Are You Worrying Unnecessarily?

False Alarm 1: Baby seems hungry again soon after I breastfed him.
Reason: Human milk digests more easily than formula and places less strain on baby’s immature digestive system, so breastfed baby needs to be fed more frequently than formula-fed baby.

False Alarm 2: Baby nurses very often.
Reason: Many babies have a strong need to suck or a need for frequent contact with their mothers. If a baby is nursing well, frequent nursing means baby is getting enough – not that there is lack of milk.

False Alarm 3: Baby takes a bottle after nursing.
Reason: Many babies will suck on a bottle even when they are full, not that they still feel hungry, but because they simply like to suck. Do take care not to over-feed your baby.

False Alarm 4: Baby is fussy.
Reason: Fussiness can be caused by many things other than hunger, but often there is no discernible reason. Many babies have a fussy period each day. Some babies are fussy much of the time.

False Alarm 5: Baby suddenly decreases his nursing time.
Reason: As baby gets more experienced at nursing, he may simply be able to extract the milk more quickly.
False Alarm 6: Baby suddenly nurses more often and longer.
Reason: Sleepy newborns often “wake up” at about 2-3 weeks of age and begin nursing more frequently. Babies also go through occasional growth spurts (at around 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months), during which they nurse more often than usual to bring in more milk to meet their needs.

False Alarm 7: My breasts suddenly seem softer.
Reason: This happens as your milk production adjusts to baby’s needs and the initial breast fullness or engorgement subsides within the first few weeks.

False Alarm 8: My breasts leak only a little or not at all.
Reason: Leaking has no relationship to the amount of milk you produce.

False Alarm 9: I don’t feel the let-down (or milk ejection) or it is not as strong as before.
Reason: Some mothers do not feel the let-down at all. It does not mean they are not producing milk.

False Alarm 10: I cannot express much milk.
Reason: The amount of milk you express may not be related to your milk supply. Milk expression is a learned skill which improves with practice. Pumping effectiveness also varies depending on the type of pump used, as some pumps are more effective than others.