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Low Supply

The most common reason women start supplementing is a fear their supply is low. This perceived issue and incorrect diagnosis can start a real issue with supply if allowed to continue. Supplementation can start babies and moms on a downward spiral of overfeeding, under emptying of the breasts, and ultimately, a perceived problem becomes a real one. So, how do you know whether your baby is getting enough from the breast? Our breasts don’t have ounce markers on them, so how do we tell whether our supplies are enough?

max-stomach-capacity
How much milk does a baby’s stomach even hold?

Is your baby gaining well? If your baby has regained their birth weight by 2 weeks and are they gaining about an ounce a day after that, there is not an issue with supply.

Is your baby pooping and peeing normally? Babies should have one wet diaper on day one, two on day two, and so on. By day five, babies should be having 5-6 wet diapers minimum a day, with 2-3 quarter sized poops. Sometimes poops do space out a bit, and that can be normal, but those wet diapers must remain. If you are changing diapers frequently, there is no supply issue. After all, if there isn’t anything going in, there can’t be anything going out. A trick I tell moms to do if they are worried, is to put a stack of six diapers on the changing table, if they run through them in 24 hours, they don’t need to worry.

The following things are NOT a sign of low supply.

  • The baby nurses frequently
  • The baby suddenly nurses more often and/or for longer
  • The baby nurses more frequently and is fussy in the evenings
  • The baby wakes often in the night to feed
  • The baby decreases the lengths of feeds
  • The baby gulps down a bottle of milk or formula after a breastfeed
  • Your breasts don’t leak anymore, or feel softer
  • You pump very little
  • You stop feeling, or never have felt a letdown feeling

If you truly do feel that you have a low supply, due to hormonal issues, early mismanagement of breastfeeding, or over supplementation, talk to an IBCLC about how to get back on the right track. The nice thing about supply is that it is almost always fixable.

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Myth Monday: Daddy Bonding pt. 2

daddybabySo, this meany IBCLC doesn’t want daddies to feed their babies? How small minded and unfeminist of me! Don’t you realize that lots of women work?!

Whoa. Let me assure you, I am a big fan of bottles when breasts aren’t available! Rule number one of parenting is this: FEED THE BABY. Bottles can be helpful for a parent who is returning to work, and should be introduced at some point  between 4-6 weeks by someone other than the mother, but that isn’t what we are talking about today.

The problem with the whole, “pump so daddy can feed” thing, is:

  1. If you aren’t removing milk from your breast at every feed you are decreasing your supply. Period. So if you plan on sleeping through that feeding the daddy is taking over, don’t, you best get up and pump! And if you are up anyway, why not just feed the baby and save your sweetie all those dishes to wash?
  2. Pumping is a lot less fun than holding a cute, cuddly, big eyed, sweetly smelling baby.
  3. When you get in a cycle of pumping and bottle feeding, you breastfeed less and less, which ultimately decreases your supply and YOUR ability to bond with the baby.
  4. You will most likely, want to slap the bottle out of your dear loved one’s hands. Hormones make us protective of our little ones and of our milk supply. It is why our breasts let down when we hear a kitten meow sometimes, we want to feed the WORLD! This doesn’t go away just because you pledged your life to this guy with the bottle, your gut will rebel against someone else feeding your baby.
  5. Pumps just aren’t as efficient as babies, and sometimes, you won’t be able to pump at all. This has NOTHING to do with your supply, simply with the intelligence of your breasts. They know this droid is not the baby they are looking for! However, the sight of two bottles with drips of milk in the bottom after 30 minutes of not bonding with your baby can be really disheartening.

Enjoy your only job for the next few weeks being to feed and enjoy your baby!

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Back to Work Breastfeeding Class!

iStock-48338332_wideWomen have always worked and breastfed. However, in our modern world it can present unique challenges.  I love to empower women to truly have it all! This class for the soon-to-be-working parent and the already-working parent who want to explore options for getting back to work while breastfeeding. This class is presented in a casual, round table format. Questions and special situations are welcome!

  •  Pumping most effectively and efficiently once you are back to work.
  • Working with your employer to create a supportive atmosphere to pump or breastfeed your baby.
  • Creating a realistic plan with your family and care providers to support your goals as a breastfeeding mom.
  • Being familiar with pump options and other supportive equipment needed for the working/breastfeeding mom.
  • Introducing your baby to a bottle
  • What to expect from your baby and you when back to work
  • Exploring the state and national laws protecting your right to breastfeed and express milk for your baby

Please bring to class your pump and bottles. Partners (and babies) are encouraged to come to learn about bottle feeding for the breast fed baby and how to provide support for the working mom. Taught by Alyssa Goss, IBCLC.

Location: Thrive Chiropractic Center 15501 Ranch Rd 620 N #1200, Austin, TX 78717
Cost: $50 per couple
Registration: Please call 512-415-8627 or email to reserve your space!