Attachment Parenting :: Articles :: Am I Making Enough Milk for My Baby?

It is very common for new mothers to be concerned that they aren't producing enough milk for their infants. However, in reality, it is extremely unusual for a mother to not have enough (in fact more than enough) milk for their baby - that is how nature intended it, and indeed how it works!

The following are some typical reasons why new parents may be concerned that they are not producing enough milk, or that their baby is not otherwise getting enough milk:

Your breasts don't feel full.

Fullness or lack thereof is no indicator of amount of milk. Particularly after the first few weeks, the breasts can always be soft, and not "feel full", and yet the supply will be just fine.

Baby cries or otherwise acts "hungry" after breastfeeding, and/or baby wants to breastfeed for hours on end.

These are not necessarily symptoms of hunger, let alone low supply. Your baby may have other reasons for crying (gas, "colic", a regular fussy period), and other reasons for nursing for long periods of time (comfort nursing, having a growth spurt and need to build supply to meet new demand).

Not much milk produced during pumping sessions.

Babies are generally much more efficient at getting milk out of a breast than are even the best pumps. Many women report only being able to pump an ounce or two, or less, at a sitting, while their babies routinely are able to get 7 or 8 or more ounces (determined by weighing the baby before and after nursing).

If your baby is wetting several diapers a day, is pooping, and is gaining weight (after the first week of life, as breastfed babies typically lose weight the first week, then get back to their birthweight by the second week, and start gaining from there) then your supply is probably just fine!

Also, realize that if you are using disposable diapers, the diaper may be wet and you may not realize it! So if your baby's disposable diaper doesn't seem wet, really press on it (or sniff it) to find out whether it is wet before you panic!

If It's Not Working...

If your baby is not wetting diapers, pooping, and gaining weight, and you really are dealing with a low supply problem, the best way to build supply is to let the baby nurse, nurse, nurse, and nurse some more. Milk production is based on supply and demand, and the greater the demand, the more milk is produced.

Note that supplementing with formula, or solid food, will undermine one's supply! Don't do it, if you can possibly avoid it! Generally, it is highly advisable, in order to make it work well, to only breastfeed (no bottles) for at least the first six weeks. This is because it takes about this long to really get breastfeeding going well, and to firmly establish your milk.

Feeding formula in the early months (and, again, especially during that first 6 weeks) will almost surely undermine your own milk supply, not allowing it to really establish, and even if it does, diminishing it, quite possibly to the point of it being negligible (as your body will think that your baby is weaning).

It also is bad because the baby can develop "nipple confusion". It is much easier to get milk/formula out of a bottle then out of a breast, so often a baby will become unable/unwilling to nurse from the breast once it gets used to a bottle.

It is important to understand that it is extremely rare that a baby would need to be supplemented with formula, absent a medical reason that either mother or child could not keep up the nursing relationship. Your body will make as much milk as your baby needs, it's a simple and effective design - the more your baby nurses, the more milk you produce, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, many health "professionals", including lactation consultants, will advise a new mother to supplement. Be wary, be informed - just because a person works in the medical or lactation field does not make them an expert! [Note: Many lactation consultants are very good, but many are not - if you have doubts about advice you are receiving, always get a second opinion. A very good resource for this is your local La Leche League leader.]

Many many new mothers make the mistake in thinking that because their baby will suck down formula after nursing, they are still hungry.

In reality, babies, especially younger ones, want to nurse for a long time, not eat for a long time. Many newborns nurse for up to an hour at a time, every couple of hours! That is how your supply gets established!

Even if one replaces nursing feedings with pumpings, that will still undermine supply. Pumping does not produce ('demand') as much milk from the breast, so the breasts will cut down on production. Don't do this either, again, if you can possibly avoid it. Pumping between demand nursings can help a little, as it is then increasing, by a little bit, the amount that baby is naturally demanding.

Again, if you can possibly take the time to take a day or two and do nothing but hang out with the baby, and let the baby nurse whenever and for as long as baby wants, your supply should be just fine. Taking fenugreek, and eating oatmeal, and drinking plenty of water can be additional insurance, but the demand nursing is the main thing.

Finally, if you really have already done all of this, and you still feel there really is a supply problem, have your doctor run a thyroid test. A thyroid problem can severely impact supply, and well before it becomes otherwise apparent.

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Additional References:

• La Leche League FAQ on "Getting Enough Milk"
• La Leche League FAQ on "Increasing Your Milk"