Isn’t it annoying to find out things after the fact, when the ship has already passed? So this month, I brainstormed a list of facts that may not be readily known.
* Breastfeeding doesn’t make breasts sag – their weight from being pregnant does it.
* It is possible for women, who have never been pregnant, & even for men to lactate.
* Only about 1 – 5 % of women are truly unable to breastfeed, possibly due to insufficient granular tissue or some disease states.
* Your hormones play a role with your milk supply. Hormones during lactation are higher than otherwise – good to know if & when levels are needed during lactation.
* Even with low breast milk supply, it is still possible to experience nursing at the breast via a supplemental nursing system (SNS).
* Women with small breasts can produce an adequate amount of breast milk, as the milk comes from the glandular tissue, not the fat.
* Breast milk is still more nutritious than formula, even when the lactating parent eats a crappy diet & smokes cigarette; however, the mother’s own nutrition will suffer.
* Formula is not as good as breast milk as it has less than a quarter of all the nutrients in breast milk, & it can’t customize the nutrients according to the age of the baby, according to
the exposures a baby had, & according to the time of day it is.
* Your breast milk will not only contain antibodies to whatever pathogens you were exposed to but can also contain antibodies that your baby was exposed to.
* C-sections can delay your body increasing breast milk volume by up to approximately 5 days. Formula supplementation may be necessary in the interim.
* Taking antihistamines for a cold or allergy, having your period begin again, using an incorrect flange size can lower your milk supply.
* Flange sizes can change over the course of a pumping experience, especially for exclusive pumping mamas.
Make sure to seek out an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), if you are experiencing or have experienced any of the issues above for guidance with feeding your baby.
