Increasing Milk Supply - Broomfield,CO

All of these suggestions sound really excellent, especially to eat (wisely), drink, and rest more, and to pump frequently to stimulate your nipples. Just wanted to let you know that my DS was the same way, only eating with a nipple shield until about 3 mos. I felt like a totally frustrated failure! I just kept trying not to use it periodically, and one day he decided he didn't need it, all by himself. Just wanted to encourage you! Even though it seems like this will go on forever, he will learn to nurse without it eventually! You are a hero for working so hard at this!

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Start back with the nipple shield and get your milk supply back up. The shield is not a bad thing, it is a helper. I used it with my second and eventually we had no problems. You can start her with it and then try to get her to relatch without it. If it means nursing your baby by all means use the shield :)

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HI!

I had this same problem with my daughter who is now 2 1/2 years old. She didn't latch on right either and it hurt so bad so I used a nipple shield and realized that breast feeding didn't have to hurt. I thought we wouldn't need it for long but it took about four months for her to wean herself off of it. I nursed my daughter for 10 1/2 months when she weaned herself. My supply was low but she got enough when she fed from me but I did have to supplement with formula when I pumped.

Good luck with breast feeding! I know the nipple shield can be a pain but they will not be there forever!

M.

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I nursed all three of my kids and all three of them were different. One nursed for 12 months, one for 3 1/2 and one for 16 months. The one thing I know for sure, that I hope you know as well is, although nursing is incredible, it is not the end-all, be-all to bonding with your child, so please do not beat yourself up. My middle boy only nursed for 3 1/2 to 4 months and he just quit. There was no milk supply problem or anything. Today, I have the closest relationship with him and never felt he or I missed out on anything.

That being said, milk supply as you know is a supply and demand thing, the more sucking the more milk. I am sure that there are a lot of women out there that will not agree with what I am about to say but I have NEVER found pumping to be a good indication or stimulant of my mild supply. I have had moments where I pumped and would produce 8 oz consistently and other times I couldn't get but a drop but would let down as soon as my baby latched on and produce for the next 10 minutes. I have used the most expensive to the least expensive pumps available. I have come to the conclusion that the only true regulator and milk stimulator is the breast. That bonding you talk about is what your body reacts to. Your body wants to provide for the baby. I have also found that diet is HUGE! I always made sure I drank more than 8 glasses of water, I had 3 square meals per day and snacks in between. I make sure I don't yuck up my body with fast food and other processed stuff, try to keep it whole.

All this being said, you also need to relax! The body is a funny thing and the more you are worked up the more the milk will go down. In short, eat good, kick back, enjoy, and nurse as often as you can (with or without the shield). Drop the pump if you can and remember, if the nursing thing doesn't work, DROP IT! Your baby will be fine, he just wants a happy loving mommy. They are pretty simple that way really. = )

Good luck! I know how hard and trying it can be sometimes.

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go to Alliance Breastfeeding Center, 5664 N. Academy Blvd. ###-###-####, Cindi Swisher is the owner and a lactation specialist. She can help you.

Y. R.

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Are you pumping exclusively? Or are you feeding and then pumping? If you're not doing the latter, I recommend it - your body will increase supply to meet the demand. So, if he's eating until he's full and then you're pumping on top of that, your body should naturally begin to produce more. It's not terribly *comfortable,* but it should work.

I would recommend calling La Leche League - they have experts there that can help you figure out ways to get him to latch on without the shield and to increase your milk supply.

Good luck, congratulations, and keep up the good work with breastfeeding! :)

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I haven't read all the responses, so please forgive the repeats.
I would suggest adding oatmeal in the mornings and increasing your fenugreek. At one point I was taking 5/3xday, although I know a lady that was doing 7/3xday. My pumping was all over the map, even when my son seemed to be getting enough. You can try pumping after feeding to help increase, or even better, pump first because your little guy is better at getting all the little bits left over. At the end, I also would "ring out" (I don't think that is spelled right) out the milk. That helps your body know that it needs to produce more.
I would also talk to a lactation consultant who can give you even more advice. Worst case scenario, there are Rx that boost your milk too. Don't give up!

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This would be easiest to figure out if you get help in person. But here are a few ideas to get you started while you find a helper:
* do you exclusively breastfeed, or use bottles also?
* has your baby been gaining at least 6 oz per week?
* how often does your baby eat, and is he satisfied?
* when you use the shield, do you hear plenty of swallowing, and is there milk in the tip when you baby comes off the breast?
Shields are okay as long as the baby gains well, which is signified by enough wet and poopy diapers, weight gain, and audible swallowing.
If your baby has been fussy at the breast, or still acts hungry, it sure may be your supply. Cold medication (specifically decongestants) as well as birth control lower supply (even the mini-pill for some moms). If you have been using either of those, stop. Sometimes your supply can rebound, sometimes you may need medication.
Fenugreek and tea work for some moms, but sometimes the "big guns" like reglan and domperidone need to be prescribed. However, even those only work if there is good nipple stimulation (baby nursing well, high quality pump) and no interfering factors. A fabulous book that would have many more things to explore is Making More Milk by West and Marasco. You can find a lactation consultant by calling your doctor or hospital, or at www.ilca.org.
If you have been using bottles on occasion, it is not recommended that you just stop. Your baby needs to eat and be healthy while you figure it out. Good luck!
A., fellow mom and lactation consultant
www.breastandbottlefeeding.com

