With the advent of a child, any mother has many questions. One of them sounds especially often: “Does the child have enough breast milk?»

A baby cannot tell you that he is hungry. He can only cry. But crying is not only a sign of hunger. Babies cry when they are cold or hot, when they feel diaper discomfort or stomach pains, when they just want to be closer to their mother.

The main indicator of whether there is enough breast milk is the baby's weight gain. Doctors suggest that a healthy baby should gain at least 125 grams of weight every week during the first three months life. If the baby is gaining weight according to the norms, then he has enough milk. But do not forget that these figures are advisory in nature. Your baby may gain less, but still be completely healthy and calm. Each person has a different body constitution, a child is no exception.

The most important sign that your baby is getting enough breast milk is his good mood. A healthy and happy little man is a little capricious, grows quickly and develops well. His skin is clean and smooth. And when the baby wants to eat, he loudly and actively demands breasts.

But what to do if you notice that the baby is naughty, turns away from the chest and constantly demands to eat? How do you know if a baby is getting enough breast milk?

The baby must swallow and smack

Your baby can spend an hour or two at the breast and still be hungry. And can get enough in 15-20 minutes. If you do not hear the sound characteristic of swallowing, then this may mean that the child does not eat. He can just calm down at the chest, feeling that his mother is nearby. It can even sleep, but at the same time make sucking movements. Children are warm, calm and comfortable next to their mother. It is quite natural that the baby calms down better and faster on the chest than even on the hands. Watch if your baby's chin tenses up while eating. The longer the moment of tension lasts, the more milk he will swallow at a time.

Should I give my baby both breasts at one feeding?

It all depends on the amount of milk. If there is a lot of it, then one breast is enough for the child. But do not rush to give him a second breast, as soon as he began to fidget and get nervous.

The female breast is designed so that the milk in it is produced by the anterior and posterior lobes of the mammary gland. The milk of the anterior lobes is thinner, sweeter and contains fewer nutrients. We can say that this milk is more of a drink, not food. If the baby gets only foremilk, then he is saturated quickly, but the feeling of hunger will return to him quickly.

The milk of the hind lobes is thick, almost like cream. All the most useful is in it, but it is also more difficult to eat it. The child needs to make a lot of effort to get it. Some babies, especially weak ones, fall asleep at the breast from fatigue before they get to the hind milk. And his mother seems to have run out of milk in this breast, and she is already offering another.

What to do in this case? During feeding, let the baby rest a little and offer the same breast again. If he almost immediately starts to get nervous, bend over and show his discontent in every possible way, then it's time to offer another one.

What can a child's chair tell about

Baby on breastfeeding goes to the toilet more often than his peers on artificial feeding. For some children, this may happen once or twice a day, for others - after each feeding. However, this is not so important.

Much more can tell you the type of chair. If it is creamy, homogeneous, has a characteristic yellow the baby has enough breast milk. But too thick stool dark color may indicate malnutrition or malnutrition. That is, here we can say that the child does not have enough breast milk.

Too is not always diarrhea. In this case, it is possible that the baby receives mainly foremilk, and because of this, he remains hungry. A change in color, smell and consistency, the appearance of mucus or blood in the stool is a signal to contact a pediatrician.

It is also worth paying attention to the urination of the child. A baby who has enough breast milk pees at least once every three hours. Urine should be clear and practically odorless. If it darkens, then the child is dehydrated.

However, do not force the baby to drink water. Breastfed babies do not need water. You can offer your child bottled water. Will drink - excellent. No, it's not a problem either. That means he's getting enough breast milk.

If the baby is slowly gaining weight, then you should not give him a lot of water. The fact is that ordinary water can increase weight, but will not bring important micronutrients to the child's body.

Weighing after meals

If you want to know exactly how many grams your baby eats per feeding, you can try the weighing method.

Before feeding, undress your baby and place on the scale. This will be the weight before feeding. After eating, weigh the baby again without clothes and a diaper. The difference you will see on the scale will be the amount of milk your baby drank.

For reliable result this procedure should be carried out during the day at each feeding. But remember that this method is not very efficient. Weighing indicators may vary depending on how long ago and how much the child ate in the previous feeding. As a rule, such weighing only annoys the mother of the baby, which can negatively affect milk production.

Blood analysis

One of the signs that a baby is not getting enough milk is a rising level of bilirubin in the blood. This is the so-called physiological jaundice of newborns. This is a harmless disease, it only applies to children under 28 days old.

If there is enough breast milk, antibodies are actively produced in the body of the crumbs, which contribute to a decrease in the level of bilirubin. That is why neonatologists advise not to supplement breastfeeding with formula milk, but to try to establish breastfeeding as correctly as possible.

Indirect signs of a lack of breast milk

• There is no feeling of a full chest. In some women, milk comes very actively, and the breast quickly becomes hot and heavy. For others, milk comes gradually, and the feeling of fullness in the chest cannot be determined. But on this basis, it is impossible to make sure whether the child has enough milk or not.
• After feeding, the mother does not feel empty. If the child eats little, you will not feel relief after feeding. The chest will remain full and firm. But this does not mean that the baby was hungry. Maybe you just have too much milk. After a few weeks of feeding, the level of milk production will decrease to the required level.
• After feeding, it is impossible to express anything. Mom concludes: there is no milk in the breast. Which is not always true. You won't be able to pump as well as your baby will. No hands, no breast pump. You may have enough milk in your breasts, you just can't get to it.
• The child began to ask for food more often. This may be a leap in his development. As a rule, this stage lasts about two days. And kids are so anxious. This may be due to the growth of teeth or a change in the weather.

Regardless of the reason for the lack of breast milk, do not rush to introduce powdered milk formula into the baby's diet. Be sure to contact a lactation specialist or pediatrician. Understanding the exact reason will save you from possible mistakes.

First, make sure the baby is properly attached to the breast. Be sure to stay calm. If you are nervous, then the amount of milk will only decrease. Keep eating well and eating right. Drink plenty of warm liquids and feed your baby on demand, not by the clock. Try to walk outdoors as much as possible.

Feel free to ask for help: caring for a newborn baby is hard work, so a woman needs to take a break from time to time in order to physically and emotionally recover.

Now you have complete information on how to find out that your baby is getting enough milk. And what if it's not. Let your baby grow up healthy and strong, to the delight of mom and dad!

Breastfeeding is an exciting stage in the life of every mother. Often, women have to worry about whether only milk is enough for the baby, whether there is a reason to introduce additional mixtures. After all, the poor health of the crumbs, disturbing sleep and crying can be associated with this. How to understand that the baby does not have enough milk during breastfeeding, and how can the situation be corrected?

Lack of milk is a problem for many women during lactation. Indeed, such conditions occur more often than one might think. The fact is that there are certain “critical periods” when milk production is somewhat reduced, and the needs of the baby are growing at a rapid pace. So, you can often observe a discrepancy between need and quantity in the following situations:

• In the first month of a child's life. This is due to the fact that every day the amount of food needed for crumbs doubles in volume. But not every woman, especially a primipara, can quickly begin to produce such an amount. Therefore, attributing the baby's anxiety to adaptation, mothers do not even suspect that he simply does not have enough food. At the same time, the baby can gain weight normally, and even above average, he just has a good appetite.
• During critical days, women also note a slight decrease in milk production. However, menstruation does not begin immediately, but after two or three or more months, often at this time the baby is already on complementary foods, so the question is not so relevant.

But imperceptibly for herself, a woman can build her life and regime in such a way that the child will experience a constant feeling of hunger, become irritable, restless, and after that, the mother will also be anxious. In these cases, it is important to reliably know about insufficient lactation, and it is possible to determine whether the child has enough breast milk exactly by the number of urination and weight gain.

Most often, violations occur in the following situations:

• Use of the Soviet stereotype of feeding according to a strictly fixed schedule. As a result, you can get to those moments when the child is full and does not want to eat, which will lead to insufficient stimulation of the mammary glands and a decrease in the intensity of lactation. Modern recommendations - putting the baby to the chest every time you wake up, as often as possible.
• Restriction of the stay of the crumbs near the mother's breast. This occurs if a woman has very painful nipples due to them, or if she must constantly be distracted by something, etc.
• An uncomfortable position during feeding leads to the fact that the newly-made mother quickly gets tired and stops the whole process. Therefore, the place should be organized based on the position of comfort for both mother and baby.
• In the event that a young mother “on the advice of grandmothers” begins to give the baby some water. It doesn't matter to a small organism, but saturation comes in terms of volume.
• If the mother teaches the baby to pacifiers. Constantly sucking it, the child satisfies his need and then does not stimulate the nipples so intensively. And all this affects the production of milk.
• Incorrect attachments, in addition to cracks, lead to the fact that the child does not completely empty the breast, and next time there will be less milk. Everything works on the principle of feedback and needs.
• Reception medicines, after childbirth.
• Long-term separation of mother and baby due to objective reasons.

In addition to the regime, the device of life and the well-being of a woman, lactation is influenced by moments that do not depend on the mother herself. These are various diseases of both the mammary glands and the organs of endocrine secretion, the pituitary and hypothalamus, and some other conditions.

Most often you have to deal with the following pathologies:

• body, including, as well as;
• insufficient production of pituitary hormones;
• violation of the relationship between the centers of the brain.

Watch the video on how to determine if the baby is getting enough milk:

Is there really not enough milk?

Sometimes it is not so easy to understand that the baby is not getting enough milk, as it can be reliably determined.

The following two are reliable ways to identify a lack of food intake for crumbs:

• The most popular and more visual way is to weigh your baby regularly. But you should not do this every day or even before and after the next feeding, once a week is enough. The first year the baby should add monthly from 500 to 2000 g, this is at least 120 g in 7 to 10 days. And if the baby loses weight at all, it is definitely necessary to look for a problem, but already together with the pediatrician.
• The amount of urine excreted. But everything modern moms use diapers, while it is extremely difficult to track this. If in doubt, you should switch to regular diapers for a day. It doesn't matter when the countdown starts, as long as it lasts at least 24 hours. Change the diaper every time you get wet.

It is impossible to supplement the baby during the observation period, and medications can also affect the result. Having counted all the diapers per day, there should be at least 10 - this is the border between the norm and pathology. If the amount falls short, the child does not have enough incoming fluid, and hence milk.

Symptoms such as crying, restless behavior, poor daytime and nighttime sleep, frequent feedings, and many other signs may indicate that a woman does not have enough milk. But in the same way they can be observed at an absolute norm.

Ways to improve lactation

No less important is the question of what to do if there is not enough breast milk, and the woman is determined to breastfeed only. There is a small list of drugs, as well as a huge number folk ways. Quite often, much of what is proposed still helps a woman. It is possible that the role is played simply by psychological reassurance.

It is important to properly organize your life so that mom and baby are comfortable. To do this, you can use the following tips:

• Places for feeding should be provided with maximum convenience. It is always worth taking a pillow, if necessary - a blanket. Both mother and baby should enjoy the process. And this, in turn, will contribute to the expansion of the ducts and a good separation of milk.
• A small nightlight should be organized in the room for night rest. It will help mom quickly navigate in the dark, without contributing to the further awakening of the crumbs. You should also place improvised means near you - diapers, diapers, napkins, etc.
• It is useful in times of crisis to organize the "nest" principle for several days. At the same time, mother and baby should be completely distracted from household chores, and spend all the time together, without even going outside. The child will be constantly with a woman, will often suck even an empty breast and this will stimulate the arrival of milk.
• It is useful to learn to relax and perceive calmly all external circumstances.
• If possible, give the child a pacifier less, and also drink from a jar. If you have to supplement, it is better with a spoon or with a special nipple that imitates the nipple of a woman's breast.

Medical methods

The choice of drugs in such situations is small. The main ones include the following:

• Based on apiproducts, most often it is .
• Tea for lactation "" and all the products of this series. Contain fennel and other health benefits breastfeeding herbs.
• Tablets "", which includes royal jelly, extracts of nettle, carrot, ginger, dill, oregano, vitamin C and iodine. It has a tonic effect and stimulates the production of milk.
• Other dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies.

If a woman managed to understand that the baby still has enough breast milk, all these medicines can be used for prevention.

Folk ways

Traditional medicine is also replete with ways and recipes that should increase lactation, especially with regular use.

Caraway

The plant occupies a leading position in the number of recipes. You can brew it, insist, make kvass, etc.

• Recipe 1. The easiest way to use it is instead of tea. To do this, brew a tablespoon of cumin in 200 ml of boiling water, let it brew for 5-10 minutes. Drink with honey or milk to taste.
• Recipe 2. You can also make an infusion in a thermos. To do this, for 200 ml of boiling water, you need to take 2 tablespoons of cumin, pour and let it brew for 10 - 12 hours. Then take 20-30 ml 2-3 times a day.

Nettle

Grass, in addition to lactogenic properties, contains a large amount of vitamins, active substances, which are also useful after childbirth. It can also be started long before you know if your baby is getting enough breast milk.

• Recipe. You should take 1 tablespoon of dry or even fresh leaves, pour 200 ml hot water let it brew for 20-30 minutes. The solution is taken half a cup several times a day.

Fennel

It is believed that fennel can increase the production of prolactin, as a result of which and. This is one of the most popular means for stimulating lactation.

• Recipe 1. You can simply brew a tablespoon in a glass of boiling water and drink regularly.
• Recipe 2. 2 tablespoons should be poured into 200 ml of hot milk. For taste, you can add honey or a pinch of salt, nutmeg.

Dill

You can add seeds each time to tea, which gives a special pleasant taste. It is also recommended to prepare solutions.

• Recipe. It is necessary to pour 2 tablespoons of seeds into 200 ml of boiling water, let it brew for several hours. Take 100 ml up to 6 times a day.

Breastfeeding is a healthy and enjoyable time for both mom and baby. The child receives with milk a lot of protective factors that are useful for him. And the mother, continuing lactation for more than 3-6 months, carries out the prevention of many gynecological diseases.

If a woman understands that the newborn does not have enough milk, and she could not cope on her own, you can resort to the services of consultants. But it is also effective to get together, arrange a “nest”, resort to a couple of ways to increase lactation - and in most cases everything will work out.

Breast milk is an ideal food for a baby; breastfeeding children are less susceptible to allergic reactions, regurgitation, and intestinal colic. But many mothers feel that their child is not getting enough nutrition. What to do if the baby does not have enough milk during breastfeeding, how to notice and solve the problem in time?

Considering that most babies tend to cry often (due to too high temperature air at home, dry air, intestinal colic, overexcitation, etc.), only crying is not a sign of starvation. A real sign- When there is not enough milk during breastfeeding, the baby gains little weight. Less than 125 grams per week. How to determine this increase? The simplest thing is to visit a pediatrician. Can be unscheduled. He will weigh the child and appoint a day when to come back for weighing. It will be seen how much the baby has recovered.

Just do not look for signs that the child does not have enough milk in the amount that he managed to express. With established lactation, and this is already 4-6 weeks after birth or even earlier, there is very little milk in the mammary glands. It is stored in the alveoli. And it enters the glands only during active stimulation of the nipple. During pumping, it is quite difficult to cause the release of oxytocin, the hormone that is responsible for the flow of milk into the glands. Oxytocin is the pleasure hormone. Well, pumping few of the women deliver it. Yes, and few people know how to express properly.

How to understand that there is not enough milk when breastfeeding and the child does not eat up, which doctors offer directly? Many pediatricians assure that the crying of a hungry child cannot be confused with anything. An experienced mother who is not breastfeeding her first child will certainly not be confused either. If the milk does not flow well from the breast, you can not hear how the child swallows, he actively sucks, but often interrupts and cries. In the first weeks after childbirth, the flow of milk during feeding is well felt. If a woman does not feel them, plus the previously mentioned signs are present, this does not speak in favor of sufficient lactation.

You can do a test to determine the amount of milk. For this child, the child is left without disposable diapers during the day and the number of urination is counted. This method is informative if, in addition to milk, the child does not receive any other liquid. If the baby urinated 10 times or more, everything is fine.

How to increase lactation while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding experts recommend using so-called natural methods for this purpose. It is not necessary to take any dietary supplements. It is important to find out the reasons why a nursing mother has little milk and the child does not have enough of it, and depending on them, already look for a solution. For example, if a child often sleeps a lot, wake him up for feeding. This situation is especially relevant for children of the first month of life. They should eat at least 1 time in 3 hours. If after feeding the baby sleeps for more than 2.5 hours, wake him up and feed him.

Another common reason for not getting enough milk is ingestion. a large number air during feeding. It creates false sensation satiety, as a result, the child sucks little milk. What to do? It is necessary to feed the child in a semi-vertical position, at an inclination of about 45 degrees. Plus, make it a rule to feed the baby only when he is in a calm state, since a lot of air is swallowed when screaming and crying.

The question of whether there is enough breast milk is usually not worth it when the mother often offers the breast to the baby, has a lot of rest, knows little tricks on how to help the production of the hormone oxytocin while the baby is suckling. This is facilitated by skin-to-skin contact, a calm environment, a good psychological attitude.

The main reason for the appearance of artificial milk mixtures in the baby's diet is the situation when there is not enough milk during breastfeeding. In medical practice, this condition is called hypogalactia.

Cause for doubt and anxiety: not enough milk during breastfeeding

Genuine hypogalactia is rare.

A pronounced lack of mother's milk from the very beginning of lactation, called primary hypogalactia, is noted with a frequency of up to 8%.

The causes of this condition are hormonal disorders, underdevelopment mammary glands, complications of a traumatic nature in childbirth, postpartum infections.

Secondary hypogalactia is more common, when milk is initially produced in sufficient volume, but then lactation decreases or remains at a level that does not satisfy the growing needs of the baby.

The most common causes of decreased lactation

During the period of breastfeeding, lactation crises periodically occur - physiological conditions accompanied by a decrease in milk production.

It is believed that the main reason for this phenomenon is the adjustment maternal organism to the growing needs of the baby, which cannot happen too quickly.

Very often, insufficient lactation in a mother is the result of her wrong actions:

Feeding with observance of clear time intervals.

The establishment of a strict regimen of applying the baby to the breast leads to insufficient stimulation of the mammary glands.

The baby needs to be fed on demand. In the first few months of a baby's life, at least 10-12 feedings per day are considered the norm.

During daylight hours, the interval between applications should not exceed 2 hours, at night - 4 hours.

Establish a time frame for each feeding.

If you limit the time the baby is at the breast, he may not have time to suck out the amount of milk he needs.

Incorrect attachment of the breast.

If the baby fails to properly latch onto the nipple, there will be insufficient stimulation of the mammary glands. The result will be a decrease in lactation.

It is important for a mother to learn to distinguish when a child not only sucks at the breast, but also makes swallowing movements.

With such sucking, pauses occur, the children's chin “hangs” with each sip.

The movements of his jaws provoke the production of milk.

Uncomfortable position taken by a woman during feeding. Any tension of a woman when applying a baby to her breast negatively affects the separation of milk.

Dopaivanie without a serious reason. After drinking water, the baby feels imaginary satiety: his centers of thirst and saturation are located close to each other.

Therefore, the volume of milk sucked out by him from the breast will be less than necessary. The World Health Organization does not recommend giving water to breastfed babies.

Some pediatricians, for example, the popular doctor Komarovsky, believe that it is worth offering babies some water if there is an increased loss of fluid by the child (dry air, heat, fever).

Use of pacifiers and bottles.

Sucking is a natural need for a baby. Satisfying her through a variety of substitutes, the baby will stimulate the breast itself less.

This negatively affects lactation.

Attempts to create a reserve for subsequent feedings. The mammary glands work on demand: the more milk has left the breast, the more it appears again.

Everything left by a woman for the purpose of accumulation is perceived by the body as unclaimed.

The mammary glands receive a signal: it is no longer necessary to produce milk. Gradually, lactation decreases.

Lack of night feedings. They are most valuable for lactation. Night is the time of active production of the hormone prolactin, which stimulates the production of milk.

Many breastfeeding experts recommend co-sleeping between the baby and mother, as it has a beneficial effect on lactation.

A woman can feed a baby half asleep without spending extra effort.

Separation of the mother from the baby. As a result of the lack of breast stimulation, lactation slows down.

The long-term separation of a woman and a child in the postpartum period has a particularly negative effect.

Attitude to breastfeeding as an ordeal.

Doctors note that in countries with a high standard of living, women are more prone to insufficient lactation than in undeveloped regions, where breastfeeding is perceived as a natural process.

A nursing mother herself complicates the situation by focusing on a possible (often hypothetical) lack of milk.

Stress experienced by a woman, contrary to popular belief, does not affect prolactin, the hormone that produces milk.

However, these situations can have a temporary effect on another hormone that releases milk from the breast, oxytocin.

This is a natural defense mechanism that prevents milk loss during difficult life moments.

Lack of sleep and rest. Sleepless nights and busy days are a standard situation for a mother of a baby.

However, even in these conditions, you need to find an opportunity for relaxation, for example, adjusting to the child’s sleep schedule and taking a nap with him.

The desire to redo all household chores while the baby is sleeping may well lead to a nervous breakdown and depression.

Taking certain contraceptives and diuretics that disrupt the hormonal regulation of lactation.

The elimination of these factors in most cases leads to an increase in lactation without additional measures.

Imaginary lack of milk

“My baby is not full” is a very common misconception of young mothers, supported by the “professional” judgments of grandmothers and other relatives.

The result is the decision to supplement with formula milk, the baby getting used to the bottle and a real decrease in lactation.

The child asks for the breast too often. Many babies feel the need not so much for food as for suckling.

In addition, breastfeeding is also a contact with the mother. Perhaps the baby needs such communication more often than food.

The baby seems hungry already an hour after application. In fact, mother's milk is digested faster than formula milk, so breastfed babies need more frequent feedings than "artificial" ones.

The child does not want to part with the breast for longer than it was before. This happens when children in the neonatal period behave sluggishly when applying, and then, gradually adapting to new living conditions, they begin to suck longer and more actively.

The situation is the opposite of the previous one: the baby spends less time at the breast than before.

This can happen when the grown-up baby is stronger, and it takes him less time to suck out the right amount of milk.

Restless behavior of the baby. In fact, the reasons for such behavior are not limited to hunger, they can be very diverse.

It seems to a woman that her breasts have become soft, not full. She does not experience the characteristic flushes of milk, or they are not as pronounced as before.

This is a common situation when feeding on demand: in 2-3 months, lactation becomes tidal.

Tides are felt only during application.

The baby does not refuse the bottle after feeding. In fact, many babies are not averse to sucking on a bottle or nipple, even if they are full: this often happens reflexively.

In addition, such objects are much easier to suck on than breasts.

No reason to express. This situation is often a sign of mature lactation, when the volume of milk produced meets the needs of the baby, and there is simply nothing to express.

When feeding on demand, this procedure is not necessary.

How to determine the real lack of breast milk

In pediatric practice, 2 methods for assessing lactation sufficiency are recognized as reliable:

Calculation of the daily number of urination. If the baby manages to wet 10-12 or more diapers during this period, then mother's milk is enough for him.

Diapers are counted for 24 hours, disposable diapers cannot be used. The method will be informative if the baby is not supplemented with anything.

Wet diapers should be counted weekly.

Weighing. In a healthy baby who has enough mother's milk, the monthly weight gain is from 120 g per week and from 0.6 to 2 kg per month.

It makes sense to measure the baby's weight once a month, in rare cases, if there are significant reasons for doubt, once a week.

More frequent placement of the baby on the scales (some mothers are ready to do this several times a day) is not informative: a baby can eat 10 ml of milk in one feeding, and 50 or 100 ml in another.

The result of such weighing is often the anxiety of the mother, which is transmitted to the baby.

If the child is fine with the frequency of urination, but weight gain lags behind the age norm, he has enough food.

The reason for the lack of weight gain should be sought elsewhere.

How to increase lactation

If the lack of milk has become apparent, this is not a reason to panic.

It would be advisable to introduce a small amount of milk formula into the infant's diet, while at the same time making efforts to increase lactation.

You need to make sure that the baby is correctly attached to the breast. When in doubt, it is essential to master the correct technique.

Frequent applications stimulate lactation, during the day at least once every 1.5-2 hours. Night feedings are valuable, at this time of day intervals exceeding 4 hours are not recommended.

Do not take the baby from the breast until he releases it himself.

It is necessary to increase the total duration of physical contact with the baby: sleep together, carry it in your arms more, use a sling.

Skin-to-skin touch is important.

Without urgent need, you do not need to give the baby additional drink.

Mom needs to let go of all fears that the baby does not have enough milk, and relax.

A warm bath, pleasant music, breathing exercises or just calm, even breathing will help with this.

A nursing mother needs to learn how to find time to rest and sleep. Some household chores can be postponed or asked for help from loved ones.

If you have a free minute, it is useful to do a massage to stimulate lactation. You need to get comfortable and rub massage oil into your fingers.

Massage the chest with stroking and kneading movements. After 7-10 minutes, the massage is interrupted to express some milk.

Then the massaging movements are resumed.

Do not use artificial analogues of the mother's breast: pacifiers and bottles.

If there is a need to give the baby any liquid (water, mixture with mixed feeding), you need to use special devices.

Bottles are suitable, on the neck of which a spoon, small cups, silicone spoons are put on instead of a traditional nipple.

It is important to take supplementary feeding as a temporary measure and gradually reduce its volume while counting the number of urination.

In addition to these methods, additional measures can be taken by using lactagons:

• Oily fish.
• Beekeeping products: honey, perga, royal jelly (use carefully: possible allergic reactions at the chest).
• Ginger.
• Walnuts.
• Infusions based on dill, fennel, cumin, coriander, zira, fenugreek.
• Preparations: Apilak, Mlekoin, Laktogon, Femilak.

The use of lactagons will not be effective if the principles of proper breastfeeding are not followed.

Lack of breast milk is often a far-fetched problem. Mom should not dwell on the difficulties of the lactation period, but perceive breastfeeding as a natural process.

If there is not enough milk, in most cases it is possible to eliminate errors in the organization of breastfeeding and correct the situation.

The young mother believes that she has a shortage of valuable breast milk. This situation is familiar to many parents of newborns. The amount of this product, which is very useful for children, may decrease slightly at the very beginning of the lactation period, and maybe even a few months after the birth of the baby. Lactation may decrease due to stress or as a result of lack of sleep. There is a concept of a lactation crisis. In many cases, the primiparous woman invents a problem for herself, but in fact there are no violations. Without understanding the issue, the mother begins to supplement the baby with milk formula, which really leads to a decrease in milk production.

Supplementing a baby with formula can be a fatal mistake that will really disrupt milk production.

Myths about the lack of breast milk

So, to begin with, we will dispel common myths of “lack of milk”:

• The baby does not observe the interval between feedings, he asks for a breast 1-1.5 hours after the previous feeding. It doesn't say anything. Children have periods of rapid growth, when they need more food than they should by the norms. He may have sucked badly last time because he was sleepy. There are many reasons, and none of them speaks of a decrease in lactation.
• Stop milk leakage. At the beginning of breastfeeding, fluid from the nipples leaks from the nipples of recently born mothers, this gradually stops, the linen remains dry. This only says that the muscles responsible for opening the channels in the nipple are strengthened and do not allow fluid to flow out of the breast between feedings.
• Feeling of an empty chest. Shortly after childbirth, when the breasts fill up, swelling of the mammary glands is felt. It is associated with edema. The body of a woman has not yet adapted to feeding. Previously, a nursing mother did not have to store a supply of milk in her breast. Gradually, the mother adapts to lactation, she becomes mature, and the breast is able to produce more valuable fluid in the "empty" state than before in the swollen state.
• Worried about the lack of milk women with small breasts. Breast size is not related to milk production capacity. Volumetric breasts contain more body fat, and nothing more.

It is scientifically proven that breast size does not affect the amount of milk and the establishment of lactation.

• The time spent on feeding has decreased. There are more active children - they suck out their norm in 10 minutes, and not in half an hour. The same baby starts sucking faster as the breast develops and the baby gains strength over time. There is nothing to worry about.

Violation of the feeding regime - a sign of shortage?

Maintaining the feeding regimen after 2-3 hours in a grown child does not mean anything. Some children continue to ask for food every 2 hours even at night. It becomes their habit. They need to feel the presence of their mother day and night.

Many babies fall asleep after feeding. This is very convenient - mom fed, put in the crib and is free until the next feeding. Some babies, as soon as they are put into bed, wake up and look for their mother's breast. This does not indicate a decrease in lactation. It's just that the baby calms down when feeding, relaxes and falls asleep. As soon as he is torn from the chest, he begins to worry. Some people like to sleep with their mother's nipple in their mouth.

Mom found that in the evening she began to receive less milk than in the morning. This is quite natural. The total amount of this product per day is approximately constant. The baby sucks more vigorously during the day than in the evening. It is not necessary to accumulate food in the chest in order to feed the newborn tightly at night. It is better to let him suck in the early morning - at 3-5 in the morning.

In the morning and daytime, the baby sucks the breast much more actively than in the evening

At the first time of the lactation period, a woman feels a tingling sensation in her chest when a liquid valuable for babies comes to the mammary glands. Gradually the sensation disappears. This is also associated with the body getting used to a new state and does not indicate a decrease in lactation.

What is a lactation crisis?

The concept of a lactation crisis is associated with a temporary decrease in milk production in a nursing woman. It occurs either by physiological reasons, or associated with the circumstances of a woman's life. It lasts from 3 to 7 days. There are also critical periods with HB. They are associated with an increase in the need for food of a growing baby. The baby has periods of rapid growth at 3, 5 and 7 months of age. These periods last no more than 2 weeks. Mom notices that the amount of natural nutrition is not enough for the child in:

1. 3 months. The tingling in the chest stops. The mammary glands become soft. The kid himself orders the amount of food by the volume of her consumption last time. In fact, there is no shortage of female breast milk in this case. The body is just adjusting to lactation.
2. 6 or 7 months. At this time complementary foods are introduced vegetable puree. The baby needs less mother's milk than before. If a woman thins out the number of attachments to the breast, lactation decreases.
3. 9-10 months. This period is characterized by an increase motor activity baby. As a result, its growth rates decrease. The baby needs less nutrition, lactation is reduced.

Real signs of decreased lactation

1. Reducing baby weight gain. The norm is such that in the first 2 weeks, by the end of the second week, he is gaining the weight with which he was born. Then, up to 4 months, he gains from 150 g per week. After that, body weight gain decreases. When a child at the age of six months gains less than 125 g per week, he is malnourished - a woman has reduced lactation.
2. The child should write 10-12 times a day. Nowadays, when everyone uses disposable diapers, it is easy to determine if the baby is eating normally. It is necessary to weigh all wet diapers per day with the same amount of dry ones. The difference in weight must be at least 360 ml. Many parents use cloth diapers, then you need to keep an eye on the baby, unrolling it every half hour. If in 12 hours he peed 10 times or more, everything is in order with feeding.

Understanding that milk production is reduced is simple. In addition to the above 2 signs, there are no signs that would indicate its decrease. Moms should not listen to neighbors and relatives, run to the doctor for other reasons. It never hurts to consult with a specialist, but he will bring these 2 points to the mother.

When there is really little milk, you do not need to immediately buy milk formula. A child, starting to suck on a nipple, may refuse his mother's breast. Try increasing your milk production.

The main sign of a lack of milk is the lack of weight in a child

Should I be concerned if milk is delivered unevenly to the breast?

It happens - one breast is more filled with milk than the other. There is only one reason for this situation - an inexperienced mother puts the baby to one breast more often than to the other. Breasts that are suckled more actively are more involved in the lactation process. It is necessary to observe an even number of attachments to both breasts.

When the mother felt an uneven flow of milk into the mammary glands, it is necessary to offer the baby a breast in which there is less milk, then attach it to a more milky breast, then return to the first breast again. In this case, the sucking activity of the low-milk breast increases, and the amount of milk production in it also increases. Another plus is that the baby will receive more fat-rich milk from the first breast.

In such a situation, there is some negative side. It can be avoided by trying to feed the baby to the end of the first breast. This situation lies in the fact that when applied to different breasts at one feeding, the baby receives only low-fat drinking milk from each, sucking out each breast incompletely.

Even if there is a little less milk in one breast, the baby must be allowed to dissolve it.

How to put the baby to the breast correctly?

• the baby should be tightly pressed to the mother's chest with the chin;
• his tummy should touch the mother's body tightly;
• the baby's ear, shoulder and hip should be on the same axis.

Proper attachment implies that the baby's body is tightly pressed against the mother's body, his nose and knees are directed in the same way, in other words, his head is not turned. The baby's lips should wrap around the areola of the nursing underlip slightly twisted. Try not to interfere with feeding. It is better to feed the baby in the bedroom, where there is no TV and no one is talking loudly.

Contributes to milk production. Sit in a comfortable position with your body relaxed. The baby should also feel comfortable. A comfortable posture improves mood and increases milk production.

Do I need to follow a feeding schedule?

There is no schedule for breastfeeding. Mom should give the child to eat when he cries. This can be both day and night. A woman can change the schedule only in the direction of increasing the number of feedings - to offer the newborn to eat more often.

Night feedings are important for both mother and baby, as it is at night that prolactin is produced. It is a substance necessary for life. Lactation intensifies when the baby sucks mom at night. When a child is fast asleep and does not wake up, how to behave? Some doctors believe that it is not necessary to wake the baby. Others give a counterargument that with more frequent application, milk production increases, so it is necessary to wake the child at least 1 time per night.

The role of the pacifier and milk bottle

Why not give your child a pacifier or a bottle with a pacifier if it is not urgently needed? The baby receives the fluid required for the body from human milk. When breastfeeding is replaced with bottle formulas, the baby will get used to being fed from the nipple with ease and will refuse the nursing breast.

An alternative to a bottle is a teaspoon or a special drinker. If the baby needs to take medicine, give him some boiled warm water from a spoon.

When complementary foods are introduced, the amount of milk in a nursing woman decreases, it becomes necessary to supplement the baby - let him drink from a spoon or from a drinker.

So that the baby does not get used to the nipple, you can give him water from a spoon

Is it necessary to pump after feedings?

With full breastfeeding, you do not need to express, but there are situations when such a need arises. If a woman feels that one breast is empty, she should express it to increase milk production.

Usually you need to express for no longer than 10 minutes. In the case when the process dragged on for half an hour, and there is no result, rest for a while. Poorly developed breasts can be treated with a warm compress before pumping. You need to do it for 5 minutes. With low milk production, it is recommended to express once every 1 hour. Use a breast pump if you can't develop your breasts with your hands. Express milk for 10 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes, repeat all over again. Such procedures will help maintain milk production.

Nursing mother's menu

In order for milk production not to decrease, it is necessary to take seriously the diet of a nursing mother. A woman during this period should receive a full hot meal at least 3 times a day.

Nutrition must be balanced. To obtain complex carbohydrates, it is necessary to enter into the menu bread with bran, whole grain cereals, products made from durum flour. Carbohydrates have a positive effect on milk production. Protein will help your baby grow. They are contained in vegetable oils, dairy and other products.

Proper nutrition of a nursing mother is the key to a good supply of milk

A woman should introduce lean meat and fish into her diet. If the baby does not have allergies, you can eat an egg once a week. Be sure to eat vegetables and fruits. Milk, cottage cheese, kefir will also play a positive role during breastfeeding.

A woman should drink fluid as needed. Too much fluid harms milk production, as does too little. It is useful to drink a weak hot tea with milk some time before feeding.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

The well-known pediatrician Komarovsky not only practices, but also gives valuable advice young parents. He notes the particular importance of breastfeeding in the first 2 months after the birth of a child. It was at this time that mothers fear that they do not have enough milk, and by mistake they can transfer the child to artificial feeding. The pediatrician advises not to worry, but to increase the number of attachments to the breast, which will lead to increased milk production. The doctor advises trying to increase milk production for 3 days. If all else fails, only then transfer the baby to artificial mixtures.

The doctor notes the importance of the psychological factor in increasing lactation. The baby sucks hard at the breast, that is, does everything in his power. A woman, on the other hand, torments herself with thoughts that her child is hungry. A lot depends on relatives. Try to set your mom on positive result, give her a rest by taking over the housework and walking with the baby. Let the woman sleep peacefully during the day for a couple of hours. Her mood will improve, milk will begin to come. If nothing helps, although the woman slept and rested for 3 days, transfer the child to milk formulas. Consult in the children's clinic, which mixture to choose.

Sometimes households just need to unload mom and let her rest.

GW duration

Dr. Komarovsky believes that six months is the minimum age when you can stop breastfeeding. If a woman has a lot of milk, no one bothers to supply the child with this useful product and further.

Starting from 6 months, the child is introduced complementary foods. HB can be continued up to 2 years of age. At 2 years old, the baby should receive meat, fish, vegetables, cottage cheese, eggs in the diet. Some children are in no hurry to give up their mother's breasts. From 2 to 3 years, you can reduce the number of feedings to 2 times a day. This will help the nursing mother to stop milk production, and the child will get used to adult food.

Medications and herbal preparations during lactation

Eat medical preparations that increase milk production, they are called lactagons. Your doctor will prescribe a specific drug for you. These remedies are used when other methods of increasing milk production have failed.

Among such medicines, herbal preparations and homeopathic medicines are the safest. Some of them are presented in this article:

1. Lactogon contains royal jelly and herbs such as dill, nettle, ginger, oregano. Contains carrots. This remedy can cause an allergy in a baby, so only a doctor can prescribe it.
2. Femilak, it contains milk protein and taurine. It is prescribed even before childbirth. It strengthens the health of the expectant mother and enhances lactation after childbirth.
3. Apilactin contains flower pollen and royal jelly. He, like Lactogon, can cause an allergy in a newborn.
4. Mlecoin is a homeopathic remedy. The drug can be used during the entire period of breastfeeding.
5. The Milky Way preparation contains galega extract. It is well tolerated by nursing and child. Women who have little milk, it is prescribed immediately after the birth of the child. The rest can take it during lactation crises.
6. Lactic teas are made from herbs. For their reception it is necessary to be convinced that your kid well transfers the herbs which are their part.

Which doctor will help when the milk disappears?

The main thing is not to panic. All problems are solvable. First of all, you can contact a consultant on GV. There are also breastfeeding support groups where you can get advice on a specific situation. The consultant will tell you what mistakes you make, what points to pay attention to. It would be best if, even during pregnancy, you find a person or group of people to whom you can turn for qualified help.