Comments on: The Breastfeeding Mom: Tips to Increase Milk Supply http://femalecare.net/womens-health/the-breastfeeding-mom-tips-to-increase-milk-supplybreastfeeding-can-be-a-wonderful-way-to-bond-a-new-mother-and-baby-unfortunately-breastfeeding-can-also-be-a-source-of-frustration-if-a-mother/ Women's Health Information Source Sun, 08 May 2011 05:50:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Denise http://femalecare.net/womens-health/the-breastfeeding-mom-tips-to-increase-milk-supplybreastfeeding-can-be-a-wonderful-way-to-bond-a-new-mother-and-baby-unfortunately-breastfeeding-can-also-be-a-source-of-frustration-if-a-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-26866 Denise Tue, 28 Dec 2010 04:06:40 +0000 http://femalecare.net/?p=484#comment-26866 Let me tell you from experience with three kids, this website offers some perfect advice. If I don't drink enough or eat enough, my milk supply quickly drops off a cliff. Quite a few times I found myself neglecting my needs only to find later in the day that baby is not getting any milk and my body is not producing. Nothing is worse than trying to nurse a hungry baby and they are not getting anything. It takes hours to rehydrate yourself for milk production to kick back in. Let me tell you from experience with three kids, this website offers some perfect advice. If I don’t drink enough or eat enough, my milk supply quickly drops off a cliff. Quite a few times I found myself neglecting my needs only to find later in the day that baby is not getting any milk and my body is not producing. Nothing is worse than trying to nurse a hungry baby and they are not getting anything. It takes hours to rehydrate yourself for milk production to kick back in.

]]> By: Martin http://femalecare.net/womens-health/the-breastfeeding-mom-tips-to-increase-milk-supplybreastfeeding-can-be-a-wonderful-way-to-bond-a-new-mother-and-baby-unfortunately-breastfeeding-can-also-be-a-source-of-frustration-if-a-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-8410 Martin Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:38:22 +0000 http://femalecare.net/?p=484#comment-8410 Hello Emily! Thank you for such a full and useful comment. To tell the truth we do not claim to be the main or the only information source for women. Therefore we do recommend to consult a doctor before making a decision. And thank you for your advice. We'll follow it. Hello Emily!
Thank you for such a full and useful comment. To tell the truth we do not claim to be the main or the only information source for women. Therefore we do recommend to consult a doctor before making a decision. And thank you for your advice. We’ll follow it.

]]> By: Emily Booth http://femalecare.net/womens-health/the-breastfeeding-mom-tips-to-increase-milk-supplybreastfeeding-can-be-a-wonderful-way-to-bond-a-new-mother-and-baby-unfortunately-breastfeeding-can-also-be-a-source-of-frustration-if-a-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-8409 Emily Booth Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:21:55 +0000 http://femalecare.net/?p=484#comment-8409 Hi, This is the top Google result when I searched for "new mum rest milk supply". As such, it matters that what you tell people is factually correct. Please consider reading pages 133-4 of Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers. Under 'Common Misconceptions', 'What everyone thinks affects milk supply (but doesn't)' it lists Drink more fluids, Eat a better diet and Get more rest. Low milk supply is a function of insufficient extraction of milk. That can be because of poor positioning, too few feeds, taking the baby off before he's finished or in a few cases a problem with the baby's tongue. Only your second last paragraph, "feed baby more" is really on the right lines. A breastfeeding mother needs to drink only to quench her thirst - one study even found that forcing yourself to drink more than you want can actually decrease milk supply (Dusdieker 1985). A mother is not going to stop producing milk for the sake of a 500 calorie deficit, any more than a dieting woman eating 1500 calories a day rather than the recommended 2000 would stop making red blood cells or insulin. In fact, a 1983 study in developing countries by Prentice found that neither milk quality nor quantity even begins to suffer until 3 weeks of famine conditions have passed. In the developed world it is highly unlikely that a mother's milk will be affected in any way by her diet - only her own energy levels will drop if she doesn't eat sufficient good food. Likewise, rest is a good thing for anyone coming to terms with the demands of a new baby. But no study has shown any link to milk supply. It just doesn't work that way. It's great that you care enough to try to help people but giving them the wrong information can lead them to miss real problems with the latch that they need help to fix, the sooner the better. And some people may feel they "must" have low milk supply if they haven't time to eat well and are having very broken nights so may follow your advice on fenugreek. This could well lead to problems of oversupply - even mastitis. Please give some thought to this and perhaps contact La Leche League or a lactation consultant – I’m sure they’d be happy to suggest ways in which you could really help new Mums. Hi,

This is the top Google result when I searched for “new mum rest milk supply”. As such, it matters that what you tell people is factually correct. Please consider reading pages 133-4 of Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers. Under ‘Common Misconceptions’, ‘What everyone thinks affects milk supply (but doesn’t)’ it lists Drink more fluids, Eat a better diet and Get more rest.

Low milk supply is a function of insufficient extraction of milk. That can be because of poor positioning, too few feeds, taking the baby off before he’s finished or in a few cases a problem with the baby’s tongue.
Only your second last paragraph, “feed baby more” is really on the right lines.

A breastfeeding mother needs to drink only to quench her thirst – one study even found that forcing yourself to drink more than you want can actually decrease milk supply (Dusdieker 1985).

A mother is not going to stop producing milk for the sake of a 500 calorie deficit, any more than a dieting woman eating 1500 calories a day rather than the recommended 2000 would stop making red blood cells or insulin. In fact, a 1983 study in developing countries by Prentice found that neither milk quality nor quantity even begins to suffer until 3 weeks of famine conditions have passed. In the developed world it is highly unlikely that a mother’s milk will be affected in any way by her diet – only her own energy levels will drop if she doesn’t eat sufficient good food.

Likewise, rest is a good thing for anyone coming to terms with the demands of a new baby. But no study has shown any link to milk supply. It just doesn’t work that way.

It’s great that you care enough to try to help people but giving them the wrong information can lead them to miss real problems with the latch that they need help to fix, the sooner the better. And some people may feel they “must” have low milk supply if they haven’t time to eat well and are having very broken nights so may follow your advice on fenugreek. This could well lead to problems of oversupply – even mastitis.

Please give some thought to this and perhaps contact La Leche League or a lactation consultant – I’m sure they’d be happy to suggest ways in which you could really help new Mums.

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