over supply & big hard breasts

[tomedward]

My milk supply is more than my 2 week old can handle and hence my breasts are
soooo full and hard almost all the time. I have been expressing and now have got rid of my lumps but the supply is intense. Can anyone help?? I'm also trying cabbage leaves and contemplating using nipple guards to help reduce flow - what do you think??

[oscarsmilkbar]

HI there!

I asked mum (midwife and lactation consultant) who suggests the following...

a) sounds like you have over supply so you need to do a regime called "reduction expressing". This means that if you are due to start on right hand breast....take off 50mls (expressing) and just feed bub on that right side only for one feed, then next feed due on left take 50mls off and feed off left only etc etc for a 24 hour period...

the next day....take off 40mls prior to the feed, next day drop to 30mls, then next 20, then 10ml...then you should have reduced the flow....

it should take about 6 days to reduce....but only using one side per feed (icing the other boob ).......

***i just spoke to my mother and she said that she'd be more than happy to talk to you over the phone if you wanted to call her..just PM me and I can supply you with her details ( she's a midwife at North shore private in Sydney)....

take care...

[H&B'sMum]

It takes about 6 weeks for your supply to settle down. Right now it's just trying to work out how much it needs. Only express enough to make you comfortable after each feed. Don't express until empty or your breast will keep making the same amount of milk, hence over supply.
Give your body time to adjust to breastfeeding and to work out how much it really needs to make.
Good luck