Greetings, my dear readers, and most importantly, female readers! Breastfeeding a baby is not an easy task, but it is very necessary. It is especially difficult to establish this process in the first days. There may be too much milk or not enough milk. The breast may hurt, and the newborn may not latch on properly. There may be other problems, very different! Why does a nursing mother lose milk? How to establish breastfeeding quickly and correctly, with a minimum of worries and hassle? Read on to understand these issues and gain valuable practical advice.
Why milk disappears or briefly about physiology
To understand why milk disappears from a nursing mother? It is important for her to know what processes are happening in her. This understanding will be the key to successful lactation. The mammary gland consists of canals and glandular tissue. The walls of the canals are lined with cells that form milk. Immediately after the baby is born, the brain gives the breast a signal to produce milk. Further, the very process of breastfeeding by the baby contributes to the production of hormones that provoke lactation, that is, those same milk “flushes”.
Breasts work on the principle of supply and demand.
That is: the more often the baby sucks, the more milk she produces. That is why, gradually, over time, the “tide” mechanism begins to work like a clock. And the baby gets exactly as much mother’s milk as he needs! This is exactly how natural feeding rules should work. And there is no breastfeeding crisis. For this to happen, it is important to get the process right from the very beginning.
How to get breast milk back
How to return breast milk is a question that worries every woman, because you always want to provide for everything at once.
We recommend reading: Packages for freezing breast milk
Breast milk can disappear from only one breast, then the baby needs to be fed more often from that breast to increase milk flow. For a full recovery, it is worth understanding the cause, then starting to eliminate it.
A woman needs to avoid emotional problems, create a stress-free atmosphere around her, rest more often, and get enough sleep. Many women try to do a lot of household chores while the baby is sleeping; instead, it’s better for the mother to lie down to sleep and gain strength. After all, without the mother’s dairy product, the child will be deprived of a lot of useful vitamins and minerals.
The mother should take the baby more often, carry it, rock it before bed, cuddle it in order to strengthen the connection between them, this will help if the milk has disappeared. A woman needs to lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right, preferably in small portions, and drink more fluids. It is the water balance that you should pay special attention to, for example, try teas that increase lactation, compotes, fruit drinks, exclude juices, especially citrus fruits, as they can cause an allergic reaction in the baby. There are also products that stimulate lactation: various nuts, milk, condensed milk, carrots, dried fruits. From time to time it is worth doing gymnastics, light exercises, visiting the pool, yoga classes, and Pilates.
Proper attachment of the baby to the breast is important. You need to allow the baby to completely grasp the nipple and the halo around it. The baby's chin should be pressed tightly; the feeding process requires attentiveness.
It is worth trying to restore lactation function with breast massage. You need to gently stroke and knead each mammary gland, thereby promoting blood flow into the breast tissue. Before performing a massage, doctors recommend taking a warm bath or shower, first lubricating your chest with heated pharmaceutical oil, for example, peach oil. It is enough to do a massage just a couple of times a day.
If there are no positive results, you need to seek medical help, the doctor will prescribe treatment.
Why does a nursing mother lose milk and how to avoid it?
After childbirth and after cesarean
It is very important for further success that the newborn is attached to the mother immediately, or 2-3 hours after birth. Attachment after cesarean section is usually carried out as soon as the mother comes to her senses. This helps to establish a connection between the child and the woman, to feel each other.
Plus, colostrum (the first milk) contains substances that are extremely important for the immune system. It is also important to apply it correctly. That's right - this means placing the areola completely in the mouth. It is especially important that the lower part is in the mouth. When the baby takes the breast correctly, he does not swallow air in vain, and mother’s tender nipples are not injured.
Video on how to establish breastfeeding after childbirth and caesarean section:
Two main feeding positions
About the pose. There are many of them, but at the beginning of the journey it is recommended to use “lazy” feeding. That is, when the mother reclines on her back, leaning on pillows, and the baby lies on her stomach. Feeding “from the armpit” is also suitable.
