How to tell if a newborn has enough milk. How to tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk

Like all young mothers, at one time I was worried about the question: how to understand that there is not enough milk? I know a few rules, and I'll tell you. We will also look at how to identify false signs of lack of milk, so as not to be needlessly upset. And of course, in case of insufficient lactation, you should not give up; I will tell you a proven way to improve lactation.

Features of adequate feeding

A mistake many mothers make is pumping to determine volume. breast milk. This is not worth doing, because it is impossible to fully express your breasts on your own. It is possible to determine whether the baby has enough food only by observing him. It is impossible to answer the question of how long you need to feed a child so that he is full. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the baby’s body. A newborn should be fed on demand; he will not eat too much. The number of attachments sometimes reaches 25-30 times a day, this is natural, because the baby feels warm and comfortable next to his mother.

But still, there are several signs that will help determine whether the baby is eating:

1. Number of applications.

In the first 2 weeks of life, a newborn requires breastfeeding 8-15 times a day. In this case, the minimum interval is 1 hour. This is because the stomach is too small to drink more milk. It should be borne in mind that mother’s milk is quickly absorbed, and the child’s body constantly requires nutrients for full growth and development.

2. Duration of sucking.

Moms, never take your newborn off the breast, even if you think he is sleeping. You just have to wait a little and the baby will release the nipple on its own. The baby can eat in his sleep, so tearing it away from the nipple can leave the baby hungry.

3. The newborn swallows while sucking.

If there is enough milk, the mother should clearly hear the baby swallowing. Moreover, in the first 2-3 minutes the newborn sucks a little and often swallows, and the rest of the time he has to make an effort, because the milk becomes quite thick.

4. Normal weight gain.

It is necessary to weigh a newborn from the 5th day of life; in the first days, children only lose weight. Then weight gain is normal from 120-220 grams per week. Of course, it all depends on individual characteristics. It is important to note that children born weighing up to 2.5 kg gain 100-150 grams per week in the first month.

5. Healthy appearance of the newborn.

Of course, this is the main proof of sufficient nutrition. Sleep should be replaced by wakefulness in a timely manner, and the baby should demand to eat. If the baby releases the nipple on his own after feeding and soon falls asleep, it means he is full.

It is worth highlighting one more method that helps determine whether the baby is eating enough. Mommy should notice how many times a day her baby goes to the toilet. If you have to change the described diaper 5-6 times a day, you can calm down, the newborn is full. A breastfed baby may poop 2-5 times a day. But sometimes there are no bowel movements for up to 2 days, and this is not considered a pathology.

Normally, stool should be yellow in color with a granular structure; green stool may indicate lactose deficiency. This method is only suitable if the baby is not receiving additional formula or water. You now know how to know that a newborn is not getting enough food. We have to look at false signs of insufficient lactation.

False signs of lack of lactation

False signs of low milk supply can frighten any mother. What to do if there is no congestion in the chest, and the baby begins to eat in only 5 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes? It is simply necessary to consider them.

No chest congestion.

As a rule, a nursing mother stops feeling hot flashes after a month of feeding. And this is not bad at all, and certainly does not mean that the amount of milk has decreased. On the contrary, this is the first sign that you have managed to establish lactation.

Increased appetite in a child

Many mothers think that if the baby often demands to eat, it means they have little milk. This is not so, there are certain periods of a baby’s development when his body requires a larger volume of food. At this moment, the baby “hangs” on the chest for 20-30 minutes, every 2 hours.

How to increase lactation?

If you realize that the baby does not have enough food, do not rush to refuse breastfeeding. There are several tips that will help increase lactation in just a few days. Remember that lack of milk is not a reason to supplement your newborn with formula. The first thing to do is to put the baby to the breast as often as possible; sucking the baby stimulates milk production in a larger volume.

What to do:

Both breasts should be offered to the baby at each feeding.
It is necessary to ensure that the baby grasps not only the nipple, but also the areola, this will ensure more effective sucking.
When the baby stops swallowing milk, you need to change breasts.
It is necessary to give up pacifiers and pacifiers. If you need to supplement your baby with formula, it should be given from a spoon.
Equally important is the mother's peace of mind. The child feels the mother's mood.
Complete and timely rest.

Any mother often worries about whether her baby will have enough breast milk, while the question of its excess almost never arises. The whole problem is to accurately determine that the baby does not have enough breast milk and what should be done in this case.

A lack of milk for a breastfed baby is unpleasant because the baby will begin to lose weight as a result of a lack of nutrients. Lack of breast milk can be determined by the following signs:

no weight gain during monthly weighing;
the child shows anxiety, constantly pulls away from the breast, after which he again greedily grabs the nipple;
The baby makes a lot of sucking movements with a minimum of swallowing. The normal ratio is one swallowing movement to four sucking movements;
the baby cannot withstand the required time intervals between feedings, which range from two to three hours.
The child’s total amount of urine excreted sharply decreases and in general he begins to urinate rarely. During the first month of his life, a child, as a rule, urinates every hour; by the time he is one year old, he urinates once every two hours.

If a nursing mother has doubts about the baby’s lack of breast milk, it is necessary to carry out control feeding and weighing. For these purposes, special scales are used that show weight with an accuracy of one gram. They weigh the baby immediately before feeding and immediately after it, in order to accurately determine the volume of milk that he sucked. A similar procedure should be carried out several times during the day in order to accurately determine the total and average volume of milk that was sucked. It is worth always remembering that normal indicator The milk that was sucked during the day makes up one fifth of the baby’s body weight.

How to understand that there is not enough breast milk

Many nursing mothers worry about whether their baby is getting enough to eat. It’s one thing if feeding is done from a bottle, when you can immediately determine how much has been consumed, and quite another thing - breastfeeding, in which it is quite difficult to determine by eye the amount of milk eaten by the child. In order to know for sure whether the child is full or not, you should focus on some objective indicators.

You can count the number of diapers that the child managed to wet. For a baby who gets enough nutrients, it is normal to urinate six or eight times during the day. To get the real picture, it makes sense to abandon disposable diapers in favor of gauze or cloth diapers for one or two days.
It is worth carefully examining the child’s stool. If he yellow color and has a granular structure, possibly with some undigested lumps, this indicates that the stool is normal. A baby who receives a sufficient amount of milk, which is high in calories, has stool once or twice a day, since mother's milk has a significant laxative effect.
Green stool in a child may indicate lactase deficiency. This means that as a result of feeding, he sucks out the foremilk, so called because it contains a lot of sugar, but does not reach the so-called hind milk, which has the greatest nutritional value. Maybe the whole question is precisely that for his full development it is precisely this diet that he lacks.
The breasts should be carefully assessed before and immediately after feeding. If after feeding the breast softens and falls, despite the fact that before feeding it was full and tight, it means that the child is full. If your breasts leak between feedings, this is evidence that there is good milk production.
It makes sense to monitor how the baby behaves during feeding. If he releases the breast on his own, after which he falls asleep, or does not sleep, but looks cheerful and his cheeks are rounded, it means he is full. If, after the child has eaten, he regurgitates a curd mass or whey, this is evidence that there is no problem of lack of milk at all - on the contrary, the child is overfed. However, if regurgitation of milk occurs, you should contact your pediatrician, as there may be other problems.
You should pay attention to how the child gains weight. With a normal diet, in the first two months of life, children gain from one hundred to two hundred grams of weight per week, up to six months, 500-1100 grams per month, from six months to a year, 550-650 grams per month. These are average parameters, since weight gain depends on a number of different factors, such as the child’s weight at birth, his height, and physique.
The following test can help determine whether the baby is getting enough breast milk or not: you need to squeeze the area of the baby’s skin above the bones and muscles with two fingers. If he gets enough milk, his skin is firm to the touch with a good layer of fat. Skin that separates loosely from bones and muscles and is wrinkled to the touch indicates a lack of milk for the baby. It is necessary to contact your pediatrician and establish breastfeeding. Maybe, pediatrician will prescribe a supplementary formula if necessary. In any case, you should consult a pediatrician, since the issue of feeding is very important and it is advisable to avoid mistakes in it.

The process of breastfeeding is natural, it is regulated by the child himself and his mother’s body. Sometimes the process is disrupted and the total amount of milk decreases, the baby begins to be capricious from malnutrition. The reason for this state of affairs may be a lactation crisis, which is a natural process that you should not worry about.

Various literary sources interpret the concept of lactation crisis differently. This is the name for a temporary decrease in the amount of milk produced by the body of a nursing mother or a sudden lack of milk caused by the baby’s increased appetite.

Experts have not come to a consensus regarding the causes of this phenomenon. Some believe that the amount of breast milk is directly dependent on the waxing and waning phases of the moon. Others are of the opinion that the amount of milk is not decreasing, but the whole point is that the amount of milk, which until recently was sufficient to satisfy the baby’s appetite, is not so today, since there is a growth spurt.

Lactation crises usually occur between the third and sixth weeks of a child’s life and at three, seven, eleven months and a year. Usually the crisis lasts three or four days, but never lasts longer than one week.

All this time, the mother thinks that her child is hungry. At the same time, he drinks milk from both breasts, he becomes capricious, puts more and more pressure on the breast, and gets nervous.

All this does not mean at all that during the indicated periods the woman will not have enough milk. Many women do not even suspect the existence of such days and feed their children as if nothing had happened for a year, two or more.

There is not enough breast milk, what should I do?

If the fact of a lack of breast milk for feeding is confirmed, the woman can seek advice from a specialist, if such a possibility exists. In the event that such an opportunity is not available, you have to deal with this problem yourself.

Today, more and more experts are inclined to believe that a newborn baby should be fed according to his demand, and not according to the clock. The child knows better when he should eat. However, if your baby is not feeding well and is gaining weight, you should feed him every two hours. At night, in order to feed, the baby should be woken up every three or four hours.

For the entire time that the breastfeeding process is being established, it is extremely important to eliminate all pacifiers and nipples; you should also not give the baby water to drink in order to compensate for the lack of milk. When feeding a child with formula, this should be done with a spoon or syringe, but a bottle cannot be used for this purpose.

If it is determined that the baby does not have enough breast milk, the woman should adhere to the proper diet and regimen. You should eat hot food three times a day. The diet of a nursing mother should include all kinds of cereals, pasta made from durum wheat, meat, fish, eggs, poultry, baked, boiled and stewed vegetables. When a month has passed after childbirth, it is necessary to add raw fruits and vegetables to the diet, dairy products.

The mother is advised to drink a lot during breastfeeding. Tea, preferably with milk, a variety of compotes, jelly, and rosehip infusions are good options. A woman should always keep a cup of drink next to her.

There is not enough breast milk, how to supplement?

Sometimes it happens that a mother is forced to supplement her baby’s feeding due to a lack of breast milk or for other reasons. This may be some special condition of the baby’s digestive system, which can only be alleviated by supplementary feeding with a special formula. Whatever the reason, the selection of formula for supplementary feeding of the baby should be done very carefully.

Before deciding to use supplementary feeding for your baby, you should definitely make sure that he really does not have enough breast milk. This may be indicated by factors such as insufficient weight gain, infrequent urination (no more than 6 times a day), too strong a smell of urine emitted and its dark color. In its normal state, a baby’s urine is light and devoid of any odor.

The amount of breast milk absorbed by the baby during feeding should be measured. This can be done by weighing the child in the same diaper or diaper before feeding and immediately after it. If during this period the child wets a diaper or diaper, they should not be changed to dry ones.

Supplementary feeding of a child with milk-based formulas should be done if the measurement results indicate that the required amount of mother's milk during feeding naturally the child does not receive. For information on the average amount of milk consumed during feeding of a baby of a certain age, you can contact your pediatrician or the appropriate tables.

The baby should be fed only after breastfeeding and only with a spoon. Otherwise, if the baby is not particularly hungry, having received formula for feeding, the baby may not want to take mother’s milk again, and if bottle-fed, he will prefer to suck on her nipple, which is easier to do than sucking milk from the mother’s breast.

Milk-based formula should be introduced into the child’s diet gradually, with a dosage starting from 10 ml per breastfeeding, while doubling the amount of complementary feeding every day until it is brought to the pre-calculated volume. If supplementary feeding needs to be carried out several times during the day, no more than one additional supplementary feeding is allowed each day.

The supplementary feeding mixture should be prepared using the appropriate recommendations given for its preparation. These recommendations are indicated by the manufacturer on the can of formula or on the box.

How do you know if your baby is not getting enough breast milk? Exist different ways, but they are all very imperfect. Yes, you can express completely and measure the resulting volume, you can even weigh the newborn before and after feeding, then calculate the difference in weight. The only objective and most reliable indicator will be children's behavior. Be observant and soon you will be able to accurately determine whether your baby is full or not. It is useful to know the principles of proper feeding, as well as the signs and causes of too little milk in the breast.

Feeding expressed milk from a measuring bottle is not the best The best way determining the amount of food eaten

How can you tell if you have enough milk?

How can you tell if your baby is full of breast milk? Some signs will help here. There are 5 of them in total:

The number of feedings per day is 8-12. There may be more of them, this will also be the norm. Frequent latching is explained by three factors:
- the baby needs close contact with the mother;
- his small stomach is simply not able to accommodate a lot of food;
- rapid digestion of breast milk.
The duration of one feeding is at least 20 minutes. You should not determine the duration of food intake - the baby should suckle until he is full. If he stops eating and behaves calmly, babbles cheerfully or sleeps peacefully, it means he has had enough milk. Make sure that the feeding position (both yours and the baby’s) does not cause discomfort.
A clearly visible swallowing reflex. Make sure your baby doesn't just smack, but swallows. At first he will do this often because he is hungry, and the so-called near milk is thin and not very nutritious. After a few minutes, swallowing will become less frequent, as hunger will dull, and distant milk is thicker, you need to make an effort to swallow it.
The child is gaining weight according to the norms (we recommend reading:). In the first days, the baby's weight will become less than what it was at birth. This is normal, since the body gets rid of meconium (original feces formed in the womb) and tissue swelling. Weight gain begins to be monitored from the fourth day of life - the increase should be 125-215 g per week.
The child looks healthy. He is calm, but at the same time he is active and curious; animated, but not overexcited. When he wants to eat, his chest demands loudly; when he is full, he sleeps peacefully or is awake. Pink color The skin and its elasticity will also indicate that the baby is receiving adequate nutrition in sufficient quantities.

It will take very little time to track the listed signs. If you have doubts, you can use measuring the amount of urine and feces.

Insufficient nutrition

Dear reader!
This article talks about typical ways to solve your issues, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem, ask your question. It's fast and free!
To understand that your baby does not have enough breast milk, there are 3 simple tests:
wet diapers;
amount of stool;
weight gain.

To determine how many times a child pees a day, you need to keep him not in a disposable, but in a reusable diaper or simply in a diaper (disposable diapers are generally undesirable and can only be used as a last resort) (we recommend reading:). When the baby has enough breast milk, he wets his diapers 10-12 times a day. If this happens less than 10 times, the baby does not get enough.
In the first 3 days of life, they still do not have stool as such. The dark mass that can be seen in the diaper is meconium (primary feces). It will appear in small quantities 1-2 times a day. Then, when the baby is already breastfeeding and his digestion begins to function, feces will be released 5 times a day.
What weight gain is considered normal? In the first 3 months - at least 500 g per month or 125 g per week. Then this figure decreases slightly - 300 g per month. It should be noted that weight gain may occur unevenly, but this is normal and should not be a cause for alarm. Monitor the intensity of weight gain after 1 or 4 weeks. There is no need to do this more often.

Tracking weight gain is a safe and easy way to know if your baby is getting enough breastmilk
Day and night, you need to carefully monitor the condition of your baby. There are signs that indicate not just a lack of nutrition, but already dehydration:
the child is too lethargic and sleepy;
the eyes are sunken and the eyeballs become dull;
the mucous membrane in the mouth is dry, the saliva has become viscous;
the baby is crying, but you don’t see any tears (we recommend reading:);
the skin has become loose (if you lightly pinch it, it will not immediately smooth out);
there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth;
dark, rich urine with a pungent odor that appears 6 or fewer times a day.

The last point, as well as the simultaneous presence of 2 or 3 others, is a signal that you urgently need to call an ambulance. Do not delay, so as not to lead to a deplorable situation.

If the mother noted that the baby has become lethargic and drowsy, it may be a sign of dehydration.
Why is there not enough milk?
The main reason why a baby does not have enough breast milk is very simple and banal - wrong organized process natural feeding. Let's see what factors lead to this:
Adherence to a strict regime. Lactation specialists have come to the conclusion that the process should be natural. You need to feed your baby when he asks. The only thing that is advisable to observe is the time interval between feedings, which should be at least 2 hours.
Feedings are too short. The baby should eat until he is full. One feeding should last at least 20 minutes.
The baby does not latch onto the breast correctly.
When feeding, you take an uncomfortable position (we recommend reading:).
Reduce night feedings or completely eliminate them. Feeding at night and in the morning maximizes lactation.
Abuse of pacifiers.
Bottle feeding.
. They prevent proper nipple latching. They can only be used temporarily when the nipple is injured.

Use silicone pads possible only for medical reasons, since they provoke improper latching of the nipple compared to natural feeding conditions
The breasts begin to fill only 2-3 days after natural birth and 5-6 after caesarean section, however, you need to continue to put the baby to the breast (we recommend reading:). Firstly, as long as he has enough colostrum, secondly, breastfeeding is the best stimulator of lactation.
There are other reasons why a baby may not get enough breast milk. Among them:
poor nutrition of the nursing mother and low fluid intake;
tense or stressful state of the mother;
hormonal disorders in the mother's body;
insufficient rest;
physiological features of the breast (flat nipples, narrow milk ducts) or temporary problems (lactostasis, cracked nipples);
improper functioning of the baby's digestive system;
runny nose and swelling of the nasal mucosa, because of which the baby simply cannot breathe normally and suckle;
the toddler is too large and lacks nutrition;
The baby is too weak and simply does not have the strength to eat for a long time.

Stress in a nursing mother can also cause the baby to not eat enough and not have enough milk.
Correct feeding process
If you realize that your baby does not have enough breast milk due to non-compliance with feeding rules, then solving the problem is not very difficult. You need to eliminate mistakes and provide yourself and your child with everything so that no more difficulties arise in the future. Follow the recommendations:
Feed your baby when he demands. The more he nurses, the more milk production is stimulated.
Don't rush your child. When he is satisfied, he will simply release the breast.
Make sure that . The baby's mouth should be wide open and cover not only the nipple, but the entire areola. If it only grips the nipple, the nutritional fluid will not be sucked out and you will experience severe pain. You should also be able to hear the baby swallowing.
Make sure that when feeding, sitting or lying down is comfortable for both of you. The child's head and back should be on the same straight line, the head is slightly higher than the legs. Study for GW.
It is advisable to place the baby on only one breast at one feeding. This way he will suck everything out completely.
Weak babies sleep a lot, so they often have to be woken up to feed them. During the day, do this at least every 3 hours, and at night - after 5. Before feeding, you can wash the baby - this will slightly invigorate him.
Do not use nipple bottles or pacifiers. It is easier to suck from a bottle than from a breast, so babies often refuse the breast in favor of a bottle. Give a bottle only as a last resort - for example, when the nipple is injured and you are simply physically unable to tolerate feeding.
Get plenty of rest and sleep. Sacrifice household chores for good rest. The more tired you are, the less milk you will produce.
Do not refuse help, even if it is offered by a friend who came to visit you.
Eat every time after feeding, that is, at least 5 times a day. Provide yourself with a nutritious diet and a large number of warm liquid.
If you find your baby has health problems, be sure to show him to the doctor.

7 myths about lactation
When young mothers are seriously concerned about whether their baby is getting enough breast milk, they may listen to dubious and completely meaningless advice, and wrong actions can have disastrous results. Let's dispel some of the myths regarding feeding and warn ourselves against mistakes:
Weighing the baby before and after feeding to determine if he or she is getting enough to eat. The readings will be so inaccurate that the procedure loses all meaning. Weighings no more than once a week are considered more or less objective.
. To produce more milk, the baby must suckle well at the breast. If you apply too little to your breast and give additional formula, be prepared for lactation to become even worse.
Supplementation with cow's or goat's milk. The newborn's gastrointestinal tract cannot yet digest such food. Drinking cow's or goat's milk can cause tummy problems.
Complementary feeding before six months. Adult foods, even in small quantities, can also lead to digestive problems.
or other liquid before introducing complementary foods. This is not at all necessary, since breast milk consists of 86% water and is quite sufficient.
Mother's consumption of milk in order to increase her own production. Milk in the mammary glands is formed from blood, so it makes no sense to further overload your diet. In order for it to form and be saturated, you need vitamins and other beneficial substances, which the mother receives with proper nutrition.

Natural feeding is providing the child not only with food, but also with good immunity, as well as spiritual closeness with the mother. If you want your little one to grow and develop fully, make every effort to maintain and normalize this process. Very soon you will see that it cannot be replaced by anything else.

Among the biggest fears of a new mother, the leader is a possible lack of breast milk. But in fact, according to various sources, absence or insufficiency of lactation occurs in only 1-5% of women around the globe. Unreasonable fears are most often associated with the statements of “kind” relatives brought up in the spirit of Soviet times, when women were not ordered to feed at night, as well as changes in the child’s behavior, which are manifestations of development or malaise. Instead of falling into despair, it is better to evaluate the real parameters indicating the sufficiency of milk.

There are several objective indicators by which you can understand whether your baby is getting enough to eat. Any mother can evaluate them at home without special tools. Unless you may need scales.

Number of urinations

For the most objective assessment of this parameter, it is recommended to conduct a “wet diaper” test. To implement this, you need to give up disposable diapers for at least a day. You need to count how many times your baby urinates in 24 hours. Normally, a baby who is one week old pees at least 10-12 times. This test is valid if the baby is not given additional food.

With less accuracy, it is possible to estimate the amount of urine output in disposable diapers. Provided there is sufficient breastfeeding, the baby fills them in the amount of 4-6 pieces per day.

Child's age	Urine volume per day, ml	Number of urinations per day	Volume of one portion of urine, ml
1-3 years	750-820	10-12	60-90
0-6 months	400-700	20-25	20-30
6 months - 1 year	375-720	15-16	25-45
3-5 years	900-1070	7-9	70-90
5-7 years	1070-1300	7-9	100-150
7-9 years	1240-1520	7-8	145-190
9-11 years	1520-1670	6-7	220-260
11-13 years old	1600-1900	6-7	250-270

This is not the only parameter related to the baby’s toilet routine.

In the first days after birth, and sometimes during childbirth, the baby's intestines get rid of meconium. This is original feces. It is dark in color. With the appearance of milk in the mother, which occurs approximately on the third day after birth, baby stool turns first green and then yellow. From now on, the baby must empty his intestines at least 3 times a day. This figure is valid until the child reaches the age of 3-8 weeks, when the frequency of bowel movements can be only once a day, and sometimes less often, since milk is absorbed more fully.

Weight gain

If in the first 4-7 days of life the baby loses weight, which is the physiological norm, then he begins to gain weight by 125-500 g per week. The increase for the first month, the minimum value of which is 600 g, must be calculated from the minimum weight.

Age, months	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Increase per month, g	600	800	800	750	700	650	600	550	500	450	400	350
Increase for the past period, g	600	1400	2200	2950	3650	4300	4900	5450	5950	6400	6800	7150
Height gain (in cm) per month	3	3	2,5	2,5	2	2	2	2	1,5	1,5	1,5	1,5
Increase in height (in cm) over the past period	3	6	8,5	11	13	15	17	19	20,5	22	23,5	25

It is not worthwhile to often estimate how much the baby weighs, since he gains unevenly, and the mother will only have a reason to worry. By the way, the scales must be the same.

