Oversupply: When You’re Making More Milk Than Baby Needs

While low milk supply gets a lot of attention, too much milk — or oversupply — can also be challenging for breastfeeding parents. If your baby is gassy, fussy, or choking during feeds, and you’re feeling full and leaking constantly, you might be dealing with oversupply.

Let’s explore what oversupply is, how to recognize it, and what you can do to manage it.

What Is Oversupply?

Oversupply (also called hyperlactation) means your body is producing more milk than your baby needs. While this might sound like a good problem to have, it can lead to discomfort for you and feeding issues for your baby.

Signs of Oversupply

In you (the breastfeeding parent):

• Constant breast fullness or engorgement

• Forceful letdown (milk sprays or gushes)

• Frequent leaking

• Clogged ducts or recurring mastitis

In your baby:

• Choking, coughing, or pulling off at the breast

• Gassiness, reflux-like symptoms, or lots of spitting up

• Green, frothy, or explosive poops

• Gulping quickly, then fussing or acting uncomfortable

• Short feeds (because the milk flows so fast)

• Excessive weight gain (rare, only to be assessed and diagnosed by your health care provider).

What Causes Oversupply?

Sometimes it happens naturally in the early weeks as your body figures out how much milk to make and gets in sync with your baby. Other times, it’s triggered by frequent pumping in addition to nursing, to the point where you have extra milk at the end of the day and start freezing it. It could also be started by using a Haakaa or other suction milk collector and again saving that milk rather than giving it to baby, so that your body is consistently producing more than your baby is taking in.

How to Manage Oversupply

1. Try laid-back nursing: let gravity help! Nursing in a reclined position slows the flow, giving baby more control.

2. Remove extra milk (by pumping, hand expressing, or with a suction milk collector) ONLY when absolutely necessary, and stop when you are comfortable—do not aim to completely empty the breast(s).

3. Offer the baby frequent feeds. This way, your body doesn’t get as completely full between feeds which helps your discomfort and you’ll be less likely to overwhelm your baby during the feeding. Although this is actually the same advice that I might give to someone with low supply—frequent stimulation—in this case the idea is to better sync up with your baby’s needs and again avoid the breasts becoming overly full.

4. Avoid extra pumping: if you don’t have a reason to pump other than to save it in the freezer, gradually reduce your excess pumping. Your body should respond pretty quickly to the decreased stimulation.

5. Consider block feeding: this is not my favorite solution because it feels unnatural to me and requires a lot of time tracking, but putting my personal bias aside, it is highly recommended in the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine protocol for oversupply so I will add it in here. The strategy is to feed from one breast for a block of 3 hours and then switch to the other breast for the next 3 hours. Whenever the baby is hungry you would put them to the designated breast during that block. Your body should respond within a few days by decreasing overall milk production, then you would resume nursing as normal. Let me know if this has worked for you—I’d love to hear it!

6. Add some mint to your diet: mint and also sage are known to decrease milk production. You could try some mint tea or using mint in your cooking. Small amounts, which is how you should start, are not likely to have a major effect on your supply but may support your other efforts.

7. Get support

Oversupply is manageable, but it can be stressful — especially when your baby seems uncomfortable or fussy. A lactation consultant can help you find the right balance without compromising your milk supply. This is one area where virtual support could go a long way. If you aren’t able to see someone near you in person I would be happy to support you virtually.

Once your Supply is Under Control

It can be confusing for some moms who go from oversupply to just what baby needs. You may feel like your supply is dropping (which it IS, that was the goal), but that can cause some people to feel nervous about dropping their supply too much. You may feel less leaky, less full, and your baby’s nursing patterns can change. That is all normal and expected! This is where it’s good to have a lactation consultant support you. We can help track your baby’s growth and development and assure you that baby is still getting what they need. No matter what, just know that feeling like your “milk supply is dropping” is not always a cause for concern when you are dealing with oversupply and probably your body is in fact simply tailoring it’s production more closely to what your baby needs.

You’re Not Alone

Oversupply can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. But with time, your body usually adjusts — and support can make a big difference. Your baby will find their rhythm, and so will you!