Producing Breast Milk – What You Need to Know About It
As breastfeeding is one of the primary obligations of a mother to her child, the female body is equipped with the capabilities of producing breast milk to cater to her young. Since newborns aren’t capable yet to ingest solid food, they rely solely on breast milk as a source of nutrition. This is why nature designed a mother’s breast milk to have as much nutrients as possible, as the baby will not have any other way to get everything he needs in order to be healthy. Breast milk also effectively protects the baby from infections and other illnesses.
However, as the human body is still not as perfect as one would wish it would be, there are still a couple of issues that go with breast milk and its production. One example is the problem of breast engorgement. As the female body makes milk for its young, it has a tendency to clog the very veins it runs on, causing it to swell. Although, this condition doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re producing too much milk, it is still a sign that you’re doing something wrong.
You see, while still nursing, the milk that you produce is in tune with the amount of milk your baby consumes. Your body will know how much your child regularly takes in, since it can easily assess its own processes such as milk production. So, if you weren’t able to express enough milk on schedule, some overcrowding will surely happen around the mammary glands, which causes engorgement that makes you prone to infections. Fret not, though, as there are a lot of ways you can do to treat the problem and even prevent it.
Another common issue that breastfeeding mothers encounter is the low milk supply. This occurs when the mother experience stress, switches her child to formula too early, or when she doesn’t nurse often enough. This can be a problem as breast milk is still strongly recommended by experts to be exclusively fed to children from one to six months old. Luckily, a lot of measures can be taken to increase the low milk supply in most cases.
The third, and possibly the most pressing subject related to breastfeeding and producing breast milk, concerns women that needed to go through cesarean instead of a normal delivery. Most pregnant women worry about what it would be like to nurse after a c-section, as the procedure will surely do something to their normal bodily processes.
Statistics show that almost one in four American women gives birth through a c-section, most of which are unexpected. This is why most pregnant women are curious about the topic, so they can be ready in case it happens to them.
The good thing, though, is that experts say that there shouldn’t be any problem in breastfeeding even after a cesarean delivery. The only difference that a c-section mother can have from one who normally delivered is that the former will need to rest first, which causes some delay on the initiation of breastfeeding. Other than this, there shouldn’t be any complications related to her capabilities in producing breast milk. Thousands of stories, and even pictures, can attest to this, so you don’t really have to be too worried.
Breast milk production will naturally take its course in new mothers; however, gaining more information about it would still prove helpful to you. Surely, the more you learn about producing breast milk, the more you’ll feel secure and ready to have your little bundle of joy.