When it comes to breastfeeding, many may feel self-conscious about generating enough breastmilk.
Most of the time, your body makes as much breastmilk as is necessary, even if it might seem a little low.
The first step in this process of making sure you are generating enough breastmilk is discerning that there is a problem.
Pay attention to the number of dirty diapers your baby goes through and your baby’s weight.
If there is a sudden drop in your baby’s weight, and your baby is not consuming anything else, then yes, you may not be generating enough breastmilk.
Otherwise, factors like nursing for short periods of time or your breasts feeling different do not present any cause for alarm.
If you actually discover that you are not making enough milk, then there are a few things that you can do to rectify this.
1. Breastfeeding Drinks
Breastfeeding drinks are curious concoctions that do many healthy things for your body, which include raising a nursing mother’s milk supply, though mothers are not the only ones who may benefit from these drinks.
They are a great source of nutrients for children or adults who seek to avoid soda and energy drinks.
Also, they come in different flavors based on all the different fruits and vegetables that allow for a higher breastmilk supply.
Combine breastfeeding drinks with a diet that includes leafy greens and lean meats to make sure your baby has plenty of nourishment.
2. Consider The Causes
What might be prudent would be to establish the causes of a lower breastmilk supply if you do ultimately feel that you are not generating enough milk.
If you limit your baby’s feeding sessions too much, then your body will succumb to the incorrect idea that your baby does not need as much food anymore.
With thousands of years of evolution informing its function, the human body is not going to invest any nutrients in things that are not being used.
A satellite problem of this larger problem is feeding formula instead of breastmilk.
The bottom line with formula is that it’s perfectly fine to use, so if you have formula, then keep using it. Just know that your body will stop generating milk.
Also, keep solid food out of your baby’s diet for the first six months of life.
Introducing solids too early will discourage milk production because, again, your baby will not have to feed as much.
Sometimes, changes to medication, birth control or otherwise, can affect milk production, in which case you might just have to wait out the shortage.
Most simply, losing sleep, drinking alcohol, and smoking are all fundamental items that might contribute to a lower milk supply.
Finally, a low supply of breastmilk might be connected to a disease. If you have diabetes, herpes, or a form of hepatitis, then that may impact milk production.
3. Breastfeed More Frequently
Frequently having sessions with your baby is one of the most immediate ways to encourage your body’s production of milk.
Your baby’s demand will inform how much milk your body should produce.
Establish a generous feeding schedule with many sessions per day, but if your baby is hungry outside those sessions, then you should still feed it.
Maintaining a strict schedule is not the best idea, as your baby is completely dependent on you for food. It cannot walk up to the pantry and work its way through a sleeve of Oreos. One day, it will, but not today.
4. Know How Breasts Work
As obvious as this may seem, there are ways to make sure you are leveraging your breasts in terms of feeding.
First, make sure your baby is latching onto them well.
During sessions, have your baby feed on both breasts in case one breast still has a little more to offer.
You might also consider emptying your breasts after each session, which means using your hands or a pump to draw all the milk out of your breasts.
This will signal the body to make more breastmilk. Also, avoid pacifiers and bottles as often as you can in favor of actual breasts. It is okay if you cannot, but employ your breasts whenever you can.
5. Care For Yourself
Get enough sleep. Eat lots of leafy greens, lean meats, and whole grains. Drink a lot of water, and do not stress yourself out too much as caring for a baby is difficult work.
Relax with your baby, and hold it close to you. All of this will allow your body to loosen up in the interest of releasing more milk.
If you are particularly concerned, then you might benefit from keeping a log of how often your baby is breastfeeding, how long each session is, and which sides are most productive.