When it comes to breast milk, like pretty much anything else you can think of, there can be too much of a good thing. As relieved as I was not to have a shortage of milk for my baby, there are reasons why oversupply can be the worst. It’s painful, messy, and is constantly catching you and the baby by surprise. Every. Single. Time.
I didn't experience oversupply with my first baby. In fact, I had some undersupply issues towards the end of her first year, and had to supplement with formula (one bottle a day) until my daughter transitioned to cow’s milk for all but her nighttime feedings. Breastfeeding my second kid was very different than my first. For the first month-and-a-half of my son’s life ewI had oversupply, and it presented a unique set of breastfeeding problems from what I had the first time around.
I tried different nursing positions to lessen the flow but I didn’t always want to breastfeed in a prone position. The recommendation to pump a bit before having the baby latch on, to avoid having the kid choke on the force of my letdown, didn’t work for me, either. I already had a toddler, so my nursing sessions were compromised as it was, with my attention often divided. My son and I just rode it out and finally, about six weeks later, everything evened out and I continued to nurse him for the next two years. We never really “solved” the oversupply situation, we just both grew out of it.
Looking back at the experience, it was such a small amount of time, but it left an indelible mark on my memory of him as a newborn. That’s not totally a bad thing. I mean, at least I remember that stage well. I also remember all the reasons why oversupply is just the worst: