Find out that there is not enough milk. Is checkweighing informative? How to keep breastfeeding

It is sometimes difficult for newly-made mothers to figure out on their own whether there is enough breast milk their crumbs.

The baby is crying ... The first thought that brings mothers literally to panic is: “What if he is hungry?”

Yes, this is not bottle feeding. Offhand, you can’t determine how much has arrived - how much has left the chest.

Often, all the worries of mothers about the lack of milk are far-fetched, they have no basis. And mom's panic leads to inevitable and natural violations of the regulation of many processes in the body. In particular, the processes of milk production are disrupted.

In this case, the well-known expression “Thoughts are material” is best suited for an explanation. mental processes in the body (in this case, our thoughts) are closely related to somatic phenomena (find their expression in the characteristics of physiology). Thus the vicious circle closes.

Today we will understand what indicates a true lack of breast milk. Let's find out the reasons for this state of affairs. Let's discuss what mom needs to do in a situation of lack of breast milk.

Signs that you can suspect a lack of milk production

These symptoms may include the following situations. Although I’ll make a reservation right away that it’s not at all a fact that it was the lack of milk that caused each of these situations.

1. Little or no weight gain in the child.

It must be understood that physiological weight loss (up to 10% of body weight) can only be in newborns. They are born with a certain water-fat reserve, which they lose in the first days of life. Then the children must constantly gain weight.

There are special tables with average numbers normal increase weight per month. Keep in mind that these are averages. It is impossible to strictly rely on these figures. All children are individual, therefore, they can gain weight in different ways. Someone is gaining in leaps and bounds. Some grow slowly but surely.

I can only say, combining the data of science and practical experience, that weight gain in a month of less than 500 grams already makes you think. If this happened only in one month, then it's okay. And if a child gains less than 500 g for several months in a row, then you need to look for the cause.

For mothers, it is important to know one more figure of normal weight gain - per week. Because how the baby grows, you need to monitor constantly, here and now. Finding out about the problem in a month, when the mother and baby go to a scheduled appointment with the doctor, is an unacceptable mistake.

So, for a week, on average, the baby gains from 120 to 240 grams. If the increase in your baby was less than these numbers, then this is a reason to worry. If no others visible reasons No, the child may be malnourished. It is necessary to immediately try to correct the situation by stimulating lactation or adding supplementary food.

Table of approximate values ​​for the age and weight of the child:

Age	Weight
0-3 months	3-5 kg
3-6 months	5-7 kg
6-9 months	7-9 kg
1 year	9-11 kg
1.5 years	10.5-12.5 kg
2 years	12-14.5 kg
3 years	13.5-15 kg

2. Decreased excretory function of the child's body.

This clever scientific expression is translated into normal human Russian language simply - the child does not dirty diapers a little. In other words, evaluate how often the child poops and pees. Pretty simple and inexpensive way.

Breast milk is 90 percent water, so there is a simple pattern - than more baby drank milk, the more urine will be excreted. The child must be left for about a day without disposable diapers and count wet diapers. Urinate infant should be at least 10-12 times a day.

The frequency of stool in children varies. A chair in a child up to 3 months old can be after each feeding. This is very good. Maybe even less than once a day. And this is also not a tragedy, but most often a variant of the norm.

Here it is important to take into account weight gain, the mood of the child, the consistency of the stool. For example, when a baby sucks out only foremilk rich in carbohydrates but poor in fats, the stool will be scanty, greenish, and the graph of the weight curve will be flat.

If you have already counted 10 wet diapers in less than a day, then put all suspicions about a lack of milk out of your head.

What common situations do not indicate a lack of breast milk?

The child often requires the breast.

Breastfeeding for a baby is not only a way to get food, but also a way of close contact with the mother. A child may require breasts to satisfy hunger or thirst, or maybe to calm down in an unfamiliar situation.

Sometimes, with the wrong behavior of the mother at the beginning of feeding, the situation “Mom is a nipple” develops. Then the child literally hangs on his chest for days, even if he does not want to eat at all.

If a child often requires a breast, it is necessary to analyze the situation well to exclude underfeeding.

First, it is important to check if the baby is latching on correctly. Very often, the baby hangs on the breast for a long time and often requires it when he takes the nipple incorrectly. Then he gets little milk, and the baby tries to compensate for this by increasing the feeding time.

Also very often this behavior is observed during periods of so-called lactation crises. As a rule, crises in lactation can occur at the 3rd - 6th weeks of a baby's life, as well as at 3, 6.7, 9, 12 months.

During these periods, the intensity of milk production temporarily decreases. The reasons for this condition of the mother are in the hormonal changes in her body. Part of the reason may be the baby's ever-increasing need for breast milk.

The period lasts lactation crisis on average 2-4 days, sometimes up to a week. But this state just needs to be experienced. The problem is solved by frequent attachments of the baby to the breast, an increase in the amount of mother's drinking.

It is important during these periods to try not to acquaint the baby with a bottle or other "mom substitutes". After all, children quickly figure out where it is easier for them to suck. Of course, getting milk from a bottle is easier. The next day, the little sly one will not want to suck, he will be angry, tear the nipple.

If, out of ignorance or for some other reason, at this moment, mother again gives a bottle - write wasted. The baby will refuse breast milk or will suck out only the most easily available foremilk. And this is fraught for the mother with a general cessation of lactation.

Mommy's breasts are no longer so heavy and dense by the time of feeding.

Only at the beginning of the formation of lactation, the mother's breasts become rough, become heavy, as if poured.

After 5-6 months of lactation, the breast no longer reacts so much to the flow of milk. This is fine. soft chest does not mean a lack of milk, but only that lactation has been established and is proceeding normally.

Milk doesn't flow as fast.

Many mothers, referring to the fact that earlier before feeding or during feeding from the free breast, milk was intensively leaking, they suspect a lack of milk when there is little milk leaking. This is also an unreliable sign of a lack of milk.

This does not indicate a decrease in the amount of milk at all, but the degree of maturity of lactation. Over time, the muscular part of the ducts of the mammary gland (the so-called sphincters) becomes, as it were, more trained.

Contracting, the circular muscles of the sphincters no longer allow milk to flow out in vain in such a volume as before. The body adapts not to waste its resources in vain. Therefore, after a certain time of established feeding, these changes occur, which characterize "mature" lactation.

“I express literally drops after feeding.”

I often hear this phrase from mothers who, before suspicions of a decrease in the amount of milk, as a rule, did not express their breasts. And here, after feeding, mom nervously tries to express the remnants. Naturally, he receives negative result or very little milk.

Here the question is ambiguous, since a lot of factors influence the production of milk and its exit from the ducts of the mammary gland.

For normal discharge need milk comfortable posture mothers, contact with the baby "skin to skin", "eye to eye". Proper contraction of the breast during pumping is important, similar to the work of a child's mouth.

The emotional state of the mother during feeding or pumping is also incredible important factor. After all, the exit of milk from the ducts is ensured by the action of an emotionally dependent hormone - oxytocin.

This is confirmed, for example, with cracked nipples in the mother. WITH painful sensations when feeding, it is not possible to relax, which means that there is no release of oxytocin. In this regard, there is no rush of milk during feeding.

If this problem is not solved in time, then lactation is quickly curtailed.

The child is restless at the chest.

It happens that mommy notices anxiety, arching, twisting the baby at the breast as soon as he starts to suck. This situation often indicates not a lack, but a rapid flow of milk from the breast.

At the beginning of feeding, an oxytocin release occurs, and milk begins to come out quickly and easily. Naturally, the child does not cope with it, chokes, does not have time to catch his breath. The first reaction of the baby is to dodge, as if to get away from the stream, to catch his breath.

Another situation in which the baby may be worried at the breast is an incorrect nipple latch. The baby makes a lot of sucking movements and a minimum of swallowing. This inefficient work bothers him, and he begins to act up.

Follow the correct capture of the chest. If you can't handle this task on your own, a lactation consultant can help you. There are many of them now.

Here are a few signs right position baby and nipple catching during feeding (in more correct posture feeding - sitting):

• during feeding, the head and torso of the crumbs are on the same line (head, shoulder, hip joint);
• the child's chin is pressed to the chest;
• the baby opens his mouth wide;
• lips tightly wrap around not only the nipple, but also part of the areola. Underlip while turned outward;
• the tip of the tongue covers the gums, and a dimple (hollow) forms in the middle of it. The nipple is placed in this hollow so that the wave-like movements of the tongue can expel milk from the nipple;
• nasal breathing is free;
• breastfeeding does not cause any pain in the mother.

The time intervals between feedings are not respected.

Still, no matter how mommy tries to adhere to equal intervals between feedings, the child decides when and how much to eat. We, adults, also note from time to time either an increase in appetite or a decrease in it.

Children are the same individuals. Although normally, after some time, a certain feeding regimen is developed spontaneously or with some participation of the nursing mother.

In one feeding, the baby can eat less than normal By different reasons. Possible reasons - uncomfortable, wet, choked, distracted. This means that next time the baby will ask for food much earlier than mom expected.

Often there is such a situation that the baby is applied to the breast more often at night than during the day. That is, having eaten little during the day, the child eats up his norm at night.

This, of course, is tiring for a mother who does not practice co-sleeping with her baby. But this should not be scared. Night feedings have a beneficial effect on the stimulation of lactation.

And even at night, milk is especially rich in a hormone that normalizes human biorhythms, or a sleep hormone - melatonin. Thanks to this hormone, after night feeding, children sleep more calmly and longer.

Is checkweighing informative?

Often, doctors advise mothers to weigh the baby before and after feeding. So it is proposed to find out how much the baby ate from the chest. But this method is uninformative for many reasons.

First, there must be high-precision medical scales, which not everyone can afford to purchase. After all, a single weighing of a child in a clinic does not make any sense. In addition, the child may not want to eat normally in unfamiliar conditions.

Adequate conclusions can only be drawn from the results of regular weighings over a relatively long period. That is, you need to regularly weigh the baby after feeding for at least a few days.

Secondly, a child can eat 90 ml in one feeding, and 180 ml in another. That is, in subsequent meals, he gets what he did not eat in the previous feeding.

Mom during such “control feedings” is undoubtedly worried and tense. A normal, relaxed state cannot be achieved. Thoughts like “how can I do everything right” or “how much will he eat from me” do not give rest. This condition of the mother is also transmitted to the baby. The results of weighing after such feedings are not very correct.

It should also be said that the child loses weight with physical activity. Sucking is the biggest physical activity for the crumbs. During exercise, energy is spent, which is formed in the body as a result of the decomposition of organic substances. That is, during the control weighing, you, in fact, will find out not how much the baby ate, but how much he ate minus decomposed to receive the right energy organic substances.

In the end, the baby may just poop or pee during feeding. You will end up with a false negative result.

Summary: control weighings provide an opportunity to realistically assess the situation. But they need to be carried out regularly over a fairly long period of time. You need to do this at home. Weighings should be carried out on the same good, accurate medical scales. There is no way to do this - choose other ways to control weight.

Not enough milk: what to do?

If you still determine that you have little breast milk, then the following tips are for you.

Drink

Increase drinking regimen- one of the main recommendations if you want to increase milk production. It doesn't really matter what you drink. It can be tea, dried fruit compote, herbal infusions. The main thing is that the drink is hot. It is desirable that it be a sweet drink.

There is an opinion that some herbal infusions increase the secretion of milk. Even special milk teas and fees are sold. But in evidence-based medicine, there is no information about increasing milk production with herbal teas with fennel, anise, dill, cumin, fenugreek and other herbs.

Milk production is influenced by the hormone of the anterior pituitary gland (a part of the brain) prolactin. The release of milk from the ducts is influenced by another hormone - oxytocin. This hormone is produced in the hypothalamus (this is another part of the brain). It is clear that herbs cannot affect the work of these hormones.

But, probably, herbs can still have a certain effect not on the process of milk formation itself, but on milk flow. In particular, influencing psychological condition mother. The fact that the psychological state of a nursing mother affects lactation was mentioned above. This issue will be discussed further in this article below.

In addition, herbs can, having a biologically active effect, influence the formation of milk indirectly, for example, by normalizing the digestion or blood circulation of the matter.

When using herbal infusions and teas, be aware of the possibility of an allergy to their components. Essential oils, which are found in plants, can cause a baby allergic reaction. Therefore, be careful with them.

It is worth saying that any hot drink simply facilitates the exit of milk from the ducts. Milk production is unchanged and remains under the influence of prolactin. This acceleration of milk output is perceived by mothers as an increase in its volume. Therefore, almost everything that mom drinks should be hot.

It is also very important for a nursing mother to realize that she is doing something to maintain lactation. Formation of the dominant breastfeeding in the brain - effective method significantly prolong lactation.

Nutrition

The nutrition of a nursing mother should be rational. Meals should be at least five. At least three times a day, hot meals are required.

In the menu of a nursing mother, you need to include a sufficient amount of protein foods - meat, fish, legumes. Protein is construction material, which is so necessary for the rapidly growing body of the baby.

Also, the diet should be enriched with such carbohydrate foods as bran bread, whole grain bread, cereals from unpolished cereals (buckwheat, millet, pearl barley, oatmeal), durum wheat pasta.

This gives "long calories" to a nursing mother, plus it also provides the body with vitamins (especially group B) and trace elements. Please note: cereals should never be instant!

That is, the use of these products improves the vitamin and microelement composition of milk. Improving the quality of milk can be seen as one of the indirect ways to deal with the problem of insufficient quantity.

You need to be careful with vegetables and fruits, as bright red and orange foods can cause allergies in your baby. Some vegetables can contribute to the development of the crumbs intestinal colic. But in general, vegetables and fruits in the mother's menu should be present and make up at least 45% of the total diet.

