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Growing Up and Chowing Down
Growth Spurts in Breastfed Babies
By Felicia Hodges
Dr. Smillie often uses the analogy of how tears are produced to better illustrate this point to her patients. "The body makes plenty of tears," she explains. "If you suddenly find yourself crying over some sad or happy time in your life, you don't suddenly worry that you won't have enough tears left over for the funeral. Milk production works much the same. This is how a mother of twins has enough milk to feed both babies. She doesn't wait until she has stored up enough milk before she feeds them, but it is there just the same."
Dr. Smillie reminds her patients that the "let-down reflex" that stimulates the milk flow is very psychological. "If a mother thinks that there may be problems, she could end up creating the very problem [she's] worried about," Dr. Smillie says. She adds that you can use the guideline of "a comfortable, happy baby that goes from being kind of hungry to being a bit floppy and content" as the best indicator to making sure your child is being adequately fed.
Many women may be tempted to reach for formula or supplement nursing with bottles because of the confusion they may experience from natural occurrences like growth spurts. How can moms be encouraged to stick with breastfeeding when growth spurts occur? "The thing to do is keep doing it," Strelevitz says. "Feeding your baby as often as she wants to be fed is the key. Your body will take care of the rest." She advises moms who have questions about their child's appetite spurts to call a lactation consultant.
Strelevitz adds one final bit of wisdom: "I think we need to trust our babies and our own bodies more than we already do."
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