A lot of nursing moms worry that their babies aren’t getting enough milk. I do, too. All the time, even when I know it’s a totally irrational fear. I think it’s pretty normal for moms to worry about their little ones, even when all evidence suggests that they are perfectly fine.
The thing about breastfeeding is that you can’t really tell how much your baby is actually getting. There aren’t little volume marks on the side or anything. And it’s pretty common to experience some signs that seem alarming, but are actually perfectly normal. For example, here are some symptoms that don’t actually point to a drop in milk supply:
Your breasts don’t feel as full as they used to.
As the fabulous kellymom explains as your baby gets older your breasts will feel less full. They will gradually return to your pre-nursing state, even though you are producing a full milk supply. So don’t worry if your engorgement subsides. (It might even be a relief.)
You don’t get much milk when you pump.
Breast pumps are just not as good at removing milk from your breasts as a baby. This is especially true if you’re not an experienced pumping mom. And if you’re worried and stressed out your pumping volume will be even lower. Again that kellymom has some great information about fluctuations in milk supply with pumping.
Your baby nurses all the time and seems fussy.
Young babies usually nurse 10-12 times or even more during a 24 hour period. Breast milk is easily digested, they have small stomachs, and they’re growing very quickly. So they nurse. And nurse and nurse and nurse. And then they are fussy, frequently for no apparent reason. This is totally normal, and it does get better as babies get older. Every baby is different, of course, but most babies past the 3 month mark are less fussy, nurse on a more regular pattern, and are just generally nicer to be around.
Your baby nurses for only a short time and then comes off the breast.
As babies get older they become more efficient nursers. It is totally normal for the time spent at the breast to decrease as babies get older. There may still be longer nursing sessions, of course, but an alert and awake 3 month old can get the job done in 5 minutes when it used to take half an hour or more.
Your 6-week-old goes days without pooping.
Sometime around the 6 week mark the small quantities of colostrum in your milk disappear. Because colostrum has a laxative effect babies poop several times a day during the early weeks. Once it’s gone a breastfed baby may go a week or more between bowel movements. When that happens you can expect the volume to be high. This is a totally normal occurrence that can be a little alarming to the diaper counters (such as myself) among us.
So how do you tell if your baby actually isn’t getting enough milk?
For newborns, counting wet and poopy diapers and monitoring weight gain can be good indicators. If your baby is gaining weight and has several active and alert periods in a day then you can pretty much rest assured that he or she is getting something. It can also be helpful to keep an eye on your baby’s physical appearance. Babies who aren’t getting enough milk become dehydrated, their skin loses tone and firmness, and they may become lethargic. If your baby shows any of these signs, see a doctor immediately.
If your baby is out of the newborn stage, their development and temperament can be pretty good indicators that they’re getting enough to eat. A baby who is more or less meeting milestones and is generally happy and healthy is probably doing well. It’s normal for growth to slow somewhat as babies get older, particularly when they become mobile. By that stage, though, you probably have a good read on your baby’s normal behaviour and can tell when something’s out of whack.
Low milk supply is rare, although it does sometimes happen. I am certainly not dismissing mothers who have experienced this, and I know how devastating it can be. At the same time it’s good to know that it’s more common for a baby to not get enough milk because of poor latch, infrequent nursing, or fatigue. If you’re worried your baby isn’t getting enough the first course of action is to ensure the baby is latched well and increase the time spent at the breast. For most mothers that’s sufficient and the baby will get back on track.
Of course, anytime that you have concerns about your baby you should check with your doctor. You can also find some great information about milk supply on kellymom and on the La Leche League International web site. By learning what is and isn’t cause for alarm, you can better assess when help is needed, and when it isn’t.
As for me, I’ve come to accept that the occasional panic attack is par for the course. And that in spite of my irrational fears, my kids are just fine. Really.
~thanks for posting this !~i think it is a good reminder to us nursing mums-and encourgaement to those going through it- YOU CAN DO IT!!
appreciate the comments too- but want to emphasize- get help if you are concerned! Cole was NEVER happy, colicky, etc, and I did not know what a normal baby should look like. He nursed continuously, and 45 minutes was the most he slept for 5.5 wks – I was exhausted and of course stressed out… I am a perfectionist, and did not get what was going on, latch was good, suck was strong, positioning was relaxed… – my ample boobs did not produce near enough milk, which we finally found out at the breastfeeding clinic near Kitsilano. After meds, 8x/day pumping, 8x/day feeding, we were able to resolve the issue. *I* emphasize that, not all women are built this way… In fact, even through pregnancy, my body did not "act" pregnant… I may just be a "running cow" as my grandma terms it, coming from a dairy farm and knowing to WALK the cows in to get milked…
Great primer for new moms. I think the real key is to nurse often and on demand. As a baby gets older, they can also get distracted from the breast, dropping feeds early because something more interesting is going on. Important to allow that baby back when they realize that they are still hungry.
And despite certain conventional advice, I NEVER woke my sleeping babies to nurse, or for any other reason.
Heh. I wondered why she wasn’t pooping as much (down to 1 or 2 times instead of 4 or 5 times per day). Not that I’m complaining. Changing diapers is not my favourite thing.
Great stuff.
I had other issues and fears around nursing:
Going from and A cup to a DD OVERNIGHT,yeast, mastitis, hard ducts, really painful engorgement, TOO MUCH MILK!
Everytime I had a let-down the milk would squirt right to the back of my poor little tyke’s throat and he would choke and sputter and let go… I was afraid he was only getting the sweet fore milk and missing out on the fatty, later stuff. But he did feed “all the time”, so he thrived.
The nurses suggested I should have had twins I had so much milk… not very helpful to me because it was so painful and completely consumed my life (night and day) for the first 3 months.
On the bright side, pumping was never hard for me, I just stuck a clean container on the vacant breast and the fresh air would make a let-down happen…BAM!… I looked like a milk sprinkler! Shot clear across the room if I didn’t cover it. Night was the worst, I would SOAK 4 bathtowels every night (between the ample feedings) just from the constant drip…. I don’t have words to express how terrible it was. (but that passed fairly quickly).
My darling baby son decided he was too busy to nurse at 7 months… the rejection was painful, but I kept collecting the milk until he was 1 year old. Weaning was fairly easy for him, but hard on me as my breasts didn’t want to give up… if only there was a milk bank in our town, I could have helped somebody else with my crazy milk machines.
THANKFULLY with baby #2 my breasts seemed to have got the idea a little better… the engorgement was still HUGE, but it calmed down to just more-than-ample milk fairly quickly.
This is really helpful Amber – thank you!
This is great Amber. I could have used this right after I had baby #2. I spent a lot of time hunting down info on whether or not my baby was getting enough – I was SO worried about it.
It all worked out though.
I fully agree with not waking a sleeping baby for any reason. If they are hungry they will wake up! Let mom get as much rest as she can ’cause having a baby is a full time job.
The concept of breastfeeding was very stressful with the first baby, but just knowing that “it works” was enough to make things easy with baby 2. It was just really weird (but amazing and wonderful) that my body could make milk.
Great tips!
Yes this is something new moms worry about ans is often the thing they are told by midwives and health visitors truth is most babies who latching on right are getting enough milk and its a shame this is one of the main reasons moms give up breastfeeding.
As a breastfeeding support worker i have this question asked everyday.