Myth: If you have small breasts, you won’t produce enough milk to feed your baby.
Truth:
Size doesn’t matter! The size of your breasts has no impact on your body’s ability to produce milk. Breast size is caused by the amount of fatty and fibrous tissue, not the milk-producing glands. Breast milk production is hormonally stimulated and increases with the baby’s demand. The baby is in control of the amount of milk produced, and the breast size makes no difference at all. There are many things that can affect the production of milk like stress, tiredness or depression, but the size of your breast size is not a contributing factor.
Milk storage capacity in the breast may differ, so some moms may have a larger or smaller milk storage capacity, which may lead to your baby nursing less or more frequently. But as long as the breasts are being drained effectively, your body will keep producing more breast milk.
Myth: It is normal for breastfeeding to hurt.
Truth:
While many women have some initial discomfort related to getting the baby to latch on to the nipple properly, breastfeeding is not supposed to be painful. If you do feel some pain, there are lots of resources for you to reach out to in our article, 5 Places to Go For Breastfeeding Support in Canada.
Some moms do comment that the first few times they breastfeed, it feels “different,” but that shouldn’t be a surprise since you’ve likely never experienced a liquid coming through the milk ducts and out your nipples before. Challenges are often related to the infant, not the mother. Babies may not be able to latch properly for example, so mothers shouldn’t automatically assume that it is their breast or breast milk production that is the problem.
Myth: A mother must drink milk to make milk.
Truth:
Milk production is tied to how well the breast is being drained of breast milk. You have to remember this is a supply and demand situation. Your breast will begin increasing or decreasing production to meet the consumption needs of your baby. While you don’t need cow’s milk to make human milk! Here are some tips from Medela on how to increase your milk supply if you are concerned about that.
