Tag: breast milk supply

Birth control and dropping milk supply

- Julie Matheney

Any birth control with a hormone in it can drop your milk supply. Hormones in birth control pills prevent pregnancy by:

  • Stopping or reducing ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary).
  • Thickening cervical mucus to keep sperm from entering the uterus.
  • Thinning the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg is less likely to attach. 

The Pill (estrogen and progestin) tricks your body to think is pregnant so it won’t ovulate. Estrogen based pills will drastically drop milk supply, just like pregnancy does, and should be avoided while breastfeeding unless your weaning. Hormonal IUDs (Mirena, etc), arm implants (Nexplanon, etc), and the mini pill (progestin only) are often recommended as the best form of BC while breastfeeding because most research says that they don’t impact milk supply. Many who use these methods don’t experience any supply drop. For some, though, any hormone based BC will drop milk supply, some times drastically. Every body is sensitive to different levels of hormones. If you have an IUD or arm implant placed and notice a drop in supply, the only way to increase supply again is to remove them. Increased pumping or herbal supplements will usually not be enough to increase supply again because you’re working against hormones. If you’re considering a hormonal based IUD and aren’t sure if your supply will drop, consider taking a few rounds of the mini pill (progestin only) which is the same hormone in the IUD and implant. If your supply drops, you only have to stop taking the pill and your supply will rebound much quicker. 

What can I eat to make breast milk?

- Julie Matheney

Prolactin is hormone responsible for making breast milk. We know that when you’re breastfeeding, you need about 300-500 extra calories to supoort making nutrition for your baby. You’re still eating for two!! There are foods with phytoestrogens which help boost and support your natural prolactin levels.

There are several main classes of phytoestrogens. Lignans are part of plant cell walls and found in fiber-rich foods like berries, seeds (flaxseeds), grains, nuts, and fruits. Two other phytoestrogen classes are isoflavones and coumestans. Isoflavones are present in berries, grains, and nuts, but are most abundant in soybeans and other legumes. Coumestans are found in legumes like split peas, lima and pinto beans. Eating these will naturally increase prolactin which in turn helps support making milk
🌾We all know oats are the go-to for increasing supply. They are rich in plant estrogens and beta-glucan. But other grains like brown rice, barley, and quinoa work as well!
🧄Garlic! It will definitely flavor you milk, but research shows babies love the flavor and often suck more in response and it’s been shown to increase milk supply
🌱Fennel: Raw or cooked, fennel seeds can be added to a recipe, or drunk as a tea. There are also many lactation specific supplements that include fennel in pill form for a more concentrated dose
🥬Dark Leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, and broccoli. And yes, you can eat broccoli while breastfeeding. 🥦
🌻Seeds: Sesame seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds are all super boosters of making milk and can be added to baked goods and smoothies very easily
🍓Berries: Get a phytoestrogen boost with fruits like strawberries, cranberries, and raspberries.
🌰Nuts: Almonds are high in linoleic acid and known to be the most lactogenic nut. Packed with healthy fats and antioxidants, Vitamin E and omega-3, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios are all good choices. Snack on raw or roasted nuts, add them to cookies, smoothies, and salads.
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COLORS OF MILK

- Julie Matheney

Your milk can be a variety of colors which can be caused by a variety of things.

💛Diets high in yellow-orange vegetables (yams, squash, carrots, etc) can lead to high levels of carotene in your milk, which can turn it yellow or orange.

💛Frozen milk may look more yellowish when thawed.

🧡Food dyes used in carbonated sodas, fruit drinks, and gelatin desserts have been associated with milk that is pink or pinkish orange.

💙Blueish milk is often just a higher water content in the milk. It could also be caused by food dyes.

💚Greenish milk has been linked to consuming green sports beverages, seaweed, certain herbs, or large amounts of green vegetables (such as kale or spinach). I had mine turn green from a plant based multivitamin!!

💗Pink milk, some times called “strawberry milk” be a sign of blood in your milk. This can occur with or without cracked nipples. Seeing blood in your milk may be alarming at first, but it is not harmful to babies. If you have any concerns or other symptoms associated, such as pain or mastitis, set up a lactation consultation right away.

