How Can I Increase My Breastmilk Production?

If you can, pump between feedings and stay as hydrated as possible. Also, I honestly believe that the more stressed you are the less you produce, so try to stay relaxed and encourage your baby to eat more often (from you, not formula) and your body will correct the issue. Good luck!

Go to bed with the baby for a weekend (must have husband or good friend who is willing to wait on you hand and foot)and do nothing but eat, drink (very important) and nurse on demand. The rest will cause you not to burn calories (so, more calories available for milk production), and the frequent nursing will stimulate more production too. You must eat enough calories and drink enough fluids. You can watch TV or read, but that's about it. It does work, I did it several times to keep my boys nursing most of their first year. You are right, it is probably the lack of eating during your illness that caused the milk to fall off.

I think everyone covered the usual. I used teas, few sips of beer, I swear I would swell up with one sip, I heard from an old nurse that back in the 50's they used to have beer in post-partum to give to women on the 3-4 day to produce milk? back in the day when you spent a week in post partum lying in bed doing nothing.
One that has not been suggested, and I admit it does sound strange..... Bounce your breasts up and down or around, not a lot cause it can hurt. But women who do some kind of work that causes a gentle jiggle tend to produce more milk, not really sure why but heck it is worth a try? maybe dance around a little. Still I think everyone covered everything else, herbs, teas, hydration, rest, supply vs. demand.....
Good luck!

Drink! As much liquids as you can. Milk, juice, water, and have yourself a half a beer. My understanding is that the brewers yeast or B vitamins in beer increases milk production. Don't forget to completely drain your breast by starting on the side that you last nursed on, completely emptying the breast stimulates more milk as well.

Good Luck!

Feed him more until it gets up to where you think it should be. He will be wanting to eat more if he isn't getting what he needs, so it really should fix itself. Do not supplement, unless you are pumping and feeding him what you get from your breasts. But remember a pump is not as efficient as a baby at pulling milk from the breast. So dont assume 2 oz. from the pump is what he is getting when he nurses. Drink more. I notice when I am dehydrated, or just have not been drinking as much as I normally do, my babies seems to get less. There are lots of teas out there supposedly designed for increasing milk supply/production. Im sure if you just take a stroll down the tea isle at your local natural foods store you will find something for breastfeeding mamas. Good luck and just keep feeding him. Remember: Supply and Demand.

Hi!

Mother's Milk tea from Whole Foods is great. It helped me a lot with breastfeeding my 3 kids.

I agree fenugreek and mother's milk tea.

This site has great information about increasing milk supply:

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

fenugreek and blessed thistle. Take the max dosages.

here is the list i made when i was bfing still..the best thing was DOM aka motilium

1. rent a hospital grade pump..Medela Classic is what i'm using..it's
$3 a day and totally worth it! OR better yet buy one off ebay and
when you're done you can re-sell it on ebay and get your money back.
i bought one and it works great..the medela classic is supposed to be
the best pump out there.
2. get the Easy Expression bra www.easyexpressionproducts.com it
holds both cups over you bb's and it's better to pump 2 at a time
3. eat oatmeal ....get the healthy kind i add bananas also i would
think pasta would be good b/c it retains water
4. Take "Lactation Supplement" by Gaia Herbs you can find it at the
health food store
5. try to pump at the same time every day...also try power pumping..
10 minutes pumping..then stop for 10 then 10 again and then stop and
so on. even pump if you aren't getting anything.
6. Make sure the white membrane thingies that attach onto the cups
are fairly new ..over used ones affect how much milk you get
7. Drink lots of fluids including Nursing Mom's tea or Mother's Milk
tea or the tea i prefer is www.breastea.com ..also drinks with
electrolytes like Recharge...Smart Water...Gatorade i notice on days
i drink a lot of fluids i have more milk
8. Eat barley..Barley Grass supplements are great. also..they have
barley bread at Trader Joe's if you have a Trader Joe's where you
live..or just buy barley. I buy a delicious barley tea at the
japanese market and i drink a couple of cups a day..it's decaf and
yummy.
i also drink Healthy Mom's drinks by Ensure
9.A warm wash cloth helps too ..apply to breasts before pumping or
try the breast heating pads that you heat up in the microwave.
10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin..not getting a lot of milk
could mean a vitamin deficiency
even if you pump just a little ..save what you get and start adding
them together and then supplement with the milk that you pump..that's
why it's also good to pump after they've gone to sleep..then you help
build your supply and you also have more bb milk for baby..
11. nurse nurse nurse..triple up on nursing..you're going to have to
dedicate a week to it
the more you pump the more milk you'll begin to make.
12. LOTS OF REST..nap if you can ..milk builds when you rest
13. DHA supplements also are great for lactation..also found at the
health food store*
14. Alfalfa supplements are also great.
i think that's it..
15. Try a whey protein powder drink.. i use "Whey to Go" by
Solgar..you mix it with milk add some berries and a banana. it says
to check with your doc before using if you're bfing..so ask your
doc..i only drink one a day and i add a some Motherlove's "More Milk
Plus" to it.
16. Again you should double pump when you're pumping so make sure you
get the bra to make it easier on you!
17. Goat's Rue herb is also supposed to help boost
honestly drink LOTS of liquids
keep yourself moist ...don't take any birth control pills.
18. there is also this stuff called Motilium aka DOM a lot of mom's
use this ..it's for reflux but it builds up your supply.. you can
read about it on Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-
domperidone1.html
and you can buy it here... http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/
motilium.html

