Does the baby have enough breast milk? Komarovsky. How to increase lactation if there is little breast milk: ways to increase lactation. A short video on this issue

A caring mother will always strive to ensure that her child is healthy and happy. She is ready to give her baby all the best. However, many young mothers often have a question: how to increase lactation breast milk?

After all, its lack can affect the health and mood of the child. First, it’s worth understanding why lactation is decreasing and what are the signs of a lack of milk.

Mother's milk or formula?

There is no doubt that breast milk is the best nutrition for a baby. After all, it contains all the necessary components:

Essential amino acids, including the amino acid taurine. This substance is necessary for the maturation and normal development of the visual organs and nervous system. Albumin predominates in breast milk. These are proteins that are small in size and help digest proteins. large sizes– casein.
Lymphocytes, phagocytes, lactoferin, lactoperoxidase, immunoglobulins, nucleotides, enzymes, and hormones.
Fatty polyunsaturated acids, including arachidonic, linolenic and linoleic. They provide durability cell membranes. These components are necessary for the formation of mucous membranes and skin in newborn babies.
Vitamins D, K, E and A. These substances are necessary for the normal development and growth of the child’s body.
Phosphorus and calcium. They are necessary for the normal absorption of vitamin D, as well as for normal mineral metabolism. Thanks to these substances, the risk of developing rickets is reduced (more about rickets in infants >>>).
Beta-lactose. Promotes normal development of intestinal flora. This allows you to protect your baby from dysbacteriosis.

All of these substances are very important for a newborn baby. Infant formula does not allow you to fully saturate your baby's body. useful components. If the amount of milk has sharply decreased, the problem should be solved immediately.

Only 2.8% of women are unable to feed a child with their own milk. And this is due to the physiological structure of their organs.

So how to increase lactation while breastfeeding?

A short video on this issue:

Signs of low milk supply

Lactation is a complex process that requires some control. There are a number of factors that can affect the amount of milk produced by the mammary glands. How to determine its lack?

Here are some main signs:

Child's weight. If your child does not gain weight or gains less weight than normal, then you should think about it. The baby should regain its original weight two weeks after birth.
Number of urinations. You can tell by wet diapers or panties. If a child over 10 days old urinates less than 10 times in 24 hours, this is an alarming sign. Ideal if the number of urinations during the day is 12 or more.
Very rare stool in a baby can also be considered as an indirect sign of a lack of breast milk.

Basic principles of breastfeeding

To prevent lactation from decreasing, several basic principles of feeding should be followed:

Within an hour after birth, the baby should be attached to the breast. This stimulates the production of colostrum and then milk.
The baby must latch onto the breast correctly.

It is very important to teach him this. In one of the video lessons of the “Breastfeeding Secrets” course, you will learn how to properly breastfeed your baby and learn comfortable feeding positions.

If breast latch is not corrected, this will lead to poor breast stimulation, abrasions and cracks.

Organization of the regime.

For small child no mode needed. Put the clock in the far corner of the room, and apply the baby at his request. Frequent breastfeeding in the correct position helps increase milk production.

The baby knows perfectly well how much milk he needs and when he is full. Therefore, do not limit feeding to a time frame.
You should not refuse to put your baby to your breast at night. This allows you to increase lactation. Try to feed at least 3-4 times at night.
It is not recommended to bottle feed your baby. The baby may refuse to breastfeed altogether. After all, sucking milk from it is more difficult than from a bottle.

Remember how a house is built: first we lay a strong, solid, reliable foundation, and then build a beautiful house on it.

So it is here: you can increase the amount of breast milk by following the above breastfeeding rules. In addition, study the video course “Secrets of Breastfeeding” so that your milk comes in and your baby has enough of it.

How to improve lactation? Important Products

For good lactation, you need to regulate your diet.

Typically, nursing mothers are prescribed a special diet. In general, during the period of breastfeeding, the diet should include foods such as:

porridge with fruit, preferably buckwheat or oatmeal;
fish, eggs, meat;
raw and boiled vegetables (onions, radishes, carrots, pumpkin, etc.);
nuts (pine, walnuts and almonds);
royal jelly, honey;

A young mother should give up mayonnaise, smoked products, as well as dishes flavored with big amount spices

Various drinks

There are other ways to increase lactation. They cannot be classified as basic, but nevertheless they can provide temporary assistance to the body.

Start monitoring your drinking regime, drink at least two liters of fluid during the day. In this case, you should not take into account dairy soups and drinks. It is best to drink water or tea. So, how to increase lactation for a nursing mother with the help of drinks? Start drinking more drinks such as:

green tea;
compote made from fresh or dried fruits;
tea made from herbs that increase lactation (anise, cumin, oregano, dill, and so on);
fresh juices;
carrot infusion;
oatmeal broth;
nut milk;
blueberry or black currant juice.

Dill water is considered no less useful. This drink helps stimulate lactation and helps relieve constipation in the baby. All drinks must be warm, but not very hot.

Drink more clean water without gases.

Pharmacy products

There are situations when proper and balanced nutrition does not allow increasing lactation. As a result, breastfeeding becomes much more difficult. In this case, you can add, as a temporary measure, pharmaceutical products. The most effective are:

Tea to increase lactation: “Granny’s Basket”, “Hipp”, “Lactavit”.
Dietary supplements "Lactogon", "Apilak". They are made from milk-bearing herbs and royal jelly of bees. Many also recommend Femilak, which is a source of protein.
Vitamin complexes that are developed specifically for nursing mothers.
Homeopathic remedies that can not only increase, but also maintain lactation during constant stress and nervous tension. Such drugs include Pulsatill and Mlekoin.

