A common issue many mothers believe they have is low milk production.  For some this may be the case, however for many others it's a matter of misinformation or lack of confidence.  We want to make sure there's reason for concern before jumping to supplementing.

It's normal to see babies lose up to 7% of their birth weight within the first 4 days of life due to them being waterlogged when they arrive.  It's important to note that the weight announced at birth is not their true birth weight.  Once baby sheds all of the excess fluids given to you during labor is when you'll see baby's lowest birth weight.  Keep this in mind when baby begins to lose or gain weight to accurately determine progress.  Baby should be back to birth weight by 10 days.

Milk supply regulates differently for every woman, leading to softer breasts.  This doesn't mean your supply has dipped, it simply indicates that your body is now making what your baby needs on demand every day.

Be sure you're nursing often (every 2-3 hours or minimum of 10 times a day) when baby is a newborn to establish a good supply.  If you are nursing less or pumping less (if you've had to return to work early) this can impact your supply negatively.

You may see you baby nursing more often during growth spurts which is totally and completely normal.  This does not indicate baby is starving or that your supply has gone down.  Your body will recognize the demand has gone up and meet baby's needs daily.  Growth spurts are seen around 7-10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months.

It is important to ensure baby's caregiver is pace feeding bottles while you and your child are apart.  Not pace feeding can lead the caregiver and yourself to believe you're not keeping up with baby's demand.  This is usually not the case and can send mothers into a pumping frenzie.  Please read the page on pace feeding for more information.

Supplementing can also play a role in supply concerns.  The more you supplement the more space you take up in baby's tummy in place of your breastmilk.  Causing baby to nurse less and less at the breast, leading your body to believe it does not need to make as much as before.  It can be a vicious cycle many mothers get trapped it, however it is possible to backtrack!  Increase nursing to boost supply while cutting down on supplementation is the key to get back to strictly breastfeeding.  If your baby loses weight when taken off supplementation it's important to speak to a CLC or IBCLC in your area to assess for any oral restrictions preventing baby from nursing properly.

Sometimes you will see a dip in supply during your menstruation period or when baby or yourself have a cold.  The best thing to do is continue offering the breast often.  Your supply will bounce back as long as you're nursing often and baby is nursing efficiently.

If your baby has started solids, be aware that your supply will follow baby's lead.  If baby is eating more solids and nursing less, then your body will produce less.  If you'd like to boost supply back up simply back down from the amount of solids and up nursing sessions.