Worried about low milk supply?
Low milk supply. It’s one of the most common worries of new mothers. You can’t see what’s going into the baby, how do you know its enough? Many women wish for calibrated breasts but even if we had them, they wouldn’t be much use; babies grow and thrive on quite varied quantities of milk, we don’t know how much is optimal for a three week old or a four month old or even a 2kg baby or a 10kg baby.
What we can say confidently is that you have enough milk if:
- After a small initial loss, your baby gains weight appropriately month by month
- Your baby has plenty of wet and dirty nappies (at least three dirty nappies and six wet nappies from 4 days to 4 weeks, it’s a bit more variable after that)
The following things also don’t suggest a problem with milk supply:
- Your baby feeds very often. Some babies do feed very often and need to because your breasts can’t store enough milk for them to have less frequent feeds. Sometimes very frequent feeds can suggest an issue with how easy it is for the baby to get the milk. If you feel like you’re feeding all the time, it can be worth seeking a review with a specialist.
- You can’t pump much/any milk. Certainly after the first few weeks, the inability to pump doesn’t suggest a problem with milk supply. If you need to pump, a breastfeeding specialist may be able to help you get more milk out. In the early days and weeks an inability to express much milk is a red flag and a sign to seek help especially if combined with other signs that worry you, like a slow weight gain.
- Your baby is very unsettled- babies are unsettled for all sorts of reasons but rarely because they’re not getting enough milk, infact they’re often more unsettled when they’re getting lots of milk very fast. An unsettled baby is a reason to seek help but not a reason to worry about milk supply.
If your baby doesn’t gain weight, loses weight or drops centiles on their weight chart or they don’t have many wet or dirty nappies then it is important to find someone to look at the feeding. Most of these babies have a problem with getting the milk out (Milk transfer) rather than milk supply and a skilled practitioner can help with this.
Signs that might suggest a low milk supply is at the root of the issue include
- Having had no breast growth in pregnancy or since birth
- The milk came in very late (after day 5) or not at all
- You have unusually shaped breasts with a wide space between them
- You have a history of breast surgery particularly breast reduction
- You had diabetes before or in pregnancy
- You have a history of insulin resistance including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) although lots of women with PCOS have plenty of milk.
- You had very irregular periods in adolescence/early adulthood.
- You are obese (although again plenty of obese women have lots of milk)
If your baby is struggling with weight gain and you have any of the above, you might want to seek help quickly from a specialist.
Are you concerned about low milk supply?