Nursing Beyond the Vital SignsNursing Beyond the Vital Signs


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Nursing Beyond the Vital Signs

Nursing is so much more than simply popping a thermometer in a patient's mouth or recording a blood pressure. In my time as a nurse, I have participated in life saving efforts when time was critical, I have held a mother's hands when her newborn baby was being prepped for surgery, and I have looked into the terrified eyes of an elderly person in pain. Nurses literally go into battle, serving in military operations all over the world. They also learn and implement the latest in medical technology. This blog is to highlight nurses and prove that they deserve respect and appreciation for all that they do.

Secret Killers Of Your Breast Milk Supply

Breastfeeding can be difficult despite your best efforts. Some of these things are more obvious such as your baby not feeding normally or supplementing with formula. These more obvious issues are ones that you can spot right away and usually correct by reversing the behavior that caused the problem.

Then you have the secret killers: the issues that aren't easy to recognize and catch you completely off guard. Continue reading to learn more about some of these factors that can cause problems for your supply.

Placenta and Bleeding Problems

If the entire placenta wasn't removed in one piece, you could have problems establishing a healthy supply without extra help. On a related note, if you have postpartum bleeding for more than six weeks, you may find your supply doesn't get established well or suddenly seems too low for your baby. Your bleeding may not continue past six weeks, but if it was excessive or your had hemorrhaging, your supply could be reduced as well.

Sleep Training

It is a popular activity for new parents to try and sleep train their babies in order to get more sleep. Whether or not you agree with sleep training or are more of a co-sleeper, or you let the baby do as he or she will, this information applies.

You may try and train your baby to sleep longer stretches at night before they are really ready to, thus skipping night feedings and reducing your supply. Or you may have a "good sleeper" that sleeps for several hours at night without you interfering. If this happens too early, you will find that your supply will decrease abruptly.

Anemia

Anemia, or having low iron in your body, was a big thing that you had to watch out for during pregnancy, but have you given it much thought since you had your baby? The truth is, anemia can decrease your milk supply and is something that should be considered if you have ruled other problems out. Anemia also increases your risk for breast infections and plugged milk ducts. For most, continuing their prenatal daily is enough to prevent anemia.

These are just a few of the reasons why you may experience low milk supply. There are several other factors and causes for low milk supply that you should explore with your doctor and a lactation consultant so that you can discover and fix the problem at hand.