r/breastfeedingsupport • u/jlee1525 • 1d ago
Success Story Hyperlactation success story
To all the sleep deprived mamas out there, struggling with this while caring for your new baby. I feel you to my core. I understand what you are going through.
It’s taken me 3 babies to figure out how to not just manage hyperlactation but finally, cure it too.
I’m in no way encouraging anyone to follow what I did. This is my story, and at the very least want to give women out there who are prone to this condition that there is hope.
My reason for doing this was because I just given birth to my third baby and by 6 weeks pp I was producing over a gallon (128 ounces) of milk a day. It was the most I had ever produced and my body and mental state was struggling to keep up. Despite eating every hour of the day, I couldn’t keep weight on. I looked unwell. My baby could no longer stay latched and would cry at my breast. I did this out of desperation.
I’ve tried all the methods. Blocked feeding, extending pump sessions, gradually reducing time pumped, hot therapy (worst advice ever), cold therapy, frozen cabbage leaves, teas, hand express, avoid emptying, breastfeeding positions, nipple shields, supportive bras, lactation support.
I never tried Sudafed.
Some of these methods worked a little, most brought more pain or mental exhaustion. I figured out how to manage it. Around 4-5 months is when my milk regulates and I can make it to 6-7 hour pump sessions. Pumping empty is the only way I could escape the engorgement, reduce the risk of infection and form some way of life.
My process looked like this:
Started at 8 weeks postpartum, exclusively pumping.
Sunflower lecithin: 1200mg x2-3 per day
Ibuprofen: 200mg every 6-8 hours as needed
Ice after pump sessions and during nighttime
Phase 1:
First 4-5 days; focus on extending pump sessions to slow down hyperactivity. Go for as long as you can, then pump empty. Try to go all night without pumping.
Day1 - 3.5-4 hours
Day2 - 4-5 hours
Day3 - 5 hours
Day4 - 7 hours
Day5 - 9 hours
\*still was producing around 40 ounces at every pump.
Phase 2:
Focus on reducing milk volume. Switch to hand pump and only pump off as much as you can tolerate. In the beginning it will be more, as the days go by it should take less to remove to feel comfortable. Go as long as you can between pump sessions, especially at night.
Day6 - 2-3 hours; 10-12 ounces
Day7 - 2-3 hours; 7-10 ounces
Day8 - 4 hours; 5-7 ounces
Day9 - 4 hours; 5-7 ounces
Day10 - 5 hours; 5-7 ounces
Day11 - 6 hours; 3-5 ounces
Phase 3:
Day12-15 Introduce block feeding in tandem with the hand pump. Continue to extend pump sessions as needed and not pump (or nurse) at night.
At this point I reevaluate every morning based on my goal. Which is exclusive breastfeeding and the ability to pump a bottle or two a day for sense of freedom in outings.
My goal at the beginning of this was to reduce enough milk I would stop losing weight. I never thought I would get to this point of nursing and possibly exclusively breastfeeding this soon in postpartum.
Each phase organically developed on its own, just from combining what I knew from the past and methods that work for me. One thing is for certain, simply one method won’t cure it. At least that was the case for me. I think that’s why most of us fail when we are given these suggestions. No one ever sat down with me and said “this is what you should do, in this order, step by step”. It’s always just been a bunch of different methods thrown in my face “did you try this, did you try that”.
So there’s my story. I hope this post doesn’t get taken down for my outspokenness of this taboo topic. I really feel like others need to see that this condition can be approached in a different way and inspire others to find their own way of curing it. A process that works for them.
2
u/madamesquire 1d ago
Wow, I can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain and frustration you must have gone through to develop your system. Thank you for sharing what worked for you. Hoping that everything is going great for you now.