| Mother2Mother Services |
| Education and Support for Nursing Mothers |
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| Common Concerns p. 7d |
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| SUPPLY ISSUES - continued |
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| Last Updated February 2, 2004 |
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| Oversupply or Forceful Let-Down -- continued |
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| Some of the baby's symptoms, such as the colicky behavior and the green stools, are a result of getting too much "foremilk" and not enough "hindmilk." This leads to what may appear to be lactose intolerance, but that's not actually what's going on. True lactose intolerance is very rare in infants. This can be more accurately described as a lactose overload. Solving the problem of the oversupply and ensuring that the baby gets enough hindmilk will generally solve the problem of the fussiness and the green stools. Other symptoms are the result of the milk coming out too quickly for the baby. The baby may compress the nipple (it may come out creased and white at the tip), pull off, scream, fight the breast, gag and gulp. The baby may dislike comfort nursing in general and sometimes refuse the breast. Some mothers actually interpret this behavior as meaning they actually do not have enough milk, and might make the problem worse by following protocols to increase supply. |
| Try nursing in a reclining position. For example, you can latch the baby on in the cradle hold or the football (clutch) hold, then lean back into a big pile of pillows on your couch & put your feet up on an ottoman or coffee table. This will position the baby so that the baby's face is somewhat downward and the baby's head is above your breast. Gravity will then help to slow down the forcefulness of your let-down. |
| Suggestions for Taming the Supply & Let-Down |
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| Gravity can be your friend here. |
| Give your baby an "escape route." |
| Nurse on just one side per feeding. |
| Use the same side for two feedings. |
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| By nursing in the side-lying position, your baby can let the extra milk dribble out the side of his mouth, instead of gagging on it and gulping it down with a lot of extra air. Place a folded towel under the two of you to catch the extra milk. |
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| Emptier breasts make milk faster than full breasts. There is actually a hormone in the breastmilk itself that, when in contact with the cells that produce milk, signals those cells to slow milk production. For this reason, a mother who is trying to increase supply should nurse on both breasts and switch back & forth between the breasts as one breast "empties" to continue draining the other breast. With an oversupply, however, this is only serving to maintain or worsen the situation. Additionally, you want to ensure that the baby gets the "hindmilk," which is slower to digest, and will keep the stomach contents from emptying too quickly into the gut, leading to the lactose overload that causes the excess gassiness and green stools. Also, because the baby will only have to deal with the first, most powerful let-down from one breast, rather than from both, the nursing session should go more smoothly. |
| If your baby is a frequent nurser, your baby may not be getting that hindmilk I've been talking about. Continue to use the same side for nursing sessions for a couple of feedings -- don't switch to the other side until at least 2-3 hours have passed between the first session on that breast, even if that means your baby has nursed from the same breast multiple times. This will also help reduce supply, working on the principle mentioned above that fuller breasts make less milk. |
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| Supply Issues: Oversupply & Forceful Let-Down Continued |
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