What’s Perceived as Insufficient Milk Supply?

 

Breastfeeding your little baby is one of the best feelings in the world as it brings immense joy, satisfaction and fulfilment to the mother. Breast milk is packed with all essential vitamins, immunity boosters and nutrients that the baby needs at every stage of life. The mother’s body understands the needs of the baby, adds and subtracts accordingly and provides the nourishment to the baby that will help him/her grow strongly. Having said that, feeding the baby exclusively for 6-8 months is also a great responsibility as the mother becomes the only source of food for the baby. This huge responsibility often makes mothers ponder whether or not their milk supply is enough for their baby?

What is Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply?

Perceived insufficient milk supply aka PIMS is a term used for those mothers who think their milk supply is not enough to feed their baby adequately but it’s in fact more than enough. Most of the times, the milk production and milk supply of the mother is perfectly fine or it might just need a little boost by best lactation cookies by Milky Mama but the constant worrying, nagging and self-doubting can often lead mothers to quit nursing their babies, which isn’t great at all. In fact, 76.9% mothers who at the beginning of the motherhood initiated nursing their child diminish to mere 43.5% at the 6-month mark and PIMS play a huge role in that.

Mothers often judge their milk supply by gauging the reactions, behaviours and moods of the babies. But these parameters can often be misleading as an infant reacts to various things, gets affected by numerous activities and behaves differently due to many reasons which have nothing to do with the milk supply of the mother. Mothers who have PIMS, assume their milk supply is insufficient without consulting any doctor or lactation expert.

Reasons Why Mothers Think They Have Insufficient Milk supply?

Frequent Feedings- Babies inherently feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours and the number of feedings can increase or decrease without any specific reason. In the early weeks, the babies are quite unsettled, sometimes they stay awake the whole night and sleep peacefully all through the day. Sometimes they put a gap of 3-4 hours in one feeding and sometimes the urge to feed is after every hour especially during a growth spurt. But assuming that, your (mother) milk supply isn’t enough and that’s why the baby is unsettled is not true. In fact, the best answer for how to increase milk supply is frequent feedings.

Breast Feel Soft and Empty- Motherhood comes with a learning curve and your body has to go through it. It takes time for your body to understand the needs of your baby and reflect to them accordingly while taking care of its own requirements. Oftentimes mothers say that their breasts feel soft, empty and completely drained after a feeding session, concluding that the breasts are empty and the baby didn’t get his fill. But that’s not true at all, it takes around 3-12 weeks for the breast to feel full and heavy after starting breastfeeding and as long as your baby continues to feed, your body will adjust to the needs.

Shorter Feeding Times- Mothers often show concerns about shorter feeding times but that’s no reason to be concerned as long as after the feeding session the baby is relaxed, happy and settled. After around 12-16 weeks, babies sucking powers increase and they take less time at the breasts.

How Does Breast Milk Works?

In order to stay positive and fight PIMS, it's absolutely vital to understand how our body makes breast milk, and what is the mechanics behind it. It works on one thumb rule- demand and supply. Your body will produce as much milk as the baby or babies need, and how does the body know that? Well, the more the baby is nurses or you pump the milk, the more breast milk the mother's body will produce. Sometimes the production of milk may get hampered due to reasons like a bad latch, periods, formula milk, contraceptive pills, drinking or smoking, medications or undrained breasts but it can come back right on track by best lactation cookies by Milky Mama.

How to Be Sure of Your Milk Supply?

The number reason for PIMS being so common and troublesome is due to the fact that there is a sure shot way to know exactly how much milk a mother produces. But having said that, there sure are many indicators that a mother can look out for and be sure about her milk supply. The best way is to keep a track on their wet and solid diapers, if the baby is having his/her fill then he/she will wet the diaper at least 6-8 times a day and solid discharge will be 3-5 times a day.

Your baby will also give you cues so that you can understand whether or not he/she was satiated after the feeding session. Sometimes these cues can collide with other problems but as you get attuned with the baby, you’ll understand them better. Generally, after a heartiest feeding session, the baby falls asleep, is wide awake and in a playful mood, produces a solid diaper and feels contended.

Another great parameter to see whether your baby is feeding as per requirement is by monitoring their growth rate. Even though growth rates vary between child to child, a six ounce gain weekly and ½-1 inch growth in height is considered a good growth.

You can also see the baby closely while he/she is at your breasts to confirm that your milk supply is enough. If the baby starts off aggressively but swallows normally, if the latch is not just around the nipple but also on a good part of areola, if you can see the milk filling their mouth, if they tend to get sleepy and comfortable or if they stay happy at breasts then it all confirms that your baby is satisfied with your milk supply.

Endling Lines

Breastfeeding your baby is very important as it helps make a solid healthy base for your child. PIMS is a big culprit in reducing breastfeeding rates, which lead to unhealthy and weak babies that grow up to become the future’s youth.