💔Occasionally blood in breastmilk is caused by things other than nipple or breast trauma. Papillomas are small growths in the milk ducts which are not harmful but can cause blood to enter your milk. In the vast majority of cases, blood in human milk is not a concern. However, some forms of breast cancer can cause blood to leak from the nipples. Breast milk can also turn pink if a bacteria called Serratia marcescens is present, although rare this bacteria can be extremely harmful to young babies. If you’re experiencing pink milk without noticeable nipple damage, please reach out to a health care provider immediately.

🤎Brown milk may be caused by what is known as rusty pipe syndrome. During pregnancy and in the first few days after birth the ducts and milk making cells in your breasts grow and stretch. As blood flows to your breasts it can sometimes leak into your milk ducts, making your milk look brown or rust-colored. It usually clears within a few days as more milk flows through your breasts. Continue feeding your baby your milk.

Slacker boob

- Julie Matheney

Did you know? Around 70% of women produce more milk in the right breast. Which means 30% make more in the left. It is VERY common for one side to produce more than the other. Some times double on one side. We don’t know why. This is not a reason to neglect one side. You want to make sure you rotate which breast you offer first. Babies may prefer one side over the other for various reasons:

👶🏽They like to lay with their head in a certain direction or their body is uncomfortable in the opposite position

👶🏿They prefer the flow (one side may flow faster or slower than the other)

👶🏼They may prefer the flavor (YES!! Milk can taste different form each breast during the same feeding!!)

If you want to help balance out a slacker boob:

🔆Offer the slacker first more often. 

🔆End on the slacker can also help, especially if baby just wants to use you like a pacifier. 

🔆Pump the slacker side during or after feedings can also help stimulate more milk production

🔆Make sure you have the correct sized pump flange on the slacker side. Our nipples can often be different sizes and using the wrong sized flange can drop supply on that side

🔆Hand expression on that side at random times of the day even for a few minutes will jump start increased production. 

🔆If it’s positional from your baby (they only want to lay cross cradle to the right and not the left, experiment with other positions like football or side lying to help baby compensate for their body. If your baby prefers one side of the other from a positional perspective, consider taking your baby for some infant bodywork like chiropractic or craniosacral therapy.

Low Milk Supply

- Julie Matheney

There are people that will struggle to or never make a full milk supply. From 1 month to 1 year, exclusively breastfed babies average 25oz of breast milk per day. True low supply means making less than this when the breasts are stimulated at least 8 times in 24 hours. Chronic low milk supply is linked to either a greater health concern or something out of your control which you cannot change or fix with cookies, teas or even medications and pumping. 

🗝Low milk supply that can be increased with time and support:

  • 💡Taking certain prescription medications with a side effect of dropping milk (Sudafed, Benadryl, antibiotics)
  • 💡Baby not feeding efficiently from lack of oral motor skill or tongue tie
  • 💡Taking certain prescription medications with a side effect of dropping milk (Sudafed, Benadryl, antibiotics)
  • 💡Not feeding or pumping enough, especially over night
  • 💡Scheduled feedings or over use of a pacifier
  • 💡Birth. Many medications designed to help you labor and deliver actually inhibit baby from latching and feeding effectively for hours to days after birth. Hemorrhage or birth trauma can also cause low supply in the beginning
  • 💡Supplementing, especially in the two weeks after birth

🗝Reasons for chronic low milk supply that may NOT increase even with maximal support:

  • 💡Breast or nipple surgery, augmentation, reduction, trauma
  • 💡Insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). Breasts never developed during puberty and look tubular or widely spaced. Signs of IGT include breasts did not grow in puberty, or increase in size during pregnancy. No engorgement in the week after birth
  • 💡Uncontrolled or undiagnosed thyroid disorder
  • 💡Uncontrolled diabetes
  • 💡Hormone or endocrine disorders, including severe PCOS
  • 💡Hormonal birth control placed/used too soon after delivery
  • 💡Nipple piercing that scars shut instead of staying open

There is a mistaken belief that prescription galactagogues, teas, or herbs can cure ANY chronic low milk supply. Before self-prescribing or taking Domperidone, Reglan, fenugreek, or any other lactation supplement, consider having your serum prolactin levels tested and a full evaluation by a skilled lactation consultant. Continue to follow @lalactation in Instagram or see my videos on YouTube for strategies of breastfeeding with chronic low milk supply.