Reasons for low milk supply

Taken from Breastfeeding problems and put together by the lovely Katie

1. What is low milk supply?

It is normal for mother to worry about her milk supply.
Many women think their milk supply is low when it is not. This can happen when strong let down is gone or when mother is loosing the feeling of fullness in breasts after initial few weeks of engorgement , or if milk stops leaking. These are actually natural, common signs that body has adjusted to baby's feeding requirements. Sometimes mothers question their milk supply when baby is going thru growth spurt (Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months). Some babies become more efficient and faster feeders, and so the feeds become shorter, giving mother the impression that she doesn't have enough milk.

There may be times when some mothers do not produce milk to their full capacity but for most of mothers, understanding the breastfeeding process can solve the problem.

2. What is causing low milk supply?

For most women, the real problem is delivery, not production. They produce plenty of milk but because their baby is not latching well and feeding effectively, the baby doesn't get enough.

Breasts are designed to produce milk to match your baby's demands. The more he feeds the more milk you will produce. If your milk supply has gone down temporarily, you may:
• be suffering from sore nipples and find feeding painful; or
• have a sleepy baby who needs encouraging to feed;
• your baby may be often using a dummy, which cuts down the amount of time that he is breastfeeding; or
• feeding to a strict four-hourly routine has reduced your milk supply. This is why it is helpful to feed your baby on demand, not according to a routine.

For a few women, biological or physical conditions such as hormonal disorders or breast injury/surgery can cause their milk supply to be low. However, as milk production is so important, most mums with these conditions find that they can still produce enough milk to feed their babies.

3. What can be done to restore milk supply?

First the “false alarm” needs to be ruled out.
Few more things should be taken under the consideration:
Does baby has five to eight wet nappies a day?

Is baby healthy and happy and alert?

Is baby producing yellowy-mustard stools and are the stools beginning to lighten in colour by the fifth day after birth?

If you are thinking you are not producing enough milk and maybe a breastfeeding is uncomfortable and painful, you should consider getting in touch with breastfeeding counsellor or infant feeding specialist, or even a midwife or Health Visitor to correct latch.

4. To increase your milk supply you should:

Feed baby as often as possible( feeding on demand or baby led feeding is the best way to do it; first few weeks can be hard on mother, due to cluster feeding- it is when babies feed closer together at certain times of the day and go longer between feedings at other times. This is very common, and often occurs in the evenings.)
Giving baby only breast milk and avoiding dummies, avoiding giving water or herbal teas.
Don’t be tempted to give baby a bottle of formula (mothers milk is produced on demand- what means if baby will not feed there will be no milk produced).
Drink plenty of water. Try to have as much skin to skin contact as possible.
Sometimes expressing milk between the feedings or after helps, plus breast milk can be frozen (up to a year in chest deep freezer, 6 months in stand up freezer, and 3 months in freezer compartment in fridge).
Some sources claim that eating oats- like porridge, flap jacks, has positive influence on milk production. If nothing else having a bowl of nice and hot porridge for breakfast can be a good start of day and will provide plenty of energy.
I’ve heard that diet high in omega fats, like omega 3 and omega 6 might improve quality of breast milk. It is proven that fats from this group have influence on brain development.

In some cases using a galactagogue- herbal or prescription medication is needed.

5. What is galactagogue?

A galactagogue is a substance that induces lactation. The most commonly used galactagogues are herbal: Fenugreek, Milk Thistle, Blessed Thistle, Alfalfa, Fennel, Dill, Anise, Brewer’s Yeast, Raspberry Leaf Tea, Marshmallow Root, Nettle.

Fenugreek:
Fenugreek seed is used to flavour artificial maple syrup, and in Indian cuisine.
It can be obtained in a form of seeds (from healthy food stores, they are quite dry and need pre soaking or grinding) or in a form of capsules. It changes the smell of sweat and urine, making it smelling just like maple syrup. Some mothers find they need to take Fenugreek only for a period of time, while the others need to take supplement for all the time they are breastfeeding.
To find out more about fenugreek please visit: http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_fenugreek.html .
Milk Thistle-
http://www.kcweb.com/herb/milkt.htm
Blessed Thistle-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnicus
Alfalfa-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa
Fennel-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel
Dill-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill

Anise-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anise
Brewer’s yeast-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewer%27s_yeast
Marshmallow root-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althaea_%28genus%29
Nettle-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettle
Raspberry Leaf Tea-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_raspberry_leaf



Sources:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/
http://www.breastfeeding.com
http://www.kcweb.com
http://www.kellymom.com/
http://www.wikipedia.org/