Insufficient milk

Milk Insufficiency: Fears and Reality

"I think I have little milk", "The baby constantly cries, maybe they're hungry" — these fears are among the most common among new mothers and the most frequent reason for an unwarranted switch to artificial feeding. It is important to understand that in the overwhelming majority of women (over 95%) there are physiologically no problems with milk production. Most often the issue is not the amount, but the improper organization of feeding.

The "supply-demand" principle

Your breasts are not a storage, but a "factory" that works on the "supply-demand" principle. The more milk the baby extracts, the more is produced. Conversely, if the breasts are not regularly emptied, the brain receives a signal that there is too much milk, and production decreases. That is why feeding on a rigid schedule rather than on demand is the main enemy of lactation.

Signs of imagined and real deficiency

Many things that mothers mistakenly take for a lack of milk:

• Soft breasts: After lactation is established (usually after 4-6 weeks) the breasts stop filling dramatically. This does not mean the milk has disappeared, only that your body has learned to produce exactly the amount the baby needs.
• Frequent feedings: Newborns have a tiny stomach and need to be fed every 1.5–2 hours. This is completely normal.
• Small amount of expressed milk: A breast pump will never be as effective as your baby.

True signs that the baby is getting enough milk:

• Adequate weight gain.
• Sufficient number of wet diapers (10–12 per day after the first week).

If you are still worried, the best solution is to consult a lactation consultant. More information can be found in the article "Basics of Breastfeeding".