19/05/2026
This is such an important message. So many in pregnancy worry they won't be able to make enough milk, but the vast majority can, with the right knowledge shared to them and support offered to them. Something you'll find at your local Matlock NCT class with Alys, who is also an NCT breastfeeding counsellor and a volunteer with Breastfeeding Network Derbyshire at the weekly Monday baby group.
After the article in the Economist, there is a lot of talk about low supply.
Many people cite low supply as a reason why they stopped breastfeeding. And yes, there are some who can not make a full milk supply. The article suggests it's up to 20%. Other research suggests it's more like 5%. The truth is it is difficult to measure as so few new mums receive the support they need to establish a good supply at the start, and this can have a big impact on long-term milk production. You can, however, still breastfeed without a full milk supply! I will share more on that and how to tell you if you have a supply issue later.
For now, here is a post on the things that people often think might be low supply, but are actually completely normal newborn newborn behaviour.
1 - YOUR BABY IS FEEDING FREQUENTLY
3 hourly is often what we are told, but in reality that is the minimum a baby should be fed. Most babies prefer to feed more frequently. Babies love to cluster feed! At night, to start with and in the evenings and early mornings a few weeks down the line.
2 - YOUR BABY WAKES IN THE NIGHT
Night waking is normal. There are many periods during the first year and beyond where babies wake more, and others when they sleep a little better. This is not to do with milk production, but baby development.
3 - YOU HAVE SMALL BREASTS
Size doesn't matter. Its not what they look like but how much milk making tissue they contain, and you can't tell that from looking.
4 - YOU ARE NOT LEAKING
Some people leak. Others leak just in the early weeks. Others don't leak at all. It's nothing to do with milk production.
5 - YOUR BREASTS FEEL SOFT
Once your milk production has regulated after the first few weeks, it is totally normal for your breasts to no longer feel firm or full. A soft breast is a healthy breast.
6 - YOU CAN'T FEEL THE LET-DOWN
Some people feel their milk ejection reflex, others don't. But you can see it in your baby's feeding pattern from fast light sucks to slow deep sucks.
7 - YOU CANNOT PUMP MUCH MILK
The amount you can pump is no indication of what the baby can get.
8 - YOUR BABY WILL ALWAYS TAKE A BOTTLE
A bottle teat is a hard stimulus into the roof of the mouth. A baby has to suck it as it is a reflex. Bottles flow fast, so baby will take some milk. It's their reflexes feeding.
9 - YOUR BABY IS HAVING SHORT FEEDS
Some babies are efficient and some people have a fast flow.
10 - YOU CAN'T PUT YOUR BABY DOWN
Babies really do settle better in someone's arms. This is where they feel safe, warm and secure. We are carry mammal and designed to carry our babies all the time. When babies find themselves on their own, they call out so they do not get eaten by a predator. And they may as well have another feed to settle.
Do any of these surprise you?
Do you always question your supply?
