Breastfeeding Theories Chat Thread

[gingerpeachee]

I don't think I said it was all in anyone's head. I think that low supply is a real issue. I think woman with this concern are often dismissed and told they are not trying hard enough. I think that *stress* which is a real thing which can really increase your risk for a heart attack could also possibly be a factor in decreased milk supply. I think that positive thought is a possible technique that could be used to decrease the effect this factor (stress) has on on the milk supply.
The article from the link above talks all about the disconnect between the medical community and lactation issues.

[4MileLove]

Many of my friends have said they quit BF bc didnt have enough milk yet when you ask how they knew they had a low supply, they tell you the baby was skinny or 'I didnt pump enough milk'. Many women, including myself didnt/dont understand that pumping isnt an full indication of your supply and that pumping is an art. I have a skinny baby in general and a lot of women tell me its bc I breastfeed and the baby 'isnt getting enough milk'. My baby gains weight, has enough dirty diapers and is meeting all of his developmental goals - even advanced at some things. Chunky babies arent always the healthiest babies.

[CASMama711]

Originally Posted by happysmileylady Absolutely believe in the placebo effect and the ability of our minds to work over our bodies. However, I think low supply, like most problems with our bodies, is a complicated thing. I think that our hormone levels are all over the place after we have a baby and it would be silly to assume that prolactin levels can't get messed up just like any other hormone. I also think that the normal rhythms of our society today can play a factor. Sleep for example. Maybe one mom needs a particular amount of sleep to help maintain her supply but because she has moved away from her family she doesn't have enough people to take the baby for her to be able to get enough sleep. Another mom needs to go back to work and discovers that she isn't responding to the pump well. Or whatever. I think our bodies are all different and that what works for one body might not work for another. I think tha concept applies to dealing with illnesses, working out to lose weight, diets and allergies, and of course to childbirthing and BFing too. I think it's just way too complex to just say hat if you wear baby enough and nurse often enough and Hershey's with baby close enough that anyone should be able to nurse exclusively and successfully for months and years. I think there are more women who struggle with supply issues than most LCs and lactivists are willing to admit. I also think that that is one of the factors limiting research into the real reasons why low supply happens, beyond the standard lines of "supply and demand, just nurse more" and "don't give bottles or pacifiers, they cause nipple confusion." There are pills to help guys 'perform' and pills to help prevent pregnancy and pills to replace thyroid hormones, but there is very little to improve breastmilk supply. IMO that is really where the focus should be. Discovering and working the medical side of it needs more focus. I often wonder how many societies actually do exclusively nurse foe an extended period of time-meaning up to and beyond the recommended 4-6month timescale for starting solids.

This.

10% of women experience infertility. If that many women's reproductive systems fail, why is it so hard to believe that their breasts might fail, too? As someone who struggled with both infertility and extremely poor breast milk supply, I get so tired of hearing how "tiny" the percentage of women with true supply issues is... it doesn't seem so tiny and unbelievable when it happens to you. After years of infertility, I wanted nothing more than to breastfeed my babies. When I explained my medical history and infertility problems to LCs in an attempt to get help catered to my specific problems, I was always met with blank stares. They just don't don't know how to help women with real supply problems.

[Tris]

Why did you delete the title?
This thread interests me. I know from my own experiences, focusing my thoughts on making milk and my child made me able to pump more. Pumping while nursing also helped "teach" my body to respond to pumping better I believe. I am not of the % that had milk issues (until later with my first), so in that I fully believe my mentality towards breastfeeding helped myself make more milk.

I don't think this question was referring at all to those physically incapable of making milk, OP was pretty specific about that.

[happysmileylady]

I really believe the numbers are bigger than most LCs will admit.
Or at the very least, that there are many woman who might be unable to do what might be necessary FOR THEIR BODIES to produce the amounts their babies need. They might have no physical/permanent reason that they cannot produce enough milk, however there might be factors in their lives that cause their bodies to not produce enough at the right times.

As a analogy...lets say a particular woman is 100lbs overweight. She has no medical conditions that prevent her from losing weight. However, there might be conditions in her life at any one moment that prevent her at that time. Like perhaps she has to take some steroid meds to treat a particular infection, or maybe her spouse lost his job and she's had to pick up a second job or even a third and doesn't have time to work out right then. None of that means she's incapable of losing weight, but it does mean there might be other real life obstacals in her way.

In the same way, I think that a woman might be physically capable of producing enough milk, but their could be other things in her way right at the wrong moment.

I think that LCs and the medical community need to move past the concepts of supply and demand and just nurse more and it's rare to not be able to make enough milk and begin to really research all the things that affect breastmilk supply and try to work on real ways to help. I think way too much of it is still a mystery.

[gingerpeachee]

Originally Posted by Tris Why did you delete the title? This thread interests me. I know from my own experiences, focusing my thoughts on making milk and my child made me able to pump more. Pumping while nursing also helped "teach" my body to respond to pumping better I believe. I am not of the % that had milk issues (until later with my first), so in that I fully believe my mentality towards breastfeeding helped myself make more milk. I don't think this question was referring at all to those physically incapable of making milk, OP was pretty specific about that.

I deleted the title because I felt like I was running in circles, but i guess there is no real reason to make the thread die.

[Miss squish]

I am also in the camp of believing there is more than this 2% figure everyone loves to throw around. Where did that come from? Was there an actual research study with a good design that shows this to be accurate or is it anecdata, which most of bf'ing info seems to be......nothing wrong with that, so much wisdom passed between mamas, but it doesn't cover everything. There's just as many myths as truths floating around.

And along with that goes the idea that because the margin of 'real' supply issues is so small, you must be doin it wrong. (This needs a lolcat ) yes, there are often things that can be done differently and when those are corrected, that still leaves some women without a full supply. *raises hand*. I have seen my own doctor and 5 different LCs and they tell me there is no reason I can't have a full supply. Except I don't.

I would love to see empirical research into breast feeding supply. Of maybe it exists and isn't readily available, or isn't disseminated because there's no required continuing education for LC or LLL volunteers etc.

But back to the OP - I definitely think that positive thinking, faith in your body, and an expectation that you can be successful go a long way. When I stress about supply it certainly doesn't help, and I do know that when I'm anxious I have a hard time letting down which leads to an impatient baby which contributes to less milk being made. When I picture myself having a let down and nursing my baby until he is satisfied it is more enjoyable for both of us.

But positive thinking cant over come a functional problem. It cant fix a tongue tie or increase prolactin levels or cure PCOS.

And positive thinking and faith in your body aren't going to feed your baby if you do have low supply but don't recognize and admit it because supposedly only a small number of women have a supply problem.