Low Milk Supply
It's only natural for most breastfeeding mums to wonder if they have a low milk supply at some stage. We all want to make sure our babies are healthy and getting enough nourishment to grow. I know I still worry about how much my boys eat and they are now 6 and 4 and I don't think I'll ever stop.
But unless you express your breast milk, measure it and then feed it to your baby it's just about impossible to know exactly how much milk your baby has taken in during a feed. And I think it's just human nature to want to be able to put a number or a quantity to things, to be able to measure and document things. It's no wonder so many mums assume (or are told by well meaning family) that they have a low milk supply when their baby is unsettled.
It was a huge relief for me to find out that some of the things I thought indicated I had a low milk supply were actually normal, natural changes that really meant my milk supply was perfect.
Breast size
When my youngest was about 5 months old I remember noticing that my breasts seemed a lot smaller than they used to when I first started breastfeeding — you may also notice this most when your engorgement settles down after the new born period.
The people around me noticed it too and would ask me if my milk had run out, or if I needed to top my baby up with formula. But the beauty of breastfeeding is that it works on supply and demand. Generally, the more breast milk your baby drinks (or removes from your breast) the more your body will make. So it turned out that my back to normal looking, small breasts simply meant that my body knew how much milk to make for my son… my supply had actually balanced to match his needs.
Feeding duration
I remember when my eldest was about 2—3 months old my girlfriends came to visit and when he fed for only 5 minutes they were all stunned… "Is that all", "are you sure he drank enough?"
All babies are different and feeding times will vary but generally as your baby grows, he or she will be able to remove milk from your breasts more quickly, so you may find that you actually spend less time feeding. Thank Goodness for this because in the beginning I felt like all I ever did was breastfeed!! My sons went from feeding for about 45 minutes to feeding for 5 minutes — for most mums it's perfectly normal and generally not an indication that you need an increase in milk supply.
Growth rates
Something else that may put your mind at ease if you are worried about having a low milk supply, is that breastfed babies who put on a lot of weight in their first few weeks may start to gain weight more slowly, so that they plateau at about 4—5 months.
Unfortunately this is not represented in the most common growth charts as both formula and breastfeed babies were used to arrive at the averages. Formula fed babies are usually bigger than breastfed babies and bigger in this case doesn't always mean healthier. You can find more information on the current growth charts and download printable versions of them through the World Heath Organisation website.
When having your baby weighed over a few weeks it can help to go back to the same person and same set of scales for weighing. Having baby weighed at your health nurse one week and at your doctor the next can give an inaccurate picture of your baby's growth.
Other things that can affect growth rate results between weighing are if baby is weighed before or after a feed, if baby is clothed or naked, if baby has a wet or dry nappy and even if baby has had a bowel movement before weighing.
Picture of health
It's important to look at the overall condition of your baby if you are worried about having a low milk supply.
Usually a healthy baby that is being exclusively breastfed will wet about 6—10 nappies in 24 hours.
Generally from birth to about day five your baby's poo will change in colour and texture. It will go from dark green or black and very sticky to a green—brown to a yellow mustard colour. It may look like it's got little sesame seeds in it. When I was a new, tired and drained mum —as most new mums are— I could never work out how the sesame seeds got in there!!
If your baby is getting enough milk they will have a nice skin colour and texture. In other words, if you pinch it slightly it will go back to normal, it won't stay in the pinched form after you have let it go.
Your baby will also be alert and wakeful for some periods of the day, and yes as most babies do, they may also have a fussy period too. You're not alone if you felt —or were told— that your baby's crying or moody periods may have been caused by a low milk supply. My first son used to cry uncontrollably when he was over tired and all our well meaning relatives would insist that it was because he was still hungry or — I used to love this one— my milk just wasn't enough for him and I needed to top him up with formula.
It can be so confusing when you get different information and advice from people you feel you should trust, so please trust yourself above all, and look for the right support from a health professional, they will be able to confirm if your supply is low and there are lots of things you can do to achieve an increase in milk supply.
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