Have you dealt with a low milk supply?

[Jessica]

I have breastfed each of my children for some length of time; however, sometimes it was not as long as I would have liked. With my first, I was unaware of how breastfeeding worked, what to look for to make sure he was receiving enough, or how to correct any problems. I have since learned a wealth of information on breastfeeding and how milk production works, which has caused me to feel a bit disappointed with the times I supplemented unnecessarily.

With my first, I was sure that I did not have enough breast milk. I was barely able to express any milk, and it seemed to me that he was breastfeeding all the time. I have learned that both of these factors are not good indicators of how much breast milk the baby is actually receiving. With expressing milk, it can be hard to gauge the amount of breast milk you actually have. A baby is much more efficient than a breast pump, so how much you express is not a good indicator of supply. Many mums also think if the baby breastfeeds often, that their milk supply is low. Although I did not have a low milk supply at the time, I did have a low supply later on during the course of breastfeeding. By that time, I knew more about breastfeeding, so I was able to determine why my supply was low and I was able to correct the problem.

Have you ever dealt with low supply? Did you find out later that it really wasn’t low supply? If you did not have enough breast milk, what methods did you use to correct the problem?

[aussiemidwife]

Jessica it is really common perception that a woman has a low supply particularly if their baby breastfeeds frequently (this particularly common in the first few days after birth and during a growth spurt) or if the woman finds it difficult to express breast milk. It is my wish that all women receive appropriate breastfeeding education in their pregnancies and ongoing support for breastfeeding following the birth.

If a woman finds she has low breast milk supply there are a number of strategies I suggest to help boost supply:

• Breastfeed frequently (this encourages the production of more breastmilk)
• Express breastmilk (either by hand or using a breast pump) after daytime breastfeeds
• Take a natural supplement to help boost supply
• See a lactation consultant
• Take the medication motilium (this needs to be prescribed by a doctor)