Lactation Can Sometimes Be A Challenge

There are many factors which affect how breasts produce milk. If you’re anorexic and somehow manage to give birth without too many health complications, you’re going to have a hard time producing milk. The body is in “survival” mode, and if you don’t properly nourish yourself, there’s nothing it can really do.

Something else that can stymie milk production involves clogged ducts. Meanwhile, on the other side of the milk production coin, your breasts can become engorged, and then you’ve got more milk than you need.

As a new mom nursing a newborn, you want to have the production of milk from your breasts balanced with the feeding cycles of your newborn. Certainly that sounds straightforward, but it often isn’t. How you feel can influence milk production. Hormonal balances can come into play. Dietary issues may play a part, as may environmental situations.

If you’re going to have consistent milk supply for your baby, that’s going to require management. Dealing with milk supply may mean changing how you eat, how you sleep, and the way in which you nurse. We’ll briefly explore several milk supply issues to that end in this writing.

1. Physical Constraints

There are women who simply don’t have enough glandular tissue in their breasts to produce milk. Ducts may not properly grow, and so even if you’re doing everything else right, you may not be able to produce milk.

Breastfeeding is healthy for mother and child, so if you can’t produce, finding a modern equivalent of a “wet nurse” is likely going to be better than going the formula route; there are such options available today. Use the term “cross-nursing” online to search for options if you’re thinking of going this route.

2. Hormonal Birth Control Could Be The Problem

Hormonal birth control generally “tricks” the body into thinking it’s pregnant when it’s not. This can induce lactation when you’re not pregnant.

Well, such birth control can also make it so that you aren’t producing milk right when you actually give birth. Here’s what makes sense: if you get pregnant, you likely weren’t on the birth control to begin with, so stay off it.

If you have the baby and milk production isn’t where it should be, stop birth control hormones. If that still doesn’t help, then you may want to get consultation from your doctor. Before starting or stopping birth control, it’s wise to know your specific risks. They can differ from one mother to another based on a variety of factors.

3. Improper Scheduling

Your breasts are going to keep making milk continuously, but if you’re on a strange schedule, you may be feeding the child at a time when your breasts aren’t making the milk they should. Your issue might not be that you’re not producing enough milk, it could be that you’re scheduling feedings at the wrong time.

Understanding Common Milk Production Issues

The hyperlinked article covers issues presented here, as well as others that could be impacting breast milk production. With that in mind, three notable reasons you could be experiencing production issues include improper scheduling, hormonal birth control medication, and physical constraints.

Every mother is different, and nursing comes more easily to some than others. As a general rule of thumb, the more “natural” you make the birth and nursing process, the fewer issues you’ll have; but that’s not always the case with new mothers.

Get advice and secure resources from those you trust so at minimum you can get the advice you need when such situations occur.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us