A new study by researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio says that new, first-time moms who are older, overweight, or have difficulties breastfeeding in the days after birth may find they have a delay in full breast milk production.
As you may know, right after birth, a woman produces colostrum until her full breast milk comes in. This is considered “delayed lactogenesis” if full milk production doesn’t happen within the first 72 hours after birth. If the baby doesn’t get enough milk, it can lead to dehydration and weigh loss.
In the study, which can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at 431 first-time moms in California. They chose first-time moms because they are more likely to have trouble with breastfeeding than moms who have already given birth.
What the study found was that almost half of the moms (44 percent) didn’t get their breast milk within the first 72 hours. The moms who were overweight were more likely to see their milk delayed than the moms who were thinner. More than half of the women over the age of 30 (58 percent) saw a delay in breast milk production.
Moms who fed at least twice within the first 24 hours saw less of a delay in production than those that didn’t. Another thing the study found was that moms that experienced what they called more than milk nipple soreness were more likely to see a delay.
Why older and heavier moms experience problems with milk production is still not known, but it may be due to carbohydrate intolerance during pregnancy.
Dr. Laurie A. Nommsen-Rivers, the lead researcher in the study, said that it is easy for new moms to become discouraged, but even those with delayed milk production shouldn’t despair. She said that when a lactation specialist is called in, almost all new moms can eventually get their milk within the first week. She even suggested first-time moms consult a lactation specialist before the baby’s birth.