Oversupply: too much milk

Some mothers produce so much milk that it causes difficulties for them or their baby.

Babies may struggle with forceful milk flow, choke, splutter, pull off the breast, seem windy or uncomfortable, and have frothy green nappies. You may experience excessive leaking, engorgement, or recurrent mastitis.

This article explains the signs of oversupply, why it happens, and practical ways to make breastfeeding more comfortable for both of you.

Summary

• It’s normal to have very full breasts in the early weeks while your milk supply is adjusting.
• Some mothers produce so much milk that it causes difficulties for them or their baby. This is known as oversupply.
• Signs of oversupply can include very fast milk flow, frequent engorgement (breast swelling), and repeated episodes of mastitis (breast inflammation).
• Babies with mothers who have oversupply often gain weight rapidly. They may cough, splutter, seem windy or uncomfortable, have green frothy nappies, and sometimes become frustrated at the breast.
• Oversupply can often be managed with simple changes such as nursing more frequently, or in different positions.
• There are ways to reduce your milk supply if necessary. It is important to make changes gradually while monitoring your baby’s weight.
• La Leche League Leaders are here to help.

On this page

What are the signs of oversupply?

Having a lot of milk is not a problem by itself – it’s normal to make more than your baby needs. (1) Oversupply is only a problem if it causes difficulties for you or your baby.

The main signs of oversupply for a baby are:

• Very fast weight gain, moving upwards through centile lines
• Explosive green frothy poos
• Struggling with forceful milk flow
• Pain and excessive wind or ‘gas’

You may also notice:

• Gagging, coughing, spluttering and pulling on and off the breast during feeds
• Clamping down and biting to slow the flow of milk
• Frequent spitting up
• Always appearing hungry and unsatisfied despite large weight gain
• Unwillingness to nurse to sleep
• Breast refusal
• Faltering weight gain due to breast refusal
• Lots of wet and dirty nappies
• General unsettled (‘colicky’) behaviour

A mother with oversupply may have these signs:

• Breasts that are rarely soft or comfortable
• A forceful or ‘over-active’ letdown (milk ejection reflex)
• A painful letdown
• A lot of leaking
• Painful nipples as a result of clamping down to control the flow
• Recurring breast inflammation (‘blocked ducts’ or mastitis)

Some of these may have other causes; reflux or food allergy, for example, can have similar symptoms to oversupply. And some of these behaviours are normal for babies. It is important to rule out other possibilities before taking steps to reduce your milk supply, as this can have longer term consequences.

‘Foremilk’, ‘hindmilk’, and green nappies

One of the symptoms of oversupply in a baby is green frothy poos, gas, and pain. This is sometimes called lactose overload or a foremilk-hindmilk imbalance.

You may be given confusing information about foremilk and hindmilk, and how long a feed ‘should’ last. Or think that there are two different kinds of milk – lower-fat and fat-rich – and that one is better than the other.

Typically, the fat content does increase during a feed, as the fat globules tend to be drawn down towards the end of a feed. However, it is not the length of a feed that is important, but the length of time between feeds. Fat content is determined mostly by the fullness of the breast. If there is a long gap between feeds and the breast is full, the baby may get a large quantity of lower-fat milk before much of the fat starts getting pulled down. The same may be true if a mother naturally produces very large quantities of milk. In the absence of fat-rich milk, the lower-fat milk moves through the gut faster than it can be digested, causing green poos, gas, and pain.

All breastmilk is good! What matters most to weight gain is overall milk volume.

What causes oversupply?

Some mothers naturally produce large quantities of milk, and we tend to produce more milk with each baby. Occasionally, there are medical reasons for having much more milk than your baby needs, such as hormonal imbalances, or as a side effect of a medication. (2) Oversupply can also occur as a result of breastfeeding management, for example, when a baby’s feeds are scheduled, or if a mother is told to feed from each breast for a certain amount of time. It can happen if a pump is used too often, or used in a way that overstimulates the breast.

Milk production is best regulated by your baby’s appetite. When you breastfeed responsively, rather than by following a schedule, your milk production adapts to their needs. Occasionally, a shallow latch can contribute to oversupply as a baby might feed very frequently to get the volume they need. However, this tends to reduce milk supply over time.

