Patient's question:
My cousin gave birth to a child on the 19th of this month. She was perfectly fine before giving birth, but now she has no milk at all. She has tried many folk remedies, but nothing has worked. Could you please suggest any effective methods?Also, I'm about a month away from giving birth. Will I also experience this situation? How can I tell if I have milk after giving birth?
Doctor's answer:
Hello: If a lactating mother's milk supply is insufficient, methods to increase milk production should be adopted. Regardless of the cause of insufficient milk supply, it is essential to encourage the mother, boost her confidence in breastfeeding, and maintain a positive attitude. She should continue to breastfeed on schedule even if the milk volume is low. Proper dietary and rest arrangements should be made, avoiding overexertion and ensuring adequate sleep. The diet should be rich in nutrition, including more chicken soup, fish soup, bone marrow soup, crucian carp soup, or pig trotter soup. Multiple vitamins should be taken orally, and combined with traditional Chinese and Western medicine or acupuncture treatment.(1) Common traditional Chinese medicine formulas include: 9g of Wangbuluxing, 12g of Chuanshanjia, 9g of Louru, 9g of Mutton, 9g of Danggui, 15g of Zhifang, 20g of Dangshen, and 15g of Danshen. The decoction should be taken once daily. Alternatively, the traditional Chinese medicine can be stewed with one pair of pig trotters.
(2) Western medicine can include 0.03g of thyroid hormone, taken 2-3 times daily for 5 consecutive days.
(3) Acupuncture points that can be used include Waiquan, Shaofu, Zusanli, and Hegu. Moxibustion can be applied to the Xuanzhong point.
During each breastfeeding session, both sides of the milk should be fully emptied, and any remaining milk should be completely expressed. This can help increase milk production. If a mother has poorly developed breasts, even with the above methods, the results may be limited. However, this is a rare case.