Missing breast milk: reasons, tips for restoring lactation
Breast milk is a unique, nature-suggested form of baby nutrition, which is the only one that is adequate for a newborn baby. It contains all the nutrients necessary for the full development of the child, as well as antibodies that protect the baby from disease.
Breast milk is the best way to feed a baby, as recommended by the World Health Organization, and therefore maintaining lactation is the most important task for a mother who is going to raise a healthy and happy baby.
What to do if breast milk is lost
If a nursing mother has lost milk, the reasons for this may be different: hormonal imbalance, lack of rest, unbalanced nutrition, stress, and improper behavior of the mother. However, one only universal way provided by nature itself can help restore lactation - feeding on demand.
Formation of lactation is a natural process that begins during pregnancy. In the process of carrying a baby in a woman's mammary gland, secretory tissue grows, under the influence of progesterone and estrogen, ducts with alveoli at the ends are formed. After the baby is born and applied to the breast, the hormone oxytocin, produced directly during suckling, causes milk to be released from the alveoli. In the medical environment, this process is called the "oxytocin reflex".
The body's milk production is controlled by a unique substance contained in the breast - a "lactation inhibitor". It is a polypeptide that inhibits milk production, and the longer it is not removed from the breast, the stronger its effect. This mechanism has a generally positive role: it protects the breast from overfilling and allows the baby's needs to independently regulate the amount of breast milk. The feeding process is a natural "helper" for the mother in the formation of full lactation. Thus, the inhibitor is “to blame” for the loss of milk.
The best thing a mother can do if she has lost breast milk is to put the baby to the breast as often as possible. When sucking, the hormone prolactin is produced, which is a natural stimulant of female lactation.
Experts point out that from time to time, nursing mothers experience a "lactation crisis" caused by a physiological decrease in milk production. This is a temporary process, which, nevertheless, can cause anxiety in young mothers due to doubts that the baby is lacking in nutrients. During the period of a temporary decrease in lactation, many mothers, anxious that milk has disappeared, begin to feed the baby with artificial mixtures. This is the main mistake lactating mothers make, since if milk is lost for this reason, it will be much more difficult to restore lactation.
Missing milk: useful tips
How to understand that the milk is gone and the child lacks it? First of all, pay attention to the baby. The main factors that the child is not getting enough nutrition are infrequent urination, weight gain below 120 g per week, and frequent crying. If, after feeding, the child is naughty and again insistently demands breast, then the amount of milk that the mother can offer is not enough for him. An indicator of insufficient lactation can also be too fast movements of the baby's chin during sucking.
Let's list the most effective ways to restore lactation if milk is gone:
- Adequate nutrition for the mother. The diet of a breastfeeding woman should be balanced and contain sufficient nutrients for both the mother and the baby;
- Drink plenty of fluids. A woman who is breastfed should drink at least 2.5-3 liters of liquid per day, while avoiding strong tea, coffee and carbonated drinks. Ideal drinks to stimulate breast milk production - clear water, weak green tea with milk, herbal teas, lactation teas;
- Adequate sleep. Of course, the cry of a newborn baby is not always conducive to rest. Her relatives should take care of the mother not to feel exhausted and tired;
- Feeding on demand. If milk is missing, apply the baby to the breast as often as he asks (at least 10-12 times a day);
- Night feedings. According to experts, the practice of night feeding is the best way to stimulate the mammary gland to lactate if milk is gone;
- Skin contact with a child;
- Psychological attitude.
Artificial termination of lactation
The opinions of pediatricians about how long a child should be breastfed differ from each other: the only criterion in this matter is the psychological and emotional comfort of the baby and the mother.
However, some life situations still require weaning the baby and, as a result, the cessation of lactation. Pulling the breast with towels, pumping so that the milk disappears are ineffective methods that can lead to problems associated with the further functioning of the breast. In order to stop lactation, it is more advisable to drink pills so that milk disappears. The essence of their action is to suppress the hormone prolactin, which has a direct impact on the process of its production.
In general, pills to make milk disappear are an effective and quick way to suppress lactation, but, unfortunately, it has a lot of side effects. If the mother has the time and desire, it is better to use the natural method of reducing milk production: reducing the number of feedings.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
