The baby is restless after the shots, constantly asks the breast and mom, breastfeeding rookie, doubts assail: Do not eat enough? I don't have enough milk?
Breastfeeding experts are clear that if the baby is getting fat correctly, You don't have to do anything to produce more milk. The best recipe is breastfeeding on demand, as explained by the Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics.
The breast makes more milk than the baby drinks so that he never lacks and it is regulated according to the amount that the little one takes out. Keep in mind that breast milk is digested in less than two hours, so it is logical that babies need breastfeeding frequently.
Only if the baby loses weight or gains little should the cause be sought: a bad position, hypothyroidism of the mother, bridle on the baby's tongue ... and remedy it.
If the case arises, It will be the pediatrician who values it and says how to act. Occasionally medications (called galactogogues) are used to increase milk production.
However, the Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics warns that these medications should not be used too long and never without medical supervision.
So… What is true in the tricks to produce more breast milk?
Drinking a lot of liquid increases production
Many women feel thirsty when breastfeeding due to the effect of oxytocin (the hormone that stimulates milk leakage). For that reason they should drink all the water they need, but that does not mean that drinking more increases the amount of milk or that it comes out more watery if you drink too much water.
Beer helps to have more milk
It is true that this drink stimulates prolactin, the hormone responsible for the rise of milk, but there are no studies that support the increase in milk production. In addition, the Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics recommends "Do not drink alcohol at least during the first three months of breastfeeding and once this time has passed, drink small, sporadic amounts away from the shots. "
You have to take food 'producers'
We repeat: milk production does not depend on the maternal diet, but on the demand of the child. It is not necessary to take certain foods that are thought to increase the amount of milk: hazelnuts, sardines, cow's milk….
Nor avoid others because they can produce gases to the baby: such as legumes (which only produce gas to the mother) or that give milk a bad taste and can cause it to reject it (garlic, asparagus ...). Some babies may be disturbed by the taste, but others will love it.
The mother can take any food suitable for human consumption. Alba Breastfeeding explains what you have to eat while breastfeeding: legumes three times a week, dairy (no more than 4 servings a day), fish ...
Stress reduces the amount of milk
Throughout the twentieth century, it has been precisely the busiest and most troubled women, the mothers of developing countries, the ones who gave the most breasts.
It is true that a very big moment of disgust (such as a car accident or a death) produces adrenaline and cortisol in large quantities, which may inhibit oxytocin production for a while, the hormone responsible for the milk comes out when the child sucks. But in the chest there is the same amount of milk as before scare. What happens is that it does not come out so easily and the child may bother. But it is a partial and transitory effect and as long as the child continues to suck, the chest continues to produce.
The more the mother eats the more milk she will have
This measure will only make you fat and take longer to recover your optimal weight. If you want the baby to feed properly, and the mother regains the form after delivery, it is advisable to adopt a healthy and balanced diet, but complete.
Small breasts produce less
The success of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the size of the breast or the shape of the nipples.
A small chest usually has the same amount of glandular tissue (the one that produces milk), but less adipose tissue (accumulated fat). Only exceptionally there are breasts, not small, but atrophic and malformed, that do not produce enough milk.
The shape of the nipples in general does not affect breastfeedingHowever, there are particular situations, such as umbilicated or extremely large nipples that have difficulties at first. In these cases, it is advisable to seek help from a breastfeeding group to find the best position when breastfeeding and consider the possibility of using teat cups.
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