Before taking any drug, you should seek advice from specialists. Do not forget that many drugs have a number of contraindications and can cause side effects.

ethnoscience

How to increase breast milk lactation using folk remedies? There are many alternative medicine recipes that can solve this problem. Here are some simple and inexpensive remedies:

Cumin with sour cream. A pinch of cumin fruits should be softened. Then they need to be added to a glass of sour cream. The composition must be boiled. This one takes no more than 3 minutes. The finished product should be consumed three times a day, one tablespoon at a time.
Take two tablespoons of dill, oregano, and anise. All this should be poured with a glass of boiling water. The drug must be infused for half an hour. Accept ready-made product worth up to three times a day for a tablespoon.

Only by following all the rules of breastfeeding can you increase lactation and consolidate the result. Do not forget what is important for the baby proper nutrition. Therefore, you should not switch him to baby formula and deprive him of the opportunity to feel maternal warmth.

The baby is going through a difficult period - the transition to life outside the mother's body. Nature has provided a special mechanism for easy and painless adaptation - breastfeeding. WHO states: ideal nutrition for children at an early age is mother's milk. Realizing this, many young mothers are wondering: how to increase lactation in order to provide the child with adequate nutrition without adding artificial formulas.

The rate of production and quality of breast milk

Nursing mothers are often tormented by doubts about the quantity and quality of milk they produce. In such a situation, the question often arises: is there any standard that reflects ideal performance?

Numerous studies have confirmed that throughout the day the rate of milk synthesis is not constant and is inversely proportional to the fullness of the breast: the more empty it is, the faster and more milk appears in it. Therefore, it is inappropriate to talk about the production standards for this product: it is individual for each woman and her baby.

The same can be said about the quality of breast milk. Its nutritional value changes not only depending on the age of the child, adapting to his needs, but also during each feeding: the first portions are designed to give the child more to drink and are therefore watery. The liquid produced further is fattier and more nutritious.

Therefore, it is difficult to establish the actual nutritional value of breast milk; it can only be judged by focusing on the child’s weight gain and his behavior during sleep and wakefulness. However, these indicators are indirect and do not always directly depend on the quality of mother’s milk.

Why breast milk disappears: common reasons for decreased lactation

The lack of mother's milk from the first days of its production, called primary hypogalactia, occurs due to hormonal imbalances, postpartum complications and underdevelopment of the female mammary glands. This phenomenon occurs rarely.

Typically, young mothers encounter secondary hypogalactia, when at the initial stage milk is produced in full volume, and then lactation decreases.

During breastfeeding, physiological conditions sometimes make themselves felt, accompanied by a decrease in milk production -. In medical practice, it is believed that they are based on the adjustment of the mother’s body to the growing needs of the baby, and this cannot happen at lightning speed.

Insufficient milk production is often the result of the mother’s wrong actions:

Feeding the baby on a strict schedule and at clearly defined intervals.
Strict time limits for each feeding.
Incorrect application technique. The mammary glands are not stimulated enough if the baby does not latch onto the nipple properly.
Uncomfortable position of the mother: any tension during the feeding process negatively affects the milk secretion.
Giving your baby extra drink without a serious reason. Water gives the child imaginary satiety, since the centers of satiety and thirst, due to age-related anatomical features, are located close to each other.
Using bottles and pacifiers. By satisfying the natural need for sucking at their expense, the baby will stimulate the mother’s breasts less, and this reduces lactation.
Attempts to create a milk supply. The mammary glands work on demand: the more milk comes out of the breast, the more will appear again. What is left “in reserve” is perceived by the body as an unclaimed surplus.
Avoiding night feedings, which are most important for lactation.
Separate stay of the child and mother.
Women's perception of breastfeeding as an ordeal. So she herself complicates the situation, focusing on a possible (often hypothetical) lack of milk. Stress experienced by a woman does not affect prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, but it does affect another hormone, oxytocin, which acts on the release of fluid from the breast. Therefore, under stress, this process becomes difficult: this is a natural protective mechanism that prevents milk loss during difficult periods of life.
Lack of rest and sleep. Days spent in worries and sleepless nights are a standard situation for the mother of a baby.
Taking medications. Some of them can disrupt the hormonal regulation of lactation.

In most cases, you can increase lactation by eliminating the listed factors and without taking additional measures.

Signs of low milk supply

For a nursing mother, it is important to be able to separate imaginary signs of a lack of milk from a real decrease in lactation.

Insufficient lactation: an imaginary problem

“The baby doesn’t get enough to eat” is a popular misconception among young mothers, which results in supplementary feeding with formula milk, the baby getting used to the bottle and a real decrease in milk production.

In many cases, mothers’ concerns about problems with lactation are unfounded.

The baby often asks for the breast. This is not always a sign of hunger: perhaps the baby needs communication with his mother or satisfaction of the need for sucking. If an hour passed after feeding, he could really get hungry: mother's milk is absorbed faster than artificial formula.
Baby's anxiety. The reasons for this behavior can be varied, and they are not always related to hunger.
Feeling of soft, not full breasts, absence of hot flashes before feeding. If the baby is fed on demand, milk production adapts to this regime, it arrives when applied.
The child does not refuse the bottle after feeding. In fact, many babies, even when fully saturated, are not averse to giving free rein to the sucking reflex, and besides, this is easier to do with a bottle or pacifier than with a breast.
Lack of milk when expressing. With established lactation, it is produced depending on the baby’s needs, so there is no need for this procedure.

