Breastmilk Supply Question

My lactation consultant explained that Fengreek takes about 3 weeks to show improvement. Also, since the key ingredient in Mother's Milk tea is fenugreek and since you're otherwise supposed to drink Mother's Milk tea all day (a little pricey, too), you might as just take only the Fenugreek (I think some ridiculous amount, such as 6-9 capsules per day).

I found that the tea brought immediate results, unless I was stressed...maybe you really just need a break from all the kids and a night to relax! I found that my "supply" was its best when I was the most relaxed.

Hi there-
As an acupuncturist & herbalist specializing in ob/gyn, pregnancy,etc I'd say it can take a few days. But you need to drink the tea throughout the day. Seriously. I suggest you make a pitcher and drink it as your water. The other factor is rest. With four kids you probably don't get much of it, but that's when you produce the most milk. If at all possible you should lay down for 15-20 minutes twice daily. I know you're probably laughing right now, but resting in one way or another allows your body to exert less energy on moving and more energy on making milk. Also, diet...sticky, sweet rice (like sushi rice) is helpful in creating breastmilk. Not too much raw uncooked food-especially as the weather warms up. If all that fails and you really want to keep nursing you can try and get a hold of a prescription called domperidone (aka molitium). It works better than regalin and is safe for baby. Good luck! T. Rubio L.Ac.

how much water are you drinking a day? you should be drinking approximately a gallon a day. Remember it is supply and demand, the more your baby nurses the more you will make.

When I was breastfeeding a lactation specialist told me to drink olvaltine and that seemed to work...Not sure why but it did.

Hi B.,
I tried the tea and it did not work for me so I did lots of research on building milk supply and what I have found is that to make milk, you need 2 major things, baby sucking at breast and lots of nutritious food. What really increases my milk supply is having freshly made fruit and vegetable juice such as: kale, lettuce, apples, carrots, chard. Also, having lots of healthy fats such as avocados, coconuts, baked salmon or your other favorite fish.
I am still nursing my 15 month old daughter and when I started out, I met with a nutritionist and she said that to eat every 3 hours. It does not have to be a heavy meal, but a healthy meal. I had lots of healthy shakes, such as almond milk, fresh mixed berries, Udos Oil, Hemp oil, flax oil, fresh coconut, pineapple, some yogurt, a bit of tofu. It was a shake packed with so many vitamins and fresh food, it really increased my supply and made me feel stronger and more energetic. My daughter was more satisfied. Also, stressing about it decreases the supply. You sound like you are doing a great job. Sometimes supply goes up, sometimes it goes down. Most importantly, eat healthy, be happy and do your best and it will all work out. Best of luck.
E.

Hey B.,

I know it's frustrating but keep taking it. I take it 3 times a day (3 capsules at each time. Then I drink 1 dark beer (Guiness), I eat oatmeal each morning (suppose to help), drink lots of water, pump or feed every 3-4 hours. It does take your body 2 days to respond to anything you are doing to increase your milk supply, so try to be patient. I also drink the mother's milk and lastly, try to relax when you pump or feed. I'm feeding 6 month old boy twins so you can do it! Best wishes!

J.

Hi,
I know a couple of moms have suggested this already, but this really is important. Be sure to drink plenty of water! Water is so important!
I really commend you for your dedication!

The best way to increase your milk supply is more nursing! As often as possible and pump in between if need be. When you nurse more your body will get the message and make more milk. You must be consistent with this until you see good results. It really will work! Also, like everyone else said, drink water!

Forget the teas and pills. Eat oatmeal everyday and drink LOTS of water. Do you have a breastpump? Either bf baby or pump every 3 hours...round the clock. If you bf baby, then attach the pump for a while and drain everything. Seriously this will work. Drink water when your are bfing/pumping. Massage your breasts to stimulate before bfing or pumping. I had so much milk I was stashing away and then all of a sudden 2 freezers full I was donating to a milk bank. If you have any questions please email me. :-)

Hi! Fenugreek worked great for me but I also had to increase my water intake to see results. It's amazing how your milk supply is connected to your fluid intake :) Drink up!!

Nurse more often and your supply will increase.

i also use the tea and it took about two days for me to see a change. hopefully, you can see a difference now... i am curious. let me know. whatever you do, don't stress. that only retards the process. relax, think positively and know that your body knows what it's doing. i had very little in the beginning and my milk didn't come in for a full week after the birth of my 7 week old and now we're great!

When I started taking fenugreek I was told it take up to a week or 10 days to get full results. If you have a pump and try pumpingh for 20 min after 2 feedings a day you will really improve your supply.
The key is supply and demand so telling your body there is more supply needed will help!!

Don't fret. I think it took at least a few days before I started noticing a difference. But make sure that you are taking enough. Fenugreek dosages of less than 6 capsules/day is supposedly not found to be effective. They say that you know you are taking the right amount when you start to smell like syrup. Good luck.

for me it took about 4 days to get me back up close to where i was before I lost most of my milk, but its not just enough to drink the tea and take the pills you have to drink a lot of water, and feed your baby more often, atleast thats what I had to do. Good luck.
S.

