Читать книгу The Smart Parents Guide to Breastfeeding - Jennifer Ritchie - Страница 9

A huge hormonal shift will happen after the delivery of the placenta, and your milk will increase in volume around day 3. This is commonly referred to as the milk “coming in.”

When you deliver your baby, your prolactin levels remain high, while the delivery of the placenta results in a sudden drop in progesterone, estrogen, and HPL levels. This abrupt withdrawal of progesterone, in the presence of high prolactin levels, stimulates increased milk production (the second stage of lactation). This hormonal shift is what also causes us to develop Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety.

The milk supply increasing in volume typically happens in humans around day 3, but it can be delayed for several days due to 3rd Spacing. During this stage, the more that milk is removed from the breasts, the more the breast will produce milk.

Why wouldn’t your milk “come in” or increase in volume around day 3? Water!!! If you have an epidural or a C-Section, they need to give you IV fluids to keep your blood pressure low, to prevent you from having a heart attack. A heart attack is the last thing we need, so we just need to look for signs that we need to flush some of that water out of the system. About 14 hours after delivery, look at your feet. If they are swollen, place two fingers on your feet to see if the fluid moves and creates an indentation. If it does, that is the fluid moving and you have 3rd Spacing. This fluid is not only in your feet, it is also in anything that hangs: Your butt, nose, hands, and breasts. We need to get as much of this fluid out of your body as soon as possible, or your milk will not increase in volume and your baby will start losing too much weight. If you see this swelling in your feet about 14 hours after delivery, you need to drink A TON of water. Tap water, Vitamin Water, a cut-up watermelon, whatever! The only way you will get rid of this extra fluid is by peeing it out, and the only way to pee is by drinking.

3rd spacing is a very common cause of supplementation in the first 2 weeks, and could severely impact your success at breastfeeding. Here is a photo of a mom that labored with IV fluids for 14 hours: