One of the breastfeeding problems is that it is very difficult to gauge how much breast milk is enough for the baby. As mothers are not filling up a milk bottle with it, it is difficult to determine whether the baby has bad enough feed. So, how does it really work?

Breast milk is produced by supply and demand. The more the baby takes, the more it will be produced. However, this does not happen instantly. The mother's body will gradually determine how much needs to be produced over time. It may take a few months for it to happen. It is unfortunate that many mothers give up before the right amount of breast milk is produced.

It is quite easy to tell whether babies have enough feed. The following are the signs:

Insufficient weight gains - babies generally loses some weight after birth, but with enough breastfeeding, they should regain their weight within 3 weeks Dry diapers - if the baby is not fed enough, the diapers will be dry most of the time. Use 6 to 8 wet diapers a day as a guide. Tiredness - it requires a lot of effort for babies to suck to be fed. If the babies are not sucking or constantly falling asleep, it may mean that they are too tired to eat.

Once these signs are visible, how do we overtime this breastfeeding problem?

Breastfeeding does not come naturally for every new mother and being breastfed does not come naturally for every baby either. A lot of times, these skills need to be taught. As discussed earlier, breast milk is produced by demand and supply, without the demand from the babies, it will not be produced.

Therefore, it is preferred that the babies are put to the breast shortly after birth to allow the mother's body to recognise that breast milk is needed. Breastfeeding will then need to take place every 3 to 4 hours. Generally, this is how often the babies need to be fed as well.

In most instances, the breasts will be emptied by the baby. The breasts will then produce the milk again to firm up the mother's breast. This constant motion of breastfeeding the baby and babies sucking will signal to mother's body that more needs to be produced. If the breasts are not emptied by the baby, the mother's body will know that it does not need to produce as much the next time round.

This supply and demand of breast milk should allow mothers to solve this breastfeeding problem. However, it needs to be noted that this does not occur instantly. Mothers need to be patient to allow this process to complete. It will ensure the babies are always fed with enough milk for their growth and nourishment.