Hi everybody!
Melissa here from CloudMom answering a question from Kyla Evans about breast milk in the early
months.
She says as a single parent, I have to return to work within 4 weeks from birth and my work
environment is not good for pumping.
That's too bad.
Is there any way to establish a good milk supply within that first month because all
the information I seen so far it's about a good milk supply being established after 3
months.
And thanks so much.
So thanks so much for writing in, I love your question and yes I think there's a lot you
can do in the first month to establish a good milk supply.
You're still going to have to work on it consistently though and at one month of age, if you're
back at work, I don't know what your work schedule is and how long you'll be at work
but you're going to have to find a way to pump during that time.
At least hopefully every 3 hours even if it's just 10 minutes it's going to make a huge
difference.
But to go for five or six or seven hours without pumping when the baby is a month old is very
concerning to me.
I'm worried about Mastitis.
I've gotten it many times.
Blocked ducts.
Many things can happen.You have to be regularly expressing that milk.
Both to have milk for your baby and keep your milk supply running and I think one month
is very young.
So try to figure out a way, a place where you can pump.
Maybe there's you know, a bathroom.
Maybe there's an office that somebody's not using.
I would talk to your boss about it.
I think it's an important thing that employers need to be offering to new moms.
It's a priority for their health, for the health of their babies and really try to figure
out a plan even if you could do it once or twice you know so that you're pumping every
4 hours.
Much better than not pumping at all.
That being said, let's talk about the first month and what you can do.
I just filmed a video on this which I recently put up about establishing a good breast milk
supply in the first month.
You want to keep your baby very close to you from birth.
You want to have that physical proximity that actually stimulates the hormones that produce
milk and you want to feed as much as possible from the breast.
Trying to get a full feed.
Emptying that breast, making sure your baby is awake and has burped and is full and that's
not easy because babies, very young babies get very drowsy and very tired so they start
to eat and just the process of eating is exhausting for them and they sort of you know nod off.
And so that's very tiring for babies and you will have to work hard to keep a baby awake
by undressing the baby, changing the baby's diaper, you know, walking them around so they’re
even a bit chilly.
Whatever it takes to make sure they're awake and full and that you're empty that breast
before you go on to the next breast.
That's the best thing to do because you're stimulating the breast to produce milk and
you're getting the baby that later hindmilk which is so caloric and nutritious.
My biggest piece of advice, then, is after every feeding, and you should feed every 3
hours at least.
So if your baby is fed at seven and you finish doing that around 7:45 or 8 they then nap.
Wake them up and start feeding you get at 10.
Every 3 hours from the beginning of the feed.
Feed, feed, feed.
After each of those feedings while you're burping your baby, holding your baby, maybe
your baby's already gone down for a nap, pump.
Pump for 5 minutes at least or so and you will regulate the production between both
breasts by doing this.
You will even things out because a lot of us tend to favor one side.
I favored my right breast.
I’m right handed.
You’ll produce a lot of milk and you know it will sort of make it easier you know for
you and you'll leave to go to work with like 30 bags of milk in your freezer and you'll
feel really great.
And you know this is controversial some people think it's over lactating but it really worked
for me.
It really took off pressure and it really helped me to sort of stimulate my milk production.
Okay, other thoughts.
You have to be careful.
Careful about your diet and your health.
You shouldn’t be smoking, you should not be drinking a lot at all maybe some small
sips.
Check with your doctor.
You have to be drinking a lot of water, eating a lot of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, whole
grains, good proteins, you know, meat and fish and chicken if you eat those things,
be careful about some of the components of the fish, make sure they don’t have mercury
and really take care of yourself and make breastfeeding your raison d’etre, you know,
your number one thing.
I had to devote myself to it I basically stayed home and sat in that nursing chair and breastfed.
That's all I did.
I wasn't focused on you know girls nights out and all the other things, I just had to
be around for the baby and it did really pay off.
So I'm so glad that you're making a plan to get through this first month.
Best of luck with the pumping situation back at work, and thanks so much for writing in
to CloudMom.