Gradually, you will figure out which fruits and vegetables you and your baby are well tolerated in this moment time. It is worth giving preference to those cultures that have been growing for centuries in our latitudes.

All imported products that are not typical for us are potential allergens. I really don’t want to face allergies in crumbs during this difficult time.

Now I will mention special mixtures for nursing mothers. They are also called protein-nutrient mixtures. These products are enriched with proteins, amino acids, vitamins and microelements. They practically do not affect the amount of milk, but they can affect its qualitative composition in the most positive way.

Nursing mothers who, for some reason, cannot provide for themselves good nutrition(with a sufficient amount of protein, vitamins and trace elements) can take advantage of the offer of manufacturers of such nutrient mixtures. The composition of all such products for nursing mothers is approximately the same and is calculated taking into account daily requirement women in vitamins and microelements.

Stress and anti-stress in the life of a nursing mother

All recommendations for mothers who want to increase milk production begin with the recommendation that you need to learn how to relax, not get hung up on the problem. Your worst enemy aggravating the situation of milk shortage, negative emotions like “again, they can’t advise anything specific.”

I myself am a mother baby. Moreover, a mother working at home in parallel with the fulfillment of the direct duties of a mother of a baby.

I understand that recommendations like "latch your baby often" and "find a way to relax" are not very compatible with real life and with each other. Indeed, these recommendations are both correct and contradictory in many respects.

Another thing is that not everyone understands how to do it. I will try to explain and give examples of the types of relaxation available to mothers who think that there is no time even to wash and comb their hair another time.

Self-massage, hot bath, cold and hot shower, listening to calm music, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy ... These relaxation methods can be inserted into any ordinary day of a nursing mother. They don't take too long.

Many methods of relaxation can be combined. For example, a bath is combined with listening to music. In the shower, you can do self-massage of the feet or hands.

Of course, one cannot do without the help of loved ones in such a situation. Important task- to explain to your loved ones that the calmness of the mother and child, their health now depends on the attention, understanding, perseverance and perseverance shown by all family members at this critical moment.

Non-drug stimulation of lactation

Attachment and pumping

One of the main recommendations when reducing the amount of milk is to increase the frequency of applying the baby to the breast. Frequent application promotes signals to the mother's brain that the baby's needs are growing - it's time to increase milk production. This is where the supply-demand principle comes into play.

The more the child sucks, the more in place of the sucked milk will come next time. That is why pumping after feeding stimulates lactation.

And in no case should you consider that by pumping you take an extra portion of milk from the baby. It only takes once for this remaining milk to stagnate in the breast and be unclaimed, and the brain will receive a signal that milk in such volumes is not needed - we reduce production.

And production will be reduced, rest assured! The body will never do unnecessary work.

Therefore, do not leave a drop of milk after feeding, express. Constantly tell your body - you need more milk, you need more. You see, everything is used up, there is nothing left.

This is especially important in the first month of feeding, during the period of lactation. The child is still small, he does not have time to eat everything. We need to help him.

In the first 3-4 weeks of lactation, there is a rapid increase in the amount of milk if all the milk is used. And if the milk remains in the breast, the build-up does not go.

After a month, lactation is established, the amount of milk does not increase so quickly. You can relax a little. But remember - once or twice unused milk burned out in the breast - and less new milk will be produced for this amount of new milk. And it's unlikely to be returned.

Who is not too lazy to work in the first month - will feed the baby for a long time and successfully. That's when you can relax. After all, breastfeeding is not only good for the baby. This is a huge relief for mom, especially at night.

Expressed milk can be offered to a baby not from a bottle, but from a spoon, a syringe, since at such a critical moment all mother's nipple substitutes will play a cruel joke on you.

And now back to the situation that milk is still not enough.

To date, there is an excellent system of complementary feeding at the mother's breast, which provides stimulation of the breast by sucking the baby, even if there is little milk in it. Moms very often face such a problem when it is impossible to force a half-empty breast of a baby to suck. The feeding device solves this problem.

The system is a reservoir with a lid, from which two thin catheters emerge. The tip of this catheter is inserted into the corner of the baby's mouth while breastfeeding. With sucking movements, milk enters the baby, and he does not even know about such a trick.

The breastfeeding system (Supplementary Feeding System SNS) is shown in these photos.

Two tasks were thus solved at the same time: both stimulation of the breast by sucking the baby, and the baby gets food and does not act up.

Of course, it is better if there is expressed mother's milk in the tank than its substitutes. All formula milks have a sweeter taste. Babies feel this and may refuse to breast just because of this.

Physiotherapeutic methods of stimulating lactation exist and are quite effective. Very common UHF, ultrasound, vibration massage but only a doctor can prescribe them.

Negative point - mom needs to go away for certain time to the clinic for these procedures. It is forbidden to perform them at home. This circumstance makes the use of such procedures absolutely impossible for many mothers.

Drug stimulation of lactation

To stimulate lactation, homeopathic preparations such as Mlekoin, Laktogon, and the Milky Way are sometimes recommended. Needless to say, there are no studies to prove their effectiveness. From my personal experience I got more work as a pediatrician positive feedback about these drugs than negative ones.

The choice is yours, but do not forget that self-medication is unacceptable. Any drug should be prescribed only by a doctor who has assessed your characteristics and tendency to allergies. For example, if you are allergic to any bee products, Mlekoin is contraindicated.

Using these drugs without a doctor's prescription, you will act at your own peril and risk.

But, before you start stimulating lactation, you need to know for sure whether your baby is really not getting enough breast milk. I hope this article helped you decide on this issue. Let it go breast-feeding You will be happy, and your child will be healthy!

Elena Borisova, a practicing pediatrician, twice mother, told you about the signs of a lack of breast milk and how to solve this problem.

All parents want their children to grow up healthy and happy. While the baby is very tiny, the concept of health and happiness is closely related to how much the child has enough food. Therefore, many mothers may face the question: how to determine whether the baby is getting enough nutrition? This question is especially often asked by mothers who are breastfeeding. How to find out, is the child eating? How long should the baby be at the breast? Is not it little milk? Child crying from hunger or for some other reason? What if the child "uses her breasts like a pacifier"?
Let's try to answer these and many other important questions!

In fact, there are only two reliable ways to determine if a mother has enough milk:

Weekly weight gain for a child: 125g or more.

According to the World Health Organization baby weight tables, healthy babies gain from 500 g to 2 kg for each of the first 6 months of life. If the child does not gain anything, or not gaining enough weight- this is an occasion to look for errors in the organization of breastfeeding or contact a breastfeeding specialist.

Number of urination per day: 12 or more.

A child who receives nothing but mother's milk directly from the breast must pee at least 12 times a day. You need to count urination without a diaper, diapers, sliders, panties. If child pees a little, this is an occasion to think about how well breastfeeding is organized and, if necessary, correct those points that call for difficulties. As a rule, first of all, it is desirable to start putting the baby to the breast more often and check how well the baby captures the mother's breast.

All other signs are not reliable and cannot help the mother determine if the baby is full.

Consider the most common ways that mothers erroneously use:

So, what should a mother do who thinks that she has little or not enough milk?

The first step is to evaluate the child's weight gain and then count the number of urination. If both are normal, it means that the child has enough food, and you need to understand where the doubts arise that baby is getting enough milk, in which real reason concerns of young parents.

If one or both signs are shown, that is, there is a real lack of milk - it is imperative to look for the cause and eliminate it as soon as possible. And the reasons may be, for example, the following:

• superficial breast capture by a child ();
• rare and / or short feeding;
• feeding according to the regimen;
• limiting the time spent at the breast;
• ineffective breast emptying;
• use of a pacifier and/or bottle;
• doping with water.

In this article, we tried to address the issue of insufficient milk production. We will gladly answer all your questions. And our wonderful Milk Fairies from the support group will be happy to help every mother to make breastfeeding a pleasure!

P.S.: This topic seemed so important to us that we wrote, in which we tried to disclose in more detail possible reasons real lack of milk.

Polina Novoselova,
lactation consultant

There are many questions about feeding a child in young mothers. Almost every breastfeeding mother is worried about the question almost from the moment of discharge from the hospital: is there enough milk for the baby? After all, it is impossible to determine exactly how much milk the child sucked from the chest - there are no divisions, as in a bottle, in the chest.

If a child often cries and requires a breast, this does not always mean that he does not have enough milk.

The mother's anxiety intensifies in those cases when she ceases to feel the rush of milk, when the baby does not let the nipple out of the mouth for a long time (“it means there is not enough milk”), when the child often cries, often requires breasts (“it means he is hungry”).

But these circumstances do not indicate a lack mother's milk:

1. After a few days (sometimes weeks) after giving birth, most nursing mothers stop feeling the fullness of the breast with milk. Basically, milk comes during the suckling of the breast by the baby.
2. The child can keep the nipple in his mouth for a long time, although he has already eaten, use it instead of a nipple. Although the concepts of "long", as well as "often", for different mothers differ, but the baby may not release the breast from the mouth for up to 2-3 hours. You need to pay attention to whether the baby swallows milk or just sleeps at the breast.

On the other hand, if a baby sleeps all night and never requires feeding or stops sucking milk after 10 minutes, then this is not a criterion for his satiety.

This may mean that the child is weak, a sufficient amount of mother's milk is not able to suck. That is, the baby who has to be woken up for feeding can also receive little milk.

There are no clear guidelines on how often and for how long a baby should breastfeed. It depends on many individual characteristics child and mother. One thing is known: the opinion previously widespread even among doctors that the baby sucks out 90% of the required volume of milk in the first 10 minutes of feeding is not true.

Each child develops his own feeding regimen. Recommendations to apply the baby after 15-20 minutes alternately to one and then to the other breast cannot be called correct.

Properly attached to the chest active child can get enough milk from one mammary gland.

1. At the same time, if the child does not swallow milk, but keeps the nipple in his mouth, then not only 20 or 30 minutes will not be enough for him, but a whole hour at the breast.

Limiting the duration of feeding or frequency (provided that the baby swallows milk, and not just “hanging on the chest”) should not be.

It is very easy to determine if the baby is swallowing milk by the movement of his chin: down to open his mouth and suck out milk, pause to swallow, up to close his mouth. The longer the pause lasts, the larger the sip of milk. For training, you can watch your chin while sucking juice through a straw.

1. Cry baby can, of course, from hunger. But there are other reasons for crying too. One of the common causes of a baby's cry is abdominal pain due to the accumulation of gases due to an insufficiently mature digestive system.

And if a mother, without consulting a pediatrician, decides to link crying with malnutrition and starts supplementing her child, then the situation will worsen.

1. Nuances can be many. For example, the following “test” is not an indicator of a lack of breast milk: after breastfeeding, the baby willingly grabs the nipple on the bottle with the mixture. This is just a manifestation of the sucking reflex in the baby. Some children, for example, begin to suck their thumb.

1. Many mothers regard the fact that they are unable to express milk after feeding as a lack of milk. But the mammary glands, a few weeks after the birth of the child, will be painless and soft, as if "empty" outside of feeding.

This is due to the fact that milk is stored in special formations - the alveoli, and only when the baby sucks the breast it enters the mammary gland. It is the stimulation of the nipples during sucking by the baby that leads to the release of the hormone oxytocin, which causes a rush of milk.

And expressing with a breast pump or hands does not lead to the release of the hormone of pleasure (the so-called oxytocin), so it is not possible to express milk, it remains in the alveoli.

1. Mothers may decide that there is not enough milk if, for example, a five-week-old baby begins to periodically drop the breast, cry and arch during feeding. However, this behavior does not mean that the milk has become less, it has “burned out” and the breast is empty. Namely, this is how the crying of the mother's baby is interpreted.

Sometimes anxiety may be due to the fact that the mother (under the influence of the advice of neighbors or grandmothers) from a bottle with a pacifier. The child compares the nipple with his mother's breast and he does not like that it is more difficult to suck milk, so he is indignant.

In this case, the flow of milk can be increased if the mother squeezes the breast with her hand; baby calms down.

The so-called control weighing, which is often used in children's clinics, is not a reliable method for determining the sufficiency or lack of breast milk. In this case, the child is weighed before and after feeding, and the amount of sucked milk is estimated by the difference in indicators.

If the mother feeds the baby on demand, then he is already convinced that he will receive the breast as soon as he asks. Therefore, he asks not only when he wants to eat or drink, but also in order to satisfy other needs. While sucking on the mother's breast, it is easier for the baby to urinate, empty the intestines, calm down when stressed, etc.

Therefore, with different feedings, the amount of milk sucked out will be different, it changes even throughout the day, which means that control weighing cannot be authentic way its definitions.

Ways to determine the lack of milk

Currently, experts consider only two methods of determining the sufficiency or lack of breast milk for a child who does not receive supplementary food and water to be reliable.

These ways are:

1. Determination of the number of urination per day. Normally, for 24 hours, a child older than 5 days from birth, receiving only mother's milk, should urinate at least 10-12 times.

Less than 8 urination per day indicates a lack of milk, Strong smell excreted urine, rarely occurring act of defecation.

For counting, it is required to use not diapers for one day, but diapers, gauze reusable diapers, and count the number of used.

The pungent smell of urine appears due to the presence in it, which indicates dehydration child's body due to lack of mother's milk for several days.

1. The addition of body weight also indirectly confirms the sufficient amount of milk for the child. According to WHO protocols, healthy baby weekly weight gain is 125 g. During the first six months of life, a child can gain monthly from 0.5 kg to 2 kg (according to WHO tables).

If the baby is not gaining weight or is not gaining enough weight, the deficiencies in the organization of breastfeeding should be analyzed and found with a pediatrician or breastfeeding specialist and eliminated.

According to the frequency and nature of the stool unequivocal conclusion about the sufficiency of breast milk can not be done. Some children have stools 2-3 times a day with a sufficient amount of bowel movements, while others - after each feeding. And for them, this is the norm.

But it also happens that the baby does not have a stool for several days, but at the same time the stool is of normal consistency, the child is calm, develops correctly and adds weight. And this is also normal - it’s just that his mother’s milk is almost completely absorbed by him.

Another thing is when rare defecation, scanty stools, insufficient weight gain, the amount of urination below the norm are combined - then the stool confirms malnutrition for the child.

What to do if there is not enough milk?

Frequent tactile contact the baby with the mother, joint sleep, nightly breastfeeding - all this stimulates lactation, helps to increase the amount of milk in the woman's breasts.

If one or both of the criteria indicate an insufficient amount of milk, you need to figure out what the reason is and quickly eliminate it. A pediatrician or a breastfeeding specialist can help with this.

The reasons may be different:

• improper attachment of the baby to the breast and, as a result, a superficial, rather than deep, nipple grip;
• short, time-limited or rare feeding of the child: pauses between feedings for more than two hours, especially in the first half of life, contribute to the extinction of lactation;
• feeding on, not on demand;
• lack of night feeding: at night, when feeding a child, prolactin is released - a hormone that promotes the production of breast milk;
• supplementing with water from a bottle or using;
• malnutrition or the daily routine of a nursing mother.

First you need to make sure that the baby is properly attached to the breast, that the baby is sucking milk and swallowing it. For any problems in this regard, you should seek help from a pediatrician.

If the baby gets tired quickly and falls asleep during feeding, you can irritate the nipple of his sponge or lightly pat his cheeks - the baby will begin to suckle the breast again. Some debilitated babies, especially premature ones, have to be woken up even at night for feeding every hour.

Such a system can be made independently by looking at information about it on the Internet. And the simple use of a bottle with supplementary feeding will quickly lead to a complete transition to artificial feeding.

If a mother overdoes with complementary foods for some reason of her own (sometimes in order to impress neighbors or girlfriends with constrictions on the full arms and legs of her beloved child), then soon the child will simply refuse to breastfeed at all.

Summary for parents

Parents' concern about whether the baby is getting enough is understandable: after all, one of the factors that ensure the health of the child is nutrition. But neither examination, nor palpation of the breast before and after feeding, nor expressing milk will give information about the amount of milk received by the baby during feeding.

If the baby is calm, gaining weight well, then there is no need to worry. But even the crying of a baby does not always indicate his hunger. Often, a baby can demand a breast not only when he wants to eat, but also when teeth are cut, or simply in order to realize his sucking reflex and suck on the breast instead of a pacifier.

Therefore, it is impossible to hurry with the introduction of supplementary feeding, when it seemed that there was not enough milk. Here, it will not be superfluous to count the number of urination, and follow the weight gain, and consult with specialists. After all, sometimes the problem is solved very simply - to learn how to properly attach the baby to the breast during feeding.

Breastfeeding consultant N. Zaichenko talks about how to determine if a baby is getting enough breast milk:

Pediatrician E. O. Komarovsky tells how to determine if a child has enough food in the first months of life:

"Is my baby getting enough milk?" - a question that worries so many mothers. Pediatricians with gain charts, grandmothers with their memories, friends with the most different experiences- everyone is interested in the weight and behavior of the baby, and now the mother begins to worry ...

Accurate sign

Reliably says whether there is enough milk or not, only one sign: a good weight gain. According to the standards of the World Health Organization, babies should add 125 g per week for the first few months of life. Note that the increase in the newborn for the first month is calculated not from body weight at birth, but from the minimum weight, because in the first few days of life, the baby often loses up to 10% of the weight with which it was born. This phenomenon is absolutely normal, but the lost 200-300 g also return not by themselves, but due to mother's milk!

When calculating increases, it is usually not necessary to weigh the child more than once a week. And the “control feedings”, which the doctors of the “old Soviet school” loved so much, do not give any idea at all about the amount of milk a mother has - on the contrary, too frequent weighing unnerves both mother and baby, already because of the weighing itself, the child may suck less, and the mother's milk production is worse. It is quite enough to do this once a week, at about the same time, and the baby should be weighed naked or in a freshly worn dry diaper (a thoroughly soaked diaper or diaper can pull 250 grams).

Well, in order for the mother to be able to navigate the situation on a daily basis, you can conduct a “wet diaper test”, that is, calculate how many times the baby pees. For a child older than a week from a family thatreceives only mother's breast, without supplementation and supplementary feeding with anything else, the number of "pisses" less than 8 times a day can make one think about insufficient milk supply.If the number of urination per day is 8 or more, then the child has enough milk, although, most likely, it makes sense to offer the breast more often. Well, when a baby urinates 12 or more times, then, as a rule, this indicates that there is a very good weight gain and, accordingly, you should not worry about the amount of milk!

Unreliable signs

And yet, most mothers begin to worry about the lack of milk, not focusing on the increase in the baby. A study conducted by Russian doctors in Astrakhan (A.A. Dzhumagaziev et al., 2004) showed that the most common cause the beginning of the use of mixtures - 50% of all cases - mothers considered "lack of milk". However, an in-depth analysis revealed that this “diagnosis” was justified only in 2.4% of cases. Usually mothers take the following as signs of a lack of milk ...

Mom stops feeling hot flashes . Most mothers (although not all) feel the rapid and strong filling of the breast with milk only in the first few weeks after childbirth, when the new hormonal status of the body has not yet settled. At this time, milk arrives sharply and immediately in large quantities, and after the so-called establishment of lactation, the body adapts to the needs of the child, and milk begins to arrive little by little, but constantly. As a result of the establishment of lactation, the breasts seem smaller and softer than they were just recently, but this is not due to changes in the amount of milk produced, but simply due to the absence of the previous sharp tides! The very feeling "my breasts are soft and empty" does not say anything about the amount of milk - while the child sucks and swallows, there is milk in the breast, even if it seems to you that this is not so: it's not about milk at all, you just have lactation.

Mom can express quite a bit . The breast is not a bottle; it does not show exactly how much milk the baby sucked. Some moms, worried about this, try to express their milk just to see how much there is. But the amount that can be expressed, even if it is one tablespoon, does not mean anything. Breast pumps are different, many models simply do not work well enough in principle or with some breast features; and you need to be able to pump effectively by hand. And the most important thing: no breast pump and no hands alone can produce milk as well as a properly attached baby can suck it! Breast and baby are originally meant for each other, everything else remains an imitation.

