Almost every woman who gives birth to a child can and should be breastfed. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It’s not just because a woman doesn’t want to breastfeed. In some women hypogalactia (Greek hypo - "less" and gala - derived from the words "milk") or a decrease in milk production by the mammary glands can be observed.

Sometimes pregnant women who hear about such a problem from friends and relatives are worried that they will not be able to breastfeed their babies. Young mothers often explain the lack of weight gain in their children by a lack of milk. However, experience has shown that a lack of breast milk is not a tragedy, it can be corrected and milk can be increased.

Causes of decreased breast milk

True (or primary) hypogalactia is rare, occurring in up to 5% of women with health-related problems (especially severe hormonal disorders). In other cases, milk shortages can be caused by a number of reasons. The main ones are:

• Lack of lactation dominance in the woman (experts describe mental readiness for breastfeeding as such);
• Irrational nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• Uncomfortable family conditions: stress, need to work, etc .;
• Low breastfeeding;
• Early and unreasonable introduction of breast milk substitutes and non-dairy supplements;
• Breastfeeding the baby according to the program, not according to his requirement.

The amount of milk can suddenly decrease when breastfeeding is started. In this case lactational crisis is called. Usually this is as follows: the developing baby needs more milk and the baby’s appetite may increase gradually, not with leaps and bounds. In this case, the mother's body does not have time to adapt to the requirements of the child. In addition, there may be temporary changes in the hormonal background that affect the amount of milk during these periods. Typically, lactational crises occur at 3-6 weeks, as well as at 3, 4, 7, and 8 months of breastfeeding. Their duration is on average 3-4 days and they do not pose a risk to the health of the child.

If the mother is aware of the possibility of lactational crises and begins to breastfeed the baby frequently as soon as her first symptoms are observed, it will be possible to successfully overcome this temporary condition and increase the amount of breast milk.

How do you know if your baby is short of milk?

The main symptoms of breast milk deficiency are:

• Insufficient weight gain of the child in a month;
• Decreased daily amount of breast milk;
• Anxiety of the child;
• The symptom of "dry diaper" is a decrease in daily urine output. A few-month-old baby should urinate at least six times a day, in which case the urine should be colorless or pale yellow).

However, these symptoms do not guarantee the presence of hypogalactia. It is necessary to measure the daily amount of milk to make sure that it is not enough. In practice, this is done using a controlled measurement of the baby’s weight. In this case, it is necessary to measure the weight of the baby before and after each feeding during the day. Note - the baby may consume different amounts of milk during the day. Therefore, the amount of milk consumed per day is taken into account, not the amount of milk in a single breastfeeding.

It should be noted that the main criterion for the effectiveness of breastfeeding is the normal growth and development of the baby, his condition is good. If the baby is in good condition, there is no need to measure his weight every day. This only causes excessive anxiety and can lead to unreasonable and premature introduction of a supplement that replaces breast milk to make up for an imaginary deficiency.

Additional milk formulas should not be given to a child only when hypogalactia is suspected and this diagnosis is not clear. Even if the diagnosis is confirmed, a young mother may be “struggling” to increase breast milk. To do this, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast frequently, resorting to the following methods of increasing the amount of breast milk. In addition, in some cases, a woman can be helped by a psychologist.

Methods of increasing breast milk

A table of the main specialized means of stimulating lactation during breastfeeding and recommended to women during pregnancy.

Proper nutrition + stimulation

Studies have shown that the food factor plays a major role among the causes of hypogalactia. Therefore, it is necessary to rationalize the mother's diet in the first place. The diet of pregnant women and nursing mothers is of particular importance so that they can meet the body's need for vitamin and mineral components. It is important to remember the order of fluid intake - from 1,5 liters to 2 liters per day, including liquid foods in the diet. Lactogen, i.e. foods and beverages that increase milk production, physiotherapy treatments and medications, vitamin-mineral components, BFQ may be required to be prescribed.

We list breast milk augmentation products. Specialized products are conventionally divided into five groups (see table).

Drugs that correct the ration on the main food factors

Femilak contains milk protein, which is enriched with a particularly important substance - taurine, which is present in breast milk, as well as 15 vitamins, corn oil. The use of Femilak during pregnancy has a positive effect on the health of the expectant mother and the proper development of the fetus, helps to ensure adequate breast milk during breastfeeding and improves the composition of breast milk. . Enfa-Mama, Dumil Mama Plus are similar products, but they do not contain taurine.

2. Products enriched with dietary correctors and lactogen supplements.

This group includes a new product for nursing mothers, developed by Vitaprom LLC in collaboration with the National Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (RTFA) and called “Milk put”. This product contains whole milk powder made from whole cow's milk, soy proteins, sugar, safflower, gale extract, fiber, vitamins, mineral salts.

Gale herb extract is a potent lactogen factor. Clinical studies show that the product is well tolerated by nursing mothers and infants. The product effectively increases the lactation function of the nursing mother. It can be taken by women at risk of hypogalactia from the first days of lactation (late “onset” of lactation, early transfer of previous children to artificial feeding).

