Comments on: Ask An LC: About Milk Supply

By: Ask An LC: What About Pumping? | Breastfeeding Moms Unite

Ask An LC: What About Pumping? | Breastfeeding Moms Unite — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:48:00 +0000

[...] It should also be mentioned that regular expression to help initiate or improve a low milk supply [Link] is different from these questions asked above. These will be answered with an understanding that [...]

By: Ask An LC: How to increase milk supply with galactogogues and over-the-counter herbs | Breastfeeding Moms Unite

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:14:28 +0000

[...] Please get qualified help to fully evaluate your situation as I discussed in this post. Milk supply can decrease if the breasts are not regularly and frequently emptied. Milk supply [...]

By: Gayle

Gayle — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:41:39 +0000

@StorkStories Thanks for the links! Yes to the “unlearning what we know” as it seems contrary to the info I’ve heard. I did a quick search of the researchers and found this from Kent: “The fat intake of the baby is independent of the feeding frequency” which is also interesting. I wonder if the theory behind more swiftly removed milk is that it will pull the fat from the glands into the breastmilk more strongly than a slower flow will. So much still to be learned!

By: StorkStories

StorkStories — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:40:54 +0000

@Gayle Thanks to Melodie for putting this up here! Thanks so much… The milk transfer fat content was new to me too in October last year at a conference for CLC from Healthy Childrens Project in Mass (www.healthychildren.cc) Speaker was Dr. Lois Arnold. She spoke about foremilk/hindmilk not always dramatically different in fat content and that “Fat content of suckled milk increases steeply with increased rate of milk removal” and that we need to “unlearn what we knew”. I kept asking for specific article/research. They pointed me to these researchers from Australia: Hartmann PE. Kent JC. Cregan MD. Don’t know which one wrote it sorry. In my notes I have “the faster speed of removal, increases short term synthesis and faster washing down of fat globules” Must have been how she explained it or I understood it. Wish I had more.
@Nicole I am sorry about your situation. I hope things are alright or better now. I have to say I am not quite familiar with this the way you described it here. However, it is very common for infants who are learning new skills, starting to be distracted at feeds, (you know, pulling the breast with them as they look at something across the way) who have previously slept thru the night….–> to start waking up thru the night to get enough calories. They were too busy before and get down to the real business of eating at night! A mom may not understand this is happening and milk supply can drop off if the mom tries to hold off nite feeds cuz baby should be sleeping or the list can go on and on… sorry. Regardless. I hope you had a good evaluation and options before needing meds to increase supply esp if baby previously thriving and no health probs for either of you. Thanks I’ll be quiet now

By: Gayle

Gayle — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:33:51 +0000

First of all — what a fabulous post!

“Milk transfer speed. The faster milk is removed from breast and transferred to baby, the higher the fat content is in milk. There is a faster short-term milk synthesis and faster wash down of fat globules.”

I’ve never heard of this before! Can you point me in the direction of more information?

By: Initial Low Milk Supply: A Breastfeeding Story – Case Study « Stork Stories… Birth & Breastfeeding

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:10:42 +0000

[...] Mikey’s energy level, drinking pattern, feeding frequency, and diaper checks. It is important to gather information and observe the feeding in the process of a full evaluation to determine adequacy of feedings. The information I got [...]

By: Kacie

Kacie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:02:33 +0000

Fabulous post! I love your style of finding out more info before giving a basic response. Very helpful!