The baby often asks for a breast and sucks for a long time . There is no single rule for all how often or how long a child should feed. The child asks his mother to give him a breast, whenever something bothers him! This "something" may be hunger, but hunger is not the only one, and not even main reason to disturb the baby. The baby may remember birth stress, he may be bothered by pain in the tummy, or the head may hurt against the background of changes in atmospheric pressure and weather changes. And since mother’s breast is the most calm and comfortable place in the world, in all these cases the child will begin to give signs that he wants to suck: he turns his head from side to side, pulls his hands to his mouth, opens his mouth, even smacks his lips ... Yes, and the child sucks evenly as much as he needs to calm down. When the discomfort is small, then a couple of minutes may be enough, during which the child will suck out only 5-10 ml, which is necessary simply to achieve comfort and get the feeling that he is loved by his mother and his mother accepts him. And at other times the baby may be at the breast for a very long time; many babies love to sleep under their breasts, sucking, and this is completely natural for a baby! If the child constantly “hangs” on the chest, this also speaks not so much about the amount of milk (it can be all right with it!) But about the quality of attachment. Unfortunately, with shallow or improper application to the breast, the baby needs much more time to get the portion of milk necessary for saturation, although it may be enough in the breast. In cases where the baby sucks for a long time, and often - for example, by themselvesfeeding durationabout an hour with breaks, also about an hour, and so constantly - it is necessary that the situation be assessed by an experienced breastfeeding consultant, since it is precisely this behavior that often indicates improper attachment. The result is a decrease in the amount of milk that the baby is able to receive from the breast, even if there is quite enough of it.

Baby screaming after feeding . Sometimes, indeed, the baby can suck for a long time and not eat up - especially, as we have already said, in case of proper attachment to the breast when it is difficult for the baby to effectively extract milk. But there are many other reasons for such behavior: it can be colic, or teething, or a desire to stay longer with mom, or even get a pacifier if mom often gives it. On the basis of such behavior alone, one cannot conclude that there is a lack of milk!

The baby arches at the chest . But this feature of behavior is usually associated with the flow of milk. Newborns often behave this way because of the strong flow of milk they cannot handle. And in older babies, “bumping” most often means that the flow of milk is weakening, and the child would like a more active flow. In the first weeks of life, babies in such cases simply fall asleep at the breast, but a few months later - especially if there is experience of sucking a pacifier or a bottle - the baby begins to express his dissatisfaction with "bending" or scandals. The amount of milk has not changed, the baby has changed!

What to do?

But suppose the mother received strong confirmation of her opinion about the lack of milk. What to do if it is really less than what the baby needs? Do not rush to supplement with mixtures! Lactation is a hormone dependent process. The hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the amount of milk, is produced in response to breast stimulation. This means that the amount of milk can change both up and down depending on your baby's suckling. And in order for the child to have enough milk, by and large, it is enough to follow only four principles (they are arranged in order of importance):

Attach your baby to the breast correctly . This is important not only for the child, but also for the mother, since if applied incorrectly, the baby can damage the breast (which is why cracks occur). Feeding with improper attachment is often ineffective: the baby does not receive enough milk, although it can suck a lot and for a long time. The correct attachment is affected by the use of a pacifier and a bottle, since the very principle of sucking a nipple and a breast is different! Whatever "orthodontic" shape the nipple has, nothing can change that simple fact that for sucking the breast, the child needs to open his mouth wide and actively work with the lower jaw (this is the only way milk is extracted from the breast), and for sucking the nipple, it is enough to slightly open the mouth and make suction movements with the cheeks. Yes, and the feel of soft mother's breasts is very different from the hard silicone nipples, suggesting a different degree of impact. Very often, a child who is used to sucking on a pacifier begins to take the breast incorrectly and suck badly! Therefore, if the baby needs to be given medicine or supplementary food, it is better to do this from a cup, spoon, pipette or other supplementary device, in addition to a bottle nipple; video about various ways dokorma, in addition to nipples, you can see .

To attach your baby to the chest well, try to do this. Press the baby firmly against your tummy so that the nipple is approximately at the level of the spout. Support the chest with your hand so that thumb was on top, and the index and the rest - below, parallel to the lower lip of the child. Forefinger should be far from the nipple, no closer than 5 centimeters, so it will not limit the baby's opening mouth. Wait until the baby opens its mouth wide and point the nipple up into the sky. The nipple and areola should be deep in the mouth, more below than above. The lower and upper lips turn outward when sucking. When feeding, the baby's head is directed upwards, the chin is pressed against the mother's breast, and the nose either touches it with the very tip, or is completely free. Very detailed animated videos on proper attachment can be viewed , and the video of the correct application - .

A baby that is well attached sucks out fairly large volumes of milk during feeding. And this also applies to cases when the baby fell asleep under the breast - children have unique ability eat well in your sleep! You can be convinced of this if you follow the characteristic way of sucking a child who receives milk (and not just holds his mother’s breast in his mouth): when the baby’s mouth opens as much as possible, then before his jaws move again, the baby’s chin lingers. Such a "hanging" of the chin means a sip of milk. You can also notice this by the swallowing movement of the neck, but in some feeding positions it is difficult for the mother to follow the neck, but tracking the pause between sucking movements is quite simple. good selection videos about attachment and supplementary feeding options, where you can just look at the features of good and not so good attachment.

Some mothers believe that such pauses indicate that the milk in this breast has already ended. Just the opposite! A child who sucked at the breast with pauses of 15-20 minutes may be very full at the end of feeding, but if the baby just sucked without swallowing, then two hours may not be enough for him to eat.

Feed your baby on demand. The main advantage of on-demand feeding, which a mother who feeds her baby on a schedule can never be sure of, is knowing that the baby really , and that he is in the state of the greatest psychological comfort that is now available to him. The same baby may suckle at different rates different time their lives, because children grow unevenly, and their life circumstances are different. At any time, the baby may suddenly demand more frequent feeding within a few days, which will accordingly cause an increase in the amount of milk. Children are excellent at regulating their needs if they are allowed to control the situation. Of course, feeding on demand assumes that the mother gives exactly the breast, and nothing but the breast (no nipples, water and other liquids)!

An important point - feeding on demand can also mean the demand of the mother. Mom does not have to wait every time for the child to show interest in feeding, she can offer breasts on her own initiative. For example, the baby has overslept and is not applied for 3-4 hours, and the mother’s breast has already overflowed with milk. Or mom needs to go somewhere, but before leaving, she wants to feed the child. Or the mother has milk stasis, and she needs the help of the baby to dissolve the seal. Finally, if the “wet diaper test” shows the result from 8 to 12 times a day, then the mother should sometimes offer the breast herself so that the baby gets more milk.

Feed at night . The hormone prolactin is a "night" hormone: stimulation of the mother's breast from 3 to 8 in the morning causes its maximum production. Therefore, at night, the baby both eats and “regulates” the amount of milk from the mother. Usually healthy child, who is not bothered by anything, in the interval from 3 to 8 in the morning he wakes up two or three times to kiss his mother's breast. A mother who underfeeds her baby at night usually notices pretty soon that there is not enough milk in the evening ... In emergency cases, when the child himself does not wake up his mother for night feedings, you have to literally set an alarm clock to “save milk”. Co-sleeping with a baby or sleeping in a bed as close as possible to the parent's has helped many mothers cope not only with their nightly lack of sleep, but also with the problem of lack of milk.

