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!
Good for you, Brittany! I have had 7 babies and nursed for a total of 14 years, and I’ve been drinking raw milk (either goat or cow) for the past 13 years. When I had my first in 1987, they didn’t even have lactation consultants at the hospital, and no one really gave much support to a new mother who wanted to nurse. I was on WIC back then, and the woman at the WIC office marveled at the fact that I continued to nurse my baby and that he was healthy and strong. At least nowadays there is more support for breastfeeding. May God bless you and your family.
Perhaps the issue wasn’t the milk, per se, but the large increase in protein, fluid and fat and could be accomplished via other means, especially for those who are dairy intolerant or unable to get raw milk? Milk is a convenient way to get fat, protein and fluid in one package but I’m sure with dairy intolerance being so common that some will question how they can also see the same benefits without making themselves or their intolerant babies sick. No everyone can tolerate milk, even raw milk- I had been on raw milk for a long time when my intolerances were discovered.
When I was nursing my two and studying to become an IBCLC I found in myself and heard many mothers confirm that a big steak dinner with lots of fat (butter or salad dressing) would increase my supply like crazy. So perhaps any large increase in fat and protein would do it?
Two quarts of raw milk would provide 32-36 grams of protein and 36+ grams of fat, depending on the breed and if the farmer skims the milk for butter/cream.
Thank you for sharing this story!!! Brittany, I did not find this article offending in any way– it was actually refreshing to hear someone’s story who knew the heartache felt by moms who struggled w/ supply issues:)
As a mother of twins myself (now 6 yrs old) I had a TERRIBLE time with supply issues and my milk. I had severe preeclampsia and c-section, and was re-hospitalized while the babies were home for 7 days. Needless to say, I was so distraught I did not pump every 2 hrs to promote my milk, and when I got home the babies were way ahead of my supply. That said, I did everything by the book to try to increase my supple from day 11 on…and NOTHING ever did really resolve the problem ( oatmeal, herbs, extra pumping, prescription domeperidone, lactations consultants, etc etc)- –some increase but not by much–I could not get past 50/50 milk supplements. I was heartbroken, but kept at it for 2 1/2 years, while everyone else thought I was insane for “putting myself thru this” and trying to breastfeed exclusively twins—no one really thought it could be done. I wish I had more support, but I am glad I stuck with it–I figured some is better than none!
I am 35 weeks pregnant NOW and alittle nervous about the milk issues, thank you for sharing your experience with me…I will definitley be adding more raw milk to my diet!!!!
be blessed.
That would have been so hard to go back in the hospital after they were born. It’s so encouraging that you stuck with it and pumped what you could!! Even a little bit of breastmilk is so much better than formula! I LOVE how many twin moms have commented on breastfeeding their twins… Where I am almost no one does, and it’s very disheartening to have one of your main communities(the mothers of multiples) to be where most of the discouragement comes from.
I’m sure you will have no problem with this next baby. The root of most of my breastfeeding issues had to do with the girls birth… It sounds like that’s where your bfing issues started as well. We will pray and hope that this next birth goes smoothly and breastfeeding will be a breeze!
So wonderful to read your positive experience, both with nursing and with raw milk! Kudos for persisting through tough times with nursing. Many women give up nursing when a problem arises. They benefit from reading stories like yours. I hope you post a link to this article on the La Leche League forum. It could give courage and hope to many women!
I am a huge fan of raw milk and have to exercise self control not to drink a quart at a time! That creamy deliciousness is as satisfying as homemade ice-cream to me! (And I also cured an antibiotic resistant tooth abcess by drinking lots of raw milk, upping my fish oil, taking Proselem and eliminating most sugar. It took one year but that is better than what any dentist could do for me!) Oh and by the way, I had all my babies at home, in my bathtub and nursed them all until they were 3. They are super healthy!
I drank raw milk while pregnant with my first son and later while breastfeeding. I weaned at 3 years, never having a problem with supply.
I did not drink raw milk (or very much of it) during my pregnancy with my second son. When he was a year old I started GAPS and ditched all dairy (raw or otherwise). I then went back to some dairy but not raw milk. I am still breastfeeding and my son is 2.5.
I am very glad this mom was able to breastfeed (especially twins!!!) but I don’t like the blanket statement that if you don’t drink raw milk/eat dairy, you shouldn’t breastfeed. I don’t think one single food affects breastfeeding (whether positively or negatively). Moms should follow the example of the mom in this story and research what works for them.
I agree with you Magda. That blanket statement bothered me too. Raw milk is wonderful and does enhance the benefits of nursing, but one should deprive one’s baby of the other benefits of nursing if one does not drink raw milk. Thank you for pointing that out. And I agree with you that every mom should do her own research and find what works best for her. Everyone’s biochemistry is different.
My son went from breast milk to breast/raw goat milk at 8 months without a hitch. Pasteurized milk made me sick as a child so this made me even more determined to nurse and figure out a milk solution for him when it came time to wean.
My 2 day old projectile vomited all the variations of commercial formula they tried to give him in the hospital as an infant when my milk was slow to come in. His body knew that concoction was garbage. I love it how they invent “acid reflux” as a sickness when babies vomit poison. The vomiting is protective and they suppress it so they can get more poison. It happens with toxic mothers milk too and I’m sure it can usually be solved with a change in the mothers diet or a milk from another mammal who is less toxic, and adjusted for the needs of the infant.