Other opinions are just speculation.

Myths about milk shortage

There are several factors that can worry an inexperienced nursing mother. The woman herself or someone from her environment associates their appearance with the fact that the baby receives little breast milk. But this is a mistaken opinion.

1. The baby continues to cry after feeding. Most often this happens in the evening. But crying is the baby's only language. The baby screams for many reasons: fear, discomfort, headache, weather sensitivity, colic, etc.

2. The baby “hangs on the chest,” that is, he asks often and sucks for a long time. In fact, this is the norm. After all, breasts for a little person are not only food, but also a way to calm down, and the world full of stress, especially for a newly born baby. And there are more than enough difficult periods in the life of a baby. Therefore, everyone has their own breastfeeding regime. But if the child sleeps for less than 20 minutes and is restless, then you should contact your pediatrician.

3. Even with a breast pump you can express a maximum of 30-40 ml. This is one of the most frightening parameters. But in reality it doesn't mean anything. After all, it is impossible to imitate a baby’s sucking movements either with a breast pump or with your hands. In addition, milk rushes also occur at the moment when the baby sucks, even with greater intensity than during breaks.

4. Milk no longer flows from the breast on its own. In the first months, mom often wakes up in a puddle of milk, and during the day you can’t do without special breast pads. But at about 3 months, lactation is established, so milk stops leaking.

5. The breasts became soft even between feedings. This is also associated with the establishment of lactation.

6. The baby does not sleep at night. In fact, in the first months the baby should not skip night feedings; breastfeeding between 3 and 8 am is important for lactation. If the baby sleeps for more than 4 hours, then you should wake him up. To do this, just catch the moment when the baby is fussing and try to give him the breast. Sleepy babies suck well.

7. The child takes a bottle with pleasure after feeding. This does not always show that the baby wants to eat. Additionally, bottles and pacifiers can make breastfeeding difficult.

If a nursing mother is faced with similar phenomena, and weight gain and frequency of urination are normal, then there is no need to panic. Prevention and often solution to problems with lactation and lack of milk is properly organized breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding rules
If you have any doubts or problems, it is better to contact a pediatrician who actually supports natural feeding and a lactation consultant. It is these specialists who should help you establish lactation, and, if necessary, make a decision together with you on the introduction of supplementary feeding.

Video - How to tell if your baby has enough breast milk

Worries about whether her baby has enough milk happens at least once to every young mother, especially in the first months after childbirth. Unfortunately, for many mothers, doubts about the sufficiency of milk end with transferring the baby to artificial feeding. Often, when faced with the first difficulties, a woman makes a hasty conclusion about her hopeless “non-dairy” (although the amount of breast milk may be quite sufficient) and, with the “support” of grandmothers or friends, who often have no experience of successful breastfeeding, begins to supplement the baby with formula or completely refuses breastfeeding. Most often, this happens due to a lack of knowledge about the mechanism of lactation and the criteria by which a mother can independently verify whether her baby has enough milk.

What you need to know about lactation

The main role in the mechanism of lactation is played by two hormones - prolactin and oxytocin. They begin to be produced by the pituitary gland immediately after childbirth.

Prolactin is a hormone responsible for the secretion of breast milk. The amount of milk a mother has depends on it: the more prolactin the pituitary gland produces, the more milk in the mother’s breast. Active production of prolactin is promoted by regular and complete emptying of the mammary gland and vigorous sucking of the breast by a hungry baby. The more often and more actively the baby sucks the breast and empties it well, the greater the release of prolactin and, accordingly, the more large quantity milk will be formed. This is how the “supply and demand” principle works, and the baby receives as much milk as he needs.

Prolactin is produced most at night and in the early morning hours, so it is very important to maintain night feedings in order to provide the baby with milk during the next day.

The second hormone actively involved in the lactation process is oxytocin. This hormone promotes the release of milk from the breast. Under the influence of oxytocin, the muscle fibers located around the lobules of the mammary gland contract and squeeze milk into the ducts towards the nipple. Decreased oxytocin production makes it difficult to empty the breast, even if there is milk in the breast. In this case, the child has to make significant efforts to extract, so during feeding he may behave restlessly and even get angry. When trying to express milk, in this case, the mother will be able to squeeze out only a few drops from the breast, remaining fully confident that she has little milk. The amount of oxytocin produced depends on the emotional state of the mother. The more positive emotions and the woman receives pleasure, the more this hormone is produced. While stress, anxiety and other negative emotions reduce the production of oxytocin, since this releases a large amount of the “anxiety hormone” adrenaline into the blood - the worst “enemy” of oxytocin, blocking its production. This is why a comfortable and calm environment around her and her baby is so important for a nursing woman.

Why did breast milk run away?

Lactation is a very fluid process, which is influenced by many different factors (the mother’s health, the frequency of feedings, the severity of the baby’s sucking reflex, etc.). cannot be produced “on schedule”, and for certain reasons its quantity may decrease. Insufficient milk production in the mother is called hypogalactia. Depending on the causes that cause it, primary and secondary hypogalactia are distinguished.

Primary hypogalactia is a true inability to lactation, which occurs in only 3-8% of women. It usually develops in mothers suffering from endocrine diseases ( diabetes mellitus, diffuse toxic goiter, infantilism and others). With these diseases, the mother’s body often experiences underdevelopment of the mammary glands, as well as disruption of the processes of hormonal stimulation of lactation, as a result of which her mammary glands are simply not able to produce a sufficient amount of milk. It is quite difficult to treat this form of hypogalactia; in such cases, hormonal drugs are prescribed.

Secondary hypogalactia is much more common. A decrease in milk production is mainly associated with improperly organized breastfeeding (irregular attachment to the breast, long breaks between feedings, improper latching of the breast), as well as physical and mental fatigue, lack of sleep, poor diet, and illnesses of the nursing mother. The causes of hypogalactia can also be complications of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period, prematurity of the baby, taking certain medicines and much more. A decrease in lactation can be triggered by a mother’s reluctance to breastfeed her baby or her lack of confidence in her own abilities and a preference for artificial feeding. In most cases, secondary hypogalactia is a temporary condition. If the cause that caused the decrease in milk production is correctly identified and eliminated, lactation will normalize within 3–10 days.

All of the above situations are true forms of hypogalactia, which are still not as common as false, or imaginary, hypogalactia, when a nursing mother produces enough milk, but at the same time she is convinced that she does not have enough milk. Before sounding the alarm and running to the store for a package of formula, the mother needs to figure out whether she really has little milk.

Does the baby have enough milk?

You can quickly and reliably determine whether your baby has enough milk by counting the number of times he urinates. Do a “wet diaper” test: to do this, you need to count the number of times your baby urinates in 24 hours, without using disposable diapers and changing the diaper every time your baby pees. The test is considered objective if the child is exclusively breastfed and is not supplemented with water, baby teas or other liquids. If the baby has soiled 6 or more diapers, and the urine is light, transparent and odorless, then the amount of milk he receives is quite enough for his normal development, and supplementary feeding is not required in this situation. If urination is rare (less than 6 times a day), and the urine is concentrated and has a strong odor, this is a sign that the baby is starving and it is necessary to take active measures to restore lactation.

Another reliable criterion for assessing the sufficiency of nutrition and normal development of a child is the dynamics of weight gain. Although the child’s growth is uneven, in the first six months of life the baby should gain weight of at least 500–600 g every month. If a mother is concerned about the rate of weight gain of her child, it is more advisable in such cases to weigh the baby once a week, while observing strictly defined conditions (weigh you need to completely undress the baby without a diaper in the morning before eating). According to WHO, a weekly weight gain of 125 g or more is evidence that the baby is getting enough nutrition. From the age of 5–6 months, the child’s growth rate decreases, and he can gain 200–300 grams per month.

How to get breast milk back?

Only after the mother, based on reliable criteria, is convinced that her baby really needs more milk, does she need to take measures to stimulate lactation. In most cases, “escaped” milk can be returned. The most important criterion for success is the mother’s self-confidence and desire to breastfeed. Only confidence in the correctness of her actions and a commitment to long-term breastfeeding will help her show the necessary persistence and patience and resist the “well-meaning” advice of relatives and friends to feed the “hungry” baby with formula.

In order to increase lactation, it is necessary to solve two main problems: firstly, to find and, if possible, eliminate the cause of the problem (for example, fatigue, lack of sleep, improper attachment of the baby to the breast, etc.) and, secondly, to establish hormonal the “demand-supply” mechanism, increasing the number of feedings (“requests”) of the baby, in response to which the mother’s body will respond by increasing the “supply” of milk.

∗ Breast stimulation. Considering the decisive role of hormones in the lactation mechanism, the most important and effective way to increase milk production is to stimulate the breast by sucking the baby and emptying it completely. If milk production decreases, the mother should first take the following measures:

increase the frequency of putting the baby to the breast: the more often the baby sucks the breast, the more often signals for the production of prolactin will be sent to the brain and, accordingly, more milk will be produced. It is necessary to give the baby the opportunity to suckle at the breast for as long as he wishes; artificially limiting sucking can lead to the fact that the baby does not get the most nutritious “hind” milk and does not receive enough fat and protein (hence there may be poor weight gain). If there is not enough milk in one breast, you should offer the baby the second breast, but only after he has completely emptied the first. In this case, you need to start the next feeding from the breast that the baby sucked last;
make sure correct application baby to the breast: effective stimulation of the nipple and emptying of the breast occurs only when the baby completely grasps the areola. In addition, if the breast is latched incorrectly, the baby can swallow a large amount of air, which can fill most of the stomach volume, while the amount of milk sucked will decrease;
maintain night feedings: the maximum amount of prolactin is produced between 3 and 7 am. To ensure the production of a sufficient amount of milk the next day, there should be at least two feedings during the night and early morning periods;
increase the time spent together with the baby: to stimulate milk production, it is very useful for a nursing mother to spend as much time as possible with her baby, carry him in her arms, cuddle her; co-sleeping with the baby and direct skin-to-skin contact are very useful for lactation.