Well relax . If the production of milk itself is associated with the hormone prolactin, then its release is associated with the hormone oxytocin. When a mother is in a state of constant anxiety, the oxytocin response is suppressed by stress hormones. This means that there may even be a lot of milk, but it is poorly excreted from the breast; it is this condition that is usually referred to as "the milk is gone from the nerves." In fact, it does not "disappear", but nervous mom it is much more difficult for the baby to suck it out. Therefore, it is important for a nursing mother to be able to relax during feeding, get enough sleep and be less nervous!

These four principles play a major role in maintaining lactation. If at least one of them is not observed, problems may arise with the amount of milk. There are many "folk" ways to maintain milk production, but most of them have no basis, and the rest will give very little effect without following the basic principles. But as auxiliary they can be used.

Pumping can be used to gradually replace formula supplementation with breast milk. In this case, the mother expresses her breast several times a day (in addition to feeding if she is with the baby, or instead of feeding if they are separated), stimulating the breast for additional milk production and.

It will be great if, if necessary, supplementary feeding, it is given to the crumbs throughbreastfeeding system- it is a container where supplementary feeding is poured, and from where two maximally thin capillaries depart, one of which is inserted into the baby's mouth to ensure a constant supply of nutrition during breast sucking. Even if the breast is completely empty, when using such a system, the baby will receive nutrition precisely when sucking - and, unlike other methods of supplementary feeding, this one allows not only to feed the child, but also to stimulate the breast to increase its own milk production! In the videos linked above, you can look at supplementary feeding using such a system.

Skin to skin contact , that is, frequent carrying on the hands or in a sling, and laying the crumbs on your stomach stimulates both lactation and good development baby. This is especially useful if the baby is restless under the breast.

Lactic agents different mothers have different effects. Western doctors and consultants believe efficient use herbs and seeds of fenugreek (also known as shambhala and fenugreek) - you can usually buy it in the spice departments; by the way, fenugreek is a part of many mixtures sold under the name "curry", its content in such a mixture can reach 20%. . But in general, recipeswhich there are a lot of people walking around, are far from being effective for everyone - and sometimes, unfortunately, they also cause an allergic reaction in the baby. And, in particular, such a popular remedy as hot tea activates the flow of milk, but does not increase its total amount.

The main thing to remember is that if the mother wishes, any problem is solved. Lactation consultants help breastfeed even babies who are not receiving breast milk or very little. Just feel free to ask for advice!

Author , in the design of the article used photos Olga Ermolaeva

How do you know if a baby is getting enough breast milk? What signs of deficiency are true, and what to do in a situation where there is really little milk? You need to look closely at the condition of the baby and make sure that he takes the breast correctly.

Breastfeeding mothers, especially those with their first child, often feel like they don't have enough milk in their breasts. In a world where everything can be calculated and measured, it is difficult to accept the fact that the amount of food for a newborn is determined only by how the mother's body reacts to the child's appetite.

It is very important to properly attach the baby to the chest and listen to your feelings. Reliable indicators of sufficient or insufficient nutrition are the frequency of urination and the regularity of stools, and in the long term - normal weight gain.

The needs of the newborn are determined by two factors: body weight and age. In the first days after childbirth, mothers worry about whether the baby has enough breast milk, since the breast produces very little food for the newborn - nourishing colostrum. The volume of milk needed can be imagined, given that the baby is born with a stomach with a capacity of 7 ml. Already on the 4th day, it will increase to 40 ml, after 10 days it will be approximately 80-90 ml, and by the age of one month it will be equal to 100 ml.

• 10 days-6 weeks - the child needs a volume of milk equal to 1/5 of its mass own body per day;
• 1.5-4 months - 1/6;
• 4-6 months - 1/7;
• 6-8 months - 1/8;
• 8 months - 1 year - 1/9.

On-Demand Feeding Technique

The on-demand feeding technique is the foundation of successful breastfeeding.

In the first months of life for a child, contact with the mother is of paramount importance.

It seems to many that education begins later, but no, it begins from the first days of life. And the rejection of breastfeeding without a good reason, due to difficulties at the stage of lactation, leads to the loss of some kind of closeness with the newborn.

He, like any person, wants to be heard and understood: therefore, the on-demand feeding technique has won such approval.

Trust nature, listen to your child, overcome difficulties. The formula bottle and pacifier can become necessary addition but they are no substitute for the intimacy that breastfeeding provides.

Feeding "on demand" is recognized by pediatricians as the optimal scenario for healthy and complete lactation. The mother's body is set up to provide the baby with food and is able to produce as much milk as needed.

Putting the baby to the breast when he asks himself - The best way to achieve a balance between milk production and the needs of the newborn.

How often to breastfeed a newborn

Let the child determine how much milk he needs. When the formation of lactation occurs, you need to put the baby to the breast whenever he asks. This will run natural mechanism that regulates milk production.

If the mother is guided by some artificially created schedule, she will soon face the question: not enough breast milk, what to do? You just need to entrust the child with the right to decide how much to eat, even if at first he will ask for a breast 25 times a day. No worries - by 3 months he will come to the regimen of about 6 feedings per day.

Regarding the duration of feeding sessions. For a newborn, everything is unusual and frightening, and near maternal breast he feels most protected. So even if it seems that the baby is just sleeping with the nipple in his mouth, there is no need to take it away. In addition, the longer he suckles, the better he stimulates lactation.

Signs of milk supply

How do you know if your child is getting enough food? “Watch the baby, not the clock!” This phrase is familiar to many mothers who have consulted lactation specialists.

Neither the duration nor the frequency of breastfeeding guarantees that the baby is full. Reliable information can only be obtained by observing the condition of the newborn and natural physiological processes.

Urination frequency

In the first days after childbirth, when the baby eats colostrum instead of breast milk, the daily volume of urine will be small. It will take 2 diaper changes, so that each baby will write 2-3 times. You can determine when it's time to change a diaper by weight. A urine diaper will weigh the same as a new diaper filled with 3-4 tablespoons of water.

When a baby switches to full milk, he gets more liquid and will pee more often. This can happen 12 times a day, so you will need 5-6 diapers already.

For the purity of the data, it is important that the child eats only mother's milk. and extra drinking leads to increased urine production.

Frequency appearance of stool

Pay attention to the consistency and color of the stool - if the feces are mucus or blood, then this is cause for concern

If the baby does not have enough breast milk, it will be noticeable in his stool. What can a breastfeeding mother expect?

In the first 3 days after birth, 1-2 times a day, the baby will poop dark green meconium - this is all that has accumulated in his intestines during pregnancy.

On day 3, the stool should brighten, normally the baby's stool is watery, mustard color, almost odorless. If - serious reason for worry.

But do not confuse if the child has a real one. Its reasons are described in detail here. If the chair dark brown and thick, perhaps the child does not have enough milk with breastfeeding, but before introducing supplementary feeding, you need to consult a specialist.