3. Fruit juices, drinks, teas from plants with lactogenic properties

Among the plants that increase the level of lactation, great importance is attached to food and spice-flavored plants. These include carrots, anise, lettuce, radishes, cumin, chives, nettles, dandelions, fennel, oregano, melissa, dill, thyme, namatak, hazelnuts and more. From these plants are prepared tinctures, tinctures, which are taken in the form of drinks.

Homemade drinks to increase milk production

Carrot juice. Brush the washed carrots through a small toothpick, squeeze the juice and drink half a glass 2-3 times a day. Milk, cream, honey and fruit juice can be added to vegetable juice to improve the taste quality. In order not to reduce the effect of vegetable juices, additives should not be too much (1-2 tablespoons per glass of juice).

Milk and grated carrots. Put 3-4 tablespoons of grated carrots in a glass, pour milk (or liquid cream) over it and drink from a glass 2-3 times a day. In the evening you can add 1-2 teaspoons of honey to the drink - it will relieve nervous tension and help you sleep better.

Drink from lettuce seeds. Lettuce seeds have the most noticeable breast milk enhancement property. To prepare the drink, take 20 g of lettuce seeds, carefully crushed in a porcelain dish and pour 1 cup boiling water over it. It is soaked for 2-3 hours and taken in half a glass 2-3 times a day. To improve the taste of the drink can add 1–2 teaspoons of honey to a glass of boiling water.

Zirali drink. To prepare 1 liter of drink you will need 15 grams of cumin seeds, 100 grams of sugar, a medium-sized lemon or 2 grams of citric acid. All ingredients are poured water, boil for 5–10 minutes at low temperature, strain and drink half a glass 2–3 times a day.

Cumin with 10–15% cream. Pour 2 cups of sour cream into a porcelain bowl, add 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds, close the lid and place in the oven to simmer for 30-40 minutes (at low temperature). Then cool to room temperature; drink half a glass at breakfast and dinner.

Zirali kvass. Rye bread cut into small pieces, slightly dried, lightly fried, pour water over it and leave for 3–4 hours. After that, the tincture is filtered, add yeast, sugar, cumin and leave in a warm place to ferment for 10–12 hours.
For 1 kg of black bread - 40 g cumin, 500 g sugar, 25 g yeast, 10 liters of water.

Drip from Shivit seeds. A tablespoon of shivit seeds is poured water (1 cup), leave to infuse for 2 hours. The tincture should be taken 2 times a day in half a glass or a tablespoon 6 times a day. With small sips, it is recommended to drink while holding it in the mouth for a while.

Fennel tincture. In a glass of boiling water add 2 teaspoons fennel seeds and infuse for 1 hour. After cooling, drink 3 tablespoons 4–30 times a day for 2 minutes before eating.

Drink from fennel, fennel and oregano. Mix 10 g of crushed dill berries, 10 g of fennel berries and 10 grams of oregano herb. A teaspoon of the mixture is poured a glass of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Drink half a glass 2–3 times a day.

Radish juice and honey It is mixed with boiling cold water in a ratio of 1: 1. For 100 grams of radish juice is taken 100 grams of water.

This group also includes special teas and fortified juices.

4. Biologically Active Supplements (BFQ)

There are various BFQs to increase the amount of breast milk. Some of them are listed below.

Apilactin contains Apilak (bee's milk and pollen); «Lactogon» - bee's milk and several spicy-flavored plants (oregano, carrot juice, ginger, nettle, shivit), which have a popular lactogenic effect. The only contraindication to the use of these drugs is the presence of allergies to bee products.

5. Vitamin-mineral complexes

Such complexes are prescribed from the second half of pregnancy and during breastfeeding as drugs that correct the diet and increase stunting.

When the above foods are not effective in the treatment and prevention of hypogalactia, it is necessary to use drug therapy. First of all, it is necessary to determine the cause of the decrease in breast milk and try to stop or weaken its effects. In hypogalactia, the use of drugs, vitamins, trace elements, sedatives, hormones, methods of physiotherapeutic action and other means is recommended.

In addition to medical methods, homeopathic remedies can be effective in combination with improved nutrition. Like other medications, they are prescribed by a doctor.

How and when are breast augmentation methods used?

It should be noted that the application of each of the above methods has its own characteristics.

Group I and IV drugs are recommended for women with the possibility of hypogalactia in the second half of pregnancy and the beginning of breastfeeding. Group II drugs with the most active lactogenic properties are recommended for use in obstetrics and during lactation crisis when a decrease in milk supply is observed. Group III products are also used during the lactation crisis.

Other ways to increase breast milk

• Breastfeeding the baby frequently, as required;
• Use rubber pacifiers (nipples) as little as possible: because of the ease of sucking liquid from the bottle, the baby is more likely to get used to it and not suck the breast well;
• Being closer to the baby leads to an increase in milk, try to spend more time with the baby;
• Do not wean the baby until he or she has stopped breastfeeding;
• Breastfeeding with different breasts at 3-4 hour intervals;
• Maternal sleep also has a positive effect on milk production.