At 14 months there was a problem with my certified raw milk supplier. Someone got food poisoning and they drink raw milk, but they must have gotten germs somewhere else or have a compromised immune system b/c we never got sick. So when I ran out of raw a week later I gave him organic pasteurized milk since supposedly at 12 months babies can drink store milk… BIG mistake. He got VERY sick from pasteurized milk! I would have taken him to the hospital with the irony of it, but I could handle it and the hospital is the last place you want a sick baby unless you can’t stop the bleeding or a bone is broken.
He was up all night crying and inconsolable with diarrhea and gas, red in the face, unusually clingy and even refused to nurse! It took me 4 days to get him back to himself. I get so many comments on how I was so lucky he sleeps through the night since an infant, rarely sick, never an ear infection, such a friendly sharing disposition, so independent. My ego would like to make me think that his charming easygoing ways are because he has such great genes and I’m a good mother, but he behaves differently when his diet is not pure WAPF, that and/or he doesn’t get enough sleep.
It makes me wonder if so many of the typical negative associations that we have with babies and young children is because between lack of good bacteria that fight for them, bad diet, vaccines and the compromised immune system the two encourage, our children are in a constant state of malnourishment, poisoning, and sickness. This is what makes them so cranky and sickly. It’s not a normal state for babies to be bad tempered, cranky or sickly and if they are, you as a parent are probably missing these obvious signs that something is not right.
All this did just made me diversify my raw milk suppliers so that I never run out again. I’ll also kefirize milk for him in a pinch since he’s older.
I know when people think farmer they think “man” but wise country “grandmothers” are the best raw milk suppliers. Grandmothers have no certification to care about loosing. Wise country mothers of lots of children are good too, but unless their children are old enough to help, most of the milk mothers get from their animals are for their growing family.
loved this article. I made the switch to raw milk with my 3rd baby and my breast milk was completely different than with my first two. it was much thicker and less watery looking, plus it had a lot more fat in it. I was also able to breast feed much longer with my 3rd and had a much larger supply, he was completely satisfied with just milk for over 7 mos before introducing solids.
This is a wonderful story and lively discussion. However I too, like a number of commenters, question the validity of the quote, “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.” I’ve been living the WAPF lifestyle for a number of years; however, as a young mother, I had not yet encountered this information, but I still breastfed my four children plentifully and successfully and they are now healthy adults. How could breastfeeding, regardless of the mom’s diet, ever be inferior to any other alternative?
I just read Brittany’s post of June 15 @ 10:23 pm, where she explains her use of this quote; I missed this comment earlier when scrolling through the discussion. But still don’t comprehend why Pottenger or anyone else would make such a statement.
I agree with the commented above who stated that this comment by Dr. Pottenger was meant to stress the importance of raw milk in a pregnant or nursing mother’s diet and was spoken in a time when we were less sensitive about the issue of breast feeding and formula supplementation.
There is a difficult situation that arises when a mother doesn’t have access to raw milk to drink it for herself: there is no way she could make the WAPF raw milk formula either. In this case, raw milk or not, I believe Dr. Pottenger would choose breast feeding over commercial formula, given what we know now that was not know at the time of his study.
I drank pasteurized milk for my first pregnancy, and my son had asthma for 3 years until we all started drinking raw milk. Yes, this is anecdotal, but I believe the recommendation should be: if you can’t drinking raw milk while breast feeding, AT LEAST DON’T DRINK PASTEURIZED MILK. (My 2nd son, with whose pregnancy I also drank pasteurized milk, develops a rash and throws up any pasteurized milk. He drinks raw milk and eats other raw dairy products just fine, while still nursing at 18 months.)
I don’t really know what else to say about Pottenger… People make blanket statements a lot… Read some of the comments if you doubt me:D If you read his work Dr Pottenger was obviously very passionate about his work, and was a very intelligent man. I know lots of people that will say things like “Everyone should do ____ and they would never get sick, tired… or whatever.” But they are only speaking like this because it worked for them and they’re seeing the amazing results, so it’s a no brainer that everyone should do “that.” For Dr Francis Pottenger he was seeing night and day results in his studies and he was so excited that he said EVERY nursing mother HAD to drink raw milk. Obviously all mother’s don’t have to drink raw milk… some women I’ve known have even nursed perfectly healthy children on no milk at all. And many, many women have no access to raw milk.
For myself, I read this quote after reading about his numerous studies… At this point I had a great deal of respect for this man so I was intrigued, not offended, by his zeal and proceeded to treat it as a theory, not a rule. I was able to buy raw milk… I tested his theory and had amazing results. I shared this story as a theory for other women to test, not as a rule. End of story.
Once again, I hope this clarifies some things, and that people will only read this article as a testimony of successful breastfeeding meant to encourage. I am rather curious to what would have happened if I had left out the quote… I have a feeling I’d still be answering and explaining:)
Thank you for the intelligent comments… I don’t mind disagreeing, debating or the like with polite intelligent people. It forces me to examine every aspect of my decision(s), and as emotional as I get…It is a good exercise for my brain to sift between emotions and facts.
This is a great article. But when I look at this adorable twin picture I still cannot believe how blessed I am to have 2 little boys on the way!