How Common Is It For Mothers To Struggle With Milk Production?

Share What You've Found!

Home » How Common Is It For Mothers To Struggle With Milk Production?

Due to the isolation factor of motherhood, when a breastfeeding mother struggles with breastfeeding, she can often feel like she’s the only one with this challenge. Breastfeeding can bring a whole host of challenges, including milk supply. In this article, we will discuss how common is it for mothers to struggle with milk production. We will look at the definition of milk supply, explain what perceived insufficient milk is, how do we know if our bodies are making enough milk for our baby, and what you can do to boost your milk supply. Let’s dig in!

Definition of Milk Supply

If you are brand new to breastfeeding, you may wonder what exactly is milk supply. Put simply, milk supply is the amount of milk your body produces for your baby. This can be low, right on target, or high.

Your next question may be, “How do I know if my body is producing enough milk for my baby?” Or you may be wondering, “Is my milk supply good?” Further down in this article, you will learn the answer to the these questions.

Before we move on, however, I wanted to point something out to you. It is very common for breastfeeding mothers to worry about their milk supply. This is especially true among first time mothers! There’s nothing wrong with this. If you are worried about your milk supply, don’t think that you’re crazy or that you should be more relaxed. Every loving mother who wants to see her baby well fed and flourishing will, at some point, wonder about her milk supply.

With that being said, let’s take a look at perceived insufficient milk supply. Furthermore, you can think of this as perceived low milk supply. Keep reading to learn what this is.

Perceived Insufficient Milk (PIM)

It is challenging for researchers to know the difference between a mother who thinks her body is not producing enough breastmilk for her baby and a mother who is actually not producing enough for her baby.

Many mothers are worried that their bodies are not producing enough breastmilk. This is common. In some cases, they think they are not producing enough breastmilk, when in reality, they really are! This is called perceived insufficient milk (PIM).

In an article by the National Library of Medicine, it was stated that the exact rates of PIM was hard to pinpoint. They said it was somewhere between 30-80% of breastfeeding mothers have PIM. What happens with mothers who have PIM is that they wean their babies early because they are afraid they are not producing enough breastmilk for their babies.

So, although it is difficult to give an exact percentage of how many breastfeeding mothers truly do struggle with milk supply, it is safe to say that it is a very common concern. You are not alone. There are thousands of other breastfeeding mothers out there just like you who want to be sure their bodies are producing enough breastmilk for their babies.

Share The Love! Pin It!

Pinterest pin for this article "How common is it for mothers to struggle with milk production?"

Am I Making Enough Breastmilk For My Baby?

There are some things we can look at to consider if you are making enough breastmilk for you baby. So let’s jump right in!

Wet/Dirty Diapers

If your baby produces enough wet/dirty diapers per day, that is a good sign your baby is well hydrated and getting plenty of breastmilk to drink!

Your baby should produce 6-8 wet/dirty diapers per day. However, this number will vary depending on how old your baby is. See the chart below to learn how many wet/dirty diapers your baby should be producing based on their age.

chart for how many wet/dirty diapers a baby should produce per day based on age

Decently Happy Baby Between Feedings

Secondly, a great way to tell if your body is rocking this milk production thing is to assess the satisfaction of your baby between feedings. If your baby is happy, cooing, napping, or being playful between feedings, odds are your milk supply is great!

On the other hand, if your baby is always giving you hunger cues (sucking their fingers, crying, rooting, etc.) then they may still be hungry.

Now I will point out something here, mothers with perfect milk supply, may have babies who give the hunger cue all the time. There may be a couple reasons for this. One reason is tongue-tie. To learn more about what tongue-tie is, check out my article here! Babies with tongue-tie have a hard time getting the hind-milk out of mom. This is the fatty milk that gives baby more satisfaction after nursing. As a result, they may always be hungry.

Always be sure to talk to your pediatrician regarding the healthy weight of your baby, and see a good lactation consultant to help aid in tongue-tie or other nursing struggles.

Your Breasts Feel Completely Empty After Each Feeding

If your breasts feel completely emptied after each feeding, that’s a good sign your baby is getting lots of good milk.

Milk Drunk Baby

After breastfeeding, if your baby falls asleep and seems super limp and happy, that’s called being “milk drunk”. We love milk drunk babies as it shows they are satisfied and happy with mom’s milk! Yay!

Proper Weight Gain

When your baby gains a healthy amount of weight for their age, that’s another fantastic sign that mother’s milk production is doing great!

Appropriate Hours Of Sleep At Night

We all love sleep! Including your baby! When your baby is getting the appropriate amounts of sleep at night for their age, that’s another great sign that mother’s milk production is going strong!

No Signs Of Dehydration

Finally, another great way to tell if your body is producing enough milk for your baby is no signs of dehydration.

What are the signs of dehydration in an infant?

Cheeks, back of hands, and legs look “cracked” like the desert floor.
Not producing enough wet/dirty diapers for their age
The soft spot on their head looks “sunk in”.
Fussiness
Dry or sticky mouth
Few or no tears when crying (if they are old enough to cry tears)

Be sure to contact your nurse on call or your pediatrician with any concerns you have regarding the health of your baby!

How You Can Boost Your Milk Supply

I have one last great piece of advice for you today – how you can boost your milk supply! If you love free content and want to learn more about this subject, be sure to fill out the form below to start your free 5 Day Boosting Milk Supply Challenge! See you inside!