wishiwas
Mom to a rainbow baby :)
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Breastfeeding Myth Many women cant produce enough milk for their baby.
Posted on December 8, 2010 by Breastfeeding Resources NI
While it is known scientifically that most women can produce enough milk for their baby/babies (about 98%), many mothers in our culture feel it is a struggle to produce enough milk. Most women who believe they dont have enough milk are reassured by talking to a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor or peer supporter. Often behaviour that leaves a mum feeling she does not have enough milk is very normal behaviour. Baby wanting to feed very often in the early weeks is normal. While some babies are happy to eat and sleep many others need to feed very often and be held in between feeds before they will fall asleep and be content to be put down.
However there are some women who are at risk of poor milk supply. These include:
Mothers with wrong or poor information about breastfeeding
Mothers of premature babies
Stressed mothers
Women who needed help getting pregnant (what made it difficult to get pregnant may interfere with their ability to make milk)
Mothers of a sick baby (baby struggles to remove milk from the breast)
Women who did not notice changes in their breasts during pregnancy
Very young mothers
Even many of the above mothers do go on to feed their baby exclusively.
Key things to keep in mind about the production of breastmilk are as follows:
*The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more there will be.
*The emptier the breast, the faster it will produce milk.
*The fuller breast will slow milk production until milk is again removed from the breast.
*Babys wants are babys needs.
One problem many women have is not understanding how long a baby can take to feed. A baby needs to double his/her birth weight between 4 and 6 months. If you had to double your weight how would you eat? Very often and through the night I suspect. Sometimes a feed is a snack, baby just wants one side. Other times baby wants 2 courses i.e. both breasts. Other times baby may want a multi course meal e.g. Feed both breasts for about half an hour (say starter and main course), have a snooze for 20 minutes, want pudding now that the first two courses have settled and left a bit of space. Feed for 10 minutes. Snooze for 30 minutes, fancies another portion of pudding, so feeds for 20 minutes on one breast and falls asleep for 2 hours (at last). Mum breathes a sigh of relief and lies down for a rest herself.
Women are often concerned because their breasts feel empty i.e. their breasts feel much lighter after baby has fed and so there couldnt possibly be any milk left if baby still wants to feed. Be reassured that each time baby feeds there will be milk available as most milk is being made during a feed. If baby is fussing on an empty or light breast it may be because the flow is slower than baby would like. Dont be afraid to swap sides at this point as the other empty breast will have been making milk very fast and there will be some milk available at a faster flow.
The article goes on about society's views on the subject, but this was the part that has really put my mind at ease. Especially the part that is bolded. Hope this helps someone else too!
Posted on December 8, 2010 by Breastfeeding Resources NI
While it is known scientifically that most women can produce enough milk for their baby/babies (about 98%), many mothers in our culture feel it is a struggle to produce enough milk. Most women who believe they dont have enough milk are reassured by talking to a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor or peer supporter. Often behaviour that leaves a mum feeling she does not have enough milk is very normal behaviour. Baby wanting to feed very often in the early weeks is normal. While some babies are happy to eat and sleep many others need to feed very often and be held in between feeds before they will fall asleep and be content to be put down.
However there are some women who are at risk of poor milk supply. These include:
Mothers with wrong or poor information about breastfeeding
Mothers of premature babies
Stressed mothers
Women who needed help getting pregnant (what made it difficult to get pregnant may interfere with their ability to make milk)
Mothers of a sick baby (baby struggles to remove milk from the breast)
Women who did not notice changes in their breasts during pregnancy
Very young mothers
Even many of the above mothers do go on to feed their baby exclusively.
Key things to keep in mind about the production of breastmilk are as follows:
*The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more there will be.
*The emptier the breast, the faster it will produce milk.
*The fuller breast will slow milk production until milk is again removed from the breast.
*Babys wants are babys needs.
One problem many women have is not understanding how long a baby can take to feed. A baby needs to double his/her birth weight between 4 and 6 months. If you had to double your weight how would you eat? Very often and through the night I suspect. Sometimes a feed is a snack, baby just wants one side. Other times baby wants 2 courses i.e. both breasts. Other times baby may want a multi course meal e.g. Feed both breasts for about half an hour (say starter and main course), have a snooze for 20 minutes, want pudding now that the first two courses have settled and left a bit of space. Feed for 10 minutes. Snooze for 30 minutes, fancies another portion of pudding, so feeds for 20 minutes on one breast and falls asleep for 2 hours (at last). Mum breathes a sigh of relief and lies down for a rest herself.
Women are often concerned because their breasts feel empty i.e. their breasts feel much lighter after baby has fed and so there couldnt possibly be any milk left if baby still wants to feed. Be reassured that each time baby feeds there will be milk available as most milk is being made during a feed. If baby is fussing on an empty or light breast it may be because the flow is slower than baby would like. Dont be afraid to swap sides at this point as the other empty breast will have been making milk very fast and there will be some milk available at a faster flow.
The article goes on about society's views on the subject, but this was the part that has really put my mind at ease. Especially the part that is bolded. Hope this helps someone else too!
This is so true. So VERY true. I think this is the number one misinformed reason women switch to formula... they think there's not enough milk. 
