Increasing Breast Milk Production - 5 Tips For Breastfeeding Mothers Trying to Increase Milk Supply
Low milk production is a leading cause of early weaning from the breast.
It is rare that you will not produce all the milk your baby needs, unless you get off a rocky start in the first 48 hours - your body decides how much milk to make based on how much is taken out.
It is crucial that your breasts get the message early and frequently to produce lots of milk.
Miss those first 24 hours after delivery and some moms just never get caught up.
So how can you 'tell' your body to make lots of milk? Take it out for dinner! 1.
Breasts produce milk, not supply milk.
Your baby drives your milk production Give your baby free access to your breasts starting at birth.
Sort of like your eyes responding to an onion by producing lots of tears, your breasts produce lots of milk in response to your baby feeding frequently.
It is your baby's job to drink, drink, drink so that your breasts know to produce, produce, produce.
Keep your baby in skin to skin contact with you until breastfeeding is going great- your baby is gaining at least an ounce a day and you are producing lots of milk.
3.
Empty those breasts! Full breasts tell your body to s...
l...
o...
w...
down.
Think of your ice maker- when it is full the production of ice stops.
Empty it and the production starts again.
Empty it frequently and it makes ice faster.
The same is true for breasts.
By the way, if your baby is having difficulty emptying your breasts, do it for her.
You can hand express and feed your milk to her.
The more milk she drinks in the first few days, the more milk she will demand.
Keep the demand high! 4.
Let your baby fill her belly every time she drinks.
How do you know your baby is full? Typically, your baby will let go of the nipple and be "milk drunk" when he is done.
This means he is full and content.
If he starts rooting around again, he is still hungry.
5.
Muster for the cluster Your newborn baby may cluster her feedings together and feed every 30-60 minutes for up to 6 hours at a time.
Is this normal? It sure is.
Oftentimes this is in the evening, but it can be at anytime during the day or night.
Let him go at it.
Remember, this is how your body knows how much milk to produce.
It is rare that you will not produce all the milk your baby needs, unless you get off a rocky start in the first 48 hours - your body decides how much milk to make based on how much is taken out.
It is crucial that your breasts get the message early and frequently to produce lots of milk.
Miss those first 24 hours after delivery and some moms just never get caught up.
So how can you 'tell' your body to make lots of milk? Take it out for dinner! 1.
Breasts produce milk, not supply milk.
- Do you have a supply of tears?
- Do you have a supply of gastric juices?
Your baby drives your milk production Give your baby free access to your breasts starting at birth.
Sort of like your eyes responding to an onion by producing lots of tears, your breasts produce lots of milk in response to your baby feeding frequently.
It is your baby's job to drink, drink, drink so that your breasts know to produce, produce, produce.
Keep your baby in skin to skin contact with you until breastfeeding is going great- your baby is gaining at least an ounce a day and you are producing lots of milk.
3.
Empty those breasts! Full breasts tell your body to s...
l...
o...
w...
down.
Think of your ice maker- when it is full the production of ice stops.
Empty it and the production starts again.
Empty it frequently and it makes ice faster.
The same is true for breasts.
By the way, if your baby is having difficulty emptying your breasts, do it for her.
You can hand express and feed your milk to her.
The more milk she drinks in the first few days, the more milk she will demand.
Keep the demand high! 4.
Let your baby fill her belly every time she drinks.
How do you know your baby is full? Typically, your baby will let go of the nipple and be "milk drunk" when he is done.
This means he is full and content.
If he starts rooting around again, he is still hungry.
5.
Muster for the cluster Your newborn baby may cluster her feedings together and feed every 30-60 minutes for up to 6 hours at a time.
Is this normal? It sure is.
Oftentimes this is in the evening, but it can be at anytime during the day or night.
Let him go at it.
Remember, this is how your body knows how much milk to produce.
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