For many breastfeeding mothers, low milk supply is a constant worry. During my first few months as a nursing mother I dealt with minor supply issues. However, I was so distracted by other breastfeeding issues that I didn’t fully address the problem of low milk supply until my daughters were over 6 months old.
I have twin daughters, Julia and Aria, they were born April 27th, 2011. We had planned on having the twins naturally at home, but they ended up being born by c-section after a long 3 days of labor. Needless to say the birth was traumatic, but my work was far from done. I was DETERMINED to breastfeed. In my mind there was no other option.
I’ll recap the first 7 months for you. It was a seemingly endless test of my determination to breastfeed. I had grown up around women who breastfed their babies and knew it wasn’t always a walk in the park, but I had no idea how hard it would be.
Both girls had clampdown bite reflex. It took Julia 4 months to outgrow this and I was so concentrated on Julia the first months I didn’t realize Aria had the same problem. Because of this, Aria formed a habit of bad latching that will still show up if she’s stressed or overly hungry. I also dealt with thrush, mastitis, post-partum depression and have Raynaud phenomenon.
Raynaud’s is basically a circulation problem. I won’t explain more about it here other than it is intensely painful. Breastfeeding did not let me win without a long hard fight, but I did finally win. I have a wonderful husband, supportive family, a faithful God and a determination inherited from my mother that saw me through those tough months.
Breastfeeding Crisis: Low Milk Supply
When Aria and Julia turned 7 months old my milk supply started to diminish. The girls became very fussy, and I began to use the milk I had stored in the freezer for extra feedings.
I increased my liquid intake, food portions and nursed frequently. In the past that’s all I had to do to resolve low milk supply. But I didn’t see any difference even after weeks of doing this. In fact, my milk supply was watery, and diminishing.
After everything I’d gone through I couldn’t and wouldn’t believe that low milk supply would be my Achilles heel!
My diet during this time was full of pasture raised organic eggs, grass-fed beef, broths, lots of veggies and an occasional smoothie with raw milk. I was healthy, exercised, cooked 99% from scratch… I didn’t know what I was doing wrong!?
I had loaned my copy of Nourishing Traditions to a friend, so I headed to my library to see if they had it. I searched Sally Fallon in the database and found that the library’s copy of the book was checked out, but another book showed up that Sally Fallon had written the forward to: The Untold Story of Milk by Dr. Ron Schmid. I took it home and started reading.
I’d always been a supporter of raw milk, but had never really read up on it. When I saw the book at the library I figured I should research the raw milk issue more thoroughly. As I made my way through the book I was fascinated by the corrupt history of pasteurized milk and the benefits of raw milk. I hated drinking plain milk, but it was obviously very nutritious so I half-heartedly bought a whole gallon of raw milk and intended to increase my smoothie making. It sat in my fridge for several days until I read this about Dr. Francis Pottenger MD:
“Pottenger’s research so convinced him of the importance of raw milk that he recommended one quart of raw milk per day to pregnant and nursing women. According to Pottenger, women who did not have access to raw milk, or who refused to drink it, put the development of their babies in jeopardy and should not breastfeed.”
Ouch!
It was late at night and I had already pumped. But I went into the kitchen and gagged down a huge glass of raw milk. It wasn’t that bad, but I was still grossed out at the thought of drinking a quart a day! I thought, Oh well, that guy was just over the top and it probably wouldn’t even help. I brushed my teeth very thoroughly and went to bed.
Low Milk Supply Resolves After One Large Glass of Raw Milk
Then the miracle happened…I woke up around 5am engorged and leaking everywhere! I pumped almost 6 ounces, and then nursed my girls when they woke up an hour later.
Well, that was the end of me refusing to drink raw milk!
My milk that I had just pumped was thick and my daughters were obviously happier than they had been in days. I was an overnight raw milk advocate!
It took me awhile to get used to drinking plain raw milk, and I did cheat… I added carob, homemade chocolate syrup, or made smoothies with it the first month or so, and I didn’t always drink an entire quart… But I now drink 2 large glasses a day, and crave it if I’m tired, hungry or after I exercise. It’s a mother’s dream food because it doesn’t require cooking or prep, just open the fridge and pour a glass.
In March my milk supply was once again put to the test. The girls were 11 months old at this point… So, they had large appetites. Both of the girls got the chicken pox and exclusively nursed for almost a week. Aria had them worse than Julia and so she exclusively nursed for over a week. I was tired, but didn’t have any supply issues. In fact, I was still able to pump extra at the end of each day. After the chicken pox was over I knew I didn’t need to ever worry about low milk supply issues again.
Raw Milk Helps Moms With Low Milk Supply!
Aria and Julia are now 13 months old. They nurse 3-4 times a day each, and are happy healthy little girls. I’m not really thinking of weaning at this point. It took almost 9 months to finally figure out breastfeeding, and the past four months have been awesome. Last month they started tandem nursing again… Being a mom is tiring. If it wasn’t for the pauses of nursing during the day I don’t know if I’d sit down and just enjoy my children. It forces you to sit, think and notice your baby. And when nursing is over they’re so endearing that I end up playing with them and ignoring the dishes and laundry. If I was giving them bottles they would independently feed themselves and I would probably continue on with my chores.
As a mother of twins I feel compelled to share my story. I believe it’s vital to breastfeed multiples because of the bonding time. If you’re pregnant with multiples most doctors will assume that you won’t even try to nurse, or that you’ll automatically supplement, but prove them wrong. The first 6 months is insane and even though it was so painful to nurse I’m glad I did. I was able to really get to know each one individually and I’ve never really felt guilty about ignoring one over the other.