∗ Psychological comfort. In the life of any mother, there are inevitably worries and worries. The main thing is that her short-term momentary worries do not develop into constant anxiety. Nervousness, the burden of responsibility, and the fear of doing something wrong can cause chronic stress. In this state, the blood of a nursing mother is constantly maintained high level the hormone adrenaline, which, as already noted, has a blocking effect on the production of oxytocin and thereby prevents the release of milk. In reality, the breast may produce enough milk, but if the mother is nervous or irritated, she cannot “give” it to the baby. To avoid such situations, a nursing mother needs to learn to relax. This can be helped by a massage, a warm shower or bath with aromatic oils (lavender, bergamot, rose), pleasant music and other ways to create a calm and comfortable environment around you and, of course, the most important antidepressant - infinitely loved and in need of mother’s love and warmth little man.

∗ Good rest and sleep. As a rule, a woman sitting at home with a baby bears the entire burden of housework, to say nothing of the fact that a nursing mother “only dreams of” a full 8-hour sleep. However, lack of sleep and physical overload are one of the most common reasons decrease in the amount of milk in the breast. In order to improve lactation, the mother needs to reconsider her daily routine and be sure to find in her busy schedule a place for daytime sleep and daily walks in the fresh air.

∗ Nutrition and drinking regime. Of course, for full milk production, a nursing mother needs additional energy, nutrients and fluid, and it is important that nutrition and drinking regimen are complete, but not excessive. The calorie content of a nursing mother's diet should be about 3200–3500 kcal/day. The optimal frequency of meals is 5-6 times a day, it is better to have a snack 30-40 minutes before feeding. When milk production decreases, it is advisable for a nursing mother to include in her menu foods that promote milk production: carrots, lettuce, parsley, dill, fennel, sunflower seeds, Adyghe cheese, feta cheese, sour cream, as well as lactogenic drinks: carrot juice, blackcurrant juice (if the baby is not allergic).

The drinking regime is much more important for maintaining lactation at the proper level and stimulating milk production when it decreases. A nursing woman needs to drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day (this volume includes purified and mineral water without gases, compotes and fruit drinks from seasonal berries and fruits, tea, fermented milk products, soups, broths). Drinking a warm drink 20–30 minutes before feeding promotes better emptying of the breast (this may be weak green tea or just warm boiled water).

∗ Shower and massage. Enough in effective ways To increase lactation are a hot or contrast shower and breast massage. These procedures increase blood flow to the breasts and improve milk secretion.

It is better to take a shower in the morning and evening after feedings, while directing streams of water to the breast, do a light massage with your hand clockwise and from the periphery to the nipple, for 5-7 minutes on each breast.

To increase milk flow, you can massage your breasts. To do this, you need to lubricate your hands with olive or castor oil (it is believed that these oils have a stimulating effect on lactation), place one palm under the chest, the other on the chest. You should massage the mammary gland with light circular movements clockwise (2-3 minutes each), without squeezing the breast with your fingers and trying not to let the oil get on the areola of the nipple, so as not to cause bowel upset in the child. Then the same light strokes are carried out with the palms from the periphery to the center. This massage can be performed several times a day.

Most often, an increase in the number of feedings, adjustments to the mother’s daily routine and diet give positive results within a few days, and lactation improves. If the above measures do not bring noticeable results within 7–10 days, the nursing mother should discuss medication and physiotherapeutic methods of increasing lactation with her doctor.

What is a lactation crisis?

Already in the process of established breastfeeding, a nursing mother may encounter such a physiological phenomenon as a lactation crisis, when her milk supply suddenly, for no apparent reason, decreases. This is usually due to a discrepancy between the amount of milk and the baby's needs. The fact is that the baby’s growth may not occur evenly, but in spurts; the most typical growth spurts are at 3, 6 weeks, 3, 4, 7 and 8 months. As the baby grows, his appetite also increases; in such a situation, the mammary gland simply does not have time to produce the required amount of milk. At the same time, the baby can receive the same amount of milk as before, but this amount is no longer enough for him. This situation is reversible. With an increase in the number of feedings and no additional feeding with formula, after a few days the mother’s breasts will “adjust” and provide the baby with sufficient nutrition.