The other day I was talking to my lactation consultant and she reminded me of it, as it is about to come.
It’s really important for moms to be informed about it because it leads to most cases of mothers quitting breastfeeding, since it makes it easy to doubt your own ability to produce milk.
So I thought I would do a post for those that may be going through it, or will, so that you can be informed and aware too, and able to push through the “crisis” with confidence.
She explained that this stage is very complex and one of the hardest because it creates several changes in the milk production AND in the baby.
1. At around 3 months, milk production stabilizes and you stop storing milk in your breasts, and you start producing milk only when the there is demand, which means that the mom starts to notice a decrease in breast size (“fullness”), and they don't get full before the feeding anymore.
2. It suddenly now takes around 2 minutes for your body to get milk (which is how long it takes for the mammary gland to send and receive the signal), and that’s when the baby starts to get fussy while suctioning and waiting to feed (since he/she was used to the milk coming immediately previously), and then the mom gets easily anxious too and thinks that her milk supply is decreasing, when it is not true.
3. On top of it all, the baby at this age has his/her senses much more developed, which makes the baby much easily distracted when feeding, which tens to end up being uninterested too. Which adds to the moms concern.
4. Finally, the baby is now an expert in feeding so he/she can now feed much faster and get the same amount of milk, so the mom also starts to think "he is taking less time feeding because there is less milk" when the truth is that the baby is simply, much more efficient.
This crisis may be one of the longest as the baby takes a few weeks to get used to this change, so trusting our bodies and baby's abilities is key to succeed!
Did you know about it?
Share with a friend who has a newborn or is pregnant so they are aware and can get through this stage with confidence!
thank you. i think I’m in this right now. Have been trying to breastfeed, pump to increase supply and bottle feed to supplement. It’s been a difficult couple of days… but I think not only am I going through this but my milk supply is actually decreasing. i power pumped yesterday and only got 3oz the whole time. I’ve been getting 1-2 oz at the pump per session. any tips on how to get through this season?
This was really helpful to read since I think I’m going through this exact thing and didn’t know why. I assumed I’d have to give up on breastfeeding and just do bottles from here on out which has been giving me a lot of stress and frustration. Do you have and recommendations on how to push through this? Is this just a temporary stage?
Hi Laura - thank you for this information, I did not know about it. Breastfeeding has been a challenge for me from day 1, now that I know what to expect at 3 months I will try to be mentally prepared for this change.
I honestly forgot about it since Sofia! So I’m happy to share for new and second+ time mamas :)
Thank you for this information! I had no idea even though I am a second time mom, this is my first time breastfeeding!