While many Mums struggle with supply issues which mean their babies don't gain weight as quickly as they 'should', and the babies can end up being supplemented with infant formula and mix-fed for some time (see our articles on mixed or combination feeding, 'not enough milk' and also infant formula), some mums have the opposite issue: over supply!

This can mean that either the baby is getting too much too fast, and gulping down air which makes them windy and uncomfortable, and also causes them to vomit up milk which is trapped above pockets of air, or have an upset tummy as a result of the bowel moving its contents through too fast, often resulting in green poo, or that they simply cannot stem the flow of leaking, which obviously makes breastfeeding less than discrete!

There are a variety of things which can be done to improve both these issues.

Mums report that one useful technique involves depressing the nipple when you feel the tingle of let down, or when feeding off the other side causews the breast to leak: the trick is to push the nipple in (using the heel of your hand, or a finger if you like, as if you're pushing a button), 'through' the areola, directly into the breast. It works like pressing on the bit between nose and top lip when you want to hold off a sneeze, to distract the urge and also closes the outlets to the milk ducts, sealing them.

If you have leaky breasts, then what you need to know is that they just haven't learned yet that they're not both needed all the time! You can wait around and see if they work it out on their own, which, given time they will, but you can also teach them which will speed things up, a LOT.

First of all, try not to stimulate your breasts more than breastfeeding does on its own: so as pressure on your 'other' breast or areola can cause this, avoid things which stimulate flow like wearing breast shells to catch the overflow, which can actually exacerbate the situation, or expressing off the 'other' breast while feeding on the other side.

Also try not to wear v tight clothes or allow your baby - or any older children - to bash your breasts while you are feeding - or at any other time for that matter - esp when engorged as it can cause problems with blocked ducts and damage to the delicate breast tissue.

Additionally, a baby delicately stroking your breast will have the effect of stimulating your breasts, too - babies naturally do do this TO stimulate your milk supply!!

If your problem is not over supply per se, but rather an over active letdown reflex, then one trick which can help is to try feeding lying down or at least very reclined, with baby on top of you: this means your flow is working against gravity, which slows it down. Baby needs to be face down, lying across you, face on breast and obviously head well tipped back so that nose is exposed and baby can breathe!!

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