Help Increase Milk Supply

I haven't been there yet, but my SIL was telling me that she had a lactation nurse come to her house. The nurse made her lie down on her stomach with warm towels on her breasts. She also had her take milk thistle supplements. She had some of the thickest, richest breast milk I have ever seen and she was over producing.

I don't know if these things will work for you, but anything is worth a shot. I am in hopes that I can breast feed my daughter when she gets here. That is one of my greatest fears is that I won't be able to give her enough.

J.

1 mom found this helpful

Pump, Pump, Pump and BF as much as you can. Drink plenty of water. There is another option that you would have to talk to your OB about. My OB gave me a prescription for a compounding med called Domperidone. It cost me about $65 a month. It is not FDA approved for increasing milk supply, but it is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics. My milk supply increased drastically in about 3 days of taking the med. I did not have any side effects and I got it at Both Worlds Pharmacy in Arlington. You can also try Mother's Milk tea. I could not ever find it here so my Mom sent it to me from South Texas.

Good Luck!

K.

I had the same problem. Make sure to drink TONS of water! I went to a lactation consultant and she helped me latch my daughter on better and put me on Fenugreek which is an herb supplement that helps to increase your milk supply. You can get it at Whole Foods. She also had me pump after EVERY feeding. I know it sounds time consuming and IT IS! I would feed my daughter and then hook up to the pump for at least 10 minutes. Even if I didn't get anything, it tricked my body into thinking that I needed it. Hope some of these help.

I was also told about the fenugreek and mothers milk tea and lots of water. Preparing for my 2nd I have had a TON of mothers recommend eating oatmeal for breakfast and the following cookie receipe. They have all told me that they are REALLY tasty and really help. I posted it on here as a post but for some reason it was removed so here you go. :)

Housepoet's Famous Lactation Boosting Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Flaxseed cookies:

* 1 cup butter or marg
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal*
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats, thick cut if you can get them
* 1 cup or more chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous)

Directions:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream (beat well) margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine mix. Beat until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips. Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats then chips. Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment or silpat. The dough is a little crumbly, so it helps to use a scoop.

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

Serves: 6 dozen cookies

Preparation time: 15 minutes

*can be found at any local health food store.
*NOTE* IT MUST BE BREWERS YEAST, NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

I made these for a friend who's having supply issues and they were so flippin' good. You can feel yourself lactating as you nibble on them. If you don't like chocolate, who doesn't like chocolate tho, you can substitute for carob chips, raisins, butterscotch chips, whatever. (Reprinted with permission) - created by Noel Pickett

And also to let her BF as much as possible as baby works MUCH better than the pump ever will to get your supply up. Good luck!

Hi, breastfeeding can be hard and not as easy and natural as you think it should be. I breastfed my daughter until she was one and I have 3 sisters who also breastfed their children....10 altogeher. I nursed and bottle fed with pumped breast milk from birth. The commonality with all of us was that milk production was based on how much was expressed at each feeding/pumping. How long does your baby nurse each time? I would go ahead and start pumping now. Pump at least as long as your baby nurses on each side and think about increasing that time by 5 minutes per side. Try to pump at a normal feeding time when you are bottle feeding/supplementing (for now) with formula. Try this for two feedings a day. You should see an increase in your production very soon. If you you still don't see an increase, call a lactation consultant for help. Your OB or hospital can recommend one close to you. Good luck!

Hey E.,

At one point my consultant told me to use Fenugreek. (Pill form) It worked for me! The only side effect is that you can start to small like maple syrup when you sweet. My husband loves IHOP! : ) So, it was not bad for me. Take it for as long as can or untill you supply comes up and your producing more. Any health food store should have it and it does not cost too much.

I have used it with all three of my children and they had no side effects. My first son had some problems with nursing so we only did it for a few months. My second son nursed for 2 years and my daughter is 15 months and still nursing.

Best of luck,
T.

I drink Mother's Milk Herbal Tea. I drink about 4 bags a day. It has fenugreek in it and it works awesome. Another thing is when your baby nurses you may have enough milk. But, when you pump, you may not have the "let down reflex" for the pump, like you do for your baby. That happened to me, so I just strictly breast feed. Its hard at first, but not hard after they start eating solids.

rest, rest, rest, drink lots of water.
The BEST thing is to get a good "chick flick" and sit on the couch all day, nursing on demand, resting, and enjoying the down time. I PROMISE it works!! liz

Drink lots of water, eat oatmeal, and nurse, nurse, nurse! Also, try mother's milk tea.