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Try really hard to get rid of that nipple shield and you will find that your milk comes back all on its own. Feed more often, pump more often. Do whatever you can to stimulate your breasts. This is going to sound absurd but my lactation consultant told me to drink half a beer, there is something in it that will increase your supply. Spend a whole day resting and let your body do nothing but make milk. Ever notice how you have more milk in the morning? Its because your body produces more when you rest. Drink you half a beer and stay on the couch with the baby for the whole day and just feed on demand (hopefully without the nipple shield). There is a drug called domperidone that the side effect is that causes lactation (even in men), I used it with my 3rd son, worked great but I would use that as a last resort, I couldn't even pump a drop and my son had failure to thrive, the drug is totally safe. Good luck!

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You might need to add some more healthy food to your diet. Adding coconut oil is a great way to get a healthy fat. See www.coconutoil.com for the many benefits.

Also, quinoa (a grain) has been used in south american cultures for thousands of years for it's benefit to nursing women. Soak your quinoa overnight in water and a tablespoon of vinegar. Rinse in the morning. For breakfast, cook in water and add honey, molasses, cinnamon, raisins and eat it like oatmeal. For dinner, cook in broth and eat it like rice or put it in a stew. You can buy organic quinoa at costco.

Try also, drinking a gallon of water a day to stay hydrated.

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The amount of milk that you can pump has *no relationship* to the amount of milk you are making. So many factors can influence pumping - type of pump, etc. - including the fact that at about 2-3 months, your body adjusts to the amount of milk the baby is drinking, whereas before it was making extra. Many women sense that their breasts feel less heavy and full, and they incorrectly assume that their supply has dropped, when actually it has just normalized. Babies can always get more milk out that a pump can.

My advice would be to quit pumping, and just feed your baby. Let him do all his sucking at the breast, and feed him often, and your body will increase supply to keep up. I would definitely contact a lactation consultant (make sure they are an IBCLC) for help in weaning him off the nipple shield, as they can damage your supply. A diagnosis of low milk supply should be made based on baby's weight gain, satisfaction, wet diapers, etc., and never based on pumping.

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I had low milk supply for the first month and a half for various reasons (I had a C-Section and my milk was slow to come in, my son needed formula for weight gain, he was a sleepy feeder and fell asleep the second I went to nurse him, my hormones made me nauseaus during the second week of his life, I didn't nurse him frequently enough becuase he slept a lot and I wanted to demand feed and also, I was slightly anemic). Blah! Trying to relactate was an emotionally trying time - but God is good and I was persistent.

Originally, I would nurse him, then use a rented hospital grade double breast pump after each feed. This was so stressful for me because I could never tell how much he was getting and I felt like I was playing an absurd guessing game about how much formula to feed him afterwards.

Just recently my milk supply dropped because he stopped nursing at night - and with the grace of God, it did come back; however, I tried a different approach this time - it required a lot of pumping...I hope you have some time on your hands.

For about a week and a half straight I pumped (and nursed periodically in the morning to see if my supply had come back up). I noticed that if I pumped every hour - I got more milk than if I pumped every two hours. I would pump while he napped - until I got enough to feed him (approx 3.5 oz give or take an ounce or two). When he woke up, I would feed him what I pumped. This way I was relieved to know that he was getting enough (no less than approx. 20 ounces a day), and was stimulating my breasts to produce more milk.

Night pumping is really important for stimulating prolactin levels. I have read that between 12-3am is the most important time to nurse or pump - but I have also heard that between 10pm-4/5am is also a good time to increase prolactin levels.

I also took Fenugreek throughout (up to 24 of 610mg a day )- and although I could tell a difference once I started making more milk, I couldn't really see much of difference during the relactation process. I also have a perscription for Domperidone, but have never used it.

Side note: I have since changed my diet - no caffeine, no cow's milk, lot's of oatmeal with molasses (high iron), no tea or soda. Why? I discovered that tea (not herbal) interferes with iron absorption, cow's milk has a lot of calcium, but not enough magnesium for proper calcium absorption - the phosphorus in soda also hinders calcium absorption. I take cal/mag/D supplements (not everyday), Iron supplements (not every day), prenatals (daily), B-complex (daily), Prenatal Omega-3 (daily)

Nursing is awesome! If you are persistent (and have some time on your hands) you should be able to get your supply back up.

BTW - Medela makes a special flange for larger nipples, so I've heard.

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http://buenavistamidwife.blogspot.com/2009/10/increasing-...
btw other posters are correct, a what you get with a pump is NOT a good measure of what the baby is getting. A pump is not nearly as effective as a baby and YOU will also not respond to a pump the way you do to your baby... breastfeeding is an intricate hormonal response and it is not easily duplicated with a machine (really NOT at all!!)
Good luck!
S.