Reliable signs of decreased lactation

Medical practice recognizes only two criteria for assessing the sufficiency of lactation as reliable:

Counting the number of times your child urinates throughout the day. Disposable diapers and supplements should be excluded during this period. 10-12 or more wet diapers in 24 hours is an indicator that the baby has enough milk. If fewer are obtained, we can talk about insufficient lactation.
Weighing. If the baby is healthy and has enough breast milk, the monthly weight gain will be from 0.6 to 2 kg, and on average 120 g weekly.

An additional guideline for assessing the sufficiency of lactation can be the baby's stool. On average, a breastfed baby has 6-8 bowel movements per day; the stool has a mushy consistency and a yellowish color. Prolonged absence of bowel movements sometimes indicates “hunger constipation” caused by a lack of breast milk. However, this sign in itself is not always informative. If available, it is recommended to do a wet diaper test.

Mother's milk or formula?

If there is an obvious decrease in lactation, all measures should be taken to restore it, since today all studies confirm that breastfeeding provides significant benefits for the child and his mother.

The uniqueness of mother’s milk lies in its ability to change its composition based on the needs of the child at different stages of development, in different time days and even during each individual feeding.

This product contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates in a ratio that is optimal for a child early age. In addition, it contains immune cells, immunoglobulins and several types of bifidobacteria. This composition not only promotes the full development of the baby, but also increases the body’s resistance to foreign agents and forms the correct microflora in the intestines.

Unlike artificial formulas, breast milk has an optimal temperature, is never stale or adulterated, and is always sterile.

Sucking at the breast helps the baby develop a correct bite and facilitates the process of teething.

Not a single high-quality milk formula will provide the baby with nutrition that meets its needs as much as mother's milk.

If there is an obvious decrease in lactation, it is not advisable to immediately transfer the baby to artificial nutrition. The best option would be to switch to mixed feeding. At the same time, measures should be taken to restore lactation, gradually reducing the amount of supplementary feeding.

How to increase lactation

If the lack of milk becomes obvious, do not immediately panic. Often simple measures help increase lactation to the required level.

Stimulating milk production

It is necessary to evaluate how correctly the baby attaches to the breast, changing the technique to the correct one if necessary.
To stimulate lactation, frequent applications are important, at least every 1.5-2 hours during the day, and every 4 hours at night. Night feedings are very valuable for milk production, so you shouldn’t give them up.
You can wean the baby from the breast only after he lets go of it himself.
To increase lactation, close physical contact between mother and baby is important: carrying in arms, sleeping together.
You should not supplement your baby with water unless absolutely necessary.
Mom should forget about fears associated with a lack of milk and relax - in the truest sense of the word. A woman needs to learn to find opportunities for rest and good sleep.
Breast massage is useful, which is done between feedings with kneading and stroking movements. Massage manipulations are periodically interrupted to express a little milk.
If the goal is to increase lactation, pacifiers and bottles should not be used. Supplementary feeding is offered to the child from a spoon, from a cup, or using a syringe without a needle.

In addition to the methods listed above, it is worth paying attention to your diet: the foods you eat can have different effects on milk production.

Products that increase lactation

A nutritious diet will not only help solve problems with lactation, but also prevent disorders in the mother’s body during breastfeeding. It is worth paying attention to the following products:

Fatty fish.
Low-fat cheese and cottage cheese.
Walnuts.
Bee products: royal jelly, honey, bee bread, royal jelly (use if the baby is not allergic).
Dried fruits.
Weak meat broths and soups cooked with them.
Carrot.
Buckwheat and oatmeal.

Young mothers are not always well acquainted with the intricacies of breastfeeding, so they often encounter various difficulties that appear in the early or late stages of breastfeeding. Many women listen to the opinions of their mothers, grandmothers or girlfriends, but still in order to get reliable information and really useful tips, many listen to the opinion of Dr. Komarovsky, who knows everything not only about children, but also breastfeeding. In his releases, Komarovsky repeatedly raised the topic of breastfeeding, since this is actually an important topic, and almost every second mother encounters its problems.

Quite a lot is known about the benefits of breast milk, therefore, as Komarovsky assures, you need to breastfeed for as long as possible, and when problems with a deficiency of breast milk appear, you should not panic and switch the baby to formula, since in this way the woman risks losing milk altogether, and as we know, no mixture can replace its value. There are quite a few ways to increase or extend the lactation period, so the doctor advises not to give up, but to listen to the recommendations of specialists who will definitely tell you which method will help increase the amount of breast milk.

Mother's milk is very important in the first year of a child's life, since it is what allows the child to develop properly, protects the baby from many diseases, and is considered the basis of strong immunity. In addition, breastfeeding establishes a close bond between mother and baby. Dr. Komarovsky assures mothers in his broadcasts that the first feedings are considered the most important, during which the foundation for proper lactation is laid. If the baby is not applied correctly to the breast, there will be no proper stimulation of the nipples, so most likely, lactation in the future will be difficult, and after a few weeks, completely impossible.

Dr. Komarovsky repeatedly gives useful advice to young mothers on breastfeeding, and even suggests effective methods to increase lactation. Everyone's favorite doctor believes that in almost 80% of cases the problem of insufficient breast milk is a far-fetched problem for women themselves. Most women always feel like they don’t have enough milk and the baby remains hungry after feeding, so many start supplementing their babies with formula. Komarovsky believes that to stimulate breast milk, you need to put the baby to the breast as often as possible, even when, in the mother’s opinion, there is nothing there.

Experts in the field of pediatrics, like Dr. Komarovsky himself, do not recommend neglecting the lactation period and weaning the child from the breast at the first suspicion of insufficient milk. There are quite a few ways to increase lactation. Some of them are quite effective, time-tested and allow young mothers to establish lactation, thereby providing the baby with all the necessary substances for its healthy growth and development. Before considering ways to restore lactation, you need to know and determine the reasons that led to the lack of breast milk.

