Honey, you can control your milk supply unless you have a medical condition which can affect milk production. It does take time and patience but it’s simple...feeding on demand or frequent nipple stimulation! ⠀
Breastfeeding is a supply-and-demand system. The more demand on the system through breast/chest feeding the baby, the more milk the body makes. ⠀
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Sometimes our bodies can slow down or plateau out but your body will take a day or two to catch up to a baby's increased breastfeeding demand during a growth spurt.
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Don’t panic! Your milk is not low!! ⠀
Your body produces milk that correlates to baby’s stomach size and at most babies can take 2-3oz a feed. So 1-1.5oz every hour If you’re feeding on demand.
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Breast compressions before and while
you nurse can increase your milk supply up to 50% more. Baby knows just what to do so let baby lead the way and feed frequently.
Babies do not eat to get full, that’s an adult concept!
Breast milk contains a hormone that’s regulates baby satiety factor so baby will
never over eat and be completely full. Look at it as baby grazing throughout the day with some smaller in frequent feeds meals and bigger meals with longer feeds.
Babies only take in about 70-75% of the milk in your breast so it’s important to hand express or drain the breast efficiently to keep up with your milk supply.
Your infant will have growth spurts at 1-3 days, 7 days, 3 weeks, 6 - 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months. Baby’s weight will triple in size the first year. THIS is why they are so ravenous as newborns.
So get ready to work in love, honey!
Baby will begin to cluster feed sending a message to your brain to make more milk. Cluster feeding is when your baby feeds several times at different time lengths within several hours.
Repeatedly.⠀
Remember these few tips beginning your journey, put baby to your breast and feed on demand. Lots of skin to skin. Make sure you and baby’s bellies are touching to ensure proper positioning, wide open mouth whole areola (areola not nipple) and feed 10 times or more in 24 hours.
Skin to skin.
Belly to belly.
Wide open mouth.
Whole areola.
10 or more in 24.
Hang in there, honey!
If you have not taken your breastfeeding education yet click here the link to book our next class feel you need assistance please book a virtual
consult here.
Jada Metcalf | is a mom of two, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, Postpartum Doula, ROSE Community Transformer, IBCLC in training and a lactation and postpartum wellness business owner.
Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including the CDC (Center for Disease Control), AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), WHO ( World Health Organization), NIH (National Institute of Health), ABM (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine)
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