What Should I Do About Intermittent Pain In The Breast And Low Amount Of Lactation?

Brief Answer:
You need to switch back to exclusive breast feeding

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

The pain in your breasts is possibly due to engorgement and inadequate drainage of breast milk. In short, it indicates that you need to switch back to exclusive breast feeding. Let me emphasize on the fact that breast milk is the best possible milk for a baby and there can be no alternatives for the same. Most formula milks are cow milk based and hence difficult to digest. Moreover they make the child more prone to complications and infections.

Mother's breast milk is produced on the demand of the baby. Hungrier the baby, more vigorous is the suck. More is the suck, more is the amount of breast milk produced. Giving formula automatically reduces the demand of the baby and thereby the production of breast milk. All you need to do is to switch back to exclusive breast feeding and the production will increase automatically. All you need to do is to monitor the urine output. If the frequency is more than 6 times in 24 hours, you would know that the amount of feeding is adequate. If the amount of passage of urine is less or if the child is lethargic you would need to take the child to a doctor without delay.

Here are certain things that you need to understand:
* During sucking, the entire areola (the dark portion encircling the nipple) needs to be put in the mouth of the baby. It is the stimulation of the areola that produces breast milk. Improper feeding technique could be the culprit.

* It is not the suction effect on the nipple that does the work. While expressing breast milk, a suction pressure is applied. So, do not expect to be able to estimate the real output by expressing breast milk. You need not express you breastmilk. Rather, let the baby suckle.

* While allowing breast feeding, you need to let your breasts fill first. Feed from one breast a time, feeding from the alternate breast the next time. Make sure to leave at least 2 hours interval in between. Do not latch the baby every half an hour or whenever the baby wants. This leads to dry suck and the baby goes without actual feeding.

* You do not need to measure the quantity if the baby is breast feeding. Make sure that the child feeds from one breast at a time and to use the other breast for the next or alternate feed. This leaves a time period of about 4 hours for each breast to fill. Do not feed for more than 20-30 mins at a time. Give the feeds at 2-3.5 hours interval. It is advisable not to try to feed in between. Try this. I am quite certain that there would be no problem with the feeds.

* You can still do without formula milk. Once you introduce formula milk (despite best intentions) the situation is only going to go downhill. If you give formula to boost the child, the hunger will be reduced and the child will suck less and will get less than adequate feeds. So, giving formula will have a disruptive effect.

* Formula milk is cow milk based. Cow milk is meant for calves which have a rapid growth rate. That is not the case for humans who grow rather slowly. Therefore cow milk (or XXXXXXX milk) is quite unsuitable for human babies.

Feel free to write back.
Regards

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