# Hyperlactation/Over-Active Letdown - Support Thread



## mama-mukti (Mar 7, 2002)

DS is two weeks old and we are struggling with Hyperlactation/Over-Active Letdown. I had the same problem with DD, now 3, and didn't get any help until she was much older. This time around I have more information and resources, but I was still hoping to get new ideas and support. So far, I know:

*To try one breast at a time for as long as it takes to empty. For us this seems to vary with the time of day.

*That Synthroid can cause an increase in ProLactin - which will increase supply. I did not know this before and I DO take Synthroid. Read this fact on Dr. Hale's website.

*That caffeine can cause an increase in supply! Again, did not know this bit of info until I read it on Dr. Hale's website.

*Avoid over-stimulation of the breast - esp. pumping, unless it is just enough to relieve fullness.

*Let the spray into a cloth or cup and then put baby on.

*Nurse against gravity - we use the recliner - works great.

Now, anyone know of any other ideas? I am trying to decide what to do at night. I had been trying to switch breasts after one nursing session at night because he seems to be quite a sleeper. We will go 2 - 3 hours a stretch but he spits up all night. I sleep right through the nursings and can barely rouse myself to change diapers - much less burp. Should I try letting him nurse all night on one side?

I have noticed he is much more content and non-gassy in the evening when my supply has dropped. I want to be able to nurse him in public in the sling in the mornings, though. I have a three-year old and we have activities and classes that I take her to - I can't stay home and squirt at my leisure.

Thanks for any ideas and support.


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## elyice (Apr 7, 2003)

I had this, I could milk the whole family!
what I did was always used a towel then later cloth diaper and held it over the breast as it let down. I would naturally flow about 2 ounces







THEN i would nurse the baby. Remember the hind milk is the most important so it's okay to waste a little in the begining. also I DID NOT pump as pumping causes more production. I tooka cloth dipe with me and squirted everywhere! It's doable you just have to manuever it. Also
I wore giant breast pads and that was fine, I just let down and waited a minute before latching.
After a few months and the supply was regulated a bit more, I became a MILK DONOR and pumped out hundreds of ounces to nurse preemie babies. It was a good thinkg







sup


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

I am formerly an OAL mom and just want to say it gets better. Over time you figure out what works for you, your babe figures out what to do, and the supply starts to level out.

Just want you to know there is hope!


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## mama-mukti (Mar 7, 2002)

We had a MUCH better evening and night - I just kept giving him one breast for at least three nursings. He slept great and no spitting up or gassiness! I am encouraged! We'll see how it goes this morning!


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## Alison (Feb 11, 2004)

Just wanted to say that I was in your situation, and you seem way better informed than I was! I'm sure you'll get it sorted out. Good luck!

Alison


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## Changed (Mar 14, 2004)

Checking in here too...

I have both and it's very hard for my little one. He wants to comfort nurse so badly but cannot. I'm currently trying using one side for a few hours and drinking peppermint tea. I'm so afraid that i'll dry up TOO much if I get too aggressive.


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

I never knew that there was an actual name for choking my babies everytime I fed them!

Their poor tummy's!

It is good to know I am not alone.


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## sqoya (Feb 13, 2004)

In the first few weeks, I could get 4 oz. from a let-down alone!!! But, it does get better! Now my dd is 3 months and my supply has quieted down. I still have to be vigilant, but it's much better. I can't think of anything else to do - I think your list is complete. We NIP from the very beginning. It took some effort: I would stuff the non-nursing breast with a cloth wipe (I always let-down on both sides), and then my dd would latch on, and as soon as I'd let-down, she would pull away and I'd quickly cover myself with a cloth diaper until the flow subsided, then she'd happily latch back on. I tried to cover ourselves with a blanket one time, but it only got in the way. Really, the cloth diaper covers everything while she latches back on! It's great to know there are others out there overcoming these problems!

And now there's an abbreviation for it?!?! That's so cool! So, I'm a OAL Mama!?!


