Reasons why you might be advised to let your baby drain the breast (which aren't true)

Unfortunately, the advice that babies need to 'drain the breast' can seriously disrupt breastfeeding.

You might be told that your baby needs to drain your breast to get the most amount of cream or fat possible, so that he gains weight well. Unfortunately, this advice can actually have the opposite effect, of causing your baby to not gain enough weight! The research shows that your little one takes in the same amount of cream or fat from your breast milk over a 24-hour period regardless of frequency of feeds.

You might also have heard that you need to let your baby 'drain the breast' because it will help you

• Get more calories into your baby

• Settle a baby with signs of lactose overload

• Heal a breast inflammation or mastitis

• Dial down a generous supply.

Again, none of this is true!

Offering frequent flexible breastfeeds is the best way to ensure your own milk supply and your baby's weight gain.

Feeling that you have to 'drain' your breast can cause breastfeeding problems

Sixty percent of milk is transferred in the first two letdowns of a feed. After that, letdowns are less common and transfer much less milk. If you have your baby feed for a long period on the one breast, the number of letdowns or milk ejections is lower than if you offer the baby your breast frequently and flexibly, for shorter periods.

Persuading your baby to stay on the one breast for a long period of time can accidentally result in

• A conditioned dialling up at the breast, if your baby feels under pressure.

• A drop in the amount of milk you produce, so that baby's weight gain drops off. This is because you're not offering each breast enough times in a 24-hour period to maintain the milk supply your baby needs.

You can take your baby off the breast whenever you've had enough, knowing that if your baby really needs to breastfeed more, you can simply offer again. If you have a newborn and are establishing your milk supply and breastfeeding relationship, you may be more likely to wait until your newborn comes off the breast herself, but you don't have to.

Your breasts are never 'empty'

For as long as you are removing milk from your breasts, your breasts will never be empty. Your milk glands are constantly and consistently producing milk. What matters is how many mature milk glands there are functioning in your breast.

For instance, after your baby starts solids, or as you wean, some of your microscopic milk glands are breaking apart and being swept away by your immune system, so that the total number of milk glands gradually decreases, which decreases your milk production. But your existing milk glands steadily make milk.

To increase your milk secretion, you need to have more milk removed from your breasts. Then the stem cells in your breast tissue kick into gear, and start to create new milk glands and lactocytes.