Why does breast milk disappear?

There may be several reasons why breast milk production decreases, but most often lactation failure is caused by the following reasons:

Maternal malnutrition. Komarovsky believes that this is a secondary reason, since nutrition in modern world more organized, there is no shortage of products, and if a woman denies herself the products she needs, then she is consciously refusing healthy products.
Insufficient fluid intake. To stimulate breast milk, a young mother should drink at least 1.5 liters of liquid per day.
Stress, depression, and nervous tension are one of the important reasons why breast milk disappears.
Hypothermia of the mammary glands, mastitis and its consequences.
Violation of breastfeeding regime. Komarovsky believes that the longer the interval between feedings, the less breast milk a woman will have. The doctor advises putting the baby to the breast even at a time when the time for feeding has not yet come.

These are the main reasons that can lead to a decrease in the amount or complete absence of breast milk. Sometimes a woman consciously stops breastfeeding due to illness or going to work, but when she wants to return to breastfeeding, it no longer becomes possible.

How do you know if your breast milk is low?

Almost all nursing mothers have thought more than once about whether their baby has enough breast milk, whether the baby is full and how fatty it is. There are several ways to determine the quality and quantity of breast milk.

Doctors believe that if the baby does not have enough mother's milk, he will gain weight poorly and become restless and capricious. You can also notice the baby’s displeasure if he screams and gets angry during the feeding period, leaves the breast, and then takes it again. Komarovsky believes that this behavior of the baby may be a sign of colic, and not a deficiency of breast milk, so it is very important to determine the cause of the child’s displeasure. In order to find out whether a baby has enough mother's milk, you can monitor his behavior and also pay attention to the following situations.

You need to count the number of wet diapers. A baby who gets the right amount of milk per day will urinate 6 to 10 times a day. This experiment is best done on gauze diapers.
Monitor your baby's stool.
In newborns, yellow stools are considered normal, and minor lumps of uninterrupted food may be present. The baby should have stool 1-3 times a day. Breast milk is a kind of laxative, so the frequency of stools can occasionally exceed 3 times.
Breast assessment before feeding. Before putting your baby to your breast, you need to feel how it is soft or hard. If there is enough milk, then the breasts will be tight, and after feeding they will be soft.
How does the baby behave during feeding? If the baby does not have enough milk, and he lets go of the breast, then “greedily” takes it again, it means there is not enough milk. When a baby spits up a cheesy mass after feeding, it means he has eaten heavily. If you regularly regurgitate, you should contact a neurologist or pediatrician.

Determine the fat content of milk. Mom can express a small amount of milk and leave it for 5 - 7 hours. After this time, the fat will come to the top. If breast milk is good, then fat should be at least 4% of the total milk. With adequate nutrition, the child will gain weight well. So in the first 2 months of life, the baby should gain 150 - 200 g per week. By 6 months, the child should gain from 500 g to 1 kg per month. Komarovsky considers these indicators to be average, since everything depends on individual characteristics

baby.

If a woman is sure that her baby remains hungry after feeding or there is too little milk, she should definitely consult a pediatrician who will tell you how to increase lactation.

Ways to increase lactation

There are several ways to increase the amount of breast milk, but which one will bring results depends on many factors. Dr. Komarovsky is confident that the most effective way to increase lactation is to frequently put the baby to the breast, and not only during the feeding period, but also to stimulate the functioning of the mammary glands.

Some women turn to traditional medicine to increase lactation, others prefer to use special medications or eat as many foods as possible to stimulate the production of breast milk. It is difficult to answer which method is better, but in any case it is not recommended to use them without consulting a doctor.

The pharmaceutical market offers a wide range of drugs that promise to increase lactation in a short time. Basically, such preparations contain natural components of plant or animal origin. Such products are produced in the form of tablets for internal use or herbal tea. The following means are considered the most common:

"Laktovit" - tea for lactation. Contains fennel, fennel, cumin, anise and nettle leaves. These tea components help improve blood circulation, stimulate digestion and the formation of breast milk. For correct use you need to take 200 mil of boiling water, pour in 1 tea bag, leave for 10 minutes, add sugar or honey. The cost of tea per package is no more than 300 rubles.
Tablets "Mlekoin". Can be used for early or late hypolactia. The instructions for the drug recommend taking 5 tablets per dose 30 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 1 – 2 weeks.
Apilak is a dietary supplement that contains royal jelly. The use of the drug allows you to increase the amount of breast milk. It is recommended to take 1 tablet 3 times a day for 2 weeks.

Vitamin complexes for nursing mothers.

There are other medications that can increase lactation, but Dr. Komarovsky believes that before resorting to them, you need to try other methods: proper nutrition, massage or folk remedies.

Folk remedies

Some women prefer to use traditional medicine, considering them less harmful than pills. However, Komarovsky believes that this method is not safe, since some ingredients used in the recipe can cause allergies, so you need to be careful:

Method No. 1. To prepare such a drink, you need to take 0.5 cups of walnuts, pour them into a thermos and pour 0.5 liters of hot milk. Leave for 3 hours and take 1/3 cup 3 times a day.
Method number 3. Radish with honey. You will need to take 1 root vegetable, chop and mix with 2 tbsp. l. honey, you can add a little water. Take 3 spoons 2 times a day.
Method number 4. Ginger drink. In order to prepare the recipe you need to take 1 tbsp. l. ginger, pour 1 liter of water, boil for 5 minutes. Take half a glass 2 times a day. You can add honey.

There are other recipes that will help increase lactation, but in any case their use should be agreed with a pediatrician.