It is advisable to alternate poses so that the milk does not stagnate.
Briefly about the mode
The regime is no less important. It usually develops on its own.
But at first it is important to apply the baby to the breast at his request, that is, on demand.
And don’t force him to eat, much less wake him up for breakfast or lunch. If the baby sleeps peacefully, it means he is full. In fact, a hungry baby himself will notify his mother of his hunger with loud cries.
Feeding at night is also important, especially at the very beginning, during the formation of the process. No newborn is capable of surviving 6 or 8 hours of the night without food. To help him sleep longer, mom can move the evening feeding to 11 p.m. As a result, after such a late dinner, the baby will sleep longer. In addition, a nursing mother needs sleep too. However, as soon as the baby demands food, it is important to give it to him.
How to determine lack of milk
For the first time, a young mother thinks that there are problems with lactation if the child often cries. Sleepless nights and anxious days give rise to suspicions in the female soul that the baby wants to eat, and frequent breastfeeding does not save the situation. The mother’s fears can be confirmed by a pediatrician who will conduct a control feeding and say that the “norm” has not been eaten for 15 minutes and additional feeding is needed. However, the doctor does not always explain what to do to prevent breast milk from disappearing.
Important! The first sign of how to understand that milk is missing is critical weight loss. Following WHO recommendations, we can draw a conclusion about which weight is unacceptable and which is normal.
If the baby’s weight is normal, but he doesn’t stop crying and suckling, then the reason is not nutrition. If doctors do not believe that the child has neurological problems and is not suffering from colic, then breastfeeding will provide close emotional contact between mother and baby. And frequent application will help maintain lactation for a long time.
Nutrition for a nursing mother in the first month
A nursing woman must eat enough calories, but proper, healthy food. Starving yourself (to lose weight) or severely restricting yourself (due to the threat of allergies in the baby) is now not recommended.
You should definitely exclude, especially at the beginning: smoked foods, fried foods, too fatty and salty foods, pickled vegetables, red fruits, citrus fruits, alcohol.
Everything else is possible.
You need to drink about 2 liters per day, it is best to drink water, fruit drinks, compotes, tea with milk.
In this case, the principle is true: if there is fluid in the body, there will be milk.
The child does not get enough breast milk
A common concern among all first-time mothers is whether the baby is getting enough to eat. After all, at first it is difficult to understand whether he has enough milk. Especially if he often freaks out and cries.
Here are the signs that your baby really isn't getting enough milk:
- the baby does not calm down for a long time after feeding, gets nervous and cries during or after feeding;
- pees less than 6 times a day;
- has difficulty falling asleep and behaves restlessly during sleep;
- may smack lips, suck a finger or fist.
Remember: if the baby behaves calmly for at least 1.5-2 hours after eating, then everything is fine with him, he is definitely full.
You can also weigh it before and after your meal. It is believed that in the first 10 days the baby should receive 40 ml of milk per meal. This means that the weight should increase by about 40 grams.
If signs are present, or milk disappears, you need to stimulate lactation with even more frequent feeding.
Even if there is a feeling of “empty breasts,” you need to put your daughter or son to it, because this way you will stimulate the arrival of milk into it. This is exactly how the feedback mechanism works. Any warm drink drunk 30 minutes before a child’s meal will also help stimulate production.
If the baby doesn’t get enough to eat because he doesn’t suck well or is sleepy, you can try to pull him a little by the cheek in the process. Or extend the period of his “fasting” a little, take more walks in the fresh air.
What are the signs of low milk supply?
If the child suddenly:
- became restless, moody;
- sucks the breast for a long time;
- often wakes up;
it can be assumed that he does not have enough milk.
Another important sign is a reduction in the number of urinations : instead of the “scheduled” 10-12 times a day, the child pees half as often, 5-6 times. In addition, the consistency and frequency of stools change - a one-week-old newborn should have it at least three times a day. You can also check whether milk is produced in sufficient quantities using a regular thermometer. It is enough just to measure the temperature in the armpit and under the mammary gland. With sufficient lactation, the body temperature under the mammary gland should be 0.1-0.5 degrees higher.
