Why Do Breastfeeding Moms Complain That Holidays Reduce Their Milk Supply?
Starting a few days after Thanksgiving, and running through January, it's fairly common for breastfeeding mamas to call with a whole string of nursing concerns .....
"Do you think the sage in the stuffing reduced my milk supply?"
"I think I might be loosing my milk!"
"My baby isn't satisfied at the breast, and is getting really fussy. I'm afraid there's a problem…"
One of the first things we discuss is that the breastfeeding relationship is a living, responsive relationship. Both mom and baby will naturally have variations in production and appetite, affected by their health, experiences, amount of contact with each other, and their food and fluid intake. In other words, temporary circumstances can lead to a minor and temporary dip in milk supply. Here are some basics that can guide you to sorting out what might be going on in your case.
About the sage.
When sage is used medicinally to help nursing mothers intentionally dry up their milk production, much larger amounts are used than a tablespoon as seasoning for an entire recipe. It’s been my midwifery experience over the decades that small occasional amounts of sage used as seasoning have rarely (if ever?) resulted in a notably decreased milk production. If your milk supply has been very fragile, then you may feel most at peace avoiding it. But I would encourage you not to worry after-the-fact.
Nearly all my clients have found their solution through these questions:
Did you travel by plane recently, leading to greater dehydration, or disruption to your baby's schedule? Babies of certain ages (especially 6 mo-1 year) are often very distracted by the excitement of travel, which has them looking around at all the activity and less interested in nursing.
Were you in a stressful family setting over the holidays? Emotional (dis)stress and tension may affect the frequency of the baby's nursing. It also may impact mom's ability to relax and have a milk let-down, or even her comfort in settling in for relaxed eating, drinking, or breastfeeding in the presence of male relatives. The effects of other’s discomfort & snarky comments can also contribute to the tension.
Were you drinking enough fluids over this holiday to generate sufficient milk?
And were you visiting with overly Helpful Relatives?
Overly HELPFUL RELATIVES are the kind that see your delicious baby, and sweep in to hold, entertain & pass around that sweet child of yours for hours at a time. This is a really common problem - Grandmas can be TOO GOOD at jiggling the baby! This especially comes up when family members are not acquainted with the normal rhythms of a breastfeeding relationship, such as nursing frequently at the breast. When they expect to see your baby eat every 3-4 hours as their formula-fed infants did, your baby’s early hunger cues are often missed or distracted away. This has the effect of stretching out the baby's nursing schedule from every hour or two, to every 2-4 hours.
“Remember, breastfeeding is a “Supply & Demand” system! Greater demand -more time suckling at the breast- results in more milk. Less demand -shorter or less frequent feeds- results in reduced milk production. This is especially true if the reduced stimulation stretches over several days.”
The “cure” in most of these situations is a 'Nursing Vacation.'
This is where, depending on the age of baby, mom and baby return to especially close contact for a day or two (or three.)
A very young infant may need mom to go back-to-bed and do skin-to-skin contact for a few days to recalibrate. And the tired mom of a very young infant needs that rest too! Perhaps an older baby just needs their world to slow down with a weekend at home, lots of cuddles & even baths together. All of these options result in a lot of breast contact and therefore increased hormonal surges.
One customer was certain that she was in the downward spiral of losing her milk completely as had happened with her first baby. Being again in this frightening and stressful situation, and imagining her very young baby growing more hungry, led her to be nearly hysterical on the phone. She was shocked when I suggested that instead of jumping in the car to come buy a bunch of lactation remedies right that moment, that she try something simple first. I proposed that she brew up a pot of her pregnancy tea (it helps makes great milk too!), crank up the heat so her master bedroom became a toasty greenhouse (so her newborn wouldn’t chill), and go hang out in bed with her warm baby skin-to-skin for the day. Only five hours later she called ecstatic to say she was already “gushing milk” and couldn't believe the difference!
This is world is a busy place, but babies are not fast-paced.
When mothers are able to slow down to match their baby’s pacing, it supports the baby’s sense of well-being, as well as the vital hormonal dance of breastfeeding mothers.
The 'natural habitat' for their 4th trimester, their first 3 months, is actually in the arms of their mothers (or loving parent.) This close contact helps them to stabilize their vital signs, brings them a feel of security and well-being, which supports ample weight gain and calm relaxed behavior & sleeping.
Mamas and babies thrive in the holiday season when it’s the mamas & papas that are well-nurtured by the Helpful Relatives. Ideally parents will feel comfortable being the ones to moderate the amount of time their babies are away from them, so individual needs are met.
You may be eager to give your arms a rest, or not yet ready to be separated much.
Listen to your own intuition, and to your baby, to find the best balance for the two of you. Baby-wearing using a sling, front pack or wrap is one way to slow down how much the baby is leaving your arms, if that’s your wish. The hopeful ideal is that a sweet balance is found between baby-holding, baby-feeding, and maybe even some wonderful ‘couple time’ for a much-needed nap. Many lucky parents have purring grandparents that are thrilled to cuddle the baby elsewhere in the house when you are ready for a rest.
If you plan to breastfeed but other family members never have, it can help smooth the way to share ahead as you learn about it. Especially that breastfed babies will normally feed more much more often than formula-fed babies. Good luck!