No matter how hard people try, replicating breast milk is impossible. Its benefits are legion, including nutrition and protection against pathogens. A mother’s breast milk can even change to suit the particular needs of her child’s immune system. As the baby’s saliva comes in contact with her breast, the mother’s body is able to miraculously read her baby and adjust the milk “contents” accordingly, to bolster the overall health of her baby.
As a mother of two, I can certainly attest to the fact that breastfeeding does not come as easily, or as natural, to both mother and child as we imagine. It can be a painful and exhausting journey, particularly at first. For some mothers, it is nearly impossible, so there are other options, from store-bought formula to breast milk from another mother.
Acupuncture can help with the supply and flow of milk for lactating mothers. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective (TCM), the mother’s blood is used to help produce breast milk. Labor and delivery can be exhausting to both qi (energy) and blood of the mother. Acupuncture can be used to help build blood to increase milk supply. In TCM, poor milk flow may be caused by deficient blood and also stagnation of milk in the breast. The liver channel flows through the breast and any stagnation of energy (qi) or milk can lead to a blockage, affecting flow. Blocked energy can come from general exhaustion, including physical, mental, and emotional. It is not uncommon for women to have multiple conditions causing a lack of milk and a blockage of milk.
Whatever the condition, acupuncture, herbs, and dietary recommendations are beneficial for overall health and wellness. Gua sha (a kind of scraping over the skin) and moxibustion (the burning of an herb called mugwort over certain acupuncture points) can also be included in an acupuncture session to help benefit the production of milk and flow for breastfeeding mothers.
Contributor:
Acupuncturist, herbalist, Maya abdominal practitioner, and reflexologist Christina Morris is the founder of Element Natural Healing Arts. Writing about health and wellness gives her an outlet to express her care and concern for her beloved community. She believes everyone can achieve better health and happiness–emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.