Does a small breast have milk?

The size of every woman's breasts is related to genetic factors. Many people may misunderstand that big breasts mean more milk, and small breasts mean less milk. This is wrong because the amount of milk is related to the number of glands in the breasts. If the breast glands secrete more, then the milk secretion during lactation will be more abundant. It is also related to the baby's feeding and lactation methods.

Is insufficient milk supply related to breast size?

The amount of milk has nothing to do with breast size!

The amount of milk depends on the structure and number of mammary glands. Although some people with large breasts may have more mammary glands, this does not have much impact. Milk comes from the mammary glands. It is not necessarily the case that larger breasts mean more glands, and smaller breasts mean fewer glands.

In addition to the amount of mammary tissue, the baby's effective sucking will also affect the amount of milk. Some mothers see that there is not much colostrum, and the baby feels hungry and keeps crying. At this time, the elderly in the family will stand up and accuse you of poor milk and start adding milk powder, which eventually causes the mother to become depressed and give up breastfeeding.

In fact, sucking is really the most effective way to stimulate lactation. The most important factor in stimulating breast lactation is when the baby holds the tissues including the areola and nipple in his mouth and sucks rhythmically.

How to tell if you are not producing enough milk

1. Baby sucking performance

Observing the baby's sucking and swallowing is quite intuitive. When the mother's milk secretion is relatively small, it is still difficult to hear the baby swallowing sound when sucking milk. This reflects that the amount of milk provided by the mother is insufficient.

2. No swelling in the breasts

Generally speaking, when the mammary glands are secreting milk, the mother will feel swollen. If the mother has not breastfed or expressed milk for a certain period of time but still does not feel swollen, it may be due to insufficient milk secretion.

3. Red and swollen nipples

When a mother finds that her milk secretion is low and her breasts are red and swollen, it means that her milk secretion is low and the baby's sucking cannot stimulate milk secretion.

4. The baby excretes too little

If your baby has insufficient milk, you can analyze it from the frequency of his or her excretions. Babies under one month old generally excrete more than three times a day. If it is less than three times, it is likely a sign of insufficient milk secretion.

5. The baby is hungry again after feeding

The baby had just been fed, but less than half an hour later he was hungry again, crying and turning his head back and forth looking for the nipple. This means that the mother's milk supply was too little and the baby was not full.

Factors that cause insufficient milk supply

1. Wrong breastfeeding posture

Even if there is plenty of breast milk, if mothers use the wrong breastfeeding posture, the baby will not be able to get milk. When breastfeeding, it is important to ensure that the baby holds the mother's areola and nipple so that he can suck the mother's milk.

2. The baby sucks too little

When the baby is breastfeeding, the prolactin in the new mother's body will increase faster, promoting the secretion of milk. Therefore, if the new mother has less milk, she should increase the number of times the baby sucks, and do not stop the baby from sucking because of insufficient milk.

3. Depression leads to a vicious cycle

The low milk supply would normally get better if the baby sucked more, but there were always some dissatisfied voices at home that put invisible pressure on the mother, causing her to resist breastfeeding and become depressed for a while.

Psychological factors can directly excite or inhibit the cerebral cortex to stimulate or inhibit the release of prolactin and oxytocin. They can also affect regulation through the neuroendocrine system. Therefore, a mother’s low mood will only increase the possibility of a decrease in milk supply. The less milk supply, the less she wants to feed, forming a vicious cycle over time.