- I’m not producing enough milk
The more you nurse, the more you will produce, that’s how breastfeeding works. Let your baby nurse as much as they want to, especially in the first weeks of establishing breastfeeding.
This will let your body adjust to the needs of the baby, supplying just enough. If you pump in addition to breastfeeding, your body will produce more than it needs to accommodate.
When your baby has a growth spurt, their needs will quickly jump up. Your body will recognize this, and although it won’t be immediate, you will produce more to nourish the spurt.
During a growth spurt, your baby will nurse often and act hungry more often.
This is how God decided it. Your baby is not starving. They are just stimulating your body to produce more milk to sustain their growth.
Often times the milk itself changes to match baby’s new milestones!
It is extremely rare that a mother physically cannot produce enough breastmilk for their babies.
Parenting reported:
“The fact is, although the vast majority of new mothers are able to breastfeed, about 2 percent of all women can’t produce enough milk, regardless of their physical or emotional condition. Others may lactate poorly because they’re exhausted, anxious, or depressed, or weakened by postpartum surgery.”
It is usually insecurity that makes mothers feel they are not properly providing for their child. Get support from the appropriate people when you feel like this to give you the encouragement you need to press onward.
Just because your baby is crying, doesn’t mean they are starving. Check their diaper, hold them, burp them, or try some other means of soothing before jumping to the conclusion that you cannot breastfeed.