Products that increase lactation

Dr. Komarovsky recommends that young mothers pay attention to their diet before taking pills or folk remedies to improve lactation. The doctor thinks that proper diet mothers and regularly putting the baby to the breast is one of the most effective ways increase lactation.

The doctor advises women to stick to balanced nutrition, and also make sure that your daily diet contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals. A woman should eat at least 4 times a day.

For normal lactation, a woman should drink a lot of liquid, but in the first months of a child’s life it is better to avoid cow’s milk and drink weak, sweet tea.

All food products must be steamed, baked, stewed or boiled. This way you can save maximum amount vitamins

When choosing cereals, it is better to opt for whole grain porridges: buckwheat, oats, pearl barley, etc. The diet should also include cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, and kefir. In order to eliminate the deficiency of iodine, iron and calcium, it is worth including fish, seafood, and spinach in the diet.

Enough important element Fiber is considered to stimulate breast milk, as well as folic acid: bananas, oranges, legumes, Brussels sprouts. As for sweets, you can choose marshmallows or halva.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that a woman’s menu during lactation should be varied, tasty and healthy. This will not only help satisfy the needs female body, but also increase breast milk production. Dr. Komarovsky has compiled an approximate menu for a woman who wants to increase lactation:

various soups and broths;
lean meats: beef, veal, poultry, rabbit, liver, fish;
dairy products: 1 glass of milk per day, also kefir, yogurt, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, hard cheese, butter;
various cereals in soups and cereals;
vegetables: onions, carrots, pumpkin, radish, greens;
berries, fruits, dried fruits fresh or in the preparation of compotes, jelly;
teas: green and black with milk or with milk, teas from rose hips, sea buckthorn, dill, nettle.

All of the above food products will help not only increase lactation, but also provide the mother and baby with all the necessary components for healthy growth and development.

What foods should you avoid?

In order for the lactation period to be complete and the food consumed to not harm the baby, a woman who is breastfeeding should avoid a number of foods, including:

Fatty meats.
Sausages and other smoked meats.
Canned food.
Eggs.
Chicken or meat broths.
Cow's milk.
Strong drinks (tea, coffee).
Alcohol.
Sweets: chocolate, cakes.

During breastfeeding, a woman should avoid fried and fatty foods, as well as drinking any alcohol, including weak alcohol. alcoholic drinks. Komarovsky informs young mothers that when breastfeeding they should avoid vegetables and fruits that have red skin or pulp. You need to be especially careful with fruits and berries: strawberries, raspberries, cranberries or citrus fruits. Such products have a lot of vitamin C and are strong allergens.

Despite all the prohibitions, Komarovsky believes that a woman during lactation can try almost all products in small quantities, but still says that it is better not to experiment until the baby is 6 months old!

other methods

You can increase lactation with the help of special exercises or massage of the mammary glands.

A woman needs to get on all fours, bow her head down and in this position move around the room until she gets tired.
You need to stand up straight - spread your arms to the sides, then do the scissor exercises 10 times.
You need to sit cross-legged, bend your elbows at chest level, place your palms together, pointing your fingers upward. Then count to 3, squeezing your palms tightly, and release at the count of 4. You need to repeat this exercise 10 times.
Before and after feeding, it is good to massage your breasts clockwise or take a contrast shower.
30 minutes before feeding your baby, you need to drink 1 glass of tea with milk.
Therapeutic baths. Before going to bed, you need to pour fairly warm water into a basin, place it on the table and lower your chest into it for 15 minutes. Such baths stimulate blood circulation well and increase the production of breast milk.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that any of the methods to increase lactation is quite good, but still not worth experimenting with. In addition, after using any recipe, you need to monitor the child’s reaction to see if he has colic or allergies.

Dr. Komarovsky always gives useful advice to young mothers who are faced with lactation problems. The doctor believes that even when there is not much breast milk, there is no need to stop feeding. The more often a woman puts her baby to the breast, the more likely it is that the amount of breast milk will increase. The doctor gives young mothers some useful advice:

Put the baby to the breast not only during feeding, but every 2 hours.
Be sure to breastfeed your baby before bed.
If after feeding a woman feels that there is still milk in her breasts, she needs to use a breast pump or express the remaining milk. This way the new one will arrive much faster.
You need to feed your baby first with one breast and then with the other.
The more milk goes away, the more it will come.
Before each feeding you need to take warm shower or breast hygiene.
Half an hour before feeding you need to drink tea with milk.
If there is too little breast milk, you need to determine the reason.
If the baby does not get enough breast milk, you can supplement it with formula.
You should place your baby on your chest as often as possible. This increases the amount of prolactin, which is responsible for lactation.
You need to express breast milk regularly.
Walking outside every day is beneficial not only for the baby, but also for the mother herself.
Complete nutrition for mom.
Take vitamins for nursing mothers.
Eliminate all sources of stress.

By following simple rules, you can not only increase the amount of breast milk, but also breastfeed your baby as much as possible. Komarovsky recommends that mothers breastfeed their children until they are 2 years old. In cases where this does not work out or the woman decides to stop lactation, then it is simply necessary to maintain lactation for up to 6 months.

Mother's milk is a nutritional mixture unique in its balance and richness of components, prepared by nature itself. No matter how wide the range of artificial breast milk substitutes is, they are inferior in effectiveness.

And the very moment of breastfeeding has a high emotional and physiological significance. It is not surprising that the issue of increasing lactation is traditionally one of the most pressing for nursing mothers.

Main signs of malnutrition in infants

There are many signs of a possible lack of mother's milk in the baby's diet. Here is just a basic list of them:

There are also false symptoms. On the mother’s side, anxiety can be caused by the lack of a feeling of fullness in mammary glands, as well as the inability to express milk between feedings. But if the baby is fine, then this is just evidence of the so-called “mature” lactation, when milk in the required quantity is produced directly during the feeding process.