Just something to be aware of...I used both Mother's Milk and Fenugreek. After about 2-3 days I noticed a tremendous increase in my milk supply and was thrilled. However, there are side effects to these herbal treatments in some children. My son had a severe reaction to it, which took about a week to 10 days to fully manifest itself. He had extreme gassiness (writhing in pain, arching his back, screaming, etc.), which started at nighttime and then began to show up during the day. Once I stopped the fenugreek, I began to notice an improvement in my son within hours. After 24 hours, he was back to normal. While most children won't react to it, some kids are sensitive to it. In the end, I found that drinking lots of water, nursing, and pumping more were the best ways to increase my milk supply. My son always had enough milk to satisfy him. Good luck!

Fenugreek, 2 after each meal brought my milk back in a week or two. Don't forget your water. Set a goal to drink 1/2 gallon a day, it makes a HUGE difference.

Gosh, in the meantime, please be SURE your baby is getting enough intake.... is she still feeding on demand or every 3 hours at least?
And make sure she is not getting dehydrated. This is very important.

Every woman varies, but I would check with your Ped or Lactation Consultant regarding how long you should wait for your milk to increase.

How is it that you "know" your breastmilk supply is not enough?

Also make sure you are drinking enough water as well, and eating enough/healthily.

But please check on it right away. A baby's primary source of nutrition now is from your nursing. Also, as your baby approaches 6 months old, this will be a growth spurt time, and their intake needs increases and they get hungrier and need to be fed more often.

Sorry, I"m sure you know this already.. as you are not a first time Mom. I don't mean to repeat what you already know. :)

Take care, and I wish you the best,
Susan

The important thing to do is to keep nursing. It is a supply and demand system, so the more you nurse the more milk you will make. If you think you aren't making enough and start to supplement with formula instead of nursing, your body will make less to account for the less frequent nursing. If you ever have any questions I would recommend giving your local La Leche League leader a call. They are amazing sources of information and can either speak to you on the phone or meet with you personally. Good luck to you!!

I would think that within a few days you would see some results. I had the best results from the More Milk Plus tincture. Within a couple of days my milk was flowing more.

But when your body says it's done with breastfeeding, it's done and no amount of encouragement will get it going again. My milk completely dried up by the time my DD turned 6 months. My friend's did the same thing for her first child, but with her second she breastfed for over a year.

Good Luck!

Just another suggestions would be to make sure you are drinking tons of water and eat some oatmeal!

I have tried Mothers Milk, didn't work. Tried Fenugreek and Blessed thystle, works but milk decreases after stopping it. Go to Add a little Love, they sell Medela pumps for a lower price. The lactation consultant from the hospital wanted me to do pumping as my last resort and now I wish I had just bought a pump and started pumping from early on. My baby girl is 9 weeks. The lady from the website is a Lactation consultant also. You could increase your milk in a couple days pumping every 2-3 hours. I am nursing my 3rd baby, I have a 9 and 3 year old boy, housework and laundry. I am trying everything to keep nursing. I think of it like, I am doing everything to keep nursing, if it doesn't work, at least I tried. Drinking lots of water and a healthy diet is essential also. Good Luck and enjoy your sweet baby !!!

B.,

Check out www.kellymom.com and search for "low milk supply" and you'll get a comprehensive list of all of the things you can try and how they work.

For fenugreek to work, you have to take enough of it so you start smelling like maple syrup. It can effect blood sugar so if you are diabetic or have any issues, talk to your doctor before taking large amounts of it. Fenugreek is also a legume (same family as peanuts) so if you have peanut allergies in your family you may want to try something else instead.

:-)T.

Besides what you are already taking, make sure you are eating/drinking and sleeping (I know, all hard to do with a baby), plus allow your baby to nurse on demand, that is one of the best ways to build up your supply.

M.

Hi B.:
Every womans body is different so it might take longer than the others, i started noticing a huge amoung of milk in like the 3rd day but that was probably because i was nursing exclusively at least every 2hrs i was nursing. also the more you nurse the more milk supply you will produce, if you can't nurse at work or something try to pump as often as you can that always helps too.
Good luck
M. A.

try increasing your vitamin B
It worked for me. I got really sick and my milk supply went really low. well it dried up! I took vitamin B and made my little one nurse alot. now I am almost back up to speed but it took like 2 weeks

with my first son it never helped my milk supply get back up. and with my second son it took about 3 days. if you are exercising i would stop.

Hi B., I would think you would see results by now. However, two others things that helped/helps me...1) Drink a beer. It stimulates milk production. You can nurse right after too, if you choose, it won't hurt baby.If you choose not to, pump and dump first feeding, but you should have a good supply for a while. 2) Sleep on your stomach so your breasts are smashed against the mattress...they will fill up...you can get engorged this way so becareful.
I'd also suggest just relax. Your worried mind may be helping to create a barrier. Go for a nice walk and repeat a montra, "I will have enough milk for my baby." And just let it happen.
Good Luck!
E.