All day and all night, you think endlessly about what to do to increase your milk production. You have done multiple ways of massaging and pumping, and yet, your desired amount of breastmilk does not appear. It usually ends up in you being disappointed and anxious most of the time. And that does you no good overall. It is definitely not contributing to your breastfeeding journey as well.
So mommyz, take a deep breath and calm down. Things like these happen to breastfeeding moms. It’s never always rainbows and butterflies and endless fountains of milk. Dry seasons happen to our breasts. Right now, just sit back for a while and don’t stress out yourself.
Read below the top reasons why your breastmilk is decreasing.
Why Some Moms Are Not Breastfeeding
Low Milk Supply Is Common
Did you know that sixty percent (60%) of mothers do not breastfeed up to the moment they wanted to? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the reasons why this happens is because of the low milk supply!
I understand that it gets discouraging to continue with breastfeeding if in the first place, there’s no milk coming out of you. You’d think, “Why bother? And my baby’s hungry!”
In reality, not all moms are moving forward with breastfeeding like the others. It is understandable since our bodies do not function the same.
Why Do Moms Experience Low Milk Supply?
Here are the top possible causes why your milk supply is low:
1. Latching
As we know, latching is how our babies attach their mouth to our nipples. If it is not introduced properly to our babies, it may cause some trouble with our milk supply. This is because our babies’ mouths should be placed properly so they can successfully suck the milk out.
If latching is unsuccessful, we all end up with not full-fed babies and some amount of milk still in our breasts. If there is still milk in our breasts, it will not signal to make more as it should for the next feeding. Help out your baby to latch on to you properly and that should take care of it.
2. Position
Proper positioning as we breastfeed is highly important. This is connected to latching since if this is done incorrectly, our babies’ necks will not be able to reach our breasts. Their neck muscles, especially for newborns, are not yet fully developed. They have no other way to reach our breasts. That means the feeding is not successful and your milk is not ingested by your baby. Hence, no signal for it to make more as I’ve mentioned in latching as a reason for the low milk supply.
So as moms, we definitely need to guide them with latching. Laid back position is the most comfortable and natural way to breastfeed our babies.
3. Frequency
Ideally, breastfeeding babies in their first few days is recommended for eight to twelve (8-12) times a day and then it gradually changes as they age and grow each week and each month. But that is not the case for every mom and it could still differ for each and every one of us. The tendency is that it confuses mothers everywhere. Feeding times become forced or may be lacking for the baby.
You should not be constrained by the numbers and feed your baby if the signs of hunger are there. This is breastfeeding on demand. This will help you the right amount of milk for your baby.
Recommendations
In case you are still worried about your milk supply, it’s best to contact your healthcare provider for further information. Take note of the amount you can pump out, how frequent, and if there are any pains you feel while doing so. Those are the important information that is most likely to be asked by your doctor.
As a mom, make sure you also stay informed about breastfeeding by following support groups like the Le Leche League USA. These organizations are not only offering breastfeeding support but also tackle family and parenting tips.
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