Increasing Milk Supply - Allenhurst, GA

I nursed both of my girls and had problems both times keeping up my supply---usually started around 5-6 months. I took fenugreek and I drank an herbal tea called Mother's Milk. Both really helped a lot---and drinking a lot of water---not so much that you make yourself sick but I tried to get in my 8 8-oz glasses, usually one during and one after I nursed.

Good luck!
Caroline

The way I know to increase is to nurse more and/or pump between feedings. This will trick the brain into thinking more milk is needed and will produce more. Even if you do not produce anything at first, it is sending the message to the brain that more is needed. I had to do this at during my first week after delivering b/c I was delayed coming in. I hope this helps!

breast milk is like supply and demand...the more you pump or feed the more your body creates. I hope this helps!

I tried breastfeeding my first and had production issues quickly I went to the health foods store in the area and got a special tea to help with production, ask for lactation tea. They also had herbal supplements that i took 3 times a day as well. My mother in law is a lactation consultant and she was the one who recommended them to me, so I think they were as safe as they could be. I hope this helps.

Having nursed all four of my children, I found that the advice I received about setting the pump on the lowest setting immediately after nursing and let it stimulate your breast for about 15 extra minutes and you will see an increase also drink plenty of water, stay away from caffine chocolates, eat whole grain foods, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. The nutritionalist recommends increasing your calories by at least 500, but I know the only thing other than nursing after giving birth is when can I fit my skinny jeans again. I didn't increase the calories, I just ate healthier and drank water. No sodas, coffee, or juices. I also would recommend pumping if you are scheduled to feed your baby and he/she is asleep. Keeps production going-sorry to make you sound like an industrial company. : ) It gets easier the older the baby gets and his/her appetite increases.

Talk To You Pediatritian.

Hi Leyla,
9 years ago I had a daughter that had an enormus appetite. Talk to your OB and your Peditrician, and see if they can give you a perscription to increase your milk supply. There are a few wives tales, that say taking brewers yeast will help, but it seems that when I did some research, there were conflicting results on that advice. I even had a perscription that I sprayed up my nose that caused instant let down and caused my daughter to latch on, and nurse more effectively.
Good luck,
J.

Drinking lots of water makes a big difference. Including while you are pumping. Good luck and keep trying.

Hi Leyla,
when I was having some difficulty nursing my dd my friend referred me to a website called kellymom.com and it was a wealth of info. Just click on "nursing" then onto "supply" and there you will find all sorts of info. When my supply dropped significantly overnight my lactation consultant told me to drink a beer or two for immediate results. Something about the yeast in beer really gets the milk flowing as a quick fix. It will not hurt the baby. Also, I went the the health food store and bought a supplement called phenigreek and mothers milk tea. That combination had me flowing like Niagra falls. HTH best of luck to you! Hand in there!
A.

There are a lot of ways you can do this. First, are you breastfeeding "on demand" or on a "schedule?" Breast feeding on demand is best for babies under a year, this will tell your body to make milk more frequently. It is all about supply and demand. The second important factor is your water intake. You need to pace yourself to drink a minimum of half a gallon a day. Decide to drink 32 ounces of water when you wake up and before you eat anything. Do this again at lunch. The next think is to eat some good fatty foods such as nuts, legumes, flax seed oil on salad, salmon etc. Next you can drink some herbal teas such as one called "mother's milk" you can get it at publix in the health food section or any natural food store. Herbs to help with milk production are fennel, hops, and parsley. There are a lot of other herbs but these are easy to come by and safe. Try making some carrot-fennel soup. When you are trying to pump make sure you are leaned forward so you get some gravity to help out. Also, try staggering the pumps as it would be if you baby was nursing. If you need to , borrow a newborn for a few hours! good luck.

I was not able to breast feed, however I have several friends who are RN's as well as a Doula and they say the more you pump the more you will produce. If your 6 mos old has decreased her need then your supply will naturally taper down too. So try pumping and/or call a lactation consultant. I've heard they are very helpful. Hope this helps!

You need to increase the amounts of fluids that you drink. Avoid coffee af course. Get rested. I know that's not easy with a baby, but you need to take advantage of the time the baby is asleep. Go to bed, don't do your chores. Or take a nice walk, breathe the fresh air. Your supply will increase when you are less stressed. Nursing needs to be a natural process between mother and child, so try to make it a special quiet time for the two of you when you nurse your baby.

Leyla,

I had this problem when I had my daughter and I started drinking rosemary tea and it worked wonders. I actually had more milk than I needed we still had some in the freezer when she stopped nursing at 7 1/2 months ( her choice) she drank it out of a sippy cup after that. I mixed the rosemary with celestial seasoning sleepy time tea because I really like the flavor of it (Chamomile, spearamint, rose petals)and it is very calming she was one of my best babies. I have 5 kids all no longer babies now. Good luck hope it helps.

R.

Pump more. The more you take out, the more milk you will produce. (I nursed twins for 7 mths.)

Hi! I had the same problem with my son. I was not making anything. In fact it took 7 days for my milk to come in. My doctor put me on a drug called Reglan to help increase my milk supply