It’s the million dollar question for every new mother.
Low milk intake could lead to many issues with babees including poor weight gain or possibly gaining weight extremely fast because of baby drinking mostly let down and not the fatty portions of milk which increases in amount the longer you feed. If babee is only on the breast for 3-5
minutes hes not getting an adequate amount of fat and calories a feed.
To get a measurement of how much milk babee is drinking a weighted feed could be done to measure their weight before and after a feed.
Weighted feeds are used to get an exact number of ounces babee drinks but it is not absolute because babees intake could vary throughout the day depending on your babees needs and hunger. here are a few signs to look for when nursing for of a full feed
Feeds should last around 15-40 minutes depending on babees needs.
Sometimes feeding may not go as well as planned and we need to get to the root cause of insufficient milk transfer.
A few signs your babee isn’t getting enough milk are:
To troubleshoot this concern try breast compressions and keeping baby alert.
Get topless and get skin to to skin with babee and in a relaxed position. You already know which one Imma suggest Yep, honey… laid back!
Hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it… it works and 🗣YOU go lay yo ass down and get some much needed rest, honey!
40 days, honey! I need 40 days of rest,
Breast compression teaches a baby who spends a lot of time pausing to actively breastfeed longer.
If done at every feeding for the first few days postpartum particularly days 4 + 5 it will
increase milk production, fat content and babee will begin to feed longer at the breast actively on their own.
When using breast compression, allow babee to finish at the breast first before switching. Babee is finished when they no longer use the type of suck in which he/she opens her mouth wide, pauses, and closes her mouth.
How to perform breast compressions
1. Start with clean hands. 2. Get comfortable preferably the laid back position.
3. Breastfeed the baby as usual with a deep latch. Make sure baby is belly to belly with you. Index finger and thumb around babees neck not their head. It limits babees ability to move the head which is vital to latching.
4. Hold the baby with your left arm and compress with your right hand or vice versa. Grab the breast in a comfortable U or C hold at least 1-2 in. behind the nipple.
4. During the breastfeed, watch for the moment when your baby stops sucking actively—this is when the deep jaw movements slow down and you can’t hear many (or any) swallows.
5. When baby is nibbling or no longer drinking with the open mouth wide–pause–close mouth type of suck, compress the breast firmly but not so hard that it hurts.
6. Try not to change the shape of the breast near baby’s mouth. With the compression, baby should start drinking again with the open mouth wide–pause–close mouth type of suck.
5. Don’t stop compressing until babee is no longer drinking milk actively even with the compression, then release the pressure.
6.Your babee may stop sucking when the pressure is released but will start again soon as milk starts to flow. If baby does not stop sucking when pressure is released, wait a short time before compressing again.
7. Repeat the compressions until there is no active swallowing.
8. Once babee stops actively sucking on the first breast even with compression, offer the other breast and repeat.
Check out the video below for a visual of breast compression.
Prenatal classes early and before baby arrives gives you and your partner time learn allabout the befits of breastfeeding and how it works.
Yes partners are strongly encourage to attend. Your suoooet system makes a difference in your journey. Surround yourself with people who have breastfed successfully, rooting for you, then book a prenatal breastfeeding class to prepare for your journey shield.
Jada 💛