Mirror Doctor: How to improve breast feeding
Dear Mirror Doctor, I read your very good article on breastfeeding but what I did not get was what mothers should do to increase the amount of quality breast milk for their babies for the six-month period.
Advertisement
F. Aryee
Dear Aryee, For mothers to enhance the flow of their milk, they need to avoid the following:
Inadequate sucking stimulation. The single most important stimulation for breast milk flow is the release of chemicals from the brain that causes the milk to flow. An ineffective or weak suckling may not cause milk ejection from the breast.
Separation from the baby or scheduling feedings too rigidly can interfere with the supply and demand system of milk production. Many mothers find that their milk production decreases when they return to work.
Separation from the baby for long periods of time, as well as the stress associated with resumption of work can make it difficult for mums to maintain their supply.
Keeping the baby close, day and night, and nursing often is the best way to boost breast milk production.
Using formula supplements or pacifiers regularly can decrease the supply. Babies who are on formula will nurse less often, and some babies are willing to meet their sucking needs with a pacifier rather than spending time at the breast.
Even if there is the need to supplement with formula, consciously pumping after feedings will give the breasts extra stimulation.
Medical problems such as sore nipples cause pain and may inhibit the letdown reflex for milk flow. In addition, sore nipples may cause delay feedings because they are so unpleasant.
Tongue tie, yeast infections, and flat or inverted nipples can cause nipple soreness and make it difficult for the baby to get the milk he needs.
Correcting the problem so that nursing doesn’t hurt can help improve breastfeeding. In addition, Cesarean birth, birth control pills and early pregnancy may decrease milk production and ejection.
In general, healthy eating and drinking is enough to cause milk flow and ejection. There is absolutely no need to force fluids so far as drinking enough to keep the urine clear, usually six to eight glasses a day is done.
There are certain food supplements that may increase milk supply. Some herbs have been traditionally used to increase breast milk production. These herbs are usually mixed with palm nut soup and have been used for many years to increase milk production.
I am not privy to any scientific studies to see their efficacy but anecdotally there is varying degrees of success.
There are the so-called “lactogenic” supplements that claim to increase milk supply and the Internet provides so many of such products with some boasting very ridiculous claims.
Oatmeal, porridge, iced kenkey, soup and roast corn and groundnuts are all used to increase breast milk. Again there is no scientific evidence to show that this is the case, and I’ve never personally seen a mum's supply increase due to these foods, but some mothers swear by it.
I don't have any qualms about mothers trying it just that I am not a firm believer of it. If for nothing at all, it’s cheap and it doesn’t have any side effects.
What I can bet my life on is assessing the mothers situation particularly the home environment which may be stressing the mother out and interfering with breastfeeding. When the mother’s anxiety is allayed, the milk flow improves.
The latest and most ridiculous fad of increasing breast milk is ‘placenta encapsulation’ - mothers ingest their placenta, usually by drying it, grinding it up, and putting it in capsules.
The people who promote this practice and profit from it claim that it has all sorts of benefits, including reducing postpartum depression and increasing milk supply. However, there is no evidence that ingesting the placenta has any health benefits, but there may be a placebo effect.
There are two prescription medications available that may be used to increase milk supply: Metroclopromide and domperidone. Studies have shown an increase of 66 to 100 per cent in milk production, depending on the dose given and how much milk the mother was producing before taking these medications.
Metoclopramide (Maxolon) has been used in infants for years to treat reflux, and is also given to mums to help prevent nausea. When it’s taken by a lactating woman, it stimulates prolactin production, a hormone that always increases milk output within two to three days.
Frequent side effects such as fatigue, irritability, and depression have limited its use for nursing mothers to a last resort.
Domeperidone (Motillium) has been used for decades and is proven to be a very safe and effective medication that significantly increases breast milk production.
It works along the same lines as Maxolon but with fewer side effects because it does not enter the brain tissue in significant amounts and is not secreted in the breast milk.
These factors enumerated above, if addressed, should be able to help our breastfeeding mothers in their quest to making their babies healthy.
Writer's email: [email protected]
A member of Paediatric Society of Ghana.
