What to do if you lack milk after childbirth? Try these tips

Many first-time mothers are troubled by the low milk supply. Seeing their babies crying for food makes the whole family anxious. Some of them cook crucian carp soup, some cook pig's trotter soup. It is not uncommon to see that the mothers gain weight but their milk supply does not increase. I have summarized some tips from my clinical work for mothers' reference.

During the lactation period, if the mother has little or no milk and cannot meet the baby's needs, it is called "lack of milk". From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are two reasons for lack of milk. One is weak qi and blood after childbirth, especially postpartum hemorrhage, poor constitution, and malnutrition. Mothers are prone to lack of milk. The other is liver depression and qi stagnation, postpartum depression, and poor qi movement, especially various reasons after childbirth (commonly known as anxiety of being a new mother, disharmonious relationship between husband and wife, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and baby's illness) cause the mother to feel depressed and lead to lack of milk. Based on the above reasons, different Chinese medicines can be used for syndrome differentiation and treatment. Of course, you can also try some dietary therapy tips:

People with weak Qi and blood

1. Pig's trotter and Tongcao soup

Cook 1 pig's trotter and 6g-15g of Tongcao together into soup without adding any seasoning. Drink the thick soup, 1 dose per day, 2-3 times a day.

2. Crucian carp milk-boosting soup

1 crucian carp, 6g Tongcao, 30g Huangqi. Remove the internal organs and scales of the crucian carp, pack the Tongcao and Huangqi separately, and cook them together with the crucian carp until the bones and meat are separated. Eat the meat and drink the soup, 1-2 times a day.

3. Peanut and Herring Soup

One black carp (about 250g), 100g peanut kernels, remove the scales and internal organs of the black carp, clean it, and stew it with the peanut kernels. Eat 1-2 times a day.

4. Guiqi Carp Soup

1 big carp, 15 angelica, 30 astragalus. Remove the internal organs and scales of the big carp, cook it with angelica and astragalus until cooked and eat it once a day.

Liver depression and qi stagnation

1. Wangbuliuxing Congee

30g of Fenugreek and 50g of polished rice. Put the Fenugreek into a gauze bag and cook it with the polished rice into porridge. Eat it with tongcao porridge. Take 1 dose once a day.

2. 5g of Tongcao, 100g of rice, and a little sugar. Wash the Tongcao and put it into a pot with an appropriate amount of water. Boil it to extract the juice, add rice to cook porridge, add sugar when it is cooked, and boil it for one or two more times. Take 1 dose per day, once a day.

3. Dried lotus leaf porridge

9g dried lotus leaves, 60g millet.

Wrap the dried lotus leaves with gauze, put them in a pot, add water, and cook millet into porridge. Remove the lotus leaves and drink the porridge, 1 dose per day, once a day. Postpartum milk deficiency requires increased nutrition for the mother and a relaxed mood. The family cannot focus all their attention on the baby, but should give the breastfeeding mother more care, love and concern.

Medicine and food have the same origin. These little tips can partially solve the problem of postpartum milk deficiency. However, if the milk deficiency is severe, or if the diet therapy is ineffective, you need to seek medical attention in time and do not delay.

About the Author

Professor Feng Xiumei is an associate chief physician of the Breast Department of Qinghai Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a member of the Communist Party of China. She has been engaged in clinical work for 20 years and is currently the vice chairman of the Breast Branch of the Qinghai Medical Association, a member of the Breast Science Popularization Professional Group of the Science Popularization Committee of the Chinese Medical Education Association, a member of the Breast Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, a member of the Breast Branch of the Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a member of the Qinghai Provincial Women's Doctors Association, a member of the Qinghai Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a member of the Thyroid Surgery Committee of the Beijing Chaoyang District Preventive Medicine Association.