Being hooked up to a breast pump was one of my least favorite things about early motherhood. But I can't lie — watching those bottles fill with milk was pretty awesome. I also found great solace in how quickly my milk let down and felt like my breasts were doing a pretty great job at feeding my baby. But when she had an episode or two where she gagged as she was nursing, I wanted to figure out what a faster milk flow means and if it was actually as good of a thing as I thought it was.
Although a faster milk flow isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can cause discomfort for you and your baby. According to La Leche League International, the rush of your breast milk could make your baby choke or gag, lead to sore nipples for you as your baby clamps down to slow down the flow of milk, or cause gas or fussiness in your baby after nursing.
KellyMom suggested that a fast milk flow or forceful and fast let-down is the result of an oversupply of breast milk. It's exactly what it sounds like — your breasts are producing more milk than your baby needs. As a result, it can make your milk flow faster and more forceful than usual.
It's not a bad thing necessarily, although according to Baby Center, an oversupply of milk can potentially lead to mastitis and breast infection. But you may have to make some adjustments, such as hand expressing some of your milk into a towel before nursing so your baby doesn't experience such a fast flow or trying to regulate your supply so it meets your baby's needs rather than having too much milk.
Some babies have no issue with a fast milk flow, but others might prefer one breast over the other or refuse to nurse at all because the milk is too fast and makes them gag. If you think a faster milk flow means your baby is being turned off of nursing, you may want to reach out to a lactation consultant for advice.
