Milk Supply Article Navigation
- Milk Supply Main
- My milk didn’t come in.
- My baby was never satisfied.
- He nursed all the time.
- I couldn’t pump anything out.
- My baby wasn’t gaining enough weight.
- I stopped producing milk.
- My baby didn’t want to nurse anymore.
“I just stopped producing milk.”
Breastfeeding Problems that Really are not Problems
One of the biggest perceived breastfeeding problems is a reduction in milk supply. Breastfeeding is based on a system of supply and demand. When the breasts are stimulated by the baby and the baby removes milk the breasts produce more milk. If milk is not removed from the breast eventually the milk will be reabsorbed by the body. If the baby is brought to the breast to suckle whenever he makes an indication of a desire to nurse milk production will continue and the breasts will supply enough milk to meet his needs.
This is a perfect system when carried out as it is designed, but there are certain things that can jeopardize milk production. In the first week of the infant’s life, when colostrum is being produced, the baby is typically nursing very frequently (after the initial twenty-four hour nap that most babies take) and many mothers feel that their babies are starving. Rather than continue to put their babies to their breasts whenever they wish to suckle, mothers fall back on a bottle of formula, which is often erroneously pushed by doctors and nurses in the hospital.
Sometimes mothers give a bottle of formula in the first weeks because they are worn out from a lack of sleep and frustration at adapting to their new roles as mothers of a supremely dependent human being. Their belief is that they can just give that one bottle and get some rest. However that one bottle eventually turns into more and more bottles. Supplementing with formula will set up a vicious cycle of reduced milk production and will lead to early weaning for two reasons.
First, formula is produced from cow’s milk, which contains a different type of protein than human milk. The casein protein (as opposed to whey protein found in human milk) is very difficult for a human infant to digest. The result is that the formula sits in the infant’s digestive tract, and making the baby stay fuller longer. During this time, the baby may not choose to suckle at the breast. The breasts will not be stimulated and milk will not be removed, and therefore milk production will decrease. The mother ends up giving the baby more bottles to satisfy his hunger as a result of that reduced production and the cycle continues. Eventually the mother will stop producing milk and the baby has effectively weaned and ends up on formula.
The second reason for breastfeeding problems is when bottles are introduced early in the breastfeeding relationship, usually because mother wants a break or she is afraid she is not making enough milk for her baby, her baby will become accustomed to the faster flow of a bottle and the instant satisfaction when he sucks. When a baby suckles at the breast he often has to work to trigger a letdown of milk which may not happen for a minute or two. When a baby sucks on a bottle he is given instant gratification. Given frequent bottles a baby will forget how to suckle at the breast and also will become used to the different sucking motion used on a bottle. The baby will develop nipple confusion, and will usually refuse to suckle at his mother’s breast.
