When it comes to milk production problems, low supply gets all of the attention. Identifying the cause and resolving it, supplementing the breastmilk intake and supporting the mother emotionally.

The mother who appears to have far more breastmilk than her baby needs almost seems to be mocking those who have too little. Talking about their frustration or their baby’s symptoms in groups can attract nasty comments and mothers learn who to share their feelings around. However for some women, too much breastmilk has a significant impact on their daily life and that of their infant.

Hyperlactation or hypergalactia occurs naturally in some women and is self-induced in others. Physical causes can include thyroid or pituitary disorders. Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland which has a key role in milk production. High levels of prolactin can be responsible for hyperlactation. Where oversupply is having a significant impact on either mother or baby it is worth having your doctor run some tests to rule out any medical cause. However, in the majority of cases, there is no underlying medical condition.

Often we will describe babies as having an unsettled or “fussy” period in their day or during periods of rapid development. But what does that mean?

Some babies are pretty chilled and its easy to spot when they are feeling a bit overwhelmed. But other babies seem to feel this way most of the time! Sometimes we describe them as “high needs babies”.

Many people expect a breastfeeding mother to lose her milk. They believe milk supply can dry up suddenly. It is a case of when, not if, that a mother will need to begin supplementing with formula. In fact, some family, friends or even health professionals have so little faith in breastfeeding being successful, they suggest parents keep formula on hand at home, just in case.

Humans and other mammals have relied on breastfeeding to keep infants alive for thousands of years. Breastfeeding is designed to sustain a baby completely until they start to eat family foods after six months and is then part of the natural diet for at least two to four years of age! Surely it can’t suddenly have become unreliable?

If you give birth without intervention and have uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with your baby for at least one hour after birth and your baby attached and breastfed, you can expect changes to begin around 30-40 hours after the placenta is expelled.

You might begin to see signs of your milk “coming in” over the following days however what you will definitely experience is signs of your baby taking it out!

It is normal for babies around the second to fourth days to be fussy, unsettled and feeding constantly around the clock. This is one of the most demanding stages of breastfeeding.

Ah, it's that time of day!

That time when your baby latches on to the boob around sunset and only come off the swap sides ... again. Quick nappy change and ... back on the boob. Into the baby carrier and ... boob. More boob while you prep Dinner, more while you eat dinner. Boob in front of the TV ... boob in bed while you scroll on your phone. Asleep! Ninja roll out from beside them to dash to the loo and ... okay, more boob!

And this is entirely normal!

The sound of a baby crying gets our attention, it is nearly impossible to ignore.⁠

Research suggests men and women respond differently to the sound of a crying baby: in women, the sound triggers feelings of sympathy and caregiving – in men, the responses include irritation and even anger. ⁠

The sound of your own baby crying goes much deeper – it reaches inside you and sets off all sorts of instinctive responses. ⁠