Giving breast milk to your little one is a fulfilling and beautiful journey, but it comes with its challenges. Latching problems and sore nipples aside, one of the problems that mums most commonly experience is that of low milk supply, or not having a smooth flow of milk.
If you’re facing this problem, don’t panic, mama, you’re not alone! Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that about 75% of mothers, specifically those who are new to breastfeeding, have concerns or problems regarding breast milk production1. There are many factors that can prevent mums from having a good flow of milk flow:
Not Breastfeeding Often Enough
Breastfeeding is really all about demand and supply. The more you feed your baby, the more milk your body produces. In addition, a common problem faced by mothers here is their elderly family members’ comments that the baby is crying because she isn’t full and that mums should supplement with formula. Mums succumb to the pressure and once they start supplementing with formula, it’s a slippery slope!
Adapting to Your New Baby’s Needs
Whether it’s your first or fourth child, every pregnancy and every baby is different. Some may sleep through the night while others may feed every 45minutes. Again, a baby that’s fussing can be very stressful on a mum whose first thought is that she isn’t feeding her enough.
Sometimes the key to breastfeeding success can be about adjustment, understanding your baby’s feeding patterns and getting the right latching of your baby’s mouth.
Dehydration
Funfact. Did you know that 87% of breastmilk is water2? That’s exactly why babies that are exclusively breastfed have no need for water! However, the breastfeeding mum needs to drink a lot more water than she usually would. This means that you’ll need to increase your daily intake by approximately three glasses per day, which is about 12 glasses. This will ensure that there’s sufficient water for both you and your baby.
Emotional Problems & Stress
Here’s a not-so-fun fact. Did you know that stress is the number 1 killer of breastmilk supply, especially in the first few weeks after delivery3? With all the adjustments and lack of sleep, rising levels of hormones such as cortisol can drastically reduce your milk supply!
Medication / Health Problems
Unfortunately, mums who have medical conditions such as thyroid dysfunction or who are taking certain medication or contraception will experience a reduction in milk supply2. This also happens when your period returns. It’s not true that your periods will be on hold if you’re exclusively breastfeeding. It can return with a vengeance and slash your milk supply while at it!.
Now that you know what’s affecting your supply or quality of milk, what can you do about it?
Tips for Improving The Quality of Breastmilk
Here are some simple things that you can do, from the comfort of your home, to improve the quantity and quality of your breastmilk:
- Latch on demand. Every time your baby cries for milk or turns her head towards your nipple, let her feed for as long as she desires. Keep feeding. Don’t stop. It’s really as simple as that.
- Express milk at regular intervals. In fact, pumping right after a feed can trick your brain into believing your baby needs more, and thus you will produce more milk. Especially if you’re going to be away from your baby for more than a few hours, don’t skip a pumping session for it will affect your supply.
- When breastfeeding, it helps to have a comfortable and relaxing environment. Sit back on a comfortable armchair or get yourself a breastfeeding pillow. Also, do ensure that both you and your baby are in an ideal position for breastfeeding.
- Choose a contraceptive that is safe and good for breastfeeding mothers to use so as not to interfere with milk production. Talk to your doctor about the right type of birth control.
- Get plenty of rest and manage your stress levels. Remember, nothing is more important than your wellness and your baby’s health at this point.
- Apply a healthy lifestyle. Avoid alcoholic beverages, caffeine, and cigarettes for all of these will have an adverse effect on your milk.
- Make sure you are well hydrated and eat nutritious foods.
- Increase the quality and production of breast milk with the help of supplements in the form of capsules, drinks, or lactation cookies.
Supplements to Help You
Sometimes, in spite of doing everything right, you might still not be satisfied with the milk you are producing. Don’t beat yourself up over it, it’s normal. But before you throw in the towel and admit defeat by resorting to supplementing with formula or worse, give up breastfeeding altogether, you could give supplements a try.
Upspring offers a range of products to help increase the quality and quantity of your breastmilk. Upspring supplements are made from natural ingredients that are safe for consumption for mothers and babies, so you don’t have to worry.
Favored by more than 1 million mothers in the United States, UpSpring presents a variety of products that can help you solve your breast milk production problem. Some of them are UpSpring Milkflow Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle Capsule, UpSpring Milkflow Breastfeeding Supplement Drink Mix, and UpSpring Milkflow Lactation Cookies.
UpSpring Milkflow Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle Capsule contains a concentrated blend of natural herbal extracts also known as galactagogues which can help support a healthy and quality breast milk supply.
If capsules aren’t quite your thing, perhaps the Upspring supplement drinks may be your cup of tea! In fact, the UpSpring Milkflow Breastfeeding Supplement Drink Mix is the number 1 lactation drink in America. Alternatively, you can consume the Lactation Cookies. Both the drinks and cookies come in a variety of flavors made from natural herbal ingredients extracts that are both delicious and healthy.
So, mama, remember. You are not alone in your breastfeeding struggles. Neither are you any less if you are not producing the amount or quality of milk that you’d like. Get all the help you need, be it in the form of support from friends, taking care of your wellness or consuming supplements that will help you.
The supplements are just a tap of your finger away! You can get them on both Shopee and Lazada.
References
- https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882692/#:~:text=Composition%20of%20Human%20Breast%20Milk,of%20the%20milk%20%5B11%5D.
- https://utswmed.org/medblog/decrease-breast-milk-supply/#:~:text=Feeling%20stressed%20or%20anxious,dramatically%20reduce%20your%20milk%20supply.
