This is an extremely common problem that many moms come to me for help with. It is incredibly distressing to moms, understandably so. Most moms want to breastfeed their baby, but if they can’t breastfeed the vast majority want to give their breast milk. Thus, obviously it is very worrisome when moms feel they are producing low quantities of milk in the first three months of their baby’s life.
First thing to know is, for many moms it is actually a perception (stemming from worry) and not really that they have a low supply. However, that is not to negate mother’s instinct–very often the mother is right and her supply is actually low.
What is the most common cause of a low-milk supply?
Hands down, it is an improper management of feeding or pumping.* In other words, the mother was not breastfeeding frequently enough or she was not pumping often enough in the first 4-6 weeks of life. Sometimes moms who were not yet breastfeeding do not pump at all in the first 10-14 days of life. Sometimes they just pumped a handful of times in that period and did not get started until day 7-10.
How does this even happen?
I find that the majority of moms who come to me in this situation were not educated properly by hospital staff in the days following the birth of their baby. This can be due to the staff or consultant missing the cues that the mother was interested in breastfeeding. They may have interpreted the mom’s words or body language as she was not interested at all in breastfeeding. Rather, mom may have simply been overwhelmed at the time and could not get her “head in the place” to start pumping or to try to put the baby to the breast. I am deeply saddened for these moms because the hospital did them a disservice in not educating them on what was needed to establish and maintain their supply.
Nonetheless, it may not be too late for moms who find themselves in this situation. It depends on where your supply is at, what happened through birth and the early postpartum period, and how many weeks postpartum you are, among a few other technical things I will leave for your consultant to cover.
What can you do?
First and foremost, find yourself an experienced IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) who can assess the situation and develop a plan for you. This is very important. Second, if you can start right now pumping 8x a day for 15-20 minutes. Third, and not least, do NOT give up! Increasing supply is a slow process. Most importantly, every drop of breastmilk you give your baby is valuable!
When you go to your Lactation Consult appointment be sure to bring your pump and all the parts that come with it, with you. Your consultant should check the suction on your pump and help you with the set-up/pumping to ensure proper stimulation and drainage of the breast. Be aware, you may need to rent a hospital grade pump. Of course, bring your baby with you too if you would like to try to put the baby to the breast.
*This is the most common cause. This is not to say there are not other causes of low milk supply or even causes related to a mother’s health. This is why it is important to be evaluated by a trained IBCLC.
Contact Simply the Breast today to schedule an appointment if you are concerned about low-milk supply or to start breastfeeding your baby. We serve all of Ventura County and surrounding areas, like Santa Barbara County.