E.,
The more stimulation you have, the more you produce. I have a 12 month old I am trying to wean and when I had her a nurse told me to eat a lot of red meat and that would help to increase your milk supply, also you can try pumping right after you feed to get your milk supply to increase and then just put that in the fridge or freezer if you are going to use it at a later date. K.

I thought my husband's bottle feeding underminded my daughter's ability to get milk, so I wouldn't recommend mixing the methods when you are not established. Also, no one told me that I should go through more than one letdown. I thought one letdown was enough....

I am also a breastfeeding mother who was having the same issue (my daughter is 4 months onld) Most of the advice that I read was VERY GOOD I've used the mother's milk tea it works, but it kind of tastes like black licorice (YUCK!!!) but since it works I think that it is worth it!! The one responce that i have seen every time someone asks about milk production is to drink a beer PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHILE BREASTFEEDING!!!!! I know that some docs say that its ok - but many also say that it's not ok!! Why take the chance of that getting into your child's milk (you wouldn't put beer in side their bottle!!) and I was a daycare provider and I could ALWAYS tell when the breastfed babies mom's were drinking - most of the time the baby got coliky ect. What is in the beer that helps milk production is Brewers yeast and you can get that in vitamins!! Good Luck and please do what is best for your little one by not drinking!! =)

Drink a full glass of water 15 minutes before you pump or breastfeed. Also, I highly recommend MILK AID. Fenugreek is great but you have to take SO many pills just to see an improvement. You can order Milk Aid capsules online. It has fenugreek in it as well as other milk increasing herbs.

http://www.rubber-ducky.com/increase-breast-milk-supply.html

I nursed my three, and would occasionally face this problem. The lactation consultant I spoke with recommended an herb called Fenugreek, and it did seem to help. It does make you smell like maple syrup, but oh well! I don't know what hospital you delivered at, but many of them have lactation consultants on staff who you can speak to or go see for free after you have delivered. Good luck!

eat well rest don't stress
nurse on demand...

also try eating asparagus and fenugreek it increases supply

but don't mix formula if you do your suplly will keep depleting since you brest will have less stimulation from nursing

I know this sounds crazy, but dirnk 1 BEER a day. It really does work and I have had it recommended by my Pedi and a Lactation Consultant. The yeast in the Beer helps to stimulate milk production.

Hi E.,

I had exactly the same problem and I got help at the breastfeeding center of the hospital where I delivered. They told me to take Fenugreek which is just an herb that you can buy at GNC. I went from getting about 1/4 of an oz. after he ate to getting about 4 oz. after he ate over the course of about a week. It was great!

You take 3 pills 3 times a day for the first week. Two pills, three times a day for the second week. And 1 pill 3 times a day for the third week, and then you're done. It's about $16 a bottle and I had to use one and a little piece of another, but it was really worth it!

Hope this helps!

D.

You have gotten a lot of good advice and I would definitely try the natural remedies first before trying a medication. I tried all the natural remedies and eventually had to use Domperidone which really helped. In the US you can only get it at a compounding pharmacy, and that is if your OB will write the prescription. You can also get it under the brand name Motilium on several websites, and it was much cheaper for me that way.

good luck!

Erica,

My first impulse if for you to contact the la leche league or consult a lactation expert. But you can consider takeing fenugreek to stimulate greater milk production. Fenugreek is a fragrant seed that is used as the flavoring in artificial maple syrup. You can make a tee from the seeds, but more convenient and effective is the capsule form which is availabe in most health food stores. Tke to to three capsules ber day and uyou will typically notice an increase in milk production in three days.

Blessed thistle is also helpful. Like fenugreek is is available in capsule form.. The typical dose is 1 capsule (390 mg per capsule) three times a day. You can use blesed thistle and fenugreek at the same time.

Good luck.

L. H.

The main thing with breastfeeding is that it is a supply & demand type of thing....if the baby is demanding (you nurse more often), then your supply will increase. You can try adding a couple of extra feedings throughout the day & within a couple of days, your supply should increase.

Also, how do you know you are not making enough milk? Is the baby not gaining weight? Or are you just going by the amount you can pump out? If you are thinking your supply is low because you can't pump much out, keep in mind that your baby is much better at getting your milk out than what a pump is, and he may be getting plenty.