Were there any signs from your baby that he's not getting enough to eat? Such as nursing more frequently, fuzziness even when fed, less wet diapers etc? If no then your supply is in fact OK and it just appears to not be. If he's showing any signs like I mentioned then feed him on demand whenever he seems hungry and let him nurse for however long he wants on each side. Milk production is influenced by the amount of nursing, the more nursing the more milk you make. Cut the formula out, any time sucking and eating from something else only helps to drop your supply that much more making it hard to get things back up again. Also if your using a pacifier I would cut the usage and offer your breast as well for suckling on, they don't only have to be for food and if your supply is low the extra comfort sucking also helps to increase your supply of milk. Wear your baby in a sling or carrier so he's got that close contact and can smell the milk encouraging him to want to eat more. Le Leche League has many wonderful articles, the one that comes to mind is this one right now is: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/enough.html. It is a little more for newborns but the principals are the same. There are also many articles on increasing supply etc. I love this group and it's website as well as their amazing book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". I would look there to see if you see any solutions.
I wouldn't jump into lots of suppliments etc right away at first and see if any non-medicinal things work first.
Best of luck and Happy Mother's Day!

Go to www.moringafarms.com.

It is an excellent nutrient-dense food that stimulates milk production.

Enjoy!

T.

Hi A.,
Happy Mother's Day! Don't give up on breastfeeding!
Here are some things that I do to keep my milk supply up when it starts to fail (which it has done several times during the past year):
- Drink 2 cups of Mother's Milk tea (Traditional Medicinals) EVERY NIGHT prior to going to bed. This will boost the supply for night feedings.
- Drink that tea throughout the day (add honey or sweetener if you need to). I cool the tea with ice after letting it sit covered for at least 10 minutes to keep the essential oils in the tea.
- Fennugreek and Blessed Thistle. Check kellymom.com for dosage.
- Drink 64 oz. a day and start your day with 16 oz. of a 'green drink' - powdered mix added to water.
- Continue taking your prenatal vitamins
- Purchase your herbs, tinctures, tea online to save more money (Mother's Milk tea is greatly discounted online). Here's where I've recently started to order from: ww.vitacost.com/
- Eat enough calories.
- Nap when your baby naps (if possible).
- Bring to bed and feed your baby throughout the night - supply will increase with demand.
- Express milk while your baby is feeding.
- Skin to skin contact when you're nursing.
- Take a hot shower or apply warm and moist towels to your breast prior to pumping/nursing to increase let-down.
- Check the MamaSource archives for other recommendations like eating a bowl of oatmeal EVERY morning (another thing I do).

Stay positive! You can do it!
L.

I think everything Laurie K said is right on. I also would say nurse as much as possible, and try not to supplement. When you supplement, your body is not being told to make more milk, so it won't make that extra bit you need for your baby.

If you spend two or three days focusing on building up your supply (mostly by resting, nursing on demand, eating and drinking water a lot, and doing at least some of the other stuff she mentioned), your milk supply will be back before you know it. Keep at it!

Stop using formula, take fenugreek tablets with your meals, eat oats, drink a little oatmeal stout beer. REST!!!

It's supply and demand, If you put the baby on more often, you'll make more milk. Make sure you're eating 4-5 meals a day (small ones) and plenty of rest.

I second the hydration thing very strongly. I've found that if I don't drink 3 liters of water a day that my supply drops off sharply, especially now that it's getting hotter. You might not need quite that much, but it's so important to make sure you're drinking enough.

As far as products, I had amazing luck with Lactate Support capsules from Gaia Herbs. If you go to http://www.gaiaherbs.com you can type in your zip and find a store near you that carries their products. My 8 month old was sick recently and it hurt his throat to eat solids so all his food was coming from nursing, and I didn't have enough milk for that. I took 3 doses of Lactate Support, then had to stop because I was getting engorged again.

A.,

Nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse and then nurse some more. The single most effective way to stimulate your supply is to nurse as much as possible - every time your baby is interested. Supplementing with formula can be a very slippery slope toward weaning so be really careful doing that. If you need additional help, go to www.kellymom.com It is the most helpful breastfeeding resource I've found. Search "low milk supply" and you'll get a pretty comprehensive list of the herb and meds that stimulate milk supply.

:-)T.

Try taking Fenugreek capsules, you can find them at any health food store (whole food, etc.) This will help increase your milk, side effect is that it will make your pee and underarm smell like pancake syrup, I know yuk! It helped me, but they can also cause headaches in some woman. good luck

supply & demand
nurse & pump as often as possible and it will come in a few days

also eat and drink plenty