The frequency of bowel movements during the formation of breastfeeding reaches 5 times a day. Everything is individual: someone more often, but little by little, it happens that after each feeding. Someone less often, but in impressive portions. Normal for a baby up to 1.5 months - at least 2 times a day. After 1-1.5 months, the bowel habits may change - this is not a problem if the stool is still mustard-colored and creamy.

Characteristic sucking

An experienced nursing mother understands that the baby is getting enough milk by the way he suckles. How does this happen? If a newborn holds a nipple in his mouth, and by the movement of his lips and cheeks it is noticeable that he is trying to suck, this does not mean that he is eating. When he has little breast milk, the baby will do the same.

A sure sign that there is enough food is noticeable gaps in the movements of the chin at the moment when the mouth is as open as possible. The correct breast sucking algorithm is as follows: mouth wide open - pause - mouth closes. The movement is similar to how adults drink drinks through a straw. A pause in the movement of the chin means that the baby swallows milk. The longer it is, the more milk went to the tiny tummy.

Thus, the time that the baby spends with the breast in his mouth does not play any role - what matters is how he sucks, whether he can swallow milk.

Weight norm

After giving birth, the baby needs about 4 days to get rid of meconium and swelling, after which weight gain begins. The norm is an increase in body weight by 125-250 g per week. For the purity of the data, the baby must be weighed either naked or in a dry diaper.

6 false signs of lack of milk and 1 cause for concern

Some mothers believe that if there is no feeling of breast fullness, then there may not be enough milk for feeding (often this opinion exists among inexperienced nursing mothers with small breasts)

1. There is no feeling of breast fullness - this is normal, in the first days or weeks after childbirth, few people feel it. For some women, the impression of fullness does not appear for the entire time of breastfeeding, and this does not affect the quality of lactation in any way.
2. The baby cries immediately after feeding. One of the reasons may be hunger, but there is a high probability that he is disturbed by colic or other discomfort. You should not feed the baby by the clock: let him suckle as much as he wants. Do it.
3. You have to feed often, and feeding sessions last a long time. There is no single correct lactation schedule- the needs of each baby are individual. Someone wants to eat more often, but little by little, and someone less often, but in large portions. You need to focus on the fact that the child really sucks at the breast and swallows milk, as well as on the volume of stool (2-3 times a day). If something seems to be wrong and the baby is malnourished, you need to see a doctor, and only he can advise how to supplement the baby if there is not enough milk. It is undesirable to introduce complementary foods on your own.
4. Many mothers express milk to estimate the volume and are upset when the results do not meet some standards. In the vast majority of cases, a breastfeeding woman has enough milk in her breast, and problems arise because the baby is not properly attached to the nipple or sucks ineffectively. The reasons why baby refuses to breastfeed, freaking out and crying are described in this.
5. If a baby is offered a bottle immediately after feeding, he will also eat mixtures. This does not necessarily indicate that he is hungry. By checking the quality of feeding in this way, parents risk influencing it in a negative way.
6. A sharp increase in appetite - the child asks for a breast more often and sucks for longer - means another growth spurt, and not a lack of milk. You should apply the baby to the breast on demand, and very quickly milk production adapts to increased needs.

If the baby does not wake up on his own for night feeding, this does not mean that he is full. In children infancy very fast metabolism, and they are not able to eat for 7-9 hours for the future.

Please note that weight and height norms are periodically reviewed approximately every 10 years, and what was the norm 10 years ago is no longer considered the norm now. Dr. Komarovsky talks about this and much more:

Deficiency behavior technique or how to increase milk production

I always scold young mothers who, at the slightest difficulty, run for a bottle of formula. You don't need it! Understand that breast milk is the most beneficial for a newborn.

And bringing lactation back to normal is not so difficult, you just need to make an effort and be patient for a few days. But do not neglect breastfeeding, it gives immunity and protection, which are difficult to overestimate.

The child rarely asks for a breast, looks lethargic and lethargic, and does not gain weight well. Most likely, he does not have enough natural food. But supplementary feeding artificial mixtures should be a last resort, before moving on to it, you should try to establish lactation. What to do if there is not enough breast milk?

• Attach the baby to the breast as often as possible, do not take it away until it looks like he is suckling.
• End the feeding session only when the baby wants it.
• Offer both breasts at every feeding. Start the next feeding from the breast that was the last one last time.
• If the newborn sucks sluggishly, you need to change the breast more often. Every time when it is noticeable that he has stopped swallowing, you should shift him to the other breast.
• Do not give your baby a pacifier - it reduces the effectiveness of suckling during feeding. If in the end you still have to give complementary foods, you need to do this from a cup or spoon, without a pacifier.
• Take care of mom. In order for milk to be produced in sufficient quantities, she should not be nervous. It is important to eat well, rest as much as possible and drink enough fluids.

Using these recommendations, you can solve the problem of lack of milk in the breast and stabilize impaired lactation. If this fails, you should refer to the information provided in the article. This is not a cause for concern: perhaps the baby does not take the nipple correctly or something else has happened that is easy to fix.

From the stories of parents

Tatyana, 27 years old, Lesha's mother, 9 months old

As time passes, I understand that all this is ridiculous, but I will write for those who are mistaken just like I once was. I myself have small breasts, and I have always secretly worried about how I can feed a child. She gave birth, there was very little milk, so it seemed to me.

I listened to mothers with such problems ... I found another reason for concern: there was no feeling of "fullness" of the breast. Well, yes, it increased, but there was nothing like it is written there. Fortunately, I still decided to contact a lactation specialist, and not torture myself with doubts while sitting at home.

It turned out that everything is in order, the baby should eat as much as he wants, and if he poops and pees normally, it means that he is full. In general, I advise everyone: when in doubt, contact professionals, do not trust information from third parties.

Julia, 28 years old, Samara, mother of Milana, 6 months

We had problems at the very beginning, at 1 month, that is, I thought so. Mom advised me to switch to "Baby" and not fool myself. It seems like she only fed me for a month, and nothing. But I decided to find out why this is happening, and went for a consultation.

It turned out that we mistook for a lack of milk a natural breastfeeding crisis, when a child has a growth spurt. The doctor said that in a week or two everything will be fine, but for now need to put the baby to the breast more often. And you know what? Milk really became more in just a few days.

Conclusion

To determine if the baby is getting enough breast milk, no special measurements are needed, just carefully observe the baby. The main indicator that he eats normally is good mood, activity and regular excretion of urine and feces in sufficient volume. If the baby releases the nipple on its own and falls asleep calmly after feeding, it means that he has eaten. If he sleeps until next feeding– 3-4 hours is also a good sign.

A child who fits into the norms of height and weight for his age, fully eats. All physiological indicators individual, when there are suspicions that the baby’s milk is not enough, you need to seek help from a specialist. You can find answers to frequently asked questions to pediatricians about the topic of the article from the video: