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Low Supply False Alarms
- The baby nurses often. Many babies have a strong need to suck or
a need for frequent contact with their mothers. Frequent nursing assures that the baby is getting enough- not that there
is a lack of milk.
- The baby seems hungry an hour or so after being fed.
Human milk digests more quickly than formula and places less strain on a baby's immature digestive system,
so the breastfed baby needs to eat more frequently than the formula-fed baby.
- The baby suddenly increases the frequency and/or length of nursings. Babies
who are very sleepy as newborns often "wake up" at about 2-3 wks. Or it could be a growth spurt (common at 3 weeks,
6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age)
- The baby suddenly decreases nursing time, perhaps down to 5-10 mins. per
breast. It may be that baby has learned
to extract milk more quickly now that he is more experienced at nursing.
- The baby is fussy.There are many other causes of fussiness other than
hunger.
- The mother's breast leak only alittle or not at all. Leaking
has no relationship to the amount of milk the mother produces, you will notice less leaking as baby gets older.
- The mother's breast suddenly seem softer. The intial breast
fullness and engorgement subsides within the first few weeks.
- The baby takes a bottle after nursing. Many babies will suck
on a bottle even when they are full, because they like to suck. This is not necessarily a sign that baby did not get
enough at the breast. They may also suck in order to keep from drowning (as they must put their tongue at the end of
the bottle nipple to stop the flow, and as soon as they remove their tongue the flow starts again).
- The mother cannot express much milk. Milk-expression is a learned
skill that improves with practice.The amount of milk a mother is able to express is unrelated to her actual supply.
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