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 wrongly think that their milk supply is dwindling. Sometimes this is just because the breasts don’t seem so full any more. Maybe the milk isn’t leaking from the nipples, or the breasts simply don’t feel as heavy.
If your baby is going through a growth spurt, he or she may ingest more milk than usual. If this is the case, the more frequent feedings may keep your breasts from filling up completely.
Causes: Sometimes milk supply does temporarily decrease. This can happen if a woman isn’t feeding her baby often enough because she is experiencing pain while nursing, or if the baby isn’t nursing efficiently because of poor latch on technique. Other causes of this are illness, or ingestion of birth control pills that contain estrogen.
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.
Low milk supply can definitely affect your baby. If you feel that you truly are having a drop in milk flow, and it isn’t just a mental thing where you are worried needlessly, you should follow up. It is especially critical to contact your doctor right away if the baby isn’t gaining weight or if he is losing weight.
Sometimes all that is needed is some coaching on better techniques for breast feeding. Still, it is best to rule out a serious cause for weight loss or failure to gain.
Even with a lower milk supply, you can usually still nurse. Actually, continuing to nurse can be critical because frequent breast feeding is one of the key ways to boost milk production.
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