It might be natural, but breastfeeding is not easy. Many moms struggle with latching, nipple pain, food intolerances, and more when trying to breastfeed their infants. Yesterday, Olivia Munn got very real about one particular struggle of breastfeeding: low milk supply. She shared the challenges of trying to increase production while feeding her newborn son, Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney, whom she shares with boyfriend John Mulaney.
On her Instagram Stories Wednesday, Munn posted a picture of her dog lounging in a nursing support pillow with the caption: “At least someone is making good use of my breastfeeding pillow.” She also added, “(Side note: breastfeeding is soooo hard, especially if you have low supply).”
The next picture was an array of pill bottles and boxes of tea with the caption, “Any other moms taking allll the supplements and teas and tinctures yet barely make milk?” She included a poll with options “Y! Lactating is hard” or “Got lucky. Got milk.” (At publishing time, 66% of her followers voted “Y! Lactating is hard.”)
Finally, she posted a stressed-out looking selfie with the caption: “8 weeks in and I’ve taken a million vitamins, countless teas, lozenges, tinctures and worked with two lactation consultants. Breastfeeding. Is. Hard.” I also struggled with breastfeeding my firstborn son, who refused to latch correctly and was sensitive to many foods in my diet. It was a frustrating and emotional experience, so I understand where Munn is coming from!
According to the Mayo Clinic, although many women worry about low milk supply, it’s actually pretty rare to experience it. If you do, they recommend breastfeeding often (about 8-12 times per 24 hours for the first few weeks), making sure baby is latched, offering both breasts at each feeding, not skipping breastfeeding sessions, limiting medications that decrease milk supply (like Sudafed), avoiding alcohol, and more. They also recommend talking to a lactation consultant for help, which is something Munn has said she’s doing.
It’s nice to see celebrities opening up about the challenges of breastfeeding. Good luck to Munn and every other mama experiencing low milk supply. You’re doing great!
Celebrate the beauty of different breastfeeding journeys through these photographs.
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