Important. An example taken separately false symptom on the part of the child – capricious behavior in connection with feeding. It can be associated not only with a lack of milk, but also with colic due to air entering the gastrointestinal tract.

How to determine if a child is eating?

Whether a child has enough milk or not can be judged from observations of him. But it is wrong to consider the baby’s behavior alone. After all, some symptoms similar to underfeeding accompany childhood diseases. The fact that a recognizable pattern of restless behavior is explained precisely by a lack of nutritional components is reliably evidenced by the child’s concomitant chronic underweight, established during control weighings.

The mother's body also makes it known about objective problems with lactation. So, a cause for alarm is a picture in which, at the end of feeding, there is regularly no milk left in the breast.

We invite you to watch a video on how to determine whether your baby has enough milk:

Why does a lactation crisis occur?

The factors that cause a decrease in lactation are also quite numerous. Here are just a few:

unsuccessfully chosen breastfeeding mode;
hormonal disorders;
unbalanced nutrition of the mother herself;
obesity or anorexia;
overwork, stress;
bad climatic conditions.

A short-term decrease in milk volume in a nursing mother is not a pathology. The phenomenon of a lactation crisis does not affect all women, but most are familiar with it. The most typical is a decrease in lactation from the third to the sixth week, as well as in the 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th months of breastfeeding.

As a rule, these declines are caused by such a natural factor as the cyclical nature of hormonal activity. Normally, lactation crises are short-lived. They take about three days or a little more.

How to increase the amount of nutrient fluid in the mammary glands?

Normalization of lactation is possible even simply by making a number of lifestyle adjustments, not to mention the use of proven traditional and medical supplies. Next, we will talk about some current methods on how to increase the milk content in the breast of a nursing mother.

Proper organization of GW

There are two main ways to organize breastfeeding:

feeding by the hour;
feeding on demand (free).

Both have their pros and cons. Scheduled feeding involves a set frequency and duration of breastfeeding. As a rule, the child is fed about 7 times a day with a break at night.

With free feeding, the baby actually dictates the terms: how many times a day and for how long will he feed. The frequency of such feedings can vary greatly (from 7-12 to 24). The baby has to pay constant attention, and difficulties arise with organizing the day. But feeding on demand has different prerequisites for stable lactation.

Important. Frequent tactile contact between mother and baby affects both. It is useful for infants as a factor of beneficial influence on nervous system. In the mother, the secretion of oxytocin, that is, the “breastfeeding hormone,” increases.

Organizing a GW is a deceptively simple matter. In fact, this is a whole mathematics that calls for specialists. For example, for infants up to 10 days inclusive, the Filkenstein or Zaitseva formulas are used, taking into account a number of coefficients. And to calculate the daily volume of milk in the case of children over 2 weeks old, the volume or calorie method can be used, depending on the type of feeding: breast, mixed or artificial.

Diet of a nursing mother

A proper diet is the basis for good lactation. A nursing mother needs the following on her daily menu:

about 0.5 l. milk (boiled) or fermented milk products(or 100 g of cottage cheese);
about 30 g natural butter;
150-200 g lean meat, poultry or fish;
1-2 chicken eggs(boiled);
about 500 g of fresh vegetables;
from 300 g of fresh fruit (not very sweet).

You should be careful with fried, smoked, salty and sweet foods, give up “snacks”, factory-made sauces and canned food. Limit coffee and chocolate. Avoid alcohol. Drink at least 1-1.5 liters of clean water per day.

A variety of foods and dishes can have a beneficial effect on lactation: green tea, honey, watermelons, walnuts, rice porridge with milk, boiled fish, chicken broth.

Breast massage

Self-massage is performed on the breast that was used for the last feeding. It helps improve blood circulation and activate milk production by the glands. Movements should be neat, light and soft, performed in a circle from the nipple towards the periphery. 5 minutes is enough.

Folk remedies

Traditional medicine is characterized by the centuries-old use of herbal infusions and decoctions during breastfeeding. Recipes often include:

caraway;
fennel;
anise;
Dill seeds;

As a rule, they are very simple, and their components are extremely cheap and available in pharmacies.

Recipe:

Pour a teaspoon of anise seeds into a thermos or a ceramic jug with a lid and pour 0.2-0.25 liters of boiling water.
Seal tightly and leave to infuse for 2-3 hours.
Strain the resulting infusion, you can add a little honey for taste.
Cool. Use before feedings - 50 ml.

Drug therapy

More often - To improve lactation, the following groups of pharmacological drugs and dietary supplements are prescribed:

lactogenic herbal teas(Lactaphytol, Lactavit, Humana);
tablet preparations based natural ingredients– royal jelly, ginger, nettle (Apilak, Mlekoin, Laktogon);
stimulating milk formulas for a nursing mother, containing vitamins and minerals (Femilak, Laktamil, Milky Way).

Important. Such therapy does not provide immediate results. To wait for the effect of lactogenic agents, you will have to wait from several days to a week.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

A useful addition to the treasury of knowledge will be the comments of a famous pediatrician, doctor highest category, author of numerous books on maternal and child health - Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky. According to the doctor, the assessment of lactation as insufficient arises and is exaggerated primarily in the minds of nursing mothers themselves. Emerging as a problem psychological nature, it provokes nervousness, which can result in a real decrease in the quantity and quality of breast milk.

Here are two comprehensive tips from Dr. Komarovsky on how to increase lactation for a nursing mother:

The diet of a nursing mother to increase and improve lactation “according to Komarovsky” is one of the most democratic. The doctor claims that if you do not abuse it, then you can eat almost everything, with the exception of surrogate products and food containing allergens that are potentially dangerous to the child.

