Your breasts will feel softer and less full as your milk supply adjusts to your baby's needs. This does not mean you have low supply.
Your breasts feel softer
This happens as your milk supply adjusts to your baby's needs. The initial breast fullness reduces in the first few weeks. At around 6 weeks, breast fullness is completely gone and your breasts may feel soft.
As women age, their milk systems shrink and are replaced by fat. By menopause, most women's breasts are completely soft. This can make normal lumps more noticeable. Sometimes women find their breasts feel different when they lose or gain weight and sometimes breasts change for no obvious reason.
Many of the signs, such as softer breasts or shorter feeds, that are often interpreted as a decrease in milk supply are simply part of your body and baby adjusting to breastfeeding.
The first few days: Your breast milk coming in
The hormones will get you on track with starting to produce milk. Around day three after your baby's birth, your breast milk 'comes in' and your breasts may start to feel noticeably firmer and fuller.
In short, you should pump until milk isn't coming out any more. Or, if you're trying to boost your supply, pump a little while longer after the milk stops flowing.
One of the most common causes of low breast milk supply is a poor latch. If your baby is not latching on to your breast the right way, they may not be able to get the milk out of your breasts very efficiently, which can cause your body to produce less milk.
Though every breast milk feeding journey is unique, decreased breast milk supply frequently happens around the six-month postnatal mark due to a combination of three major factors.
Reasons for low milk supply
A history of polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, thyroid or other hormonal disorders. Mums with these conditions sometimes experience a low milk supply. The rare medical condition mammary hypoplasia, in which there isn't enough milk-producing glandular tissue within the breast.
Many women experience breast changes in early pregnancy – in fact, it's often the first sign you're pregnant. Surging hormones and a shift in breast structure mean your nipples and breasts may feel sensitive and tender from as early as three or four weeks.
It's useful to evaluate mom's 24 hour pumping output at 10 days. If supply is borderline (350-500 ml / 11-17 oz) or low (less than 350 ml / 11 oz), then galactagogues (prescription meds or herbs to increase supply) or other interventions should be considered.
Milk supply usually reaches its peak around four weeks after birth, with most of the increase happening in the first two weeks. If not enough milk is removed during this time, your breasts may end up making less milk than your baby needs.
Milk production peaks by about a month after birth, with most of the increase happening in the first two weeks.
Understanding the Role of Prolactin
Interestingly, prolactin levels have a typical 24-hour cycle — just like the human body's circadian rhythm. Prolactin peaks in the early morning hours around 2-5 a.m., while the lowest prolactin levels happen in the late afternoon to early evening.
Dehydration can lead to a low milk supply, especially if you suffer from chronic dehydration. Unfortunately, studies show that almost 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. That means it's incredibly important to manage your hydration levels.
There are three things to remember about exercising while breastfeeding to ensure you benefit and your milk supply is unaffected: Stay well hydrated: Dehydration can decrease your supply and is generally not good for your own health.
For many moms, 10-15 minutes of pumping is long enough. Once a week, add up the milk you pump in a 24-hour period. Write it down and compare your totals each week. You'll know right away if your production drops.
If your breasts are full and engorged this can reduce the milk flow because of compression. To relieve this, hand express to soften, use a warm flannel and breast massage.
Drink more water. Breastmilk includes lots of water, so it can be a struggle to increase your breast milk production if you aren't well hydrated. In addition to drinking regular water, you may want to consider some lactation tea.
Does the Haakaa Pump Increase Milk Supply? Yes, it can increase your milk supply. Breast milk supply is general based on demand. If you are drawing out more milk each feeding by using the haakaa breast pump, this will signal your body to produce more milk.