The harm of feeding and milk-raising to babies

If the mother's breast milk is not enough, the most common advice is to let the baby suck more. Some people even encourage breastfeeding as long as the baby cries, regardless of whether it has been fed an hour ago. This method of chasing milk believes that as long as the baby does not let go, there is no need to stop feeding. You can feed for an hour and then feed again after an hour. This method of milk chasing is called hanging feeding. So can hanging feeding be successful in increasing milk production? Let’s do a comprehensive analysis today.

The basic principle of breast milk secretion

First, let me share the basic principles of breast milk secretion. Our human body is very unique. The breasts will secrete milk according to the needs of the baby. In other words, the breasts will produce as much milk as the baby needs. So, breastfeeding is really a simple thing? Indeed, but in order for the breasts to produce enough milk, they must get sufficient and effective stimulation. So what does sufficiency mean? Which ones are reasonable?

Sufficient total sucking time and reasonable sucking with a certain intensity are both indispensable. The following two situations cannot guarantee the supply of milk:

1. Drinking milk for a long time but not stimulating enough

If you feed your baby more than ten or twenty times a day, the time is sufficient, but such a long feeding interval usually causes the baby to lack the necessary feeling of hunger, and he cannot eat vigorously every time. He often eats a little and then falls asleep, which causes ineffective stimulation. Under repeated ineffective stimulation, it is difficult for the breasts to produce enough milk, and in many cases it will cause a decrease in milk volume, leading to the adverse effects of adding formula milk.

2 is reasonable stimulation but the feeding time is insufficient

If the breastfeeding posture is correct and the baby sucks both breasts vigorously for a period of time, it will stimulate the mother's body to produce lactone, which we call effective sucking (because the mother's body is different in sensitivity to stimulation, the intensity required for effective sucking is not the same), but if the small baby only eats milk three times a day (for example, only feed milk powder at other times), the breasts will not get enough and effective stimulation, which can easily lead to a decrease in milk supply.

Why can’t you increase milk production by hanging feeding?

The stimulation of the breast to the baby is not so sensitive, and the stimulation provided by the baby to the breast during hanging feeding is not effective stimulation.

On the other hand, hanging to feed takes away our breasts and even the control of our entire mental and physical rest. At that time, due to long-term breastfeeding, Anne had a small blister on her nipple, and another small blister appeared at the same time. Every time she breastfed, she felt heartbroken and painful. She is still scared when she thinks about it now. Without the support of mother's love, exclusive breastfeeding would surely fail. My nipples hurt, and I'm in a bad mood. I feel guilty and upset when the baby cries, and I can't get a good rest during the day and at night. How can my milk supply increase under such circumstances?

Hanging feeding cannot help us to increase milk supply, but will lead to the failure of exclusive breastfeeding. (Response to "nipple", "milk chase"

Why do some mothers breastfeed more?

There are also many mothers who say that they have "successfully" increased milk production through hanging feeding. Such mothers can be divided into two categories: one is that they have enough milk but think that breast milk is not enough, and the other is that their breasts are very sensitive to the stimulation of the baby.

1 The first situation is that you think your breast milk is not enough

In this situation, mothers only need to restore their confidence in breastfeeding, because their milk supply is sufficient and there is no need to chase milk. Milk supply is greatly affected by the mother's mood. If the mother is in a good mood and has confidence in her milk supply, her milk supply will increase immediately. Hanging feeding only has the function of self-suggestion for mothers who belong to this situation.

Some mothers do not have enough breast milk, but because of the baby's crying, misunderstanding of the newborn's weight (click the "Discrimination" link in the background of the official account to get more details), family members' doubts, and misunderstanding of milk, they add formula milk, which results in a decrease in the effective sucking of the breasts, and of course the amount of milk secreted by the breasts will also be reduced. After hanging feeding, these mothers no longer add formula milk. The baby can provide more effective stimulation, and the breasts receive signals to secrete more milk, and the milk supply will naturally increase.

2 The second situation is that the breasts are more sensitive to the stimulation of the baby

In this case, although the intensity of stimulation provided by the baby during hanging feeding may be reduced, the mother's body still regards it as a valid stimulation, and the milk production will increase. But the ensuing problem is that if the mother is very sensitive to stimulation, hanging feeding will inevitably cause excessive stimulation to the breasts, thereby producing too much milk, and the baby is likely to become obese, which will have a negative impact on the baby's gross motor development and lifelong health.

Another potential risk of excessive breast stimulation is milk blockage, and Anne has seen many such cases. The most important point is that it is difficult for us to know in advance whether our body is sensitive to the stimulation of the baby. If our body is not sensitive, hanging feeding will make breastfeeding completely unsuccessful.

What are the side effects of hanging feeding?

1. It is difficult for the baby to fall asleep on his own or to continue sleeping.

If you breastfeed your baby as soon as he cries, he will naturally fall asleep while feeding. The baby will quickly get used to feeding when he is tired. When he wakes up in the middle of a sleep, he will not be able to fall asleep again on his own and must feed again to fall asleep, thus losing the precious ability to fall asleep on his own and the ability to wake up on his own. We will find that such babies often only sleep for 30 minutes during the day, and some extreme babies even wake up every half an hour at night to drink milk.

2Mothers are more susceptible to postpartum depression

The drastic changes in the body's female hormones after delivery, family members caring more about the baby than the pregnant woman, and disharmonious relationships with family members can all cause postpartum depression. If you add the endless breastfeeding caused by hanging feeding, poor sleep quality, and family members who are incompatible with breastfeeding, it would be strange if you don't suffer from depression!

Regular feeding is the most scientific method of milking

If we feed the baby according to the breastfeeding interval that the baby really needs, the baby will naturally suck hard, the breasts will get sufficient and effective stimulation, and the output rate will be sufficient and appropriate milk. It is suitable for mothers with both low and high milk production physiques, and avoids various risks that may be caused by hanging feeding. With regularity, the baby's gastrointestinal function will develop rapidly, the digestion and absorption ability will be improved, the baby will eat more vigorously, and the sleep quality will be better.