Increasing Milk Supply - Knoxville,TN

After exclusively breastfeeding my now 7mo daughter and working, I am finally experiencing that point where my (pumped) supply is not keeping up with my daughter's daily demand. A friend of mine who has breastfed her child until 14 months and is a HUGE health nut, recommended a drug called Motilium (aka domperidone). I know she made the decision after much thought and research, but I I have not tried it yet. She said in a few days, her milk supply skyrocketted and she took the lowest recommended dose, 3-10mg tablets daily. She ordered her supply over the internet.

Here's a start on the research: http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidone.shtml

I am not pushing this since I have not tried it myself, but it is another option for you.
Good luck!!

It does sound like your milk supply is just adapting to her needs.

I would keep pumping and you can take some Mother's Milk Tea if you'd like. I think it helps my supply, I drink it at work when I pump during the day.

You're milk supply should continue as long as she is nursing even if it isn't much.

This is great that you want to continue giving her your milk, nature's perfect food for her. Unfortunately, breast-pumps are poor milk-extractors compared to babies, and your milk supply is based on "supply and demand," so if you're not able to pump much, your body is going to decrease your supply. Perhaps you can rent or buy a better pump (perhaps used? look on craigslist, cheapcycle or freecycle), because cheaper pumps tend to have poorer milk extraction than more expensive pumps. Also, if your daughter isn't going to nurse at all, a double pump can reduce the time spent pumping because you can do both sides at once.

Part of milk let-down is emotional -- some women just have a harder time with let-down with a machine, compared to their beloved child, y'know?

Pump, pump, pump. In my experience (pumping milk for a friend's adopted baby), I was able to increase my supply by pumping a lot -- again, "supply and demand." It may have been relatively easy for me because my baby was a newborn at the time, and I was still in that hormonal postpartum phase where the post-pregnancy hormones help start milk production, but I think it would be at least somewhat applicable to you.

What I would do is I would pump milk until I got no more, and then sit and "dry pump" for another 15 minutes or so. [During that time, a single drop would fall every so often, so it wasn't totally "dry", but it certainly wasn't a nice, steady stream like at the beginning.] Over the course of 6 weeks, I went from collecting maybe a few ounces per pumping session to collecting 25 oz in just the morning pumping session (although I did usually sit for an hour that session). Since your situation is different, I would suggest pumping multiple times during the day, but preferably about the same time of day each day, and also that you sit and pump as long as you reasonably can, even though you won't get anything for much of that time. Within a week or two, (probably within a day or two, but give it more time, just in case it takes longer) your body should respond to the increased demand with more milk.

Well that's so normal. You will still have enough milk to breastfeed her as long as you are still nursing. Your milk will never dry and until you completely stop breastfeeding for a long time.

Maybe she is just showing you that she no longer wants breast milk. She is probably just more interested in food at this point and would rather fill up on that. Don't be disappointed if you don't continue. Ten and a half months of breastfeeding is an accomplishment. She has got all the nutrients she needs from you at this point. She will be perfectly healthy without that extra month and a half you planned for. We moms can plan all we want to, but that doesn't mean the baby is going to follow along with our plan. Congratulations on nursing for 10 1/2 months! You made it longer than alot of us have!

i am still nursing my 17 month old and as they get older and eating more food the supply does go down but will never dry up until you stop. to increase the supply just a little, you need to increase your water intake and you can also take fenugreek and more milk plus. good luck!

I used to drink a tea that can be purchased at Whole Foods or other natural markets. I do think that it helped my supply. My son is 13 months and I am still nursing once in the morning and once at night, but his interest is definitely waning.
Check out that tea--I hope it helps!!

She might just want to be done. I know the AAP recommends for a year but some babies are done a little sooner. She might just want that morning feeding and that's fine. My son didn't ever want to stop and I let him go until 2 years just feeding in the morning and maybe one other time. If she is done don't try to force it. By now she might be eating enough solids to not need that source of nourishment.

I found that ice cream helped increase my milk supply. Of course, you have to watch out for those extra calories then. But I'm sure the baby is keeping you busy.

My second son also wanted to stop nursing at ten months. It was a bit of a battle, but I made him continue. It's been many years now, but I think he finally weaned at 17 months.

Unfortunately when this happened to me (my son was 7 or 8 months) I pumped regularly and still my supply went down to basically nothing. I started pumping as often as he would have fed but as my supply dwindled I ended up moving back pumping times until I ended up drying all the way up. I do not know of any way to prevent it. All I can say is that sometimes we want to pump for a year plus but the babies have a different plan. Someone told me it is better for them to self wean then for us to start to cut them off after a year. Less traumatic for them. Good luck in whatever you do.

Healthy nursing tea is an organic natural supplement which worked wonder when I was coping with poor breast milk production.

Hi C.!
I'm glad you are so persistent with the nursing! Not everyone has the inspiration to go to the one year mark! You may need to pump more and use your breast milk in her baby cereal, if she's eating it. I think she's telling you she's ready for the next step. She's already been on solids for some time now, so you may want to nurse only in the morning and at night.

I know stopping the nursing is something you don't look forward to. You sound like me with both my babies! I really miss that closeness only nursing can bring. They're 14 and 9 now and super healthy kids. I owe it all to the mamas milk. I nursed my first for a year and a half and my second for a year. They were the ones that began weaning themselves. It seems your sweet little girl is doing the same thing, honey! You've got to let nature take its course. =) You're doing great!

Hi C.,
You can try to take a supplement called Fenugreek. Many Lactation Consultants recommend it. (It really worked for me). I found it at Whole Foods, but a GNC should have it too. Go back to the basics.... when your child is napping or sleeping.... nap with her. Being close to her will help too.
This is a totally different thing, but it's summer and make sure you drink lots of water. That helps milk supply too.

Also.... you may want to check out the Medella site. You can ask Lactation Consultants questions there. If you do lose supply earlier than you had intended.... It's OK.... You did breast feed through the crucial points.

Take care!
Good Luck!

Same thing happened to me and I can only tell you what suggestions I got and what I ended up doing. Make sure you are taking in plenty of fluids - water and milk and little to none caffeine. I also got some Fenugreek from the natural foods store. It's an herbal supplement that is supposed to help increase milk production. I also continued pumping whenever I could - since I work full-time, I'd pump after nursing in the morning to get whatever my daughter 'left behind' and also during my lunch hour in my office. Then I'd try to get her to nurse in the evenings or at bedtime but what she didn't take, I'd pump that as well. We were able to make it through till she was 14 months old and I was supplementing my milk with whole milk until she was 'done' with me completely. Hope this helps!