Issues and solutions for excess breastmilk production

Watch Video: Issues and solutions for excess breastmilk production by Wendy Haldeman, RN, MN, IBCLC, ...
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Issues and solutions for excess breastmilk production

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Although it seems unlikely that a mom producing too much milk has issues, they really do. And we lovingly call these moms our dairy queens. And what happens is the baby comes to breast and the milk comes out so forcefully that the baby starts choking, coughing, sputtering and some of these babies will actually start to refuse the breast because it is such an unpleasant experience for them. These moms also tend to leak milk copiously. They are more likely to develop plugged ducts in the breast. The babies tend to be really gassy and fussy. So there are a number of issues for these moms. And one of the best ways of approaching the issue where there is too much, too fast milk is we put the mom on what we call block nursing. So what that mom does is she just uses one breast for a two to three hour period. Whenever the baby is hungry and wants to go to breast, she keeps going back to the same side. And what that does is is the initial gush, if you will, has sort of been taken off and then the baby can go back and do more comfort nursing where the milk is not quite so fast. And then after about three hours when the baby is asking to be fed, the mother goes to the opposite breast. And within two to three days, the milk supply seems to settle down a little bit and the babies are more comfortable at breast. Another strategy for these moms is to put the mom on what we call the Australian hold. The mother is put flat on her back with a pillow under her head or shoulders and the baby is actually placed on its stomach on the mother´s stomach so that baby kind of face plants into the nipple and that causes the baby to pull the milk up against gravity and it would be at a slower rate. And that seems to help the baby as well.

Watch Video: Issues and solutions for excess breastmilk production by Wendy Haldeman, RN, MN, IBCLC, ...

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Wendy Haldeman, RN, MN, IBCLC

Lactation Specialist

Wendy Haldeman, MN, RN, IBCLC is a co-founder of the Pump Station and Nurtury. She received both her nursing and lactation education at UCLA, is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and a certified Happiest Baby on the Block instructor. She lectures frequently on human lactation at medical and nursing schools and has been identified by publications, such as Fit Pregnancy, as an expert in her field. Wendy facilitates the New Mother Support groups, and teaches the prenatal Breastfeeding and Baby Care Classes at The Pump Station. She and her husband Tim are proud of their two grown daughters and their 15 month old granddaughter.

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