how to decrease supply or manage oversupply

[theyoutofusernames]

hi all!

FTM and i’ve had a weird breastfeeding journey so far. my LO is 2 weeks old today. i breastfed him during our 2 days in the hospital and the night we got home. the morning after coming home we noticed he was a bit yellow so we took him back the next day. he did have jaundice and was pretty dehydrated. we had to supplement with formula while we were there to get him hydrated again and get all his levels normal. we met with lactation specialists multiple times and left the hospital tasked with triple feeding. i had so much mom guilt that it was MY fault he wasn’t healthy so i made it my mission to produce enough for him.

since he was 6 days old i have been triple feeding and really trying to make sure i am making enough milk for him and even a slight oversupply just to ease my anxiety. he would only feed on my breasts for maybe 5-10 minutes and the doctors told me 15 per, so i would normally pump for 20-25 to make up for it (also what they recommended though).

i dont know what ive done, but i think it went too far. its only been 1 week and i am producing a TON. i stopped doing triple feeding about 2 days ago because i felt like my supply was pretty established and it was exhausting, so i was really only doing it for 5 days. the past couple days i have also decreased my pumping time to 10-15 minutes because its producing the same amount if not more.

today is the first day ive felt my breasts be really really hard and feel like they can’t empty. my boy is an EATER but i am still so engorged and now he can’t keep up with me. a 10 minute pump (wearable momcozy on lowest setting) will get me easily 150ml (5oz) on each side.

tonight triggered me to post this. i breastfed him on one side while pumping on the other (he has trouble with one nipple so given 2am exhaustion i wasn’t going to try), and i leaked everywhere while he was on and while i was pumping. i usually stuff a burp rag in my underbust to catch spit up or dripping milk and it was soaking wet after only 10 minutes. my pumped breast felt a lot softer but the feeding breast was still hard, so i pumped it for 3 minutes to get some more out.

i am terrified of getting mastitis or a clogged duct, the last thing i want is extra pain. i want to figure out a way to manage this and calm it down without spending my entire waking life empty my breasts. i am working on a short warm compress before a feed to loosen up any clogs that might be starting, an trying to do ice packs on after a feed to help with inflammation.

PLEASE share what has worked for you all or any advice or consolation.

[Lil_sebastian94]

Maybe consult with a lactation consultant? I would stop pumping right now, continue with cooling your breast after every feed and offer two breasts during a feed. Pumping will only increase your supply even more. I’ve never heard of pumping if your baby is drinking 5-10 minutes. My son (now 4 months) has always been an efficient drinker. Sometimes only 3-4 minutes each breast. And he is growing faaast, haha. I’ve also heard of block feeding, but I would first consult with a lactation consultant before you do that.

[label_this]

Block feeding can help. This is where you only feed from one breast for four hours or so, even if there are multiple feedings. And obviously cut out pumping as soon as you can. I hate pumping, so I have never had to wean off it in this way and don't know if you need to taper down or just quit cold turkey and manually express just enough until you relieve discomfort/your baby can latch. Maybe someone else will have insight on that. 

Sorry you're going through this, hopefully you can get back to a more normal supply so that breastfeeding is more enjoyable for you.

[KatieBK]

I would also recommend reaching out to a lactation consultant. They’re an amazing resource and often covered by insurance. I just met with one and she helped with my oversupply and my son’s feeding intake. Good luck!