How to increase breast milk

Many mothers choose to breastfeed their babies, which is very beneficial for both parties, especially for babies. The nutrition in breast milk is very comprehensive and very beneficial to the healthy development of the body. However, some mothers have less breast milk, which is a very difficult process for the child. The baby needs to suck hard to get breast milk. In fact, the mother's breast milk also depends on the baby to suck, so how can the baby suck more breast milk?

The more you suck your breasts, the more milk they produce. However, the amount of milk in the two breasts may be different. If one breast is sucked less, the amount of milk will become less and less. Only by increasing the number of sucking, especially for a 3-month-old baby, and trying to feed on one breast as much as possible, can you produce more and more breast milk. However, if the breasts are not emptied, there will still be inhibitory factors in the breasts that will prevent the breasts from producing more milk.

A proven experiment that everyone can do: the more frequently you suck, the more milk you secrete.

Today, you use a breast pump every 2 hours, for 30 minutes each time; tomorrow, you use the same breast pump at the same setting every hour, for 30 minutes each time. Compare: the second day will definitely be more than the first day! (Of course, special reasons must be excluded, such as mastitis, fever, dietary changes, etc. on the second day)

How does it work?

According to current research, there are two major factors that control lactation production. (As for our research on nature, I believe that what we know is far less than what we don’t know. So we should respect the facts first. Scientific research can only explain the mechanism of some phenomena and facts, not all of them. So I wrote this article to talk about the facts first and then analyze the mechanism.)

First, let’s understand the background knowledge: the three stages of lactation. Pregnant mothers can start producing colostrum around 20 weeks of pregnancy, which is the first stage of lactation; the milk supply begins to increase within 30-40 hours after delivery, which is the second stage of lactation; followed by the third stage of lactation. (See the picture below)

The mechanism of lactation in the first and second stages of lactation mainly depends on hormones. During the third stage of lactation, milk production is controlled by the breasts: that is, the amount of milk discharged determines how much milk should be secreted.

So how do breasts regulate milk secretion?

1. There is a whey protein FIL (feedback inhibitor of lactation) in milk. As the breasts fill, FIL increases and milk production begins to slow. This is the reason why breast milk can be replenished. Conversely, if the breasts do not have excess milk, there will be less FIL and milk will be produced faster.

2. The regulatory role of prolactin. The mammary alveolus is a hollow bubble surrounded by a layer of lactocytes that secrete milk. Many mammary alveoli gather to form lobules, and several lobules form larger mammary lobes. One breast is composed of about 15-25 mammary lobes, which are surrounded by fat tissue and connective tissue. (See the picture below)

There are prolactin receptors on the cell walls of mammary cells. If there is little milk in the breasts, prolactin in the blood enters the mammary gland cells, increases the prolactin receptors, and stimulates the mammary gland cells to secrete milk. If the breasts are filled with milk, the cell walls expand and prolactin cannot enter the mammary cells, resulting in a decrease in milk production. Therefore, mothers should express breast milk frequently in the first few weeks after delivery to increase prolactin receptors and increase milk production.

Insufficient breast tissue may be an exception:

Congenitally hypoplastic breasts (not small breasts) may be an exception to the fact that all breasts can produce milk. However, it is only a "maybe" because breastfeeding itself can promote the growth of breast tissue. (See the picture below)

In addition to sucking more, are there any other effective measures to promote lactation?

After understanding the above lactation mechanism, we should realize that any lactation measures will be useless without the baby's effective sucking. So, is it true that apart from sucking, there are no other effective measures to stimulate lactation? The answer is of course no. Let's first take a look at the methods of the International Lactation Organization! The following is excerpted from the International Lactation Association's "Breastfeeding Parenting Book":

Lactation stimulants successfully used by mothers in Western societies include:

1. Food: barley, brown rice and oats, etc.;

2. Herbs: Asparagus, fennel, alfalfa, fenugreek, etc. (Also avoid herbs that have the effect of reducing milk production: sage, parsley, large amounts of mint)

3. Prescription drugs: metoclopramide, metoclopramide, metformin, etc. (Also avoid prescription drugs that have the effect of weaning: pseudoephedrine, hormonal contraceptives, bromocriptine, ergotamine, methylergonovine, etc.)

It is indeed very tiring to produce more milk. In addition to adjusting the posture to make it as little tiring as possible, is there any other good way?

Let's first look at what relief methods Western women have. The following is excerpted from the International Lactation Association's "Breastfeeding Parenting Complete Book":

1. Feed while lying down; sleep with the baby; hire a "sleep angel" (similar to a confinement nanny) to help;

2. Pay attention to nutrition;

3. Ask your partner to help massage your back or feet, or receive professional massage services. The full-body sensory experience will help new mothers release oxytocin: the hormone that builds a close relationship with the baby.

Compared with these lactation-inducing and relief methods, Chinese medicine research is more in-depth and thorough.

Some people may sigh that there are so many studies on lactation in the West. In fact, there is no need for us Chinese mothers to belittle ourselves. Compared with the above, the effective methods of inducing lactation and regulating mothers that have been known in the West, our ancients left behind many treasures to protect the health of the Chinese people for thousands of years. More than six years of practice at Zhiyitang has proved that many methods of traditional Chinese medicine are effective. We are grateful for the wisdom of our ancestors. Let's take a quick look:

1. Nutrition. In addition to Western medicine nutrition, Chinese medicine nutrition (diet therapy) is based on each person's different constitution, the coldness, heat, warmth and coolness of food, to regulate the mother's qi and blood, so that the new mother has more physical strength to feed the baby, and can even prevent postpartum diseases and improve physical fitness;

2. Herbs promote lactation. The research on traditional Chinese medicine is very systematic. It's not just about knowing a few herbs that have lactation-stimulating properties. In the practice of just one class, I can list 100 medicinal foods that can promote lactation. To know which one is suitable for you, you need to understand each person's physical condition. It is particularly important to note that a lactation-inducing herbal medicine may be effective for person A, but may cause milk to stop flowing for person B! For example, peanut and pork trotter soup is generally believed to be a magic tool for promoting lactation, but for mothers with dampness blocking the middle burner and poor appetite, the more they drink, the less milk they may have.

3. Massage. The meridian regulation based on Chinese medicine differentiation of syndrome differentiation not only has the soothing effect of massage, but also can regulate problems such as insufficient milk, excessive milk, milk leakage, mastitis, etc., and can also regulate various postpartum diseases: such as postpartum sweating, insomnia, poor appetite, and postpartum body pain; it can also improve the effect of tonic and improve physical fitness. In fact, Chinese medicine should treat diseases and regulate conditions by focusing on meridians first, and then using herbal medicines. Many mothers who attended Zhiyitang wrote in "My Breastfeeding Postpartum Graduation Thesis": Every time after regulating the meridians based on syndrome differentiation, the milk came in droves. . .

Common understanding of Chinese and Western medicine:

Traditional Chinese medicine has always attached great importance to the regulation of Qi and blood and mental health of breastfeeding mothers, and believes that "a cold mother leads to a cold child, and a hot mother leads to a hot child", and that the mother's diet affects the baby's constitution;

In the West, at the annual meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition held in Italy, the topic of "Perspectives on Breast Milk Research" said: The quality of breast milk is related to the mother's diet, genetic factors and psychological state.

Finally, both Chinese and Western medicine experts tell you:

It is definitely hard for breastfeeding mothers, but we must believe that no matter how tired we are, it is only temporary! No matter how tired we are, it is worth it!! Come on!!