How Do I Keep My Breast Milk Supply?

Congrats on the birth of your little one! For milk supply, rule #1 - don't stress. I know, easier said than done, but it is very true. Second, I myself as well as others I know had milk come in right away and then the supply diminished only to come back up again. Have you tried taking herbal supplements? It worked for me - fenugreek and blessed thistle. As a lactation specialist for the right amounts.

Congrats!!!!

Are you pumping with a hospital grade breast pump after each feeding?
You need to empty your breasts to keep that really full feeling.

Pretty much engorgement right away means it all kicked in. How do you know you don't make enough for a full feeding?
10 day olds don't eat too much, so maybe your body is regulating itself?

Best way to tell if the kid is getting a few ounces into them (especially if pumping gives you very little milk):
weigh them with a fish scale. You can zero the scale with a sling, and put the baby in the sling to track the ounces gained before and after feeding. Weighing the baby like this made me feel a LOT better about my nursing. We also ended up supplementing with an organic milk-based formula, but she was nursed 5-10 times a day once I started back to work full time (weekends were full time nursing), with one of her weekday bottles being pumped at work from the day before (and now she's 2.5 and still won't wean properly from the breast, it's kinda annoying!)

I did weigh her this way all the time when my baby was tiny because I had some serious milk issues. Mine never came in properly until I took reglan and domperidone. I tried everything "natural" first, but nothing happened with all the herbs in the world (I smelled like maple syrup for days from drinking all that tea and taking all that fenugreek.)

Rest, drink water, and make sure to eat. Yes all these things are nearly impossible with a newborn, but you need these to help fuel your supply. Try to lie down for a little nap right when your baby falls asleep. It's more important that cleaning the kitchen or whatnot.

Prior to having my baby, I use to find short naps useless and would only take one if I knew I had a nice uninterrupted 1-2 hours. Now I'm like "woo hoo" 15 minutes!

Two good breastfeeding sites. Both have great info on low supply, as well as milk production in general.

Kellymom
http://www.kellymom.com

La Leche League
http://www.llli.org

Kathy,
It is all about supply and demand. Like if you want to put some into the freezer, then do an extra pumping inbetween feeding, but be warned your body will want to pump every day at the same time. If you want to increase the supply for her, let her nurse just a little bit longer on the one side, or the other.
W.

Hi Kathy,

Feed on demand 8 - 10 times a day. You should not have any problems if you do that. It really is all supply and demand. But I would say that unless she's fussy after feeding then she's probably getting enough. Also, another way to tell is if she's having at least 6 wet diapers a day. There is a book called the "Nursing Mother's Companion" which is really good. It has a section in the back that lists quantity vs. age for how much they should be getting (for peace of mind).

So how much milk are you producing anyway? Well there's a test of sorts, also in the book. You will need a pump. Pump both breasts and note the amount. Then 2 hours later pump again. The second pumping is a pretty accurate measurement of how much you produce. So if it measures 4 ounces total that means you are producing 2 ounces per hour. Which is good and at her age completely in the range for what she needs anyway. Try it. You can rent a really good hospital grade pump from Kaiser. They're good to have so that someone else can feed her too if needed.

I would not use the herbal remedies unless your are absolutely sure she's not getting enough. Because too much milk can be just as much of a problem.

But above all else, seek the help of a certified lactation consultant if you need additional help.

Best of luck,
K.

I wanted to use something herbal for increasing my milk supply. I've been having great luck with a tea called Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea and I saw an increase in my milk supply within 12hours.

Hi Kathy,

Congratulations on your new baby!

Try not to stress and get as much rest as you can--

Sleep when your baby sleeps!!

Drink lots of water

If you are really worried, you can get a tea called Mother's Milk by Traditional Medicinals. It helps increase your milk supply.

Set a time to pump every day or if you can, pump after some feedings on both sides. This will also help get your milk supply up.

Good luck and congratulations!

Molly