp baby frequently if she is swallowing a lot of air.

3.Nurse more frequently. This will reduce the amount of milk that accumulates between feedings, so feedings are more manageable for baby.

4.Nurse when baby is sleepy and relaxed. Baby will suck more gently at this time, and the milk flow will be slower

5.Wait until let-down occurs, then take baby off the breast while at the same time catching the milk in a towel or cloth diaper. Once the flow slows, you can put your baby back to the breast.Pump or hand express until the flow of milk slows down, and then put baby to the breast. Use this only if nothing else is working, as it stimulates additional milk production. If you do this, try to express a little less milk each time until you are no longer expressing before nursing.

B . TAKE MEASURES TO ADJUST YOUR SUPPLY TO MEET YOUR BABY'S NEEDS

i. If baby is gaining weight well, then having baby nurse from only one breast per feeding can be helpful.If baby finishes nursing on the first side and wants to continue nursing, just put baby back onto the first side.

ii. If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you’re more comfortable and then use cool compresses – aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.

iii. Avoid extra breast stimulation, for example, unnecessary pumping, running the shower on your breasts for a long time or wearing breast shells.

iv. Between feedings, try applying cool compresses to the breast (on for 30 minutes, off for at least an hour). This can discourage blood flow and milk production

v. .If nursing one side per feeding is not working after a week or so, try keeping baby to one side for a certain period of time before switching sides. This is called block nursing.Start with 2-3 hours and increase in half-hour increments if needed

vi .Do not restrict nursing at all, but any time that baby needs to nurse simply keep putting baby back to the same side during that time period.

 vii.If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you’re more comfortable and then use cool compresses – aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.In more extreme cases, mom may need to experiment a bit with time periods over 4 hours to find the amount of time per breast that works best.

viii. Additional measures that should only be used for extreme cases of oversupply include cabbage leaf compresses and herbs.

Source:I love breastfeeding

The above suggestions courtesy Kellymom proved to be a great deal of help to me so I hope it works out for you too.