2 Causes Of Reduced Milk Supply

Tongue-tie or lip ties occur when the thick piece of skin under the tongue or above the upper lip is thicker than it is supposed to be. "There are two spots where the tongue attaches," Dr. Judy Strutz. When the skin is tight, it can restrict the tongue and lip from movement. Sometimes, when babies are born, this skin is thicker or reaches between the gums, causing problems for your baby to breastfeed.

When your baby is unable to latch onto the breast correctly, the baby is only getting half of the supply. They may be eating for just a few minutes and then letting go. Then eating long enough for the let down to occur and then unlatching from the breast. This may cause your overall milk production to decrease, as your body believes there is no reason to continue producing that much milk.

You can also end up getting mastitis. This can be very painful and is usually caused from not having your baby feed enough. Mastitis is a bacterial infection and can lead to a need to get the area drained in order to remove the infection. During the time of the surgery and when you are recovering, it can be painful to breastfeed and again, your body may feel it does not need to produce milk because you are not feeding your baby as much as you would normally.

If you find that you are struggling to breastfeed and you are feeling pain due to your baby’s tongue tie, contact Dr. Strutz & her team today for more information.