No Breast Milk After Delivery What to do – Docindia.org

Though the moment of childbirth and getting to hear and hold one’s baby for the first time can be some of the most magical moments in the life of new parents, a mother who has just given birth to a child may face problems like a lack of or no breast milk to feed the child. Breastfeeding a child, especially newborns, is essential. Doctors usually recommend that new mothers breastfeed their newborns, so that the baby gets enough nutrition and develops a strong immune system.

But in some cases, the mother’s milk may be lacking, and there can be several factors that might be responsible for no breast milk at all after birth. This article will enlist some of the most common causes of lacking breast milk after childbirth and what solutions are possible to overcome this problem.

Lacking breast milk of the mother after childbirth:

It is often common among new mothers to lack breast milk or have very little breast milk, just after they have given birth to their babies. Some women also may not have breast milk at all. But this is not a severe condition, because the newborn baby will be properly nourished, and the mother can also be in a healthy condition.

Many pediatricians are known to claim that even if the mother cannot provide breast milk immediately after childbirth, it is not a matter of severe concern, because her child can be properly fed and nourished even by a few drops of colostrum milk along with formula milk or formula supplementation. Some new mothers face a problem when the amount of milk they secrete does not appear to be increasing, even 3 to 5 days after delivery.

There can be a lot of reasons behind this. In such cases, new mothers need to be patient and understand the causes and alongside opt for the best possible solutions. In extreme cases, asking for professional medical care is advisable.

Causes behind the lack of breast milk after childbirth:

Doctors mention multiple factors that can lead to low or no synthesis of breast milk among mothers who have just given birth to a baby. Though this is not the same for all, it can happen to some women post-delivery. Some of the most common reasons behind a lack of breast milk production among new mothers after childbirth include the following:

 When a woman suffers from diseases like diabetes, obesity, or polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS

 If the baby had a preterm birth, and the baby got separated from the mother right after birth

 If the mother had an infection, such as fever

 When the mother has C-section (Caesarean) surgery for childbirth, the chances of low milk supply while breastfeeding increase

 If the mother has a thyroid disease

 When a woman experiences traumatic childbirth or a postpartum hemorrhage

 If a woman’s pregnancy involved prolonged rest.

Considering all these above causes, if you give yourself enough time and try to follow your doctor’s health advice, being a new mom, breastfeeding your newborn kid is not likely to be difficult.

Solutions for the lack of breast milk after childbirth:

If you are a new mother who has just given birth and are facing problems like not having enough breast milk, then you will have the following solutions at hand:

1. Use a grade pump from the hospital:

Using a grade pump may help in reducing the problem of lack of milk while breastfeeding your newborn immediately after birth. This is helpful because a grade pump allows you to have extra suction which can help in breastfeeding your newborn baby, not only in terms of the amount of extra milk that can be extracted from the breasts, but such a process of suction can also help stimulating the breasts for better production of milk for the baby.

Thus, using a grade pump suction can be quite an effective way to increase the amount of future breast milk as well. You can use various types of breast pumps from the hospital for this process.

Moreover, if you are regularly pumping breast milk, it can help in better milk production because of stimulation.

2. Use a heating pad before expressing milk:

Doctors often recommend that new mothers use a heating pad or get a warm shower before expressing milk. This method is effective because heat can help your breast to let down more milk and thus help in better expressing milk to the newborn baby. Many lactation consultants often consider compressing with a heating pad can lead to better stimulation of the breasts for producing milk. A warm shower or taking a warm bath in a tub before expressing milk can also help to reduce problems like a lack of or no breast milk after childbirth.

3. Use herbal supplements for better synthesis of milk:

Doctors often suggest certain types of herbal supplements, such as blessed thistles, fenugreek, or fennel seeds, to enhance the synthesis of breast milk after childbirth. But here is a word of caution: After childbirth, a mother’s body goes through a lot of changes, and after the tiring period of a long pregnancy, the mother’s body may not be able to cope with the outcome of taking herbal supplements. So, one must take these supplements for better milk production, only with the advice of a health expert.

4. Try developing skin-to-skin contact with the baby:

Even if you are not facing problems like low amounts of breast milk after childbirth, according to some healthcare professionals, developing skin-to-skin contact with the baby is highly crucial. When you have skin-to-skin contact with your baby, your body is likely to help the breasts get stimulated and thus produce more milk. This happens because when the mother is in close bodily contact with the baby, the mother’s body secretes hormones that help in the better synthesis of breast milk.

5. Drink plenty of water for breast milk production:

Water is a major component of breast milk, so doctors always advise new mothers who are facing problems like low amounts of breast milk to drink plenty of water, which can help in increasing the amount of breast milk production.

6. Massage your breasts and hand express milk:

Both pumping and massaging your breasts can help stimulate the breasts for better production of breast milk. Moreover, massaging the breasts can help in the creation of important milk receptor sites, which can significantly help to increase the amount of breast milk production for the baby.

Other methods for increasing the amount of milk production:

Apart from the suggested methods, there can be some other techniques and solutions that can help in better synthesis of breast milk, such as the following:

 Listening to relaxing or soothing music - this allows the body to relax after the turmoil of pregnancy and childbirth, and soothing tunes can help in better synthesis of hormones in the body that increase breast milk production

 Express milk frequently and regularly

 Having a healthy and balanced diet

 Make sure that your baby is latched on the breast properly and is feeding the right way

 While feeding, offer both your breasts to the baby because using only one breast can lead to a lack of milk production in the unused one

Symptoms that are a matter of concern:

It is usually natural when a mother has low amounts of breast milk just after childbirth, but in some cases, this can be a matter of concern for the baby as well. Look for the following symptoms, and if you feel your baby has any of them, you must consult a doctor:

 Your baby appears dehydrated, that is, their eyes have sunken in, and the skin is gradually losing elasticity

 The number of wet and dirty diapers of your baby is becoming fewer

 The baby keeps crying throughout and after feeding

 Your baby becomes lethargic or unresponsive due to a lack of enough milk.

Conclusion:

Being a new mother, the body is quite drained and exhausted, and so it is quite natural if the body is unable to produce enough breast milk to meet the feeding demands of the newborn child. There can be a number of causes behind this. Though one obvious reason can be the tiredness and exhaustion of the body, another can be different types of health issues of the mother. But there is nothing much to worry about, because there are a number of solutions to get rid of this problem and increase breast milk synthesis. If necessary, you may also contact a health care professional.