Breastfeeding is a crucial aspect of motherhood that provides numerous benefits to both the baby and the mother. Breast milk is widely known for its exceptional nutritional value, which helps in the healthy growth and development of an infant while also providing protective factors against diseases.
However, there are instances when mothers may produce more breast milk than their babies require, leading to oversupply. This excess supply can cause discomforts such as engorgement, leaking breasts, plugged ducts and sometimes interfere with breastfeeding patterns leading to baby colic.
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Oversupply of Breast Milk
An oversupply of breast milk occurs when a mother produces more milk than her baby needs at each feeding session. It results in an abundance of foremilk during feeds – the watery part rich in lactose but low in fat content that comes out first before hindmilk; the fatty portion that appears later in the feeding process. The excess amount can cause several issues for both mother and child if not managed properly.
Signs and Symptoms of Oversupply
There are various signs that an oversupply issue exists, one being frequent nursing or short intervals between feedings due to a fast letdown reflex resulting from overfull breasts. A letdown reflex is when muscles surrounding your milk-producing glands contract forcing your stored milk into your nipple ready for breastfeeding (American Pregnancy Association [APA], 2021). Other indicators include:
- Engorgement: Breasts become swollen, hard and heavy typically on waking up or after prolonged periods without nursing.
- Leaking Breasts: Excess milky fluid may seep from breasts making it difficult to wear form-fitting clothes at times.
- Gassy Baby/ Green Frothy Stools: Foremilk has higher lactose levels compared to hindmilk causing gas build-up leading to colic-like symptoms.
- Fussiness during Feeds: The high lactose content of foremilk can cause abdominal discomfort, pain or bloating leading to the baby’s fussiness during feeds.
Causes of Oversupply
There are various reasons why mothers experience oversupply, including:
- Miscalculated demand: When a mother has miscalculated how much milk her baby needs in terms of frequency and volume resulting in overproduction.
- Hormonal factors: The hormone Prolactin is responsible for milk production. It increases when a mother breastfeeds frequently or pumps frequently signaling the body to produce more milk than usual.
- Pumping Habits: Mothers who pump too often may signal their body to increase production as they believe that more milk needs to be produced for their babies.
- Genetics: There is evidence of genetic factors that influence breastmilk production affecting some mothers such as those with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Management Strategies for Oversupply
Mothers experiencing oversupply need not worry as there are ways to manage it effectively. A few recommended strategies include:
- Switch nursing (also called block feeding): This technique involves breastfeeding from only one breast per feeding session rather than switching breasts during feedings, which helps reduce the amount of foremilk produced by emptying out most of the hindmilk before moving on to another side (Geddes et al., 2021).
- Hand expression or pumping before nursing: Expression of some foremilk by hand expression or pumping about an ounce or two before breastfeeding can reduce its lactose percentage allowing a slower flow rate and minimizing colic-like symptoms in infants.
- Reducing Feeding Frequency: Breastfeeding at longer intervals will reduce milk supply decreasing engorgement while also allowing your child time between feedings required digesting their food adequately.
- Cabbage leaves application may help manage engorgement; cold cabbage leaves placed inside your bra can relieve discomfort, reduce swelling and inflammation.
- Consultation with a Lactation Specialist: A lactation specialist can provide mothers with personalized advice on how to manage an oversupply issue while also ensuring that the baby’s nutritional needs are met.
Baby Colic
Colic is the term used to describe excessive crying and fussiness in infants without any clear cause. It is a common problem experienced by babies, affecting up to one-third of all infants. The most characteristic symptom of colic is prolonged bouts of crying for more than three hours per day, for three or more consecutive days per week and occurring mostly in the evening or late afternoon hours during a baby’s first few months post-birth.
Causes of Baby Colic
There is no specific known cause attributed to infant colic; however, several factors may contribute to its onset:
- Gastrointestinal problems: Infants who have digestive issues such as acid reflux, gas build-up and constipation tend towards developing colicky symptoms.
- Immature Nervous/ Digestive system: Neonates’ digestive systems are still under development during their early stages of life which might make it difficult sometimes digesting milk leading to discomforts associated with colicky conditions.
- Overfeeding/Underfeeding patterns: Infants that feed too little or too much tend towards experiencing colicky symptoms.
- Sensory Overload: Some evidence suggests that overstimulation through sound, light can trigger an infant’s nerves resulting in exaggerated crying episodes.
Symptoms of Baby Colic
The main signifier for baby colic is prolonged bouts of crying that last for extended periods often accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- Clenching fists
- Arching Back
- Tightening Abdominal Muscles
- Redness in Face indicating discomfort
- Spitting Up
- Difficulty sleeping
Management Strategies for Baby Colic
Parents often struggle to find management strategies on how to alleviate baby colic’s symptoms. Below are few ways that might help:
- Swaddling: Wrapping the baby snugly in a blanket can comfort them by providing warmth and security while also reducing sensory input from the environment.
- Reducing Stimulation: Reduction of external environmental stimuli via turning down lights, softening noises may provide an added calming effect for infants.
- Adjust Feeding Habits: Ensuring that feeding patterns are adequate (neither too much nor too little). Smaller more frequent feeds may be beneficial for some infants experiencing colicky symptoms.
- Rocking or movement: Gentle rocking motion helps soothe babies and has a calming effect reducing stress levels while making it easier to fall asleep.
- Probiotics and Prebiotics supplements show promise in alleviating gut-related symptoms associated with digestion through enhancing gut bacterial balance, although conclusive evidence is yet to be fully established.
The Connection Between Oversupply of Breast Milk and Baby Colic
Recent studies suggest that there may be a connection between oversupply of breast milk and infant colic. This relationship stems from the high lactose content present in foremilk, which leads to rapid gastric distension causing discomforts such as gas build-up leading to fussiness during feeds common among infants experiencing colicky conditions.
Maintaining proper feeding techniques with appropriate intervals for feeding without being driven by a desire to increase milk production will go a long way to minimize issues related with oversupply while concurrently decreasing infantile GI distress often associated with excess foremilk consumption leading towards reducible instances of baby colic.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding is essential for optimum health outcomes both mother and child. However, it’s not unusual for mothers to experience an oversupply of milk. An oversupply of breast milk can affect a baby’s feeding pattern leading to colicky symptoms characterized by excessive crying and discomfort.
Understanding the causes, symptoms, and management strategies for both conditions can help mothers provide better care for their infants while enabling them to enjoy breastfeeding experiences free from discomforts associated with overproduction of milk.
Consultation with qualified lactation specialists can further assist in preventing or managing such issues related with breastmilk production as well as infantile digestive health complications altogether effectively.
