7 Habits That Affect Breastfeeding Mothers' Breastfeeding Production

Illustration of habits that affect the production of breastfeeding mothers in breastfeeding mothers (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA Many factors affect breastfeeding production in breastfeeding mothers. One of them is a bad habit that without realizing it reduces the amount of breast milk. According to international certified lactation consultants and nurses, Melissa Kotlen, IBCLC., RN., the general and normal supply of breast milk is changing. At one time the production was numerous but the next day it decreased drastically. The following is a habit that affects breastfeeding mothers.

After giving birth, many women are in a hurry to lose weight by reducing calorie intake. Launching well+good, Thursday, August 8, without realizing it, limiting eating patterns can reduce breast milk production. During breastfeeding, mothers need more calories than during pregnancy.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, breastfeeding people exclusively burn around 500 extra calories above their basic daily needs. This means a lot of energy is needed to produce breast milk. So, if you start consuming less than 2,000 calories per day, your milk production is likely to decrease, said Kotlen.

If mothers who are breastfeeding want to maintain the amount of breast milk production, they also need to drink a lot of water. That's because in addition to fat, protein, and lactose, breast milk contains 87 percent of water. Simply put, you need to drink water to produce enough breast milk for your baby. If you are dehydrated, your milk supply may decrease.

For mothers who are breastfeeding for the first time, may not realize how often they have to breastfeed their babies. Kotlen said, the amount of milk production is related to supply and demand. The more breastfeeding stimulates and reds milk, the more breast milk will be produced. If breastfeeding is not enough to breastfeed or milk for stock, the less breast milk production will also be.

Redning and breastfeeding babies can be around 8-12 times a day in the first six months of your little one's life. But it also needs to be adjusted to the pattern and signal from your baby. For information to understand, adding formula milk also affects the production of breast milk. There may be a million reasons why adding formula milk, and everything is valid. If breastfeeding adds regular formula milk, and doesn't pump or breastfeed too often, it will affect the supply of breast milk.

Having a newborn may make a mother sleep deprived, unbalanced hormones, and adapt to her new role of being a parent. This is the reason why breastfeeding is stressed. Stress is also associated with lactation disorders, according to a study conducted in 2022 published in Clinical Therapeutics.

If you experience stress, it will affect the production of breast milk. Then seek help or ask your partner to work together so that the burden is divided. Kotlen's advice is needed by many people and don't try to do everything yourself. Self-care and relaxation also needs to be done. For example in a simple way, such as meditation, giving me-time, or doing fun things.

Getting enough sleep may be a challenging thing in the newborn phase. Mothers have to breastfeed midnight or blind while sleep is not completely sound. This doesn't mean you don't have to do much more. But it's very important to recognize patterns, and improve your rest time.

Caffeine is diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate a lot. If you drink a lot of caffeine, it may lose a lot of fluids and become dehydrated. Drinking a cup of coffee, which on average contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, won't lower your milk production. But it shouldn't be more than that, because it will affect breast milk production, explains Kotlen. Not to mention if the baby is sensitive to caffeine. If the little one who feeds has a reaction to caffeine, they may also find it difficult to sleep after breastfeeding. So it's important to pay attention to the baby's reaction after breastfeeding a mother who has been drinking coffee.

Kotlen explained that flu or runny nose will not reduce the production of breast milk. However, the symptoms that accompany the disease, including fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, can temporarily reduce breast milk production. When breastfeeding loses fluids, either through dryness, vomiting, or excessive bowel movements, the body will lose nutrients as well. This will reduce the production of breast milk.

When sick, breastfeeding mothers may also lose their appetite. This will affect the adequacy of calorie needs so that milk production is reduced. Well, if breastfeeding mothers are sick, try to keep eating nutritious foods and drink enough mineral water. Habits that affect the milk production of breastfeeding mothers above are important to understand. Furthermore, doing your best to help your little one get enough nutrition through breast milk and support his growth to stay healthy.