As we roll into another World Breastfeeding Week celebration, which takes place every year between August 1 and 7, we will look into why many mothers stop breastfeeding before they reach their goal because of presumed low milk supply.

In reality, 98 per cent of women are able to provide enough milk for their infants, whether they have one child, twins, triplets or even more. So how come many mothers cite low milk supply as a reason for having to stop breastfeeding?

There are three issues that lead to such a conclusion. Lack of knowledge on normal infant behaviour is a major contribution to both women and health professionals believing that there is not an adequate supply to feed an infant. Other factors include frequency in feeding, wanting to just comfort suck and mother’s breasts feeling soft and leaking little to no milk.

It is important to know that a breastfed infant is made to feed frequently and to comfort suckle as well. For newborns, this is a mechanism to make sure the mother will produce enough milk for the baby. In fact, the more a baby nurses for the first six weeks, the better the milk supply will be. After six weeks, infants will continue to nurse a lot. This is a mechanism to keep up the milk supply and not have it diminished.

It is normal for breasts to feel soft and seemingly back to normal after the first month-and-a-half. Your milk supply is now established and at any time in your breast there is just enough milk for a feed. Not all mothers leak milk. Just because you do not leak does not mean the milk supply is not good.

Lack of confidence in our body and mistrust in what we cannot see are other factors that lead to a woman thinking she has a low milk supply. But we have been created perfectly and our body knows what to do and how to do it with the help of our own infants. It makes milk especially for our babies, changes according to the baby’s need and age, gives the right amount of vitamins and nutrients and provides immunity against diseases.

Mothers just need to be heard, reassured, helped and supported

Your infant normally would not take more than three-quarters of the milk in your breast at any one feed. Your milk supply is not decided by how big or small your breasts are, but how often your baby nurses. The amount of milk available at any one time is decided by the storage capacity of the breast. Having a small storage capacity does not mean you do not produce enough milk. It simply means your infant will most likely feed from both breasts every time and probably more often.

Lack of support and knowledge on normal infant behaviour and how our body works also lead to believing that our milk supply is not enough for our infants. Family, friends and healthcare professionals change how we view things and how we should proceed. Many undermine our own goals unconsciously because they see us worry, suffer, tired and want to help us make it better. And because they do not know, understand or remember certain aspects of childbirth, child rearing and nursing; they give us the wrong information.

Learning more about breastfeeding and infant behaviour before the birth will highlight what needs looking into. Making use of lactation professionals will give you the tools to carry on breastfeeding for longer. Mothers just need to be heard, reassured and supported.

Melissa Bugeja is a breastfeeding counsellor. She breastfed her two older children into early childhood while currently nursing her third infant. She helps mothers with breastfeeding matters through courses, workshops, support groups and home visits. She is the founder of Latch On and a partner in Parenting from the Womb. You can find her at www.breastfeedingmatters.net and https://www.facebook.com/groups/breastfeedingmatters/ .