Six Tips For A Fast Milk Flow
How to manage breastfeeding when your breastmilk flows quickly;
Do you get the sense that your baby is struggling to keep up with your fast milk flow? Are you hearing really fast noisy gulps – particularly at the beginning of each breastfeeding? These tips may be for you. If you aren’t sure, here are some of the signs;
MOTHER
- Full breasts and a generous supply
- A fast spray of milk
- Filling a pumped bottle quickly <5mins
BABY
- Clicking sounds without a painful latch
- Noisey gulping despite a deep latch
- Very short feeds followed by short naps
- Coming off the breast choking/spluttering
- Excessive digestive discomfort post feed
1. RECLINE
Reclining to a 45-degree angle helps to support your baby’s body. When your baby’s body is more supported and stable, they can drink in a more coordinated way. Reclining back places your baby slightly above the breast, rather than them drinking milk that is flowing down into their mouth.
You may have been told to lean back to reduce the effect of gravity on milk flow. Breast position does not affect milk flow. The vacuum of your baby’s suck causes milk to flow regardless of breast position.
2. DEEP LATCH (FIT + HOLD)
Make sure your baby’s cheeks are firmly pressed into your breast.
Their nose is flush with your breast.
Their chin is buried into your breast.
A deep latch/fit + hold is more efficient and allows for more coordinated swallows. Therefore your baby may cope better with the fast-flowing milk.
3. DOWNWARD ANGLE
Try moving your baby’s hips to be lower than their head. A downward angle of your baby’s body may support fast swallowing more as gravity helps move the milk where we want it to flow. Your baby will also become more stable across your torso, further supporting their latch/ fit + hold.
As your baby grows in size, they may do better with a more diagonal position across the torso because their body will be more supported.
4. A QUICK BREAK
If your baby is still struggling with the flow after you have tried the above tips and you hear very noisy drinking (including clicking, and it’s not painful), then take your baby off for a quick breather. Have a cloth handy to catch any flowing milk. Your baby may or may not burp. Return them to the breast as soon as they show they are ready to suck again or are letting you know they don’t need to take a break.
5. REST + DIGEST TIME
If your baby falls asleep quickly into the feed after drinking very fast, build in some rest + digest + playtime. See if your baby wishes to drink more after 10-20 minutes of play rather than putting them down for sleep. When your baby consumes a lot of milk in a short period, they may need time to digest and move the milk through in order to want to drink more. This approach can help your baby to drink more at each feed (if they wish) and support a longer sleep.
6. AVOID
If you have a very full milk supply and feel that your flow is fast, I suggest avoiding using a suction-based pump before you feed. Softening around the nipple or removing the fast-flowing milk is often recommended as a way to combat the challenges of a fast flow. However, this may contribute to excess supply and worsen this problem. Use the above tips to support your baby to manage fast flow as a sustainable solution (addressing the cause) and to eliminate having to rely on a pre-feed pump.
I guide my clients through this approach if they struggling to manage their faster milk flow. This can be done in person at my home visits or virtually over my secure telehealth platform. Many mums who have this support from me notice their baby is much calmer during and after feeding, and digestive discomfort is significantly reduced.