How to maintain breast milk supply at work

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Breastfeeding is a natural form of nourishment with numerous benefits for infants and children. Breast milk is the most suitable and best food for babies, especially babies under 6 months old. Despite knowing the benefits that breast milk brings, many mothers face difficulties in maintaining breast milk while working. Refer to some of the measures below to help mothers be able to work and breastfeed at the same time.

1. The health benefits of breast milk for babies

Breast milk is the best source of food for babies, especially for babies of breastfeeding age. Because breast milk helps balance nutrition and is easiest to absorb for babies. In addition, breast milk also contains many antibodies that help children prevent diseases caused by external agents that no other milk has.
In a review study found that exclusive breastfeeding contributed to a reduction in mortality in children under 5 years of age, especially infants. Not only that, breastfeeding helps strengthen the emotional bond between mother and baby, helping mothers maintain a reasonable weight...
Although breast milk is good for babies, for many reasons, breastfeeding is perfect. In our country, the rate is not high. Especially after the mother has to go to work, the child is less likely to be breastfed, possibly because the mother does not know how to maintain breast milk for the baby.
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2. How to maintain breast milk supply while working

2.1. Adequate and varied diet Maternal nutrition directly affects the quality of milk and the level of breast milk secretion. Therefore, in order to ensure that the milk supply for the baby is always adequate and provides a lot of nutrition for the baby, the mother needs to have a diet full of nutrients, do not abstain too much, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. fruits, cereals.
Breast milk is made mainly of water, so in order for the mother to have enough milk, she needs to drink a lot of water, about 3 - 3.5 liters / day. Should drink warm water will stimulate milk secretion more, should not drink cold water.
2.2. Breastfeed more often When mothers start working to stimulate milk production in a normal way, mothers should breastfeed their babies more often, according to their needs and when they have time to be close to their babies. Because sucking will stimulate the body to produce more milk, even if you feel no milk, you should still breastfeed to stimulate milk. Some working mothers, if they live nearby, can take advantage of breastfeeding during lunch breaks.

2.3. Expressing milk for children at work In order to have enough milk to feed the baby while the mother is away from home, the mother should take advantage of the morning, noon and evening sessions to express milk for the baby. Mothers can use tools to express milk and then store it in clean milk bags and put it in the refrigerator.
The mother can depend on the baby's milk needs to divide the milk bags or express enough of the baby's needs. Breast milk stored in the refrigerator can be kept for 24 hours and if frozen, it can be kept for 1 to 3 months.
Mothers should write the amount of milk and the date of milking on the milk storage bag, so it will help us know the shelf life of the milk. Mothers should note, do not let children drink milk for a long time, which can cause children to have diarrhea.
When the mother wants to feed the baby, soak the milk storage bag in hot water for a few minutes, when the milk is warm, pour it into a cleaned bottle and give it to the baby to drink. Note: Do not soak directly in boiling water or boil milk.
2.4. Do not give your baby more formula. Most mothers will choose a quick method to provide milk for their baby when the mother goes to work, which is to give more formula. However, if the baby is given formula milk, the baby will no longer need to breastfeed because the baby is full. If the baby is breastfed less and less, the mother will gradually have less milk because breast milk will be produced according to the baby's needs.

2.5. When you go to work, the mother's time will be less, busier and the work pressure will affect the mother's psychology. Therefore, arrange your time and take time to rest, relax and keep your mind at ease. This is very good for increasing lactation. If you are stressed, anxious, tired...it is easy to lose milk.
2.6. Proper sleep You should create a reasonable work and rest schedule. Do not stay up late because getting enough sleep is very important in lactation. At night, when sleeping is the time when the body produces the most milk, so getting enough sleep and going to bed early will help mothers have more milk for the baby.
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2.7. To maintain breast milk supply for babies, mothers should abstain from foods that can affect the amount of breast milk, the taste of breast milk and overall health. Food groups that cause loss of breast milk should be avoided, which are:
Fast food: This type of food increases the risk of obesity for the baby, food has little nutritional value, so it is not recommended to use. Broccoli: Should be eaten sparingly, because if the mother eats a lot during the day, it will cause bloating. However, this situation does not happen to everyone. Spicy foods: Although it does not affect the quality and quantity of breast milk. However, it changes the taste of breast milk, many babies will stop nursing because breast milk has a strange smell. Stimulants: If the mother uses stimulants, it can affect the baby such as lethargy, sleep a lot and abnormal weight gain, and also reduce the mother's milk secretion reflex. Betel leaf: May cause loss of milk or reduced lactation. Cabbage: Some people after eating cabbage also reduce the amount of milk. In cases of low milk or loss of milk, mothers can use some herbs to stimulate milk. Accordingly, some herbs are often used for the purpose of increasing milk secretion for the mother, such as pine needles, white tea, clove leaves, anise (dill seed) ... Mothers can drink warm tea instead. Water helps to increase milk secretion.
Above are some measures to help mothers increase and maintain milk even after mothers have gone to work. Or think about the value that breast milk brings to your baby's health so that you can be more motivated to take steps to help your baby be exclusively breastfed.
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