1. Misleading
    Jayne Freeman Jayne Freeman United States says:
    May 30, 2023 at 9:17 AM

    It's interesting to see that the main reason cited for cessation of breastfeeding is blamed on "low milk production" instead of recognizing that in the United States we have no universal maternal leave policy. The real reason that most women don't continue exclusive breastfeeding beyond 3 months is because they are back at work. And the smoke & mirrors trick from our government has been to give everybody free pumps -- as though that would solve the issue. I thought this article might include something about the efficacy of galactagogues but that is clearly going to have to be a different article. It was helpful however to note that women who exclusively pump, and there are a lot of them, are more likely to seek out supplements and galactagogues because they are watching their milk supply so closely and measuring every pumping session as they see it in the bottle. This is less likely to be a problem for women who are nursing from their bodies. Another interesting topic for an article might be recognizing that the quest for galactagogues is driven by the overwhelming cultural pressure to breastfeed at all costs.

    Reply
    • Left out biggest impact on milk production: STRESS
      Torrey Moorman Torrey Moorman Puerto Rico says:
      May 31, 2023 at 5:27 PM

      Thank you, I came here to say the same. Lack of paid maternity leave, lack of support with paid paternity leave, lack of societal support for women in general, generates a lot of stress.

      We **know** the body can't produce adrenaline and oxytocin at the same time.

      We **know** pumping is not as effective as actually feeding baby at the breast.

      The US is the only "industrialized" country that doesn't have any form of universal health care nor a minimum of 12 weeks paid maternity leave (most civilized countries have a one year minimum paid leave, in addition to some kind of partner paid leave), and the breastfeeding rates reflect the support the birthing parent actually received.

      Almost all my clients lose /see serious reduction in supply in the first 4 weeks of work. After attending a workshop with Dr Jack Newman, I talked to my clients about removing the stress of pumping, and using SNS with either artificial breast milk or donated milk instead.

      Most see a return of their own supply in less than 6 months, and 70% are still breastfeeding at age 3. We need to alleviate the stress, not push galactogogues.....

      Reply
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