Hyperlactation - What Can You Do to Lower Your Milk Production?

While some mothers worry about not having enough milk, others experience hyperlactation. Hyperlactation syndrome means that the breastfeeding mother’s body makes more milk than is necessary for her baby.

Hyperlactation can present some challenges to the breastfeeding relationship but is overcome quite easily in most cases.

Many mothers initially experience an overabundance of milk before the supply regulates. If your oversupply continues past the first six weeks or so, you may be experiencing hyperlactation.

Common symptoms in the mother can include a persistent feeling of engorgement in the breasts, excessive leaking with spraying, a forceful letdown that can sometimes be painful, and recurring plugged ducts or mastitis.

Symptoms in the breastfeeding infant can include general fussiness and gas due to a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, excessive spitting up after feedings, and green stools. An infant whose mother is experiencing an overactive supply may choke, sputter, and make a clicking sound during nursing.

Hyperlactation - What to Do?

There are various methods to treat hyperlactation, all of which focus on regulating the mother’s supply.

• Using cabbage leaves in your bra is an age-old remedy that works. Cabo cream is a cream made from cabbage leaves for engorgement, weaning, and suppression of breast milk. It is essentially a concentrated cabbage extract and other botanicals in a mild lotion base.
• Keeping cool washcloths on your breast is another old cure since warm water encourages letdown.
• Doing block feedings. Nursing from only one breast for a few hours or feedings is another common treatment method.
• Dangle feeding (as shown in the picture) can help drain the breasts more efficiently to prevent problems like blocked ducts and mastitis.
• If you are nursing and pumping, it is essential that you not pump after feedings, as this can increase your supply even further. You can hand express just enough milk to be comfortable if uncomfortably engorged.
• You may want to consider collecting the milk that leaks out of the other breast when nursing to be used later.
• You may also be an excellent candidate to donate your milk to a local breast milk bank.

How to Do Block Feeding

Block feeding while breastfeeding involves only using one breast for a set amount of time to feed the baby. For example, a mother might choose to feed her baby from the left breast for a 3-hour block and then switch to the right breast for the next 3-hour block. This will help reduce an oversupply of milk. By restricting the baby's access to one breast, the body will receive less stimulation to produce milk, and the milk supply will decrease as a result.

It's important to note that block feeding should only be done with the guidance of a healthcare provider, as it can affect a mother's milk supply and the baby's feeding patterns. It's also important for mothers to pay attention to their baby's hunger cues and make sure they are feeding them enough to meet their needs.

If you continue experiencing hyperlactation after trying these approaches, contact a lactation consultant or your local breastfeeding support group to connect with other mothers who may be experiencing this same issue.