Most working moms have had to deal with the discomfort of leaking breasts. Breast leaks are the extra milk that comes out of the breasts of breastfeeding moms. Breast leaks happen when the milk starts coming down but the baby is unable to keep up with the supply.
Often breast leaks happen from one breast when you are nursing the baby on the other breast. However, it is also normal and common for breast leaks to happen from both breasts, especially at night, at work and when in public or traveling when you are away from the baby.
Breast leaks are normal but embarrassing. To avoid such embarrassing leaks, massage your breasts when you breast feed, use a nursing bra, use collection cups, and change your sleep position.
Is Breast Leaking Normal?
Leaking milk from your breast is very normal and means a good milk supply. It is an indication that your breast milk supply system is working normally. It normally happens during the first few weeks or months after you have given birth.
During this post-partum period, your milk has come in but still, your body hasn’t regulated how much you need to produce, leading to the occasional milk leaks from your breast while breastfeeding, at night, in public or traveling, or at work.
It is also normal to not leak when you are breastfeeding. If your body does not produce an oversupply of breast milk, you may not experience a disturbing amount of leaks from your breasts. Within a few months, once your baby’s feeding has stabilized, your body will regulate and adjust, leading to low or no milk leaks at all.
When Does Breast Milk Leak Stop?
When your body has regulated your breast milk supply with your baby’s demand, then the milk leaks tend to stop. This depends on so many factors such as the body how long it needs to adjust and regulate the feeding needs of the baby and the supply of breast milk.
Hence your breast milk leaks can stop as early as a few months 3 or as long as one year. Your breasts will not feel as full once your supply is regulated.New moms experience heavier breast milk leaks than older moms with children older than six months.
Secrets to Avoid Embarrassing Breast Milk Leaks
1. Massage Your Breast When Breastfeeding
The natural reaction of both of your breasts when breastfeeding is to produce milk. Therefore many moms have to deal with the menace and discomfort of breast milk leaking while breastfeeding. One way you can stop milk leaks when breastfeeding is by gently massaging the other breast that you are not breastfeeding on.
By doing this to the other breast that you are not nursing your baby, you are signaling to the breast that it should stop the milk letdown. Try to suppress the letdown by firmly putting pressure over the nipples of the other breast.
Be gentle as you do this by just pressing your wrist against your nipple. In no time, your breast gets the signals and stops the letdown. You can also do this when you are breastfeeding in public or traveling or just pumping.
2. Use Nursing Bra with Pads to Soak Milk Leaks
When you are away from your baby, it means that the milk supply being made has not yet been emptied. It hence triggers very embarrassing milk leaks that can show all the way through your clothes when in public or at work. To avoid such leaks wear a nursing bra with pads to soak the leaking milk before it shows on the clothes or spoiling them.
Nursing bras and nursing pads work well with moms with moderate milk leaking from the breasts. Some nursing pads also work better at controlling breast milk leaks than others depending on their quality and also the level of the milk leaks. Therefore some moms with over milk supply have found nursing bras and nursing pads not to be helpful. To solve this moms with heavy flows use the trick of layering up the nursing pads to better soak or absorb the leaking milk.
However, moms with little to moderate breast milk least love the nursing pads because of their effectiveness to manage leaking breast milk. You can use the washable bamboo breast pads while at home during breastfeeding or sleeping to manage breast milk leaks and the disposable ones while out in the public or traveling or at work.
If you a heavy leak, putting a diaper into your bra may sound unconventional but it helps absorb milk leaks from your breasts, especially while breastfeeding or at night. If you don’t want to use a diaper, you can use maxi night time pads instead.
In place of the normal nursing pads, you can use dog-disposable pee pads. The dog disposable pee pads will do a better job at soaking and absorbing the breast milk than what most nursing pads do to moms with heavy flows. You can also use the dog disposable pee pads to manage the leaking.
3. Collection Cups Avoids Leaking Breast Milk
Collection cups are hands-free cups you can use on the breasts to collect any overflowing milk. If your breast milk leaks are really bad, you can use collection cups. Some collection cups can be comfortably placed inside bras hence ideal to use when working, travelling or sleeping.
Also using collection cups is also good because working moms are able to collect breast milk that would have otherwise gone to waste. They can stay put enough so when you lie on your back or either side and still catch all the breast milk leaks.
For extra absorbent into the collection cups, you can place thin cotton towels in the cups to collect more breast milk spills and leaks.
4. Change your Sleeping Position
Breast milk leaks can get really worse at night for breastfeeding moms. Many working moms are annoyed by having to keep waking up at night to change clothes or bedding because of too much breast milk leaks. If you are having too much breast milk leaking at night, change your sleeping position.
It is advisable to sleep either on your sides or facing up. Sleeping on your tummy may make your milk leaks worse so use a pregnancy pillow to sleep and keep yourself on your side. In addition, place a towel,flannel swaddle or any comfortable absorbent clothing on your bed as you sleep at night to soak in the extra milk that is leaking.
5. Pump in Between Feedings
If you are having have engorged breasts or too much milk leaks whether at work, travelling or at night, it is recommended that you pump out. If you are breastfeeding, occasionally pump in between the feedings. Also, you can pump on one breast as you feed on the other breast to prevent it from leaking milk.
Read: How to Cope Leaving Newborn and Returning to Work after Maternity Leave