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## mama-mukti (Mar 7, 2002)

Thanks for all the replies. In some respects - things are getting much better and in some ways worse. I now have a clogged duct on the right breast because I just couldn't get him to drain it completely yesterday! No matter how many times I just kept offering that side - he just doesn't do well. The left breast is slightly bigger and I think he likes it better - my DD always did!

We have no problem NIP - this week I was with DD at the bookstore and had just switched the baby to nursing the "full side" without using the sling, or a cover-up, it wasn't very discreet but I don't care. Well, DD yells out that she has to go potty and takes off running in the direction of the bathroom - I had to chase after her and the baby pops off the full breast and I am running with a boob out and squirting milk! Oh, well! It sure was funny!







:

I have got to get that pump and try to pump a little after he is done nursing in order to fulling drain that right breast.

BTW: About the peppermint tea - is that supposed to dry up supply?


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## Changed (Mar 14, 2004)

yes, it seems to fry it up a little. I drank a cup a day for 2 days and it did help. Now i'm left worrying that I'm drying up totally. It seems like my supply is leveling off and I'm actually having to use both sides sometimes.


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

I did not know that about peppermint tea.

However, I drink it all of the time to help with Angelo's air bubbles. It is not working in the "dry it up" department.


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## sarahbay (Oct 30, 2003)

:LOL !!!

I can just see your boob flopping up and down as you run squirting up the store, sounds like a fun outing!!!

Don't worry, I'm sure no one saw, and if they did, they probably just shook their heads, and said "Naw, couldn't have been her breast."

Or they said to themselves "aw mother hood, such memories!" n felt bad for you.

I had major milk supply with my kids. They say it gets better with ea child. My milk was enough to feed two kids for sure with dd, then with my second, I could have sent some to the milk bank in Cananda. Now with my third, jeez, line um up! I could service my whole block as a wetnurse.

At night, I sometimes switched sides, maybe once at night, or I'd get waaay too full. I mean I could wake up feed the baby from the full side, then go on to pump 8 oz, and still feel really, really full! LOL!

I had to deal with that waking my self up to burp him thing too. I go puked on a couple times and ugh! I hate that!!! bed a mess, me a mess, even in my hair. I had to actually go take a shower cuz I was so soaked in puke, yuck!

So I figured out that if you prop baby up sort on your chest, so his legs are dangling off onto the bed and his head is on your chest, half on your gigantic boob, nursing. Then he can pop off and sleep, and he'll be at an angle if your too tired to burp him, then he burps himself.

This silly night puking only lasts a few weeks/months really. So hang in there oh milk jug friend.

Also I second the holding a cloth diaper under your squirting nipple for a few second before baby latches on, at least if you don't have time to get it on there cuz baby starts to cry, you can use it for your other squirting side! LOL

Don't switch breasts as often, but make sure the other side is not getting hard, that means you've waited toooo long! Your supply will adjust, keep trying.


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## mama-mukti (Mar 7, 2002)

I did manage to pump a little to help with the clogged duct. Right now I am trying to balance the protocol for clogged duct: nurse often, with the protocol for OAL: nurse less. A little bit of a balancing act.

I think I will try a cup of tea tomorrow.

Thanks, again, ladies - for all the support.


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## Dally (Oct 4, 2005)

I think that I might have hyperlactation but I'm not sure. The milk takes time to "let down" but when it does it comes out very fast and in a great quantity. This lasts for usually about less than 5 minutes and then the milk supply stops. The letdown is painful: it feels kinda like someone whacking me with a bat across my breasts. Is this hyperlaction or what? I read some of the previous posts and it looks like most of you experience a great abundance of milk but this doesn't exactly seem the case with me. What is this that's going on? My baby also experiences a great deal of gas probably due to the fast supply of milk. Is this really a kind of hyperlactation? - Sincerely, Confused Dally


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## massagemom (Apr 6, 2005)

i have the same problems! i was just talking to a girlfriend about this last night. part of our problem is that at night my son doesn't want to "eat" after a certain point but will latch on and i will have let down......then he falls asleep! he is four months old and 18 lbs. already, so i am not worried about waking him up to finish. BUT i do think that it has caused some engorgement issues for me. last night i got up with him and moved him into the nursery and rocked him, he ate much better and went back to sleep faster.

i have also been massaging whatever area of the breast is not being massaged by his chin in order to move the milk along in that spot. the area right next to my arms seems to be the most stubborn area, i have lumps there sometimes.


