bottle-feed instead is not a positive or negative reflection on your
mothering. What is important is that your husband and you decide what is
best for your baby.
Insufficient Milk Production
Regardless of which feeding philosophy you follow, you cannot add to
what nature has left out. The anxiety created by the fear of failure is itself
a contributor to milk deficiency. Because so much guilt is placed on
mothers who are not successful at breast-feeding, many of them go to
extremes to become milk-sufficient.
In most cultures, 5 percent of nursing mothers during peacetime and
up to 10 percent during wartime will not produce enough milk to satisfy
their infants’ needs. Some mothers may initially be milk-sufficient but
become insufficient by the third month. This sometimes happens even
though baby is cooperative and sucking frequently and mom is using
correct nursing techniques, receiving adequate food and rest, and has
sufficient support from her husband and family.
If You Question Your Milk Supply
If at any time you question the adequacy of your milk supply, observe
routine fussiness after every feeding, or your baby is having difficulty
going the appropriate duration between feedings, review the external
stresses in your life. Eliminate what you can. This is true whether baby is
four weeks old or four months old.
Ask yourself the following: Are you too busy or not getting enough
sleep? Are you drinking enough liquids? Is your intake of calories
adequate? Are you dieting too soon, or are you on birth control pills? Are
you following your doctor’s recommendation for supplemental vitamins
during lactation? Also consider the technical aspects associated with
feeding. Is the baby positioned properly and latched on correctly? Is your
baby taking a full feeding from both breasts?
- If you question your milk supply in the first two months: for a baby