Two or three years later I happened to be in the company of some Australian Breastfeeding Association counselors. As a working mother of four, I ticked the box for most of the symptoms including fatigue, loss of energy, lethargy, weight gain, decreased appetite, cold intolerance, dry skin, hair loss, sleepiness, muscle pain, joint pain, weakness in the extremities, depression, mental impairment, forgetfulness, impaired memory and inability to concentrate, but my thyroid levels were absolutely fine.
A couple of days ago, in the name of research, I squeezed my breast again. Nothing happened and I felt a surge of disappointment. However yesterday I tried again. Sure enough, and strangely to my enormous relief, breast milk dribbled out. August 7, pm Updated August 7, pm. Back to fact sheets. Increasing your breast milk supply fact sheet. Increasing your breast milk supply. Why your milk supply may be low Supplementing feeds — this interferes with the demand and supply process.
As your baby removes milk from the breast, your body works to replace it. If formula, juice or water is given your body does not get the signal to make more milk. Nipple shields — a nipple shield that is not being applied correctly may reduce the amount of milk your baby is able to drink.
Timing or scheduling feeds — offer a breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry. Sometimes when babies are premature, small or jaundice they may need to be woken for a feed. Health issues such as: Stress Hormonal disorders — such as thyroid or pituitary imbalances Insufficient glandular milk producing tissue Previous breast surgery Medical conditions — High blood pressure, Anaemia; Retained placental fragments Some medications such as cold and flu preparations and hormonal birth-control Hormonal birth-control should not be started before your baby is six to eight weeks old Smoking or high caffeine intake Tips for increasing milk production Breastfeed your baby frequently — 8 or more times each day.
Once your baby has drained your breast on one side, offer your baby your other breast. If your baby is sucking and not drinking, massage your breast, or compress your breast by positioning your hand on the back of your breast and gently squeeze. Express extra milk after breastfeeding. Breast milk supply can be low if the woman has medical problems such as polycystic ovarian syndrome , hypothyroidism , diabetes and pre-diabetes, or takes some blood pressure medications and cold and flu preparations, or has taken the contraceptive pill or has been infertile.
In some women, breast or nipple surgery makes breastfeeding difficult. In a few women, the breasts did not change during puberty and early pregnancy in a way that makes breastfeeding easier. Some health professionals and mothers have an unrealistic expectation of how the baby will behave and might be concerned that what is normal baby behaviour could indicate low supply. If your baby is having a good number of wet nappies each day, low supply is not a likely cause.
Although breastfeeding is different for every woman, the following do not mean that you have a low supply:. Always look at the whole picture to ensure that baby's growth and development is with normal limits. The baby is getting enough milk if they:. Milk supply is considered to be low if you are not producing enough milk to meet your baby's normal growth and development needs. Low milk supply is usually a temporary situation that will improve with appropriate breastfeeding support and management.
Making more milk is all about supply and demand — the more milk is removed from the breast, the more milk is made. The less milk removed, the less made. Talk to your doctor, lactation consultant, breastfeeding counsellor or child health nurse about these options. You can call Pregnancy Birth and Baby on for advice and support. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Expressing milk means squeezing milk out of your breast so that you can store it and feed it to your baby at a later time. Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed your baby, providing all the nutrition your baby needs during the first six months of life and a loving bond with your baby.
Breastfeeding mums can have breastmilk oversupply and breast engorgement. Check feeding patterns, techniques and positions. Hand-expressing can also help. Read more on raisingchildren. Here are some ideas to help you work out if your breastmilk supply really is low and some suggestions that will help you make more milk, if it is low! Read more on Australian Breastfeeding Association website.
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