Prevention

To keep lactation at a good level, sometimes the simplest preventive actions and abstinence included in maternal daily routine are enough:

in the first month or two - do not make independent decisions on the type of feeding;
do not avoid feeding at night, since this is when the daily peak of oxytocin production occurs;
interact tactilely with the baby as often as possible;
do not wear constricting bras and underwear;
do not feed the baby artificial mixtures without a doctor's recommendation;
do not abuse the pacifier or exclude it while breastfeeding;
Avoid overwork or intense sports.

Some problems with breastfeeding occur in 80% of mothers. Increasing lactation is a systemic task, which means that personal knowledge, a healthy lifestyle, a prudent strategy in determining feeding regimens, as well as consultations with specialists must be used in combination.

But the main thing is not to sound the alarm prematurely and not to grab a bottle without making sure that there are reasons for using artificial or mixed feeding.

Video on the topic

We invite you to watch a video on how to increase lactation:

A mother is absolutely happy if her baby is healthy, feels well and gets plenty of breast milk. This unique product is better than any other in that it is perfectly absorbed and provides lasting immunity to many negative factors. Today, women want to know how to increase breast milk lactation in the shortest possible time in order to provide the baby with natural nutrition. This effect can be achieved by simple means. There are several directions, these are right attitude to breastfeeding, healthy food and drinks, pharmaceutical drugs and expressing with a breast pump. Let’s take a closer look at all the questions that mothers are interested in.

Why do nursing mothers lose milk?

Here are the main reasons why women most often suffer from a lack of breast milk:

emotional overload, constant stress and various disruptions in the nervous system;
chronic lack of sleep and general fatigue;
excessive physical activity;
lack of fluid intake;
irrational diet poor in certain substances;
incorrect breastfeeding regimen (too infrequent breastfeeding or feeding on a schedule);
hereditary factors;
smoking and drinking alcohol;
the mother does not have a psychological attitude towards breastfeeding, there are fears, lack of self-confidence and strength, and an unwillingness to feed the child in a natural way;
mother's early return to work and all the ensuing consequences;
feeding the child unnecessarily with formula;
early introduction of a large volume of complementary foods;
uncomfortable position when feeding;
Feeding sessions that are too short;
taking diuretics and contraceptives;
physiological lactation crisis in a woman.

Experts point out that with normal breastfeeding, physiological lactation crises occur; this is a temporary phenomenon. Most often, crises, characterized by an unexpected decrease in lactation capacity, occur at the following stages of a child’s life:

3-6 weeks;
3 month;
4 month;
7 month;
8 month.

If a woman is doing everything correctly, but the amount of milk has decreased slightly, this may be normal. This phenomenon occurs because the child has an unstable appetite against the background rapid growth and development, and the female body does not have time to quickly respond to changes in nutritional needs.

Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky is an authoritative pediatrician who helps mothers successfully implement all parental functions, maintain the health of their children and raise them correctly. Here are some basic expert tips to improve lactation:

breastfeeding in the first hours of life is an important stage in establishing a connection between mother and child, facilitating further feeding;
if mommy feels like she doesn’t have enough milk, she should gain firm confidence that soon everything will get better and all minor troubles will pass;
it is advisable not to pay attention to the opinions of all relatives and friends who doubt success;
if after a cesarean section it seems that there is not enough milk, then this is not a death sentence - you need to put the newborn to the breast more often and very soon a normal diet and volume of nutrition will be established;
Do not neglect colostrum, even a small amount will be a good vitamin supplement to the baby’s diet;
Staying together and sleeping together with your baby immediately after birth is an excellent tool for improving lactation;
frequent day and night feedings, especially in the first weeks of life, increase the chances of successful breastfeeding;
it is recommended to practice feeding on demand, that is, offering the breast every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night;
Almost all free time should be spent resting and sleeping; relatives should be notified that if the nursing mother is always rested, she will not have to spend money on formula;
in order to urgently increase lactation, it is necessary to stop supplementing with water, and it is important to establish optimal temperature and humidity levels in the room;
if the doctor does not recommend the addition of infant formula, then you should not administer it yourself;
It is better to refuse pacifiers and nipples;
A warm shower and breast massage with a shower work well for women (proper organization of the massage helps to make retracted flat nipples as convex as possible, which adds convenience when sucking; you should move from the nipple to the edges);
It is believed that the main trigger for abundant lactation is the baby’s sucking movements, irritating the nipple, which is why frequent feeding is advisable in case of milk deficiency;
For a woman, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids, for example, good drinks are tea, compote, juice, fruit drink;
there are also special drinks and pharmaceutical preparations that stimulate lactation;
you should try not to receive guests and in the first months concentrate on restoring your body, calmness and feeding the child, other issues fade into the background for now;
in the first days, if there is a lack of milk, bed rest works well, that is, you need to stay in bed almost all the time;
don’t be shy about asking friends and relatives for help; they can easily go grocery shopping and cook;
throughout the entire breastfeeding period, you need to remember that the mother should eat, drink and rest well, and not actively do housework;
do not think that breast size affects the amount of milk;
should take care of comfortable position when feeding, some find it comfortable to lie down, others sit in a rocking chair;
it is permissible to express the remainder by hand every time after feeding, this technique also speeds up milk production;
Expressing with a breast pump can also be used as an auxiliary measure.

All competent pediatricians give approximately the same recommendations as listed above. Next, we'll tell you more about pumping.

How to quickly increase lactation using a breast pump?

Working with a breast pump makes a woman's life easier. You should discuss with your doctor how to express breast milk to increase lactation and act strictly in accordance with the instructions included with the device.

Breast pumps can be manual (piston with a working lever, in the form of a syringe, in the form of a pump) and electric. You can choose a model that meets all a woman’s requirements; there are a great many of them on sale.

All you need to do is regularly empty your breasts after feeding your baby, observing all sterility and safety conditions.

A pump breast pump requires rhythmic squeezing of a bulb, while a syringe-style design requires back-and-forth movements to ensure milk is drawn out by vacuum. The most convenient are breast pumps with a piston and a lever; we press the working part to the mammary gland and press the lever. Automatic models with electric drive are the easiest to handle; you just need to take a comfortable position, put the cup to your chest, select the desired speed and press start.

Correct use of breast pumps turns breastfeeding into a real pleasure, eliminates unnecessary problems and provides the baby with adequate nutrition.

How to increase lactation: express milk with a breast pump

Popular drugs to improve lactation

There are effective mixtures for increasing lactation and other products. Any pharmaceutical products can be used only after consulting a doctor. The doctor will tell you how to change your lifestyle and diet, and also recommend what to drink for best quality breast milk. Here are the most popular drugs:

vitamin and mineral complex Materna;
vitamin and mineral complex Gendevit;
vitamin and mineral complex Centrum;
Femilak dry mix;
dry mix Enfa-mama;
dry mixture Dumil-mama-plus;
Olympic dry mix;
MD mil Mama mixture (chocolate or vanilla);
dry mixture with Milky Way lacto-additive;
Dietary supplement Apilactin;
Apilak tablets;
Mlekoin granules (pharmacy homeopathic preparation);
drug Lactofil;
vitamin D preparations (used exclusively on the recommendation of a doctor to improve the absorption of calcium from food).

We have listed effective means, offered in pharmacies, but ideally the drugs are selected on an individual basis. Next, we will analyze folk and nutritional methods of increasing lactation.

Drinks and products that increase milk lactation

Teas for breastfeeding

Fortunately, tea to increase lactation can be found in pharmacies and specialized retail outlets. Sugars, fruit powders and medicinal herbs are added to the soluble raw materials for brewing. For example, today the following are in demand:

Hipp tea;
Humana tea;
Kruger tea;
Nestik tea;
Lactavit tea;
Lactaphytol tea;
Grandma's Basket tea.

In addition to store-bought ones, you can take homemade drinks. It is very important to find out in advance what you can and cannot drink to increase breast milk production. Before use, you should make sure that all components of homemade herbal teas are well tolerated. Here are the most effective recipes teas made from herbs and other natural ingredients:

tea from dill, fennel, cumin, lettuce, anise (1 large spoon of seeds per one and a half glasses of hot water);
chamomile tea (1 large spoon of chamomile flowers per glass of hot water, heat in a water bath for a quarter of an hour);
ginger tea (boil a small amount of crushed ginger root in water, add honey and lemon);
milk tea (black or green tea with added milk);
instead of tea, you can brew nettle and rosehip (these accessible herbs have long been used in folk medicine and are considered medicinal).

In addition to teas, one should not forget about clean water. You can buy fruit juices and healthy drinks For example, products from the manufacturer Hipp and Nestle are good. Do not under any circumstances consume beer or other alcoholic drinks; they destroy the entire body and clearly harm your child.

Nutrition to enhance lactation

If problems are anticipated or already exist, then it is advisable to include the following products in the breastfeeding diet:

natural milk and dairy products - 250-400 grams per day;
fish, meat and poultry - 1-2 times a day (liver consumption is also encouraged);
bread and all types of cereal porridges (it is better to exclude white bread) - 3 times a day to cover the need for B vitamins;
margarines, oils - in small quantities to cover the need for vitamin A;
vegetables, fruits - 6 times a day (for example, orange juice, potatoes, vegetable salads, yellow and green vegetables);
raw vegetables, oranges, berries, fresh cabbage, tomatoes - to cover the need for valuable vitamin C;
bright yellow and dark green vegetables - to cover the need for vitamin A;
eggs - 1 piece per day;
all types of nuts in small quantities (for example, almonds, pine nuts and walnuts);
royal jelly and honey.

Of the cereals, oatmeal and buckwheat have the best effect on the female body. To make eating cereals more interesting, you can add fruits and dried fruits to them.

The consumption of fresh, canned, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables is not prohibited. In the presence of excess weight It is better to replace butter with vegetables rich in vitamin A, consume a minimum of bread and fatty meat, and choose only low-fat milk.

Everyone benefits from reducing their consumption. high-calorie foods or remove them from the menu completely. For example, these are cookies, pies, sweets and various confectionery products.

You should not limit yourself to milk, vegetables, dietary meat and fruits.

How to increase lactation: eat right and drink enough fluids

Homemade recipes to enhance lactation

Take note of several successful recipes for fully nourishing the female body during breastfeeding:

radish with honey (combine 100 grams of radish juice, 100 grams of water and 1 tablespoon of honey, take a third of a glass three times a day);
walnuts with milk (brew half a liter of hot milk in a thermos with 5 crushed walnuts, leave for 3 hours, take warm before the feeding session);
carrots with milk (crush raw carrots as much as possible, mix with milk, take three times a day);
sour cream with cumin (combine a glass of sour cream and a large spoon of cumin, boil for 3 minutes);
cream with cumin (mix 2 cups of natural cream and 2 large spoons of cumin, leave in the oven for half an hour, take a glass twice a day);
a mixture of carrot and dandelion juices.

Using any traditional methods increasing lactation, the mother acts at her own peril and risk, so if you meet strange recipes from unfamiliar or potentially allergenic products, then think carefully about whether they will be completely safe for you and your child.