Evelyn Lindholm, an amazing Lactation Consultant that has worked with Angela since the inception of Go-Lacta®, suggests starting a chart to help visualize your breastfeeding schedule and track breastmilk output.
Evelyn’s advice is to nurse your baby until he or she is full, then immediately empty each breast using either a hand or an electric pump. Any expressed breastmilk can then be stored in your refrigerator or freezer for a partner feed, future feeds or in case of a milk emergency.
signs that your baby is full and appetite is sated:
drowsiness
heavy eyelids
relaxed, open fists
release from breast
slower suckling rate
To start your chart, track all your feeding times and/or pumping amounts in 7 day chunks. This will provide you with an overall representation of your milk production output and allow you to see the full picture for your personalized production schedule over the course of just a few weeks. You will see patterns emerge in how your baby feeds as well as daily production demands. Plus having a chart is much easier than trying to keep all this information straight in your head!
Add notes to help you decipher any variations in the regular pattern: stomach flu, seasonal allergies, ate more/less, sleep/no sleep, exercise, medication, etc to see how those factors affect your production output, as every ounce counts.
You can add in a galactagogue supplement, like Go-Lacta® if you see a dip in your regular supply or if you notice baby is squeezing in an extra feed (hello! baby growth spurt!) during the day or night.
Whether you are making 2 ounces or 20, you made it mama! give yourself a hearty pat on the back - you are awesome!
Sources:
https://www.babygooroo.com/articles/what-are-the-signs-my-baby-is-full
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/InfantandToddlerNutrition/mealtime/signs-your-child-is-hungry-or-full.html
