Its true, some women cannot make enough milk. I truly believe that some women try, and try and try, and cannot make enough milk. I have donated milk to women in this situation. Maybe Becky wants to talk more in-depth about this, but I have never seen a woman try harder to feed her son than this woman.
So what is the answer? Should we shrug and go purchase formula?
I am reading East of Eden right now and at one point the mother of an infant dies, the father gives him whiskey for 2 days and then buys a goat. Should we buy a goat?
I had planned on nursing. Not "if" I can nurse, but when I can nurse. I have lots of friends who planned to nurse too, and things were not exactly as they planned. One of my best friends in the world was overwhelmed with the thought of breastfeeding her twins (who are huge, and grew and ate more than the average premature twin), and she pumped every day, and every night for over 7 months so that her sons had adequate breast milk with the occasional bottle of formula. (Standing ovation, you rule mama!)
How much does a mother need to try to breastfeed before its okay to supplement?
This article is written by a woman who tried, and tried, and tried to nurse full time. I thought it was amazingly well written and very supportive of something that 4% of women cannot control, "primary lactation failure."
http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-feeding-nutrition/breastfeeding-problems-low-breast-milk-supply-lactation-consultant/
When she took on the question of why its not commonly discussed this was the reason:
""I believe the reason women aren't told about lactation failure is that there is a fear that it will lead to many women giving up before they've given breastfeeding a fair shot," says Daria Hoffman, a certified lactation educator in Los Angeles. "It's already often a struggle to prove to women that breast milk is superior to formula, though our numbers are improving, finally." She's right. In 1980, breastfeeding rates for women who breastfed "for at least some period of time" were at 54%. By 2004, it was up to 75%." HELL YEAH!
This sounds very true. I hear about food allergies all the time, but the scientific community reports that only 2% of adults have allergies:
"Fact: Although 25 percent of people think they're allergic to certain foods, studies show that about only 6 percent of children and 2 percent of adults have a food allergy. A true food allergy is a reaction triggered by the immune system (the part of your body that fights infection). Far more people simply have a food intolerance, which is unpleasant symptoms triggered by food (but does not involve the immune system)."
Manifestations of Food Allergy: Evaluation and Management by SH Sicherer, M.D. (American Family PhysicianJanuary 15, 1999, http://www.aafp.org/afp/990115ap/415.html)
So if 25% of adults think they have allergies, but only 2% do... what does that tell you about breastfeeding. Most women I talk to who don't breastfeed say that they didn't have the supply needed to feed their child. I truly believe that is true, but the reason their supply was low was probably based on a bad latch, poor nutrition or bad milk supply management (all of which could be remedied with support, education and better birth policies at hospitals). We need to support the 4% of women with primary lactation failure because they need support. BUT, before we make this rare problem mainstream, we need to support the women with lactation failure, and see if we can improve their supply before we jump on the "no supply" bandwagon.
Ill talk a little about the main reasons that women cannot properly make milk:
Nutrition:
Did you know that there are certain foods that can lower your milk supply? Sage and peppermint are known for decreasing milk supply.
Do you get enough water? I used to force Becky to drink more water. I am a water junkie. TMI, but seriously, my pee is clear, always! I drink so much water that I have to replace the water jug at work at least once a day. I drink 3-4 cups of tea in the morning, and I fill my nalgene 32 oz. at least 4 times at work. I gave up soda completely and I am on an almost pure water diet (in terms of beverage). Water is amazing. I truly believe it is what gives me my supply. DRINK WATER!
What do you eat during the day? Protein, calories and nutrition are important. What you eat goes into your breastmilk. If you're not eating enough to properly care for your own body, your milk will suffer. Eat like you're pregnant, and I am not talking about a 100% fruit loop diet (I had a mom tell me she only ate fruit loops her entire pregnancy, made me sad for her growing fetus). Eat greens, lean meats, organics. What a great way to lose weight and retain your health. Also, eat enough calcium. Green leafy veg, dairy (if you can), etc.
Hormones:
Did you go straight onto hormonal birth control? Did you know that it can decrease your milk supply?
KellyMom has this to say: " For most mothers, progestin-only forms of contraception do not cause problems with milk supply if started after the 6th-8th week postpartum and if given at normal doses. However, there are many reports (most anecdotal but nevertheless worth paying attention to) that some women do experience supply problems with these pills, so if you choose this method you still need to proceed with some caution."
Your baby's latch:
Most LD Nurses and I hate to say it, Lactation Consultants aren't very helpful when it comes to breastfeeding. That being said, some are great! If you get a good one, you will learn to properly get your baby to latch at the hospital. Some women leave the hospital with sore nipples, a starving baby and stress. I highly recommend all new mothers read as many breastfeeding books as possible before birth, talk to friends, mothers, sisters, aunts, etc. Once the baby is born, go to a breastfeeding support group, LLL meeting, have friends come over and pick up the phone. Breastfeeding is not always natural. I cried and cried while my nipples bled. I remember shaking and crying while my mom said "FEED HER!" It wasn't until my cousin's wife called and said "pinch your nipple in your hand and shove it in the baby's mouth so that you cant see any areola" I did this and it still hurt, but it got better. As soon as my scabs healed, I realized I WAS DOING IT WRONG!!!!!!!! I had read at least 4 books, I watched videos, I talked to moms and I STILL DID IT WRONG! Once it was better, it took a lot of work to master nursing. I used my entire 6 week maternity leave to learn how to breastfeed. It took work, courage, late nights and lots of patience. By the end of 6 weeks, I admit that I still wasn't the most confident nurser, but I was on my way. Now at almost 8 months old, Ill whip it out in public and nurse that baby.... though you're not likely to see any boob, I'm pretty inconspicuous.
Dr. Sears has a great article on proper latch: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T021100.asp
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