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Lack of self-confidence, fatigue, inexperience and 'well-intentioned' advice from those closest to you are some of the qualitative reasons that manage to convince a nursing mother that her milk is not enough to feed your baby.
The key: trust yourself. When these fears are established in a mother's head, and even more so if she is a newcomer, it is very difficult to combat them. So much so that they are sometimes directly related to the premature and unnecessary abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding; or in the best of cases, you opt for mixed breastfeeding.
It is normal for many women to have fear of not having enough milk to breastfeed the baby.We explain how to know if you have enough milk to feed the baby.
Among the quantitative aspects is mainly the weight, which is the quintessential indicator that the little one is growing. When assessing this increase, it is very important to take into account the WHO Growth Curves, which show the statistics of infants exclusively fed with breast milk.
Another myth to banish is that of breast size. Larger breasts do not have more milk compared to smaller ones. That is to say, breast size does not matter.
The prolactin It is the hormone that causes the mammary gland to make milk. The more prolactin, the more milk. And the more suction, the more milk is produced, regardless of breast size. That is, if a baby is very hungry and breastfeeds a lot, a lot of prolactin is produced and, therefore, more milk.
But if he is not very hungry or is not fed whenever he asks (the famous pattern of every three hours instead of on demand), he will nurse little and will produce less milk. If this happens frequently, each time the mother will have less milk. So the only way to get more production is to have more suction. When lactation is established, the production of milk is regulated according to the baby's needs; or of the children in case they are Twinsand even triplets. Nature is wise.
Recommendations from mom to mom to get calmer:
1- Try to 'deaf ears' to advice that many people allow themselves to give, whether they know breastfeeding or not, and focus on those of people who have a specific training. For example, health personnel trained in this matter, lactation consultants or experienced mothers.
2- It is highly recommended to go to the Lactation groups, in which many experiences are shared between women who are going through the same thing as you and who will understand you perfectly. There are many types of groups and focuses. If the people who make up one do not convince you, look for another in which you feel comfortable.
3- Remember that the breast milk is very digestive and the baby digests it in two hours, so it is usual to demand breast every two or three hours. And that also includes the night, of course.
4-If your breasts feel softer after breastfeeding, do not panic, it is because they have emptied considerably, although infants never empty them 100%.
5- Around 3 months, babies experience the so-called 'Crisis of the three months', which is that being bigger they suck faster and, in addition, they begin to be interested in the outside world. On the one hand, they take less time to breastfeed and, on the other, they are more distracted and playful, which is why many mothers think that they no longer have enough milk.
In summary, if it is suspected that the child is not gaining enough weight, weight, bowel movements and mood can be controlled - preferably without obsessions. But the most beneficial thing for the little one and the mother will be to not take into account these advice from "experts" in breastfeeding, because it will have a positive impact on both her self-confidence and the healthy growth of her baby.
Susana Torres.Collaborator of our site and lactation consultant.
You can read more articles similar to Fear of not having enough milk to breastfeed the baby, in the category of On-site breastfeeding.
