there is no such thing as an oversupply of milk; it is just in the wrong
place. in other words, if the mother pumps so much milk that she never needs
it (and as jay pointed out, it is so easy for breastfeeding to fail, think
about the interventions and ask me about the clients i have right this minute
whose babies won't or never have breastfed after being in nicus), there are
milk banks that know what to do with it.

i also think that saying that milk production requires energy is incorrect,
and sounds just like the justification for giving babies tubes or bottles in
the nicu - "it takes too much energy for him to breastfeed, let me just give
him the milk in the volufeeder and get him back in his isolette." i would
never try to change a mother's supply downward in the first four to six weeks,
anyway, without some sort of clear sign that something was grievously wrong.
feed the baby, protect the milk supply.

carol brussel IBCLC
more knowledgeable every day about nicus (here is where the upsidedown smiley
face emoticon goes)