Talk to me about over supply

[isabel]

I had a supply dip a while back, so I started pumping at night and in the morning on the way to work because I needed more milk to get DS through the day. It's now becoming clear that I'm dealing with an oversupply. DS only needed to nurse on one side tonight before bed and now the other side is killing me.

Do I suck it up and continue pumping every night? I need some relief, but don't necessarily want to encourage such a big oversupply. On the other hand, I don't want my supply to drop too much. DS is 6 months and I want to nurse him until he's a year. I'm not sure what the best way to handle this is.

[isabel]

Oct 12, 2015 20:44:44 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

What's your freezer stash like?

It's flu season coming up, and I don't know if you've started your post partum periods yet. But both of those things can cause a temporary (2-3 day) supply dip. I'd keep pumping for a bit until my stash was up to a few hundred before doing anything for the oversupply. Kids generally eat the most bm until about 8-9 months when their solids consumption goes up. So you may need it (and your S may have had a growth spurt, which partially lead to the increased supply).

But if oversupply is really awful for you, cut back now. Just pump for 3 fewer minutes until you can wean off a pump session.

I have about 150 ounces right now, but I have a trip for work at the beginning of December, so will need a lot of it for that.

Your reasoning is good. I think I'll keep it up for a while and reassess in a few weeks.

Thanks!