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## Dally (Oct 4, 2005)

See, I don't have any problem with engorgement. My breasts almost always feel pretty not full at all. That is why I am curious about this issue since it seems like every woman who experiences this here has problems with overfull breasts or breasts that produce an abnormally high amount of milk. I guess my problem is just the milk coming out too fast and being painful etc. I"m still not sure this is an "overactive letdown" b/c of these other accounts.


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## kalirush (Jun 14, 2005)

I'm in your camp, Dally. Mind, my breasts can get pretty full overnights (I'm lazy about rolling over in the night, so usually on one side...







: ), so I know I've got a lot of supply, but my daughter is such a good nurser that it never gets to the point of engorgement, and most of the time, my breasts don't feel full at all. But I have this pressure/pain every time I let down, and I can also hit targets up to three feet away with the spray! :LOL

My poor baby *tries* to ride the wave, but usually ends up coughing and spluttering while I let the rest of it flow into an old diaper. Or, squirt her in the eye and the face and drench my clothes and squirt a puddle on the doctor's office floor, as the case may be. 









Julia


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## natashaccat (Apr 4, 2003)

I've just decided to go with the flow (lol) and pump off the foremilk for my 3 yo. I have the milk, why not use it.


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## hollyhobbie (Jun 13, 2002)

can we bump this thread up again and just talk for support reasons. i struggled with this with dd but this time it seems worse or my ds doesnt deal with it as well and i am tired of being up all night!

i am going to:

1. try pumping 1 oz off before i feed. rent a good pump to try it out.
2. buy some lactase (lactaid is the brand name) try it for 3 days.
3. squirt into a cloth diaper maybe? at night (knew i bought those prefolds for something!!)
4. no more fennel tea! increases supply maybe.
5. less caffeine?? dunno about that i only drink 1 coffee or tea a day
6. not obsess about diet until i can see if these things help

anyone else out there struggling and want to join in???


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## gonnabeamom (Sep 15, 2003)

I am trying to figure out whether I have OAL.

My babe is 6 weeks old and a major fussbudget. For various reasons it took us 4 weeks to get breastfeeding established. I read about hyperlactation in the nursing Mother's companion, and I started wondering whether it applied to me. I don't have any sensation with let-down, so it's hard for me to tell. I also don't spray, though I sometimes leak out of the breast I'm not nursing on, or sometimes inbetween feedings.

Here's the "symptoms"

She poops 8-10 times a day

She sucks and swallows vigorously during the first few minutes of feeding, and chokes about a third of the time. After that she either falls asleep, and then wants to nurse again as soon as she wakes/is woken up.

She spits up after a third of feedings, and this has been increasing over the last week.

She's gaining weight rapidly despite a feeding schedule that is erratic and sometimes short.

The really strange part is that night time nursing goes much better-she sucks longer and spits up less.


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

I definitly had hyperlactation and a fast letdown - but no squirting (which I am thankful for). Anyhow, nursing on one side only did help. My son would just about drown each time he nursed (and he'd usually gag and spit up about 2 cups of milk it seemed). At about 6 weeks of age he seemed to get a hang of it and things went much more easily.

I did end up pumping regularly. At 4 weeks after giving birth I was still engorged and in signficant pain, coupled with C/S pain, and painful letdown, I just couldn't take it. I needed to sleep and was in so much pain that I couldn't. I started a regular schedule of pumping in the middle of the night, morning, mid-day, and evening. I eventually tapered off all the pumping. My DS NEVER took a bottle so I ended up donating something like 20 gallons of milk to the milk bank.









I stopped pumping completely when D/S was about 9 months old. The return of AF also seemed to help damper down production.


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## indie (Jun 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamao'two*
I am formerly an OAL mom and just want to say it gets better. Over time you figure out what works for you, your babe figures out what to do, and the supply starts to level out.

Just want you to know there is hope!


It didn't get better for me until I had my second child. I can't believe I can just wear regular breastpads during the day and seldom leak.


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## Autumn Breeze (Nov 13, 2003)

I still have OAL but my dd can deal with it now. I seemed to have oversuply issues, but then the supply/demand kicked in and if I became engorged it was because dd wsa sleeping longer than usual. But now its rare.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Hey mamas, I guess I am officially an OAL mama too! We're just figuring this out after spending 8 weeks thinking I had thrush (because of nipple pain due to her bad latch) and that she had reflux (due to her gagging, fussy nursing, and not sleeping well). I'm relieved that it isn't either of those things, but I am still struggling.

From the beginning (DD is 3 1/2 months), I've been nursing on one side only because DD usually filled up or fell asleep after 5-15 minutes on one breast, but now I am using the same breast for 3-4 feedings. This has been our routine for the past 3 days so I was really hoping to see some changes in DD's behavior, but she was fussy (I assume from gas or intestinal discomfort) last night again and had pea-green poop this morning, which really worries me. How long did it take you to notice a decrease in gassiness and a return to "normal" yellow poop?

I tried to find lactaid drops but apparently they don't make them anymore, and I don't really feel comfortable with buying the adult tablets and crunching them up to give her, so I'm really at a loss. I did give her some Mylicon drops yesterday but I'm not sure how effective they are yet.

I just thought that after a couple of days of (hopefully) getting some good hind milk, things would settle down. I'm really getting depressed and worried.


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## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

When DS was a newborn I too had enough milk for the neighborhood. I sure wish I would have tried a few things to make nursing easier for him!! I leaked regularly enough to need super absorbant disposable nursing pads until he was 9 months old!! And even though he is 16 months old and still nurses, I occasionally will still leak, it happened last week!! I used to totally soak everything though, when he nursed on one side, the other side would let down and drench everything from neck to waist. I would spray him regularly and the poor guy could not even nurse for comfort because ANY amount of nipple contact would cause me to let down!


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## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

Amy, can you pump off some foremilk before you feed your daughter? Then she would get to the hindmilk sooner maybe... hope she is better soon!!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

timneh mom, I was thinking about that, but I was hoping to decrease my supply a little, and it seems like that might keep it at its current level of FIREHOSE.







Also, I don't have a pump, but I may just go ahead and get one to give it a try. I just read an article that said it can take 4-7 days for things to get straightened out, so I may give it a few more days to see if I see in any change in her with our current strategy.

Oh, FWIW, I also read that sage tea can help diminish supply.


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## hollyhobbie (Jun 13, 2002)

THE CASE OF THE MISSING LACTAID DROPS

First they dwindled away, then they disappeared altogether. "What was happening to the rare and precious supply of Lactaid drops?" questioned people used to making their own lactose-reduced milk at home.

Don't panic. The people at Lactaid attribute the disappearance to a "backorder" problem. They say that the drops are back in the distribution channels and should be on shelves everywhere shortly. And these are the same drops as always; nothing has been changed.

If you have questions about Lactaid products, want to order them directly, or want to respond to a special promotion, call Lactaid at 1-800-LACTAID. That's 1-800-522-8243.

i copied this off a website b/c i have not had any problems getting lactaid drops here in canada. i dunno what i would do without them. if i miss a dose ds has green yukky poops and terrible gas. he has bad gas even with the drops. i get no sleep basically. he seems to nap ok during the day but at night he only kind of naps as well. no long sleeps. my dd was the same but man i am sick of it!! sigh. hard to be a kind and compassionate momma with no sleep night after night. my babe is now 6 months and supposedly feeding him solids would reduce supply BUT i do not think my body has a clue and just keeps overproducing.


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