Many new moms, especially first time moms are very concerned about the milk production. Baby not gaining weight properly or always hungry might be one of the major signs that you are not producing enough milk. Baby crying after a feed might be for so many reasons. To identify if they are crying only of hunger even after the feeding, try giving a bottle. If your little one takes it in no time, it may be sign of low milk supply.
It is natural to feel the urge to improve milk production, and the mothers need to make an extra effort to see significant improvement in milk production.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MILK SUPPLY:
- Not feeding often
- One obvious way to improve milk production is to feed more often. Breast milk production is based on a simple formula – demand and supply. The more demand you put on your body, more milk is stimulated.
- First 8 weeks is crucial in building milk supply
- Feeding very often, like every 2-3 hours for the first 6-8 weeks is key to establish a great milk supply. Initial weeks are very hard, but try to keep up with the schedule and let the milk out as frequently as possible. By third month, you will observe significant and stable growth in milk supply.
- Empty all the milk available during the session
- The more milk is emptied from the breast, the sooner body starts producing milk to fill it up and will produce little more every time.
- Baby might not be eating all the milk
- Your baby might fell asleep during the feeding sessions, which will result in not consuming the milk available. Due to not emptying the breasts fully, your milk production might slow down. In this case, pat gently on baby’s cheek to encourage sucking. Always remember to completely empty out each time you feed.
- Diet
- Milk is one of the important diet you should include during breastfeeding. Including Milk, white bread, oats and fenugreek seeds in diet does wonders in improving milk supply.
- Stress and Rest
- Stress will affect the milk supply. Try to stay calm and sleep as much as needed for you. Having enough sleep time plays important role in milk supply.
When to opt for pumping?
Pumping is a great way to improve milk supply. You would want to opt for pumping when your little one does not take all the milk and feel full even after feeding or when you want to improve your milk supply. While breastfeeding naturally increases the milk supply, baby’s saliva sends a signal to produce milk to mammary glands. Complimenting your breastfeeding routine with pumping will boost your milk supply.
How often to pump?
You can choose to compliment breastfeeding routine with pumping or can choose to exclusively pump. After breastfeeding the baby, if you still feel some milk in there, pump out those milk. This will empty the breasts and sends signal to body fill in with more milk gradually.
Ideally you would want to pump around 8 times for first 3 months if you are exclusively pumping. This will establish an adequate amount of milk supply.
Opt for power pumping
If you are still not seeing an improvement in milk supply, you can try power pumping. Power pumping worked for me very well. The goal of power pumping is to imitate the cluster feeding process with the baby. During the growth spurt, babies tend to feed very often and more often intervals. This is the time where your milk supply goes higher due to this cluster feeding.
With the power pumping, you will be imitating the same with the breast pump. Choose an hour when you have some free time. Keep a mobile phone or clock in handy to watch time. The goal is to pump 40 mins and rest 20 mins over 3 intervals. For the first round, Pump for 20 mins and rest for 10 mins. Second round, pump for 10 mins and rest for 10 mins. 50 mins are done and in the last 10 mins you will be pumping again.
Power pumping needs to be done over a few days and you will see a significant increase in milk supply.
For the first 8 weeks, it is important to feed every 2-3 hours even in the night. If you do not breast feed so often, try pumping the milk for one or two sessions. This will boost the milk supply.
Even if you do all this dedicatedly, you might not see improvement in milk production. Might be due to genes, hormones and various other factors. If so, do not stress out and relax! Compliment breast milk with doctor recommended formula and enjoy the precious time with your little one!
See you all in my next post!