You could also try a different pump. I found that a manual hand pump (I used the Avent Isis) was much better for me than a battery or electric pump....being able to control the pumping frequency allowed my milk to let down much, much easier!

Good luck!

I had plenty of milk with my first born but was trying to pump at work, where I had a very stressful job. I'd get NOTHING! I found that if I brought something into the restroom with me to read that was totally non-work-related and even non-baby-related, like a People magazine or a good novel, I was able to relax enough for the milk to start flowing. Prior to that, I was so stressed about the lack of milk coming out that it would cause even less to come out...vicious cycle. Try playing soft, meditation music while you pump, watching something fun on TV, etc., to get your mind off of what you're doing. Also, make sure you have a good quality pump...that makes a big difference too. Whatever you do, do NOT supplement with formula! That will only exacerbate the challenge. With nursing, it's all about supply and demand. The more milk demands that are placed on your body, the more milk you will produce. ALso, be sure to drink plenty of water, get enough rest and eat TONS of fresh raw fruits and vegetables to keep your body healthy and your milk supply as nourishing as possible.

Keep at it and you will be OK!

M.
www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com

Hi E.,

If you look on the Medela website, it tells you about an herbal supplement called Fenugreek. I used it and it seemed to help me. You can get it at GNC or a health food store. (They have Fenugreek & Thyme, but that is not what you’re looking for.) I have also heard about Milk Aid, but I think you can only get it off the internet.

Best of Luck
T.

I hope someone has helped you with this. I saw some place in past messages where someone had the answer and it did work according to them. G. W

My milk decreased with my son, too, E.. They best thing for increase your production is stimulation. This is best done by your baby or your hands. Allow your son to take 5-10 intervals on ieach breast for appox. 20 minutes. Also if you child is not sleeping with you at night, let him/her. My doctor said that your body sense your body and knows its needs. He gave me that tale women long ago who could not produce milk. They would let other women breastfeed their child; however, the mother had to let the other women hold her child often to start the production.

I used my hands too, express the milk from your breast with your hands, alternating the breasts. Pumps can slow and decrease milk production. Consulting a Lactation Consultant could help you also.

Good Luck and Increase Flow!

What makes you believe your supply is low? Are you pumping exclusively? or do you also nurse? If the latter, the only way to know for certain is to weigh the baby before and after nursing on a ped scale. A lactation consultant or your ped could help you determine this. If you are not putting the baby to breast, that should be your first step if at all possible. Babies suck much more efficiently than pumps and will increase supply. It's all a supply and demand game, so when you supplement it makes it even harder. There are supplements and medications (through an MD) you can take. I've done both with success. But again, if you have a low supply, putting a baby to breast will be the best way to stimulate milk. I also used a nursing supplementer which allows you to give the formula but while the baby is at the breast (lactaid or sns).

I would suggest contacting a good LC and also your local La Leche League. LLL is free and they offer a lot of good advice, etc. You can always contact a leader too if there's not a meeting near by or if it's going to be a while until the next one.

Good luck!
Good luck!

Take fenugreek....also look at www.pumpingmoms.org for support and other info.

K.

From my own experience (and you may already know this), please make sure you are eating well/enough, still taking your vitamins, and drinking tons of water - all very key in milk supply! I could tell a big difference when I didn't have balanced meals or didn't drink what I thought was a crazy amount of water...But from what I have read/been told the number one thing that affects supply is how the baby nurses - is the baby nursing efficiently? how often? are you pumping even if supplementing with formula? I have heard some women say that even if they pump in addition to nursing, their supply doesn't increase. Everyone is different. I hope you find what works for you!

Actually, pumping is the best way to increase your supply. After your baby is done breastfeeding, follow up by pumping for 10-15 minutes to fully empty your breasts. Do this even if you don't get much milk. You'll need a high-quality pump to be effective.

In addition, there are several herbal supplements or prescriptions you can try: Fenugreek can be found at Whold Foods. For me, a tincture called Goats Rue helped the MOST (I've heard this is good for women with Polysystic Ovary Syndrome...which I have.

You could see a lactation consultant. That's what I did, and it helped tremendously. It's not cheap...then again...neither is formula! I spoke with Judy Eastburn, and she was wonderful. Her number is ###-###-####. Good luck! It's a difficult road...I know. :-)