“I didn’t have enough milk to breastfeed my baby.”
Credit: atelier_juliescheurweghs
I hear this statement more than it is entirely true.
Now, this isn’t me saying that I think for a second that the mum sat in front of me is lying, by no stretch. I just feel we are far too quickly lead to believe that our bodies are not working properly when actually, in the majority of cases, the only thing not working properly is her breastfeeding support network. There is a lot more to this statement and belief around low milk supply that really needs to be addressed.
By telling a mum that she doesn’t have enough milk is leading her to potentially wrongly believing that she has failed. Please let me remind you, you HAVE NOT failed. As a quick ‘fix’ we are pacifying babies with formula milk and mums with a supposedly valid ‘reason’ as to why certain situations are arising in her breastfeeding journey, rather than taking the time to understand what’s really going on.
There are a number of reasons why some women are physically unable to breastfeed their baby, these can include: hormonal imbalances, surgery/ injury, medication, illness, insufficient glandular tissue (hypoplastic breasts), PCOS as well as other psychological issues which all need to be taken into consideration. This list is not exhaustive but neither is the research behind low milk supply or lactation failure!
The statistic that seems to crop up a lot is that 1-5% of women are physically unable to breastfeed. Personally, I’m not entirely convinced by the research and the certainty of this figure but something I am almost certain of is that it is a really low percentage – a lot lower than the number of women who have been lead to believe that they couldn’t/ can’t!
So why are we so quick to believe that we didn’t/ don’t
have enough milk for our babies?
If a woman has a strong desire to breastfeed her baby, then she should be supported in doing do. If she doesn’t want to, that’s totally her choice, and again she should be supported in her decision. What saddens me the most, though, is when women feel they have to make excuses or try and justify the way that have chosen to feed their baby – either way! No one knows your personal situation, you or your baby, better than you.
This aside, many women who DID want to breastfeed but for one reason or another it didn’t happen, tend to search for an answer or reason that gives them some kind of comfort for the way things worked out. I totally get that and it may be true, but rather than accepting this we should be addressing the real issue around lack of support. For outsiders, or those who have never been in this situation personally, it can be hard to truly empathise with her and assume that as long as the baby is fed that’s all that matters. So what’s the issue?
Yes of course your baby does need to be fed, I don’t think we need to actually remind anyone of this, but the whole ‘fed is best’ statement can be so damaging! A woman who has carried a child within her body will naturally produce milk for that child, whether or not she decides to breastfeed. If that milk is then not removed from her body, the body reacts as if that child has gone and will go through a huge hormonal shift.
It’s like the body is mourning the child it grew and expected to feed.
This is a delicate time for women, whether she has decided to breastfeed or not, her emotions must be treated kindly and with respect as this shift happens. Not only have you been through pregnancy and childbirth, the last thing you need whilst trying to mentally and physically recover is to be shamed by your decision on how you wish to feed YOUR child.
Whether breastfeeding is for you or not your body will produce milk. However, the notion of your milk ‘coming in’ is actually a myth. It has already been there for possibly months now! The first milk you will produce for your baby is colostrum. Commonly referred to as ‘liquid gold’, colostrum is all your baby needs for the first few days of her life. Although produced in relatively small quantities it is packed with nutrients, calories and anti-bodies - all your baby needs! And remember, her stomach is only tiny (around the size of a marble when she’s born) so she will become full on a very little quantity of milk.
Somewhere between day 4 and 9 postpartum you will begin producing higher volumes of milk (between 400-750ml) per day.
“But when I pump I can only get a few drops,
my baby is clearly not getting enough.”
When it comes to breastfeeding women can sometimes worry because they can’t see the amount of milk their baby is taking so prefer to see a bottle empty and the comfort that gives them. This is fine if that’s what you want to do, you have to do what feels best for you. However, problems and additional worries can arise when a women then decides to express/ pump her breastmilk so she can see how much she is producing. I can totally understand why you may want to do this but it can be so disheartening and it’s almost definitely not a true reflection of how much your baby is getting from your breast. Your baby will be more efficient than a pump, and with your natural oxytocin release when your baby is placed against your chest, you will be producing more milk when you breastfeed than what you see when you pump. Don’t let this be your indicator for low milk supply and for ‘topping up’ with formula.
I’ve written a modern guide to breastfeeding in my ‘Tit Tips and Nip Bits’ blog post which you may find useful. It will give you some guidance as to what to expect and the variations on ‘what’s normal’. If you truly believe your baby isn’t getting enough, keep offering the breast, lots of skin to skin and voice your concerns with your midwife/ health visitor.
“She’s feeding all the time. She’s obviously a hungry baby,
my body just can’t keep up!”
Newborns do feed a lot, up to 12+ times a day which can be exhausting. And if that’s your reason for wanting to supplement, I totally get that and you’ve got to do what’s best for you. BUT if you’re supplementing not because you want to but because you’re worried they’re feeding too frequently through not producing enough milk, please rest assured your baby and your body are doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing – establishing your milk supply! Some babies may want to feed what feels like all day every day, as long as you’ve got your positioning and attachment right, baby’s nappy output and weight gain is of no concern, it’s all within ‘normal’ and will settle down soon enough.
We must remember that milk supply is based on demand. If your baby is going through a growth spurt and perhaps needs more calories, he will want to feed more. In response to this your breasts will make more. But the only way they will know to make more is if they’re receiving that message from your baby. When your boobs feel like little empty bags (they’re never totally empty by the way) THAT’S when the message is received back to the breasts to say “this baby needs MORE – so keep going!” If we instead add formula into the mix your boobs will do the opposite and actually make LESS milk for your baby. The less milk you’re making for your baby, the more they will rely on the bottle. They will want to feed from you less, telling your boobs to reduce the supply further until you get to a point where you won’t have the supply to meet her demand.
If you want to combination feed, this is of course totally achievable, it’s all about bearing in mind what you would like to do long-term in the breastfeeding sense.
For me, I just want Mums to feel reassured when it comes to breastfeeding and know the kind of things they can expect. So when they are worrying about their milk supply, perhaps feel baby is feeding too much, panicking when they express and very little is coming out they can feel assured that this is all within the range of ‘normal’ and that they should stick with it – if that’s what they want to do!
If you have any specific concerns around milk supply you can always contact me via Instagram DM and I’ll do my best to support you within my remit. But as always, if you are concerned about you and/or your baby speak to the relevant healthcare professional. Remember, be kind to yourself, eat and drink plenty, rest when you can and know that whatever you decide to do, you’re doing an incredible job!