Nursing your baby for months, daily, can be a challenge. You might face certain health conditions that force you to pause breastfeeding for a few days or even a few weeks.
Or you might have to be away from your baby for whatever reason. If this is the case, you will naturally wonder about getting back to it again.
If you stop breastfeeding can you start again?
If you had to stop breastfeeding for a certain period, the good news is that you can definitely go back to it.
However, you will need to pay attention to some aspects if you want to do that!
A) It is a slow road back to nursing
Once you stop nursing, your breasts will stop producing breastmilk in a few days.
- Usually, the "dry out" process settles in 7 days to 10 days since the last time you nursed your baby.
- To breastfeed again, you will have to go through a relactation phase.
- You will need to get ready for weeks of stimulating your breasts to lactate again.
B) Relactation with Regular Pumping and Nursing
The relactation phase implies regular pumping and nursing.
- You will have to pump several times a day. Try to keep a regular schedule when it comes to pumping, so your breasts get used to the process.
- An easy strategy is to pump every time you would normally feed your baby. You will not get a significant amount of milk at first, but with daily pumping, your milk flow will increase.
- This phase would take longer if you had some complications, such as a breast abscess.
But if you have the patience it takes, you will get to fully breastfeed your baby as you want without any problems!
C) Never too late to restart breastfeeding
According to lactation experts, it is never too late to start breastfeeding again, regardless of how big of a pause you made.
- The only difference is that the more time passes, the harder it will be to restart breastfeeding.
- However, the relactation process will have to contain the same pumping schedule regardless of the time you were off breastfeeding.
D) Lactation Supplements
If you want to support your breastmilk flow again, you could use specific home remedies to do so.
- Pumping or breastfeeding often and on a regular schedule is one of the most important things you can do.
- Your diet will also have a contribution.
- Try lactation supplements as well as the so-called superfoods for breastfeeding moms such as garlic, ginger, spirulina, fennel, or fenugreek.
Since breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for your baby, you should always consider going back to it when it is possible.
Talk to your lactation specialist to take the right steps according to your condition. The reason why you stopped breastfeeding in the first place will also be necessary.
This relactation process might differ from mother to mother, but it is nevertheless possible to overcome it.
With proper guidance and the right determination, you should be able to nurse your little one for every meal again.
Key References
- "How to Increase Breast Milk: Home Remedies, Diet, Supplements". Accessed April 20, 2020. Link.
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