What's the matter with the sudden milk withdrawal and milk replenishment?

For new mothers, there will be many problems in the process of breastfeeding, the most common of which is the problem of milk weaning and milk replenishment. There are generally two situations in which weaning occurs. One is when one's own milk supply is sufficient and the breasts continue to produce milk. The other is when the milk supply is insufficient for feeding and dietary therapy is used to achieve the effect of weaning. This article briefly introduces the causes of milk dryness and methods to increase milk production.

The reasons that cause us to stop breastfeeding

Error 1. Some babies are put in incubators due to jaundice or other diseases. The mothers at home are very anxious at this time. The milk supply starts to increase on the third day after delivery, but the baby cannot eat it. Most new mothers don’t know anything, and the milk supply keeps increasing without sucking or expelling. Just like that, after two days, the milk supply becomes very little. They start to get anxious and want to know what is going on and why the milk supply is less?

As a result, when the baby came back from the hospital, the new mother did not prepare enough breast milk, so she could only give some breast milk and some formula, and then she was anxious to find a way to increase the amount of milk. At the same time, there is also a situation where if there are lumps after the swelling and they are not treated, you will start to have a fever, and after the high fever, the milk will stop flowing.

Mistake 2: During the confinement period, my milk supply was pretty good, like a big cow. But later I had a conflict with my mother-in-law or husband, and my milk quietly disappeared when I got angry. Then I started to persistently try to increase my milk supply, and finally I got it back. But then, I had another argument with my mother-in-law, and my milk supply became less again.

Error 3: Breast lumps are the most important thing that cannot be ignored and are also one of the killers of milk weaning. There are often mothers whose milk is blocked and forms lumps due to milk engorgement. If the lumps are not dealt with after two or three days, they begin to develop pain, mastitis, and fever. They go to the hospital, get IV drips, and get their fever reduced. After going through all these processes, their milk supply suddenly becomes less, or even almost disappears.

Some mothers have milk filling in the middle of the night but are too sleepy to get up and express it, which also leads to this consequence.

Mistake 4: At the beginning, you have a lot of milk and you are proud to think that you are the big dairy cow. So you don’t pay attention to it and try all kinds of sour and cold foods that may reduce milk production. You think that your milk production is not reducing, and eventually the amount of milk becomes less and less. As the baby grows older and eats more, the supply is no longer enough.

Some mothers even think that cows are born with a lot of milk, and they will produce milk no matter what they eat. In fact, many times, every mother will find the answer to whether some arbitrary practices can produce milk or not during the long breastfeeding period, but by the time she realizes it, it is already too late.

Mistake 5: Obstruction from family members, especially the older generation who think milk powder is the best. The mother cow herself is also not firm in her stance because the elders always say that the baby will not be full if there is not enough milk. As a result, the baby is added with more and more milk powder, but the milk produced is getting less and less.

Mistake 6: Mothers with little milk like to save milk. After feeding the baby, the baby falls asleep. As a result, when the milk volume increases again, mothers are reluctant to squeeze it out and want to wait until the baby wakes up to feed. This results in a vicious cycle. The body does not have the confidence to produce more milk, so the mothers save less and less. Some mothers even have a high fever when saving milk, and the milk stops flowing after the fever subsides.

Mistake 7: After you go back to work, your baby sucks less, so your milk supply naturally decreases, and it’s time to slowly wean your baby off the breast while you’re at work.

How to boost milk production

1. Hang feeding and suck more to empty the baby. Feed as frequently as you feed a newborn baby, more than 12 times within 24 hours. If conditions permit, arrange a few days to keep the baby close to your body, hold the baby in your arms all day, and feed the baby whenever you have the chance. Do this for three days and you will definitely see the effect. After feeding one breast, if the baby cries, do not rush to give formula, but switch to the other side and continue feeding. You can change breasts several times in one feeding, and the milk will not be consumed by the baby, but will be consumed more and more. If you have already mixed feeding, gradually reduce the number of times you feed with formula milk, and do not feed with breast milk first and then with formula milk. Feed full breast milk once, and then with formula milk the next time. After a long interval, when there is more breast milk, feed full breast milk again. Let the child have a few meals of pure breast milk, and do not expect formula milk. Remember to use a breast pump to completely empty your breast every time your baby finishes sucking.

2. Use milk-inducing decoctions. There are many milk-inducing decoctions on the market. It is found that many mothers do this. When they hear that there is something that can induce milk production, they take action immediately. I don’t even know what the ingredients of this thing are? Are there any side effects? Is there any impact on the baby? At this point, we still need to pay attention to food safety.

3. Drink more water and eat supplements to meet the needs of the symptoms. Eat more foods that increase milk production, such as: peanut milk, rice wine, papaya milk, crucian carp soup, pig's trotters, soybeans, day lily soup, etc. Avoid foods that reduce milk production. Keep drinking water for a long time and make sure to drink more than 2,000 ml of water every day. Qi and blood deficiency or Yin deficiency is the most common symptoms for women. Mothers with these symptoms must first regulate their bodies before increasing milk production, otherwise no matter how they increase milk production, the effect will not be significant. To replenish qi and blood deficiency, you can eat crucian carp, angelica and astragalus soup, and red bean, longan and red date soup. If you have Yin deficiency, you can eat Ophiopogon japonicus and other herbs.

4. Lying down to feed. I fed lying down during the entire breastfeeding period. If you can learn to lie down to feed, it will be beneficial for night feeding. If you are worried about your baby's nose being blocked or otitis media, feed him while he is sitting down. However, practice has shown that mothers instinctively do not cover their babies, and the possibility of babies getting otitis media due to lying down feeding is very small, and lying down feeding also stimulates the breasts to secrete milk.