The baby has already arrived, you had been wanting it for a while, waiting for it, and it is finally here. You've been with him for a few hours, maybe a few days, and he seems to be right in your chest, but you're not sure. You have the feeling that he asks very often, that he is not satisfied with the shots and you start to think that your milk is not good or that perhaps you are producing little.
No, your milk is good, the milk of all women is good, so then it may be that you produce little. The family begins to see you nervous about the issue and also considers that the child is very much to the chest, so they begin to offer their advice: drink broths, soup, almond milk, beer, brewer's yeast, milk, water ... whatever Look better for you to produce more milk.
The question is, does it work? Is there any food that increases breast milk production?
How long is chest time?
Many times they are sensations or lack of information. A baby of a few days may be on his chest for a long time because he falls asleep right away and stays like this, simply, holding on to the tit, doing some suction from time to time. If you fall asleep, separated from mom and immediately ask again, it may be considered normal, or it may not be. What you have to see is what you do throughout the day, because you still have a couple of shots but then sleep peacefully for a while between one shot.
That is, babies have to breastfeed on demand, when they want, but if it demands a lot, a lot, it may be that it is going hungry, and if it demands normal, it may be that everything goes well, but that the people of the environment consider that Breast a lot.
The artificial milk that most of our mothers gave us was given every three hours. Breast milk, on many occasions was also every three hours, because it was what was recommended then. Now it is said that it is on demand, and when the baby is left to choose when and how much to breastfeed, it is difficult to say what is normal. But so, to establish a pattern, say that The usual thing is for babies to breast every hour and a half, more or less, and that there will be shots in which he will ask again within half an hour of having suckled and others in which he may be two or more hours without asking.
This, as I say, is only a reference, an average. There will be babies who breastfeed more often and be normal and others who leave more time and also be normal. The important thing to know if the baby is eating well is to know if you are pooping (they make several a day, but there must be one that is relatively abundant) and weigh it, Sure. The weight gain that occurs as the days go by is what will tell us that you are sucking well.
There are no foods that increase milk production
Let's say the baby is not gaining enough weight. Let's say that I breastfeed very often and that the shots become very long, more than half an hour, and that when I separate him from my mother, he starts crying after five minutes and starts again.
Something fails, one begins to think that little milk is being produced and there comes, as I say, the advice of "take this, take the other", to increase production.
Good intentions, but bad results. There is no food that causes a woman to produce more milk than she is producing, or at least there is no evidence yet that there is.
In Spain it is very common to recommend almond milk or brewer's yeast, and usually people think they work. But in other countries they do not recommend this, but other foods such as ginger soup, sardines, peas, cod, etc. Even within our country there may be variations, because there are those who say lentils, there are those who say cow's milk and some people say a lot of water (which can be counterproductive) or infusions of certain plants.
So much variety can only mean one thing: either they all do something or actually none does too much. The reality is the second because, as I say, there is no evidence that there is any food that increases the production of breast milk.
What to do then if we have the feeling that you are not eating enough?
Well, ask for help from someone who knows the subject. It is not for belittling the grandmothers and their advice, but when there are real problems, real solutions are needed, and for this we must seek help from the pediatrician, the nurse, the midwife or the lactation consultants, to review the position of the baby and analyze the possible causes of why the baby is not drinking enough milk.
Possibly there is a bad grip and that is why suction is not effective. If the suction is not correct the baby does not get enough milk, and if it is not emptying the breast and does not stimulate it well, the production suffers. In other words, for a proper milk production there must be a correct chest stimulation that empties the chest in the shots.
If the baby does not do it, it can be done with manual extraction or with breast pump, but of course, it is best that he do it to avoid this intermediate step. That is why it is important, very important, that someone who knows about the subject values the shots with the baby and see if the grip is correct, if the position can be solved or if there are other factors that could be involved in milk production.
And what should the mother eat?
Well, what all women and all men should eat: a balanced diet. Nutritious foods in a balanced diet according to your hunger and liquids that quench your thirst, preferably water.
