1. Do feed from both breasts at each feeding unless you have a very large milk supply. ( like pumping 5-6 ounces out after infant nurses)
2. In the first few days of your baby’s life if you hand express colostrum 5 times a day after your baby nurses you can increase your milk supply by 80%! This is huge.
3. When your milk supply comes in from day 2 to day 5 you can pump once in the am after your baby nurses. This will begin to build up a storage supply for when you return to work or just out for a movie or shopping.
4. Weight gain is the best indicator of how breastfeeding is going. Babies can be stealth feeders. Be sure to watch your baby breastfeed to look and listen for swallowing.
5. Be very careful with cold medicines and antihistamines because they dry up mucus and can dry up breast milk. (So benadryl that was safe when you were pregnant is now contraindicated when breastfeeding.)
6. Use caution with hormonal birth control, estrogen is surely contraindicated. With progesterone only birth control pills, IUD or implant caution is advised, so watch your supply!
7. When your baby is 1 month of age start to offer a bottle every day so that when the time comes for you to return to work your baby will take a bottle when offered.
8. Prolactin is the main hormone responsible for making breast milk. When you rest your prolactin levels increase so when you wake up in the morning you should have the most milk at this time of day. Try to nap when your baby naps to help protect your milk supply.
9. Watch your baby’s urine and stool output in the beginning. A baby can be well hydrated but calorically deprived. Here again weight gain is the best indicator of how breastfeeding is going.
10. Smaller breasted women can make just as much milk as a large breasted women the only difference is a larger breast can store more milk.
11. When you breastfeed your infant your infant has a 50% reduction in SIDS just because you breastfeed!
12. Breast milk contains a fatty acid profile for optimal brain growth and development.
13. Most women in early lactation do not feel “a let down response”, it comes later and feels like a hardness or tingle in your chest wall.
14. Colostrum coats your infant’s mouth, esophagus, stomach and small intestine and prevents germs from penetrating your baby’s system.
15. Colostrum contains 10 times the infection fighting components than breast milk alone contains.
16. Peppermint over time can decrease a milk supply.
17. Oatmeal, asparagus, green peas, a heavy lager beer, ample water and electrolyte drinks can help increase a milk supply.
18. Do not wear a tight bra as this may cause a decrease in your milk supply.
19. Consuming less then 1500 calories per day has been shown to decrease a milk supply.
20. The catalyst that causes the body to change colostrum into breast milk is when the placenta leaves the body.
21. Prolactin spikes in your blood for the first few weeks and then it becomes supply and demand. For this reason alone if you are having supply issues seek help early!!