After your baby is born, milk production is regulated on a supply and demand basis. Put simply, the more milk you remove, the more milk you are likely to make. How quickly or slowly milk is made depends on the fullness of the breast – an ‘empty’ breast makes milk more quickly, a full breast makes milk more slowly.

Normal breast fulness in the early weeks

It takes a few weeks for your supply to settle down to what your baby actually needs. It is not unusual in the early weeks to feel as if you have too much milk, and to have times when the breasts feel full or even engorged. This is not the same as oversupply.

Feeding frequently and removing milk from the breasts is essential to resolving engorgement – it won’t make the engorgement worse or result in too much milk.

Babies often nurse more during developmental leaps and ‘growth spurts’, and many mothers find there are changes to their baby’s nursing pattern during holidays and family get-togethers, or during periods of stress. Milk supply is very adaptable – if you follow your baby and your body, your supply will most likely regulate itself.

Read more about how milk production works.

What can I do about oversupply?

To start with, you might like to:

• adjust your position and your baby’s attachment to help them manage a fast letdown
• feed responsively (as often as your baby wants) and/or offer more frequent feeds
• avoid overpumping

Managing a fast milk flow (letdown)

A fast letdown can be one sign of oversupply. It is possible to have a fast letdown with an ‘average’ milk production. When your baby nurses, a hormonal reflex causes milk to release (technically called the ‘milk ejection reflex’, commonly known as ‘letdown’). When this happens, it is not unusual for milk to spray out quickly. Some babies like this fast flow, but others are upset by it and struggle to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. You may find it helpful to:

• Ensure that your baby is deeply attached at the breast. This will make it easier for them to manage a fast flow.
• Try different positions. Some people use gravity to help them by feeding in a ‘laid-back’ (semi-reclined) position. Others find it helps to feed in a more upright position such as a ‘koala hold’, or to feed while using a sling or baby carrier. [Note: always follow safety guidelines when using slings and carriers. It may not be safe to feed a premature, very young, or unwell baby in a sling]. Side-lying may also be helpful.
• Allow your baby to come off the breast when they need a break – you might need a cloth to catch the spray!
• Some mothers hand express a little to slow the flow before bringing the baby to the breast (however, if this is done frequently, it may make oversupply worse).
• If your breast is very full and engorged, you might try ‘reverse pressure softening’ to move fluids away from the nipple area as this can help your baby to latch more deeply.
• Feed frequently so that the milk spray doesn’t have quite so much volume and force behind it.
• Try breastfeeding before your baby is really hungry, or while they are slightly sleepy.

Responsive feeding

How do you know how often or how long to feed your baby for? Let your baby tell you! We all have different milk storage capacities and this may determine how frequently your baby feeds, and whether they feed from one side or two. Allow your baby to feed from the first breast for as long as they want to before offering the second breast – they may or may not take it.

Sometimes babies will only take one breast, and sometimes two (or three or four!). Most babies will take both breasts, at least some of the time. Babies are very good at letting us know how often they want to feed, and if in doubt, it is always fine to offer.

Expressing 
Overuse of pumps – or using a pump in a way that unintentionally stimulates milk production (such as a silicone pump to collect leaking milk) – can make oversupply worse. If you’ve been expressing regularly, reduce this gradually to avoid further problems.

Reducing your milk supply

If your baby is gaining more weight than average and you and your baby are happy, then you don’t need to change anything. It is not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby.

If you or your baby are struggling with some of the above symptoms, you have ruled out other causes and changes to breastfeeding management do not help, then you may want to consider taking steps to gradually slow milk production.

If you can, talk to a breastfeeding supporter such as an LLL Leader before using these approaches. This is especially important if your baby is under one month old, or you are experiencing other problems such as sore nipples or mastitis.

Monitor your baby’s weight gain to ensure it doesn’t drop below expected levels, and keep a close eye on nappy output.

One side per feed
A common approach is to limit your baby to one breast per feed. If your baby wants to have a short rest during a feed, then offer the same breast again. When a mother has a generous milk storage capacity, their baby may only need to feed on one side. This approach may help milk production to reduce in line with their baby’s demand.

Block feeding
Block feeding involves feeding on the same side for a set period of time (block), e.g. for two or three hours. If your baby wants to feed again within that time block, offer the same side. As a starting point, you might like to:

• Limit your baby to one breast for about two hours, allowing them to nurse as often and for as long as they like, but only on that one side.
• Continue in this way, switching breasts every two hours. If your baby is asleep, switch breasts when they wake.

It is important not to have a rigid approach to block feeding: read your breasts and your baby, not just the clock. By doing this, you will find the time block that works best for both of you. If the unused breast feels uncomfortably full before the next feed then ‘express to comfort’ only.

It is possible to experience oversupply in just one breast, in which case you could nurse more often on the unaffected side.

Full drainage and block feeding method
For more severe oversupply – for example, if you are suffering from recurrent blocked ducts or mastitis and your breasts never feel soft and comfortable even after a breastfeed – you will need to keep your breasts well drained while you take steps to reduce milk production.

You could try the following, in consultation with an infant feeding specialist, in addition to block feeding:

• Express from both sides thoroughly to ‘empty’ your breasts as fully as possible.
• After expressing, immediately offer both ‘empty’ breasts to your baby.
• Next, limit your baby to one breast changing sides every two or three hours (see block feeding above).

You might need to use this approach only once. However, if your breasts feel uncomfortably full, you may need to repeat it, increasing the interval between each pump for your breasts to readjust. (3)

Medications and herbs to reduce milk production
There are herbs and medications that can help dry up your milk production. If you are thinking of trying any of these, it’s important to work with a health care provider or a breastfeeding specialist such as a lactation consultant. (2)

If you still have problems

After 4–7 days, your breasts may be more comfortable. If you and your baby still have trouble coping with the supply of milk, you can gradually increase the time block you keep your baby to one breast. Some women with extreme oversupply have gone as long as six or more hours before switching breasts to adjust milk production. A hormonal imbalance may cause overproduction of milk, but this is rare. A visit to your doctor may be helpful if the suggestions offered here aren’t enough.

Block feeding is a temporary measure. Once supply has settled, you can return to a more normal feeding pattern, following and trusting your baby and your body.

Adjusting to the new normal

Always monitor your baby’s weight gain, wet and dirty nappies, and overall wellbeing while following these strategies. Monitor their weight over a period of several weeks to see a trend. If your baby had been gaining weight very quickly, you may see ‘catch-down’ growth. Your baby will gain weight steadily, but may gradually drop against the percentile lines as your milk production adjusts. Their weight should then settle into following a new percentile line on the chart.

As your supply reduces, your breasts will feel softer and more comfortable, and leaking will be reduced. Soft comfortable breasts between feeds during the early weeks are normal and a sign that your milk production is in tune with your baby’s needs.

Oversupply can make breastfeeding more challenging, but it is usually possible to find an approach that works for you and your baby. As your milk production adapts and your baby becomes more experienced at breastfeeding, things often become much easier. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to work it out alone – many mothers in the LLL community have experienced oversupply and we’re here to help.

Written by Charlotte Allam

Updated by Jayne Joyce, June 2026

Books

The Art of Breastfeeding, 9th edition (LLL International, 2024)

Breastfeeding Answers: A Guide for Helping Families, by Nancy Mohrbacher, 2020, pp. 457-64, Overabundant Milk Production.

 

References

1. Kent, Jacqueline C et al. “Volume and frequency of breastfeedings and fat content of breast milk throughout the day.” Pediatrics vol. 117,3 (2006): e387-95. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1417

Available at https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/117/3/e387/68590/Volume-and-Frequency-of-Breastfeedings-and-Fat?redirectedFrom=fulltext (accessed 1 June 2026)

2. Johnson, Helen M et al. “ABM Clinical Protocol #32: Management of Hyperlactation.” Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine vol. 15,3 (2020): 129-134. doi:10.1089/bfm.2019.29141.hmj

Available at https://www.bfmed.org/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/Protocol%20%2332%20-%20English%20Translation.pdf (accessed 1 June 2026)

3. van Veldhuizen-Staas, Caroline Ga. “Overabundant milk supply: an alternative way to intervene by full drainage and block feeding.” International breastfeeding journal vol. 2 11. 29 Aug. 2007, doi:10.1186/1746-4358-2-11

Available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1746-4358-2-11 (accessed 1 June 2026)

Copyright LLLGB 2023, 2026