What are the factors that affect milk secretion?

Mothers who have just given birth hope to have enough milk to feed their babies. For newborn babies, breast milk is the most important source of nutrition. If the milk is sufficient, the baby will eat better, the baby will develop better physically, have stronger resistance, and will be less likely to catch colds and other diseases. However, in life, mothers often have insufficient milk. So what factors will affect the secretion of milk?

Factors that affect milk secretion:

The amount of milk secretion is affected by many factors, including the mother's nutritional supplements, mental state, sleep state and health status:

1. If the breastfeeding mother obtains comprehensive nutritional supplements, with sufficient calories and various nutrients, the quality of milk secretion will be high and the quantity will be large. If the mother is undernourished, the milk she secretes will be of poor quality and in small quantity.

2. The mother's mental and psychological state also has a certain impact. If she is anxious, sad, nervous, or uneasy, her milk supply may suddenly decrease. Therefore, the nursing mother should have a pleasant living environment and maintain mental health and happiness.

3. Breastfeeding mothers should get enough rest and ensure the time and quality of sleep. Excessive fatigue and lack of sleep can reduce milk secretion.

4. If the mother is in poor health or becomes sick, her milk supply will decrease.

5. If the milk in the breasts cannot be completely emptied each time during breastfeeding or the number of breastfeeding times per day is too few and the milk in the breasts is not completely sucked out, milk secretion will be inhibited.

6. Milk secretion is related to the baby's sucking. If the mother feeds the baby late, the baby suckles less often, and the hospital nursery supplements the baby with sugar water or milk, the baby will often be in a sleep state during feeding, which will cause the baby to refuse to suck or suck weakly, thus causing the mother to fail in feeding. Therefore, it is recommended that mother and child stay in the same room as soon as possible after delivery; the baby can be fed whenever he wakes up and is hungry to promote a gradual increase in milk secretion.

The mother's mental state will also affect the amount of milk secretion. The mother's negative emotions such as tension, sadness, anxiety, etc. will affect the amount of milk secretion. Therefore, mothers should have a pleasant and peaceful living environment.

The mother must also get enough sleep. If the mother is overworked and lacks sleep, the amount of milk secretion will be reduced.

If the mother is sick, the secretion of milk will also decrease. Some medicines such as sedatives and painkillers will affect the mother's milk.

If the mother cannot completely empty the breasts every time she breastfeeds or if the mother feeds too infrequently each time, milk will accumulate in the breasts and inhibit milk secretion.

Some hospitals today will not allow mothers to breastfeed their babies until 12 to 24 hours after giving birth. In addition, babies are supplemented with sugar or milk in the hospital nursery, which can reduce the number of times the baby suckles, or cause the baby to not suck the nipple or to suck the nipple weakly, which can cause the mother to fail to feed the baby.