Low Milk Supply: “Mindset Shifts” (Guest Post)

Having low milk supply can be very difficult for people –especially when they’ve always wanted to breastfeed. People will do almost anything to increase supply. They research formula, learn about things like “refill rate,” supplementation methods and herbs and foods for milk supply. This mom had an aha moment which helped her look at her situation with a different lens. She is shown here nursing her baby with a homemade supplementer. Thank you so much for generously sharing your  thoughts with all of us!

Today I realized I have very fast refill – I can refill my bottle with formula in less than a minute! I can provide my baby instantly with however much milk she needs. I celebrate living in the 21st century with high quality science milk.

I also realized I will never be able to exclusively breastfeed – but I can breastfeed INCLUSIVELY. Thanks to combo feeding I can include my husband (or anyone else) in fully taking care of the baby from early on. They will never have to feel like the lesser parent, while I can use feeding time to attend to my other favorite things. I celebrate the flexibility of combo feeding.

And finally, I may have insufficient glandular tissue – but I have sufficient brain tissue to adapt to the situation. I also have sufficient muscle tissue to cuddle my baby etc. There are many tissues whose insufficiency would have even more dire effect on me and my family. I celebrate the abundance of functional tissue in my body.

So you see, I don’t have to be imprisoned by the names and labels. The reality is that my baby is well fed and I get to enjoy that.

This is not to install toxic positivity or invalidate our struggles. I have also had a long journey with so many rough days. But today was not one of them. Today was a good day, and I want to be open to having many more!

–A. V.

For more about low milk supply and IGT: Stories from 4 moms, Low Milk Supply

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