What is the reason for the decreasing milk supply? What should I do if the milk supply is decreasing?

Many mothers who choose to breastfeed find it difficult to stick to it. Some mothers are worried about their body shape, some mothers go back to work soon after giving birth and have no time to breastfeed, and some mothers think that their milk is not enough for their babies, so they give up breastfeeding. Today, let's talk about why some mothers' milk supply decreases during breastfeeding.

Reasons for less milk supply

One of the reasons for less milk: drinking lactation soup immediately after delivery

As mentioned before, many mothers who don’t have enough milk ignore their physical condition and appetite and just take supplements to increase milk production. Old hens, ginseng, pig’s trotter soup, royal jelly… are all high-nutrition and high-fat. Some mothers start drinking lactation soup a few days before the due date, but this is very inappropriate. Drinking too much hen soup too early will lead to less milk, no milk or milk regurgitation! The most important thing is that high-fat foods will not only block the mammary ducts, which is not conducive to the secretion of breast milk, but also make the mother’s weight soar. If you want to restore your slim figure in your teenage years, it may be a joke.

You should do this:

There is nothing wrong with increasing nutrition, but it should be done gradually. Within one week after giving birth, you should mainly eat low-fat and low-protein foods. You can eat cornmeal and green leafy vegetables, and gradually transition to high-nutrition foods such as pig's trotter soup, crucian carp, silver carp, etc. In addition, soybeans, loofah, day lily, walnut kernels, and sesame are also good for milk production and are not easy to gain weight.

So, when should you drink milk-promoting soup? Mothers must wait until the milk secretion is normal and sufficient. If you can't hold your mouth, drink some light soup with less salt and oil.

The second reason for less milk supply: not mastering the correct breastfeeding skills

Posture is very important! Whether the baby is lying comfortably and whether the nipple is properly sucked will affect the baby's appetite. If the baby eats too hard, he will naturally hate the mother's breast milk, and the breast milk will not get enough sucking stimulation, and the milk will inevitably become less and less.

You should do this:

Position ①: Feed the baby with the left breast, support the breast with the left hand, and support his neck with the right palm. You can also place a nursing pillow under the baby.

Position ②: When breastfeeding with the right breast, use the right forearm and hand to support the baby's head and body. The other hand can be used to support the breast and put the nipple into the baby's mouth.

Position ③: Place the baby on one side of the mother's body, support the baby's head with the forearm on the same side, hold the baby's neck and head with one hand, and support the breast with the other hand. This makes it easy to observe whether the baby has firmly grasped the nipple.

Position ④: The mother leans on the sofa, bed or recliner with her back at 45 degrees, lets the baby lie on her, and the mother can protect the baby with both hands.

Position ⑤: The mother lies on her side on the bed, facing the baby, and then rests the baby's head on the crook of her arm, or uses a nursing pillow or towel to cushion the baby's head, so that the baby's mouth and her nipple are in the same horizontal direction. At the same time, support the baby's back with the forearm of the other arm, and hold the baby's head with your hand.

The third reason for less milk supply: not starting breastfeeding at the best time

The start of breastfeeding is the first time a mother feeds her baby, and it is also the key to whether breastfeeding is successful or not. Although mothers are very weak after giving birth and need to rest and recuperate, if the best time for breastfeeding is missed, it may directly lead to the baby's refusal to breastfeed, and the mother may not be able to suck enough, resulting in breast milk obstruction and acute mastitis.

You should do this:

For the sake of their babies and themselves, mothers have to grit their teeth and persevere, allowing their babies to suck their nipples half an hour after birth.

Reason 4 for less milk: baby not sucking long enough

Some mothers limit the number of feedings or shorten the feeding time each time, which will cause a decrease in breast milk.

You should do this:

The best way is to let the baby suck frequently, which will encourage the breasts to produce milk.

Reason 5 for less milk: Save more milk for your baby

Some mothers like to save milk, thinking that if they save it for a while, they may have more. In fact, this idea is wrong. Only by sucking out the milk from the breasts at any time can we ensure that the milk is secreted at any time.

Reason 6 for less milk supply: Too much psychological pressure on mothers

Half of a mother's milk comes from nutrition and physiology, and the other part comes from the mother's psychology. If the mother is under too much pressure and depressed during this period, it will inevitably affect the milk. Therefore, a happy and relaxed mood is very important for mothers.

Reasons for less and less milk

1. The number of feedings decreases after adding complementary foods

The baby's food intake is limited. After adding complementary foods, the number of breastfeeding will inevitably decrease, which will reduce the chance of sucking the breast, affect the secretion of prolactin, and reduce the amount of breast milk secretion. While this side is decreasing, the baby's demand is increasing, resulting in a shortage of milk.

2. Overwork and irregular life

When mothers become mothers for the first time, they are often physically overdrawn, and lack of sleep and excessive stress lead to reduced milk supply.

3. Psychological factors

Expectant mothers may have insufficient milk supply due to excessive tension during childbirth, or because someone in the family is dissatisfied with the baby's gender and feels aggrieved, or because the baby is born prematurely or has a difficult birth, or because the mother is overly worried about the baby's health, or because of other social and psychological stimuli that cause mental burden on new mothers. It is most important to relieve the mother's mental burden and for the family's guidance, companionship and care. Poor sleep, mental anxiety or worry, and unhappy things will all cause the mother to have insufficient milk supply.

4. Mom is undernourished

After the confinement period, some mothers no longer pay special attention to nutrition, and some even start to lose weight, which is bound to affect the secretion of milk.

5. Failure to express breast milk in time during work

Some mothers who return to work do not pay attention to expressing breast milk during work, which can also inhibit milk secretion.

How to stimulate lactation after childbirth

(1) Vegetarian.

Soy products: Eating a variety of soy products in different ways can help stimulate lactation. Calcium and iron are the most important minerals for baby growth. If breast milk contains enough calcium and iron, there is no need to add artificial products. The calcium content in soybeans is nearly twice that of milk, and the iron content is higher than that of egg yolks. The isoflavones in soybeans also have the function of bidirectionally regulating human estrogen and stimulate the production of prolactin.

Nuts: Nuts are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc, making them particularly suitable as nutritious foods for new mothers. However, due to postpartum physical conditions and the need for hydration during breastfeeding, new mothers are advised to crush the nuts and drink them with water.

Eggs: They are high in protein, amino acids, and minerals, and have a high digestion and absorption rate. But don't eat too much. There is a mother who eats 10 eggs a day, which is impossible to absorb.

(2) Meat.

Fish: Crucian carp and carp stewed in clear soup are good milk-inducing foods. Carp is rich in protein, has the effects of appetizing, strengthening the spleen, eliminating cold and promoting milk production; crucian carp has the effects of neutralizing and replenishing deficiency, penetrating dampness and promoting diuresis, and promoting lactation. Crucian carp stewed with tofu is also a good milk-inducing soup.

Pig: Pig bones can replenish qi and blood and produce milk. Pig's trotters and pig's elbows are rich in protein, and stewing them in soup is very effective in promoting milk production.

Chicken: The principle is the same as mentioned above. Chicken also has a high protein content. Stewing chicken in clear soup for mothers during the confinement period can help to produce milk. (Choose rooster soup, as hen soup will cause milk withdrawal)