Milk Supply

Questions and concerns about milk supply is by far the most common reason families call our warm-line. Low milk supply is cited in the breastfeeding literature as the number one reason why mothers start supplementing with formula. It’s hard to have faith in something we can’t directly measure. Breasts are not transparent, so we have to use other indicators to know that your body is making enough milk. The fact is that most women’s bodies over-produce milk in the first few months of lactation; it is  mother nature’s insurance policy! The vast majority of women’s bodies will make as much milk as their babies drink (baby’s demand = mother’s supply). If you are worried about your milk supply, that just means you are a good mom…of course you want to ensure your baby is getting all the nutrition they need! Your baby’s growth and output are things you can measure. Here’s how you can tell you have a good milk supply:

• your newborn baby (less than 5 days old) has lost less than 10% of their birth weight and is passing several yellowish stools a day/has clear or light yellow urine

• your young baby (older than 5 days, younger than one month) is gaining 1-1.5 oz/day, regained to their birth weight by about 10 days, and is passing several yellowish stools a day/has clear or light yellow urine

• your older baby (older than one month, younger than 4 months) is gaining weight consistently (but remember your baby didn’t read the guidelines and may follow their own growth track)

  • baby boys generally gain 1/3 – 2/3 lbs (5 – 11 oz) per week and double their birth weight between 3-5 months

  • baby girls generally gain 1/4 – 1/2 lbs (4 – 8 oz) lbs per week and double their birth weight between 4-6 months

Note that after about a month, we only use growth as evidence of adequate nutrition, not output. Your baby’s GI tract and gut normal flora (healthy bacteria that help with digestion) mature rapidly in the first month of life, so that stooling frequency is no longer correlated to milk intake after about one month. Most babies suddenly start pooping less frequently after one month of age…in fact, some older exclusively breastfed babies poop only 1-2 times a week! This demonstrates how thoroughly digestible human milk is for your baby.

Here is more information about how your breasts make milk, and strategies to increase your milk supply, including using breast compression, safe use of herbal remedies and fenugreek.

If your baby is NOT meeting growth guidelines and you are concerned about your milk supply for any reason, please contact us. There are a few conditions and circumstances that can affect milk supply, and we can address your individual situation better in person.