Your body was made to nourish your baby. During pregnancy, your breasts prepare colostrum
with the assumption that you will breastfeed your newborn. After birth,
this early milk gradually evolves into mature breast milk. As this
occurs, the decisions that you make influence the development of your
future milk supply. In the first few weeks following birth, a
breastfeeding mother can take concrete steps that will lead her toward a
strong milk supply.
I recently had a home visit with Marla,
who was concerned about her low milk supply. After meeting with her and
her three-week-old son, Henry, I concluded that Marla's milk supply was
indeed low. The cause of her trouble was clear; Henry was being cared
for by a live-in baby nurse. This nurse had been keeping Henry with her
during the night and for long periods during the day. Although he
periodically breastfed, he was often pacified with artificial nipples and supplemented with formula bottles.
Marla was young, healthy, and capable of breastfeeding.
Unfortunately, frequent separation from her baby and missed
breastfeeding opportunities inadvertently gave her body the message that
she did not intend to breastfeed, and Marla's initially strong milk
flow slowed to a mere trickle.
With so many variables affecting a mother's milk supply, most new
mothers are unaware that many of these variables are under their
control. Had Marla understood that separation, pacifiers, and
bottle-feeding would have a negative impact on her milk supply, she
might have decided to keep Henry with her and breastfeed him more
frequently so that her milk supply could fully develop.
Read More - http://www.babyzone.com/baby/breastfeeding/how-to-breastfeed/build-supply-breast-milk_65487
0 comments