“Why can’t I make milk?”

The early stages of breastfeeding can be tough on moms. The pressure to feed your baby simultaneous to your own recovery can be overwhelming. Many moms get off to a rough start. In the first few days, however, babies need a very small amount of breast milk—colostrum at this point. Moms need not worry too much for as long as their babies continue to soil their diapers.

After about five days, milk begins to come in more regularly. Babies feed frequently during this time. This is normal no matter how often it may seem. Observe how many poop and pee diapers the baby makes. Ideally, a baby would produce about eight soiled diapers a day. If the dirty diapers stop, then it may be time to see a lactation consultant.

What is IGT?

Insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) is a rare condition that is seen in less than 2% of women. In these women, the breasts did not develop the necessary glandular tissues for breast milk creation. The breasts are tubular in shape (narrow and long instead of more rounded), have more than 4 cm flat space between the breasts, have a very large and bulbous areola, with no observable breast changes (such as tenderness or enlargement) during pregnancy.

Glandular tissue has no bearing on the size of a woman’s breasts. Breast size is dependent on the amount of fatty tissue in the breast. This means that women with large breasts can have IGT and women with small breasts may not have it at all and be able to produce enough or even more milk than their babies need. Before deciding that you have IGT, it is best to see a lactation specialist or an OB-GYN to discuss your concerns.

What you can do

If you do have IGT and are unable to produce enough breast milk for your child, you can still breastfeed with a supplemental nursing system (SNS). This involves attaching a small tube to your breast / nipple. The tube is connected to a container with the supplemental nutrition. As the baby sucks, he receives the milk from your breast making him comfortable and satisfied.

For some women, SNS can stimulate their breasts enough to increase milk supply. For other women, it doesn’t increase the supply at all. The most important benefit of SNS is that it helps mothers and babies form the attachment, feeling of security, and bond that comes with breastfeeding.

Keep in mind that your worth as a mother is not equal to your capacity to breastfeed. What matters is that you’re working hard to provide the best for your child. Receiving donor breast milk doesn’t make you a bad mother. There are so many other aspects to motherhood.

Featured image by Helena Jankovičová Kováčová from Pexels