Meet Elizabeth, a mum from Oregon who always thought breastfeeding would come naturally. She expected the cluster feeds, the sleepy cuddles, and the occasional challenges. But what she didn’t expect was to have too much milk.

In the first few weeks after her daughter’s birth, Elizabeth noticed something didn’t feel right. Her baby would latch, gulp desperately, then pull away coughing and spluttering. Feeding wasn’t calm and comforting; it was frantic and stressful. Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s breasts were constantly swollen, leaking, and painful.

“I always thought breastfeeding would be hard because you couldn’t make enough,” Elizabeth said. “I had no idea it could be just as hard — maybe even harder — when you make too much.”

Elizabeth received a diagnosis that changed everything: hyperlactation syndrome. This rare condition causes the body to produce far more breast milk than normal — and in Elizabeth’s case, the oversupply was both extreme and unrelenting. Her body didn’t pause between pregnancies; the milk flow continued without interruption.

Now, with her youngest baby just five months old, the production still shows no sign of stopping. Medical professionals have told her that without significant intervention — either medication not approved by the FDA or undergoing a double mastectomy — her body is unlikely to stop making milk on its own.

At first, she tried to manage it herself — pumping between feeds to relieve the pressure — but that only made the problem worse. The more milk she removed, the more her body thought it needed to produce. The cycle felt endless.

Desperate for a solution, Elizabeth reached out to an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), who helped her gently retrain her supply. Through techniques like block feeding and laid-back nursing positions, she gradually found her rhythm again. Feedings became slower, gentler, and less stressful.

And in the midst of all of this, Elizabeth chose to turn her struggle into something beautiful: she began donating her surplus milk. Over the course of her journey, Elizabeth has donated more than 2,600 litres of breast milk to other families in need — helping fragile babies in NICUs, and offering a lifeline to mothers who couldn’t produce enough milk themselves.

“I couldn’t believe how much I was able to give,” Elizabeth said. “Turning something that felt overwhelming into something that helped others made the whole experience so much more meaningful.”

Elizabeth’s story is a reminder that every breastfeeding journey looks different — and that even when things don’t go as planned, there is still so much beauty to be found. Whether you're navigating oversupply, low supply, or simply the daily challenges of feeding a tiny human, know this: you are not alone, and your story is unfolding exactly as it should.

Because feeding your baby — however it happens — is never just about milk. It’s about resilience, love, and discovering strength you didn’t know you had.