One more note to breastfeeding mothers. I did talk to different lactation consultants during those months, but discovered that the research I did on my own was far more fruitful. The lactation consultants were very nice, but I don’t think any of them expected me to succeed.
In our culture it seems to be instilled in us to “try your best, but not to worry if you fail because no one will blame you.” That attitude is particularly prevalent in the medical world towards breastfeeding. Lactation consultants, nurses and doctors would give me a pat on the back for attempting to breastfeed, give me some useless advice, then proceed to tell me that “no one would blame me if I supplemented with formula. In fact, some women just aren’t able to breastfeed, and it would be less stressful if I just supplemented.”
Those kinds of comments fed the fire beneath me to prove them wrong, and honestly helped me stick to breastfeeding no matter what. I will admit that I was a die-hard and nothing else mattered at times. Was I too hard on myself? I don’t think so. I think we’re just conditioned to think that if something is gut-wrenchingly hard and painful then it might not be worth it. Well, it is worth it. Nursing is our special mother/baby time. Breastfeeding is also VERY important for the mother’s health. It helps to lose weight, forces you to keep yourself nourished and to sleep well.
When a mother has her baby she needs to take things slowly and not jump right back into the fast lane. Sit, contemplate and fully enjoy your beautiful new baby. You spent 9 long months making that child lying in your arms, now enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Raw milk has all the enzymes to help your body digest and absorb all the nutrients. The saying goes it’s not what you eat, it’s what you can absorb. If you have lactose intolerance issues make kefir and start by giving your body just a teaspoon a day while increasing daily. This helps build the bacteria in the gut that digest milk so eventually you can consume whole raw milk without any issues.
Does anyone know the “why” behind this phenomenon? I know it works well for my friend, however because of the high cost of raw milk I never drank a full quart a day. I would have 2 cups and then some raw cheese and yogurt to get all my dairy in. But, I nursed my first til 18 months, second to 14 months, and third to 11 months. If we have a fourth child I REALLY want to nurse until they’re 2. If raw milk is the way to go, I will definitely try it. I’m just super curious WHY it works. I was wondering if it was just the additional calories that boosted the milk supply….because it’s a lot easier to drink extra calories sometimes. But sounds like some of you noticed a huge difference between raw milk and pasteurized milk, which should be equal in calories. If anyone has a theory or personal story, I’d love to hear it!
It probably has less to do with calories and more the bioavailable, heat sensitive, vitamins, compounds and microbiology within the raw milk helping out to boost breastmilk production. The lactoferrin, retinol, vitamin k. probiotics, sugars & proteins.
We drink raw milk in our home. I drank it throughout my pregnancy. I got preeclampsia and had my son 3 weeks early and he weighed just over 4 lbs. We spent a week in the hospital after his birth and obviously the food wasn’t super nutritious. Everyday my husband drove to our place and brought me a quart sized Mason jar of raw milk with a teaspoon of chocolate syrup (couldn’t help myself!) I craved it like crazy. I didn’t realize the effect of it until we ran out for a few weeks. We got our milk, I had a huge glass, and laid down for a nap with the baby. I woke up soaking wet, pouring milk everywhere. This wasn’t super uncommon those first few months but even now 9 months later if we dont have raw milk for a few days or weeks, as soon as I start drinking it again my supply is crazy. Like same day results crazy. My midwife told me it’s just the fact that I’m drinking whole milk but that cant be the only reason because even when we dont have raw milk I drink whole milk. I’ve told multiple people this with mixed responses from the usual “omg that’s dangerous your going to get sick” to “oh all milk increases supply” but there is no denying that although I’ve never had trouble with my supply, the family cows raw milk makes a HUGE difference! So happy to see people talking about this!
It’s definitely the “raw” part that makes the difference. I drank pasteurized organic whole milk while nursing my first son and still experienced supply issues (he also spit up a lot due to the milk I later figured out). With my second and third, though, I drank raw grassfed milk and the supply was overwhelming at times! They also rarely spit up (only a restaurant meal would cause spit up issues).
Sad to see one of the oldest myths in the book being perpetuated: “You need to drink milk to make milk.” If you suspect low supply, you should always seek the guidance of an IBCLC or breastfeeding counselor. One of the biggest reasons why moms quit breastfeeding is perceived insufficient milk production. Understanding growth spurts and normal fussiness are key. More importantly, if you notice a supply boost from lactation cookies, Gatorade, supplements, etc, you have a good supply that needed a boost.
I was producing barely a few drops out of each breast and was frustrated as baby was not taking bottle and was losing his weight. I tried plenty of water, breast massage, and mother’s milk tea but nothing changed but since the day I started drinking healthy nursing tea, my milk supply started building up and now successfully breastfeeding my child.
This is so inspiring! I have a 5 1/2 mo old baby with low weight gain, and LOTS of food sensitivities, which cause horrible eczema and itching – dairy included. I only drank raw milk during pregnancy but obviously don’t anymore. Does anyone know if raw goats milk might offer the same benefits? My raw dairy farmer has goats too! My other 2 babies never had weight gain issues – it is so sad. This guy was born a healthy 8lb3oz and now at 5 mo, is in the 5-10th% in weight 🙁
Sarah! Your response fits my situation to the TEE!!! Just almost exactly one year later (almost by the day).
Anyways…did u find out if raw goats milk does the same thing? Dying to know.
Great article!
ThomasandSole Karrer