Breast after feeding
To avoid problems such as lactostasis, cracks, mastitis, pain, it is important to properly care for the mammary glands. There is nothing complicated about such care. It is enough just to wash your breasts once a day with warm water, even without soap. Before each meal, and especially after, you definitely don’t need to wash, because this can dry out your delicate skin.
If your breasts hurt and your nipples are irritated, try lubricating them with a special cream or regular lanolin after each “approach”. In just 3 or 4 days, the skin will adapt to the new loads, pain and irritation will go away. By the way, if you still have the cream, you can safely use it to lubricate your baby’s bottom.
It is also very useful to ventilate the chest - leave it in the air for a while so that it “breathes”. Underwear should be soft, natural, and extremely comfortable. Special breast pads will help keep your breasts dry if you have a problem with milk leakage.
Mastitis during breastfeeding
Lately, specialists have been saying more and more often that there is a ban on pumping. But many reputable doctors, including Dr. Komarovsky, speak out in favor of pumping. And their main argument is the high risk of mastitis.
Lactation mastitis is an inflammatory process in the glands of a nursing woman. The cause in more than 80% of cases is lactostasis, that is, stagnation of milk.
Main symptoms of mastitis:
- feeling of chest fullness;
- hot chest skin;
- seals that can be felt;
- pain and redness of the skin.
If such symptoms persist for more than 2 days and do not go away, you should consult a doctor. At the same time, at the initial stage you can and should use pumping, including using a breast pump.
Why do you need a breast pump?
A breast pump is a “pump” for the breast with a container for milk, a sure remedy for lactostasis.
These days they come in a variety of varieties - electric, manual, piston, syringe, pump, and so on. An electrical appliance may operate too intensely. It is advisable to use it after manual suction. It's quite simple to use. Here are general instructions on how to use a breast pump for all devices:
- Please read the attached instructions carefully.
- Wash your hands and sterilize all parts of the device (you can microwave or boil).
- Find a comfortable place, sit relaxed.
- Think about your baby or look at his photo to stimulate milk flow.
- Position the funnel of the device so that your nipple is strictly in the center.
- Move the device smoothly for several minutes, or press the button to start the most gentle mode.
- Wait 2-3 minutes for the milk to start flowing; when this happens, begin pumping more intensely.
- Change breasts after 5 minutes and repeat steps from step 5. Make changes again until the total time for each breast is 10-15 minutes.
- At the end, rinse all parts with hot water, and simply blot the chest with a napkin.
Undoubtedly, the easiest to use and cheaper is a manual breast pump. However, using a hand-held device does require force. And this is not easy for every woman. By the way, one of my friends was helped to pump by her caring husband, and with pleasure. After all, various similar devices always work better in male hands. Adopt her experience and your life will become easier!
Why does a nursing mother lose milk and how to establish breastfeeding? As you can see, it is simply impossible to answer these questions briefly! I hope that in this article I was able to cover in detail and clearly all the most important points. Read about the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby here. If you have questions, be sure to ask them in the comments. I will be very grateful for your subscriptions, likes, and desire to share the article via social networks. Good luck to everyone and see you again!
Common reason for lack of milk
Lack of breast milk is the most common reason mothers stop breastfeeding between the sixth and eighth week of a baby's life. Lack of milk is not such a rare problem and this, in most cases, can be affected by common advice, for example,
- proper acceptance and frequency of placement of the baby to the breast
- breastfeeding with special equipment
- breast massage, etc.
Sometimes these tips are very helpful and effective , but for some mothers who want to breastfeed, they are not enough to succeed . It can be quite difficult to solve the problem on your own to increase your milk supply without help.
Many moms with these issues have found their way to success by using additional research opportunities and persistence in their faith to achieve exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months or more, as recommended.
Research shows that timely additional support from breastfeeding mothers from experts has an impact on extending the length of time a baby will be breastfed.
