What Is the Overabundant Supply of Breast Milk?
The overabundant supply of breast milk occurs when the mother has more milk than the child needs. An oversupply of milk usually occurs around three to five days after the mother gives birth. An overabundant breast milk supply is called hyperlactation, hypergalactia, or engorgement. During the first few weeks after giving birth to a child, it is normal to experience an overabundant supply of breast milk.
Sometimes an oversupply is also due to overstimulating the breast by feeding and pumping simultaneously. Mothers with an overabundant supply of breast milk usually notice their child coughs and chokes during breastfeeding. Sometimes a child may bite the mother's breast, trying to stop the forceful flow of milk.
What Causes an Overabundant Supply of Breast Milk?
The overabundant supply of breast milk or hyperlactation may have many causes, which include:
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Mismanagement of breastfeeding.
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Increased prolactin hormone (milk production stimulating hormone) in the blood. The condition of increased prolactin hormone refers to hyperprolactinemia.
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Hereditary predisposition.
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Use of medications that increase milk production.
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Excessive pumping.
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Frequent feeding.
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Benign pituitary gland tumors (pituitary adenomas).
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Hyperthyroidism (increased production of thyroxine hormone).
What Are the Symptoms of an Overabundant Supply of Breast Milk?
Both mothers and infants feel uncomfortable during an oversupply of milk. In addition, both may have signs of an overabundant breast milk supply.
Symptoms of Overabundant Supply in Mothers:
The following are the symptoms of oversupply of breast milk in mothers:
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Breast Engorgement - When too much breast milk accumulates in the milk ducts, the breast may feel hard, swollen, and painful. In addition, the engorged breast may appear tight, tender, lumpy, and full.
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Leaking Breast - Breast will leak longer than normal in an overabundant supply.
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The breast appears harder and tight even after feeding the child.
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Can pump several milliliters of breast milk even after feeding the child.
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There may be a painful let-down reflex.
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Sore Nipples - Due to breast engorgement, the breast appears hard, swollen, and tender. In addition, breast engorgement makes the child improper and forceful latching resulting in sore nipples.
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Plugged milk ducts.
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Mastitis - The plugged milk ducts often leads to mastitis (mammary gland inflammation).
Symptoms of Overabundant Supply in Children:
The following are the symptoms of an overabundant supply of breast milk in children:
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Children may feel difficulty in maintaining a latch.
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They become fussy (the feeling of irritability) during feeding.
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Their latching will be poor.
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Children tend to cry while feeding due to discomfort.
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Sometimes they refuse to breastfeed.
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They gulp the milk during oversupply, which results in increased gas formation.
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Children often choke and sputter during feeding.
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Child’s stools may appear green, watery, or foamy.
What Are the Effects of an Overabundant Supply of Breast Milk?
An overabundant supply of breast milk may impact both mothers and children. But, conversely, oversupply frustrates the mother and child.
Effects on Mother: Due to an overabundant supply, the mother cannot drain their breast fully, thus causing frequent mastitis. This breast infection sometimes becomes chronic, leading to candida infections.
Mothers with an overabundant supply of breast milk always struggle with loneliness and frustration. They find working and socially interacting with people difficult due to their painful and full breasts. In addition, the forcefully and frequently leaking breasts make them difficult to concentrate on other things. Mothers feel isolated when they lack support from their main support systems.
Effects on Children:
While breastfeeding a child, the child gets foremilk initially; the foremilk contains high sugars, low fat, and more watery. This foremilk later transits to hindmilk which is creamier and contains high fat. This hindmilk satisfies the child's hunger.
When there is an overabundant supply, the child's stomach fills soon; therefore, they get only foremilk which does not satisfy their hunger leading to frequent feeding. In addition, the children do not get sufficient high-caloric hindmilk, so children lack adequate weight gain.
An overabundant supply of breast milk often leads to a let-down reflex in children. The let-down reflex is due to the forceful supply of milk that the children cannot manage while breastfeeding. As a result, the let-down reflex often makes the children choke on the milk and gasp for air. Choking and gasping for air may cause children to spit up the milk and may also appear as a colic pain. Unfortunately, this makes the pediatrician misdiagnose the condition. This impact may be reduced when an overabundant supply is treated.
How to Treat an Overabundant Supply of Breast Milk?
Suppose the mother struggles with the overabundant supply; it can be treated by adjusting the feeding position, reducing breastfeeding frequency, and expressing a small amount of milk between feedings. This tip helps the mother and child to breastfeed more comfortably.
Some strategies to overcome the overabundant supply of breast milk are:
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Burping often makes the children get rid of excess air. In addition, burping makes children feel comfortable and makes space for the hindmilk.
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Block feeding refers to feeding the children on the same breast for a few feedings. It helps children to get more hindmilk.
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Laid-back breastfeeding is a technique where the flow of breast milk is reduced by gravity; this position helps the mother and child to manage an overabundant supply.
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Expressing a small amount of milk using a manual breast pump and hand expression before breastfeeding the child helps manage let-down reflexes.
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Breastfeeding while the child is sleepy leads the child to suck gently; this results in reduced milk flow.
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Oversupply is treated by donating breast milk to formal or informal milk-donating networks.
Conclusion
An overabundant supply of breasts is a common thing experienced by mothers, especially for a few days or weeks after giving birth. It makes breastfeeding unpleasant, and the mothers get anxious and stressed, whereas it also affects children's behavior and weight. There are specialized healthcare providers called lactation consultants to treat such breastfeeding-related issues. Reaching out to them is the best way of choice.
