What Breastfeeding Mothers With Low Milk Supply Can Do
While most breastfeeding mothers will go through a period of self-doubt where they worry that their milk supply is inadequate, experts say that true milk insufficiency is very rare. It does exist of course, but it is exceptionally infrequent.
Many women who think their milk supply is low are simply incorrect about that. They may think this because of some of the previous symptoms of fullness disappearing. Maybe their milk stops leaking, or they don’t have a feeling of fullness in the breasts any more.
There are other causes for a lack of feeling of fullness, however. One major thing to remember is that babies have growth spurts. When they have these growth spurts, they often eat more than normal. Because of this, the mother’s breasts will not fill to extreme fullness while the babies are eating that much.
Causes. Other causes of temporarily lowered milk supply include some maternal illnesses, and also the ingestion of birth control pills that contain estrogen. Also, if a baby has a poor latch on technique, they may not be sufficiently emptying the breast and prompting more milk production. Finally, if a woman isn’t feeding her baby frequently enough, often due to nipple pain, milk supply will dwindle.
How to address the problem: You will want to get a doctor’s help to work with you if you are really having milk supply problems. You want to make sure your baby is eating enough, and that there are no undiagnosed problems with your nipples or milk ducts. If you check with your doctor, they can run the necessary tests to check if all is well.
This is especially critical if your baby stops gaining weight, or even starts losing weight. If that occurs, contact your doctor right away. If you are not imagining the drop in milk but are actually experiencing a drop in production, it can affect your baby.
Generally, you’ll get instructions for better breast feeding technique and this will help a lot. In some cases there will be bigger problems, as indicated by baby’s weight fluctuations.
Many times, you can still continue to nurse if your supply is low. Generally, the key to fixing low milk supply is to nurse more frequently.
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