As a first time Mom, I decided I wanted to try breastfeeding. I had researched all the benefits of it, from a healthy option for our baby to great bonding time for us! And I will admit, I thoroughly enjoy having that time with her! Furthermore, I enjoy that she is comforted instantly if I hold her when she gets hungry as she’s learned where her food comes from ! 🙂
Nevertheless, after 5 months of feeding her & learning her patterns, I started to get the feeling that I wasn’t producing enough milk for her:
1. My breasts didn’t feel as full with milk as they had in previous months
2. Sometimes she would de-latch, lean back, fuss, then re-latch, lean back, fuss & repeat
I took the second notion as her becoming frustrated that the milk wasn’t coming fast enough.
Now, this wouldn’t happen every day, all day, but more frequently than I thought it should. Being a new Mom, I started researching to ensure that my milk production is at a good level to meet her needs. Here’s what I found out:
1. Baby’s weight
Does my baby have a healthy weight? For instance, has she been gaining about 1-2 lbs per month? Answer: yes! So, as long as my baby girl is gaining proper weight, my milk production is adequate to meet her needs.
2. Breast fullness
Apparently my breasts shouldn’t feel as full as they did in the beginning months of breastfeeding because my baby girl has ‘trained’ my breasts to make the right amount of milk for her. Also, if she’s getting proper feedings in, the breast should not feel full. In fact, the less full they feel the better, as it keeps milk production levels high, as the food tries to replenish itself. Therefore, when the breasts are full for a longer period of time, milk production actually slows down, as it sends a signal that more milk is not needed at that time.
3. Baby fussiness
We all know that sometimes our little angels’ become little monsters’ for no reason at all. Usually there is something wrong, we just have the wonderful task of figuring it out. Now, over time and with trial-and-error, I’ve realized that sometimes our baby girl is hungry and tired at the same time, thus explaining the fussiness while trying to eat. When this happens, I just go at her speed and don’t try to force either eating or sleeping on her. If she’s fussing at the breast, I let her de-latch, hold her up and burp her, then rock her in my arms. If she continues to fuss, I re-latch her and encourage her to eat again. If she fusses again, we repeat the cycle. Eventually she will calm down enough to either eat or sleep and ta da! Mommy figured it out 🙂 Crisis averted!
**Patience is key! We’ve all been there: tired & hungry at the same time. So exhausted in fact, we bring a snack to bed with us & then wake up to that snack LITERALLY in the bed with us! For me, dark chocolate granola! Oops! Let’s just say waking up to brown smudges on your bedding can be startling at first!**
After finding out this information, I became comforted that I was feeding our baby girl adequately. It’s always reassuring to know that what you’re going through is normal and expected. After all, this is my first time being a Mom and you never know something until someone teaches you about it.
May this post give you comfort as well! You’re doing a great job Mom! Keep it up!
NEW BABY MOM 