Breastfeeding - Leaking Milk

The hormone oxytocin that triggers the letdown reflex can sometimes cause your milk to leak.

• When your baby is nursing, milk may leak from the other breast. This is called "sympathetic letdown".
  • You can catch the leaking milk in a clean cup or bottle and refrigerate or freeze it for later use.
  • If you want to stop the leaking, you can push on your nipple with the palm of your hand.
  • You might want to wear bra pads as long as you're leaking, especially you are going to be nursing in public and find the idea of a shirt dripping with milk embarrassing. If you do, make sure you change them frequently to keep your nipples nice and dry to prevent nipple soreness.
• Just hearing a baby cry, picking up a baby, or thinking of your baby may cause your milk to start dripping (see the page on letting down for more information on this). The treatment of this is the same as that for sympathetic letdown.
• You may leak milk during sex. If you and your mate like this, then enjoy it! Otherwise, you might want to wear a bra during sex as long as the leaking continues.
• Some women never leak milk. If you don't, there is nothing to worry. It does not mean that you don't have enough milk. Your milk needs to flow when the baby nurses. If it does not leak at other times, that's great.

Back to the breastfeeding main page

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