Formula shortage ?!!

Question

Hello I’m 6 weeks pregnant and I’m so worried about this whole formula shortage situation! Is there anything I can do during my pregnancy to ensure I’ll have a great breast milk flow? I’m worried I might not be able to or I won’t have enough milk to supply my baby with. Is there a way to make sure I can have enough milk?

Answer

It is very rare for a person to have a true low supply. More often than not it’s due to misinformation and early formula supplementation. (Before anyone jumps on me, I said it’s RARE not impossible, I know some people truly do not produce enough milk.)
The best thing you can do during your pregnancy is get educated. Take a breastfeeding class. Read some books about breastfeeding. Research local IBCLCs who can support you after your baby is born.

Answer

There isn't anything you can do during pregnancy to boost production. Your body doesn't actually start to produce until the placenta is detached. Best thing you can do is educate yourself! I especially recommend to first time breastfeeders to read up on clusterfeeding and how that is influenced by growth spurts and mental leaps. Clusterfeeding is hard but it's critical for the foundation of your milk supply. As others have said nursing is all supply and demand and it's rare to physically be unable to produce enough milk.

Answer

I highly recommend KellyMom website, its SOOO informative about all things breastfeeding! https://kellymom.com/category/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/

Answer

Exclusively breastfeeding is pretty much the only way to do it. Every feeding, at the breast, and after baby is done, you can pump to get extra milk out. The more often your boobies are drained by baby or a pump, your body responds by making more because it recognizes “baby” is using it up. When people don’t feed baby enough or don’t pump enough (miss feedings) their body thinks baby is using less milk and makes less. I breastfed until like 14-18 months and this time around I won’t be going that long. I had double electric breast pump so by the end I was still pumping and finally was just like “I’m done!!!!” Also—when I was 6 weeks, we went to see DH family and I pumped so they could feed the baby  (rookie mistake) and since I didn’t breastfeed as much, (I.e. missed some feedings) I ended up getting my period back. Just a heads up about my experience. Yours could be totally different! Oh and congratulations on the baby!

Answer

First off try not to stress,that's bad for milk supply.  Drink lots of water while breastfeeding and eat a good healthy balanced diet.  Make sure to feed baby on a regular as you will produce based on baby's demands.  I could never perform for a pump so that route was torturous for me.  There a tonne of recipes online for cookies and teas to help if your struggling but first just go with the flow you'll know if baby's not getting enough if they are extra fussy, not soiling diapers or dark pee etc.

Answer

Just stick with it and seek help from lactation consultants when you need it. My daughter is 11 weeks old and we just survived a nursing strike followed by a complete reluctance to nurse that happened earlier this month and lasted days. It was very difficult but I had support and I'm committed to making this work. Kellymom was an awesome resource for getting through this, as well as my lactation consultant.  
There may be bumps in the road as you both are figuring this out together but every challenge is temporary. There are tons of resources for support out there and educating yourself is the best start. Your body and baby are both very resilient!

Answer

Just try as hard as you can to stick with it !! It is very rare to not produce enough milk !!!

Answer

Don’t stress

Answer

Just make sure to attach baby every 2 hours. If you have a pump you can power pump once a day. 
But its all really supply and demand so attaching baby is going to be your biggest asset.

Answer

Make lactation juice, drink lactation smoothies and eggs are a good milk booster

Formula shortage ?!!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey