About Breastfeeding

I would say call a La Leche League leader or a lactation consultant as soon as you can, because the earlier you get some help and try new things, the more likely you are to find what will work for you!
I am proud of you for doing the best you can. Good work, and congratulations for having two wonderful boys! Good luck! =)

Hello A.,

My name is J. and I have a son who is a month old as well. I have had a problem with my milk coming in and I was told two things that can increase milk production, drinking a beer and there is a herbal tea called I think mothers friend. It is supposed to help. I haven't tried the tea but my sister-in-law did the beer thing and it really helped her. You can also call the lactation expert at the hospital and maybe they can suggest something. Hope this helps.

Keep pumping more frequently. You son is probably hitting one of the first growth spurts which is why he doesn't seem like he is getting enough and since he isn't physically nursing your body isn't picking up the signal from him to produce more milk. Here is a link for what I found to be a great resource for nursing issues when I was nursing my son. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html

Good luck to the both of you and congrats on the newest addition!!

S.

What you're pumping is actually more than average see this link
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
babies your child's age only need about an ounce an hour. be sure you are feeding him with a slow flow nipple so he is able to tell when he is full. Keep Up The Good Work!!

sorry one handed typing....the tea is called mothers milk...great tea. also you can eat oatmeal...it is suppose to help increase supply. have you tried putting him back to the breast at all. babies can always get more milk than a pump. best of luck to you. oh...and keep it up!!!

One month of age tends to be when supply decreases in mothers who are pumping. Pumping often and completely emptying your breasts are key. If you still have a problem you could see about having Reglan prescribed to you. It assists in milk production.

Also, what type of pump are you using? I've been pumping for my preemie for 5 months now and the type of pump makes a big difference too. I loved the Medela Symphony that the hospital lent me while he was in the NICU. Now I use my Medela Pump in Style. It's great, but not as gentle as the Symphony. You can look into renting a hospital grade pump. They are designed to maintain your supply.

I was told to take Blessed Thistle for increasing milk supply. You can find this at your local GNC or herbal store.

I don't really have any advice other than my own personal story. I am the mother of a soon-to-be six year old daughter, whom on the day of our departure from the hospital was found to have developed jaundice. From this, I was advised to stop breastfeeding temporarily until it had cleared. Once this was done, just a few days later, she would not latch back on to my breast. I tried the plastic nipple covers and all sorts of things. Over a three week period I slowly began to produce less and less milk. I was informed by a nurse that it was natural due to the fact that pumping was not the same as her actually suckling from my breast. Unfortunately, I was unable to prevent myself from fully drying up, no matter how much or how often I did pump. In your case,I hope it does work out for you and your bundle of joy. Best of luck!!

Hi A.,
Sometimes you may respond better or worse to different pumps, and may need to consider a different type or style of pump. Most mothers need to use a hospital-grade rental pump when exclusively pumping instead of a purchase pump because rental pumps tend to help serve more as a milk supply "stimulator" pump vs. a "maintainer" pump. It is best to talk directly with a lactation consultant to determine an adequate pumping schedule for maximum stimulation, and you may want to give feeding at the breast a try again. There are also herbs on the market that may or may not be of assistance - some work for some mothers while others may not see a difference. These include fenugreek, mother's milk tea, etc.

Another consideration is that babies go through growth spurts, and we generally see one around 3 weeks of age, so your baby may have started to need more around that time. I would be happy to talk with you more if you would like additional information.

S. W. Hatcher, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Sentara Women's Health Source
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I would highly recommend visiting with a lactation consultant. If you have time, there is a breastfeeding group that meets from 10:00 to 2:00 (might want to confirm the times) at Summerville Trident Hospital with a free lactation consultant. They might be able to help you with the latch on issues which is really the main issue.

Beyond that, breastfeeding is really a supply and demand issue. Keep pumping for 5 to 10 minutes after you stop getting milk. This will send a trigger to your body that you are demanding more than you are getting so that you start producing more. Get lots of sleep (I know, easier said than done), drink lots of water and maybe stick in an extra pumping session or two for a bit. I also had success with mother's milk tea which can be found at some grocery stores and on the internet (amazon has it). The main ingredients that help in the mother's milk are blessed thisthel and fenugreek (I have heard that they only work together and not alone). Try the extra pumping for at least a week for the supply to start increasing. Congratulations on making it this far and good luck!

Vitex is a herb that sometimes helps with milk supply. I would google Vitex and read about its benefits:). I hope that helps!

Jen:)

I had the same problem when I was nursing and my daughter's pediatrician told me to take Fenugreek. It worked really well - just go to GNC and they will have it.

Totaly know where you are comming from had to do that with my first. As far as supply I know there are some tea's out their if you goto say health fare or some other organic food store you should be able to find some or have your hubby play with your nipples some yea that's what they say. But the latch on problem can be solved easily I have inverted nipples and was about to give up when I remembered the nipple shield most people say that they don't recommend it but I would not have been able to feed with out one and it beats pumping every time you need to feed. I was told by every one you don't need that or its hard to break them of it but with patients and time I broke her off of it fairly easily. Breast milk is better than formula and if thats how they have to get it then so be it.

Fenugreek - you have to take enough that it makes your urine smell a little like maple syrup - your local le leche league should be able to advise you on the amt to take; even your OB could.

Reglan - your OB can prescribe this to stimulate more milk production, it's generally prescribed for acid reflux, or gastrointestinal issues - but it is widely used to stimulate milk production.

Put you son to your breast more often - even if he's not latching exactly correctly, the stimulation of him sucking is more likely to cause better milk flow then the pump. Have you contacted a lactation consulatant to help u with his positioning? Sometimes the palate has alot to do with the way they latch, and the lactation consultant could help you with that, even if you only nursed from the breast once a day, it would significantly increase your flow.

I completely relactated using these methods from being bone dry. I have Lupus, and relacated sucessfully after 2 months of not breastfeeding. I also suggest a hospital grade pump. The one that looks like a mini air-compressor...