Breastfeeding doesn’t come easily for everyone and frankly, it’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. But as many nursing mamas will tell you, stressing about it will only slow the flow. Which is why this handy hack, courtesy of lactation consultant Johanna Sergeant, has parents all over the Internet sighing with relief.
Posting to the Milk and Motherhood Facebook page, she wrote: “Are you someone who sits and watches the trickle of milk, if any, that comes when pumping? Do you get stressed or sad about your output? When I was told to pump after feeding to boost supply, I’d sit there and watch. I’d double pump for twenty minutes after every feed and become more and more demoralised at the lack of milk in that bottle. I realised that, for my own mental health, I needed to stop watching!”
Easier said than done… That is, until, she discovered the baby sock trick.
“Now I advise mamas to put a sock over their pumping bottle, and it has been getting incredible results,” she continued. “Some women are reporting often 2-3 times more milk when they remove themselves mentally from the result of their pumping session!”
“We know that oxytocin release is inhibited by stress, and oxytocin release is required for letdowns, so if you find you are getting stressed while watching, try it!”
Needless to say, the post has been well received – it’s been shared more than 8,500 times in less than a week. And most mothers are in agreeance: turning away from the task at hand really helps their supply.
“I never though to use a sock, but as soon as I started watching Netflix instead of scrolling thru Facebook at work while I pumped, my output increased,” one woman wrote.
“O.M.G. Brilliant life hack!” added another.
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