Many mothers feel that their breasts are not full, or the baby’s breastfeeding time is shortened because the mother’s milk is not enough and they are very anxious! But in fact, it’s not.
Many mothers feel that their breasts are not full because their mothers don’t have enough milk, so they are very anxious and worried. If the baby’s feeding time starts to shorten to only a few minutes, the mother will even be anxious. Many babies will have this situation when they grow up. Not enough breast milk!
After the first few months, the mother’s body learned to secrete milk according to the baby’s sucking. Between feedings, the breasts will not store much extra milk. Therefore, the mother may feel that the breasts are not full, and the baby only takes a few minutes to feed. This is mostly normal!
The amount determined by the baby
The mother’s breasts will no longer feel swollen because the mother’s body will not store much extra breast milk between the two feedings of the baby. The mother’s body is now entirely dependent on the baby (not the prolactin) to produce milk. If the baby soon finishes eating, the mother picks him up and then lets him eat, he may still cry. However, this is not because there is no milk in the mother’s breasts, but because he is full. At this time, the cooperation between the mother and the baby is quite tacit, and he can now obtain the amount of breast milk he needs in a shorter time than before.
Non-blowing milk turns out to be a balance between supply and demand!
In the first few days and weeks of breastfeeding, the mother’s breasts may swell between the baby’s feedings. This is because the mother’s body is gradually adjusting itself to adapt to the baby’s appetite. Prolactin makes the mother’s body begin to secrete breast milk, and then the baby sucks the breast milk from the mother’s breast. The two are connected end to end, and the mother’s lactation system will continue to circulate. In the next few months, the amount of lactation hormone will slowly decrease, so the mother’s lactation will become more and more dependent on the baby’s milk intake. When the baby is six months old, the amount of lactation hormone in the mother’s body will be the same level as the mother before pregnancy. From this time on, the mother’s lactation system is completely based on supply and demand, and the mother’s body will lactate according to the baby’s milk intake and milk frequency.
How to judge whether breast milk is sufficient?
Several indicators to help new mothers judge whether breast milk is sufficient:
◎ Babies less than 1-month-old often have yellow-green stools and need to wet 6-8 times a day.
◎When the baby is feeding, he can hear the swallowing sound of “grumbling, gurgling”. After feeding, the baby shows obvious satisfaction. When the baby is not breastfeeding, his mental state is also very good.
◎The baby within 2 months can sleep peacefully and contentedly between breastfeeding.
◎Before breastfeeding, the mother felt that the breasts were full, and there was a feeling of breastfeeding; after breastfeeding, the breasts became soft.
◎Baby weight: 0-3 months old babies should gain more than 150 grams of weight per week; 3-6 months old babies increase by 105 grams per week on average.
