Whilst producing enough milk can be a headache, it's not fun if you're carrying around too much either. Your boobs feel heavy and itchy as the skin is stretched, and you might find you're leaking much more easily, which is uncomfortable when you're at home and can be embarrassing when you're out.
Milk flow is regulated by what your body perceives the need to be. When your baby is new to feeding, her sleep routines and hunger will still be settling down, causing a great need for milk one day and a much lighter feeding the next. As your baby grows, hopefully she will become more regular and also, your breasts will get used to varying supply.
For now, you might have to wait a couple of days before your production slows to the current need, so here are some tips:
Try massaging your breasts to ease the build-up. This might make them leak a little, but it will also soften them.
Don't be tempted to spend all day without a bra on. Some time is fine, but it will cause you more discomfort if your body is top heavy and parts of your back and neck are working too hard. If your bra doesn't give you the support you need, think about investing in another one which has plenty of hook options so you can adjust it when your supply reduces.
Try to wear a cotton bra rather than a hot synthetic one. This is more comfortable and especially useful if you're leaking.
If you find that breast pads get soaked too quickly, you might find breast shells preferable. These collect the milk - though you need to follow the rules of expressing hygiene if you are planning to store this milk rather than throwing it away.
You can use a breast pump to clear away milk if your baby does not empty a breast at a feeding, or to ease the pressure on your breasts between feeds. However, bear in mind that your body will simply think this is another feed, so do not be too vigorous otherwise your breasts will be producing even more milk.
Be careful that you are not wearing very tight clothes at this time as pressure on the breasts can bring on mastitis (see article below) or other problems.
It might all sound chaotic, and it can happen even when you have breastfed a child before, but your body will get used to the flow and the variation over the next few weeks.
