Tips on managing supply with IBCLC, Jen Mueller

introduction

This week we’ve collaborated once more with one of our very IBCLCs, Jen Mueller. Frequently, parents have many questions and anxieties surrounding establishing and managing supply. Jen is here to provide a few quick tips for nursing parents to reference. And, as always, having a 1.1 established relationship with an IBCLC is invaluable in navigating the nursing journey. Jen has been working with new parents, babies, and young children for more than a decade. She is excited to help BCGW families meet their breastfeeding goals. She offers practical and evidence-based advice and hopes parents find working with her to be empowering, non-judgmental, and enjoyable. Jen also enjoys working with the entire family as a yoga instructor and infant massage educator. Before focusing on lactation, Jen worked for years in non-profit administration and public health advocacy.

—

The number one driver of milk supply is milk removal and both frequency and effectiveness of emptying play a role. The more often and completely you nurse or pump, the more milk your body will make. There are no shortcuts or hacks to this milk-making processes, but there is a lot of individual variability.

If you think you are experiencing low supply (or are being told to supplement with formula or pump and bottle feed to improve weight gain) and you wish to breastfeed, you should be working with an experienced lactation consultant. They will help you figure out what is going on and develop a plan both for feeding baby and building your milk supply.

If your baby had been doing well, but is suddenly ravenous and frustrated and it seems like you are out of milk, there could be a few things going on:

Growth Spurt

Yep, baby might suddenly grow out of all their clothes or be visibly bigger in a very short time. Often a growth spurt means baby will nurse, and nurse, and nurse. Your supply will catch up. All will be well.

(If you've add pumping or formula to the mix, it's slightly more complicated but the principle is the same: Increased milk removals = increased supply.)

Baby Has Strong Opinions About Milk Flow

Baby likes it when mom's milk flows a certain way. Around 5-6 weeks, babies can get very opinionated (sometimes in conjunction with a growth spurt). Lean back if flow is too fast, sit up or switch sides if it's too slow. Switch nursing - changing sides multiple times during a feed - is a tried and true method of boosting supply too.

Baby Had Been Coasting On Early Milk

Sometimes babies let mom's strong early milk supply (for the first month to 6 weeks) flow into their mouths without working very hard for it. As milk supply regulates around 6 weeks, they suddenly have to work harder for milk. It's there, but it requires a good latch and sucking skills.

A lactation consultation can be helpful if you suspect this problem. This period can be especially challenge for babies with oral restrictions (tongue or lip tie) who appeared to be nursing well in spite of it during the early weeks if they can no longer compensate for their motor restrictions. Regardless, your LC can asses feeding, help you fine tune latch and positioning if needed, and troubleshoot any problems.

Reduced Feeding Frequency HAS Reduced Supply

Again, milk removals drive milk supply. Sometimes as baby gets older they take fewer feeds or start sleeping longer stretches and, without realizing it, mom discovers she's down to 6 or fewer milk removals per 24 hours. That simply may be too few for your body.

To build a healthy supply during the newborn period - the first 3 months - most breastfeeding parents need 8-12 milk removals per 24 hrs. Once you've built a supply, your body will basically stay there as long as milk removals are fairly constant. Often, babies reduce their feed frequency slightly after the first couple of months without it affecting supply. Different people have different sensitivities to changes in milk removals, but if you are finding your supply seems down, adding a feeding (or pumping session) is the best, most reliable way to build it back up. Whatever you think the cause, if struggles continue for more than a few days, it's probably time to check in with a lactation consultant.