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Top 5 Ways to Lose Milk Supply

Fun fact: Baby takes the same amount of breast milk at six weeks as he takes at three months, six months, and beyond! If you suddenly discover you're struggling to satisfy your older baby, it's not because his needs have increased.

After helping families breastfeed for over 20 years, I’ve seen a pattern to the common problems moms experience. You’re a smart mama, don’t let these happen to you:

  1. Poor latch. Not only does it hurt you, but baby usually isn’t getting all that good milk he’s working so hard for! Nearly every time a mom is struggling with milk supply, it's not mom's fault but baby's because it's baby's job to stimulate milk production. Get help sooner rather than later – you deserve it, and so does your baby.

  2. Not emptying breasts often enough. Your milk supply is just like any smart manufacturing company: If your milk is spending a lot of time sitting around the warehouse, your body is going to start laying off production workers. Most moms will need to breastfeed or pump a total of eight times in 24 hours to maintain a strong supply. If baby starts sleeping through the night, he’ll want to nurse more frequently during the day to make up for those missed calories, usually including cluster feeds early in the morning and before bedtime. Let your baby nurse on cue, at least every 2-3 hours during the day. If you're considering following that "wise" parenting book, please take a moment to check out this helpful site before risking your milk supply and your baby's health.

  3. Using the wrong pump for the job. That pump provided by your insurance company may or may not meet your needs. If you’re pumping while you’re away from your baby, a Spectra or Medela double electric breast pump will serve you well. If your baby is less than a month old, or if you’re facing exclusive pumping for whatever reason (preemie), rent a hospital grade pump for as long as you need it. Expecting a purchased pump to establish milk supply is like expecting to ride your bike to Tucson: Some people can make it, but most of us can’t. Hospital grade rental pumps cost about $1,500 to buy, so try not to compare a Buick to a BMW. Modern Mommy in Chandler only charges $3.50/day or $59/month. Flanges come in nine different sizes for a reason, and pumping with the wrong size flanges is like running a marathon wearing the wrong size shoes. Schedule a $40 pump flange fitting with me.

  4. Early and aggressive introduction to solids. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that your amazing milk is all your baby needs for the first six months, and some babies think it should be longer. Enjoy the ease of meeting your baby’s nutritional needs until your little one shows signs of readiness for solids, listed here. After that, start with dabs of fresh ripe banana, cooked sweet potato, or mashed ripe pear, or even whatever is on your plate (within reason). Those cute little jars of baby food are really several meals to a six-month-old, and 2/3 of the food’s natural nutrition has been cooked out of it. Your milk is still the primary source of your baby’s nutrition until his first birthday.

  5. Hormone-based birth control. Progesterone-only birth control should be safe if started after the first six weeks, but there are still some mamas who are sensitive to progesterone and supply can dramatically drop within days. The minipill, Depo shot, and hormone-infused IUD can cause a mom’s supply to crash shockingly fast. Every woman’s body chemistry is different, even from one baby to the next. Try a month or two of the minipill before committing to something more permanent; if your supply does take a dive, you can stop taking it and your supply should return within a few days to a few weeks.

Questions or concerns? Call or text Debbie at (480) 786-0431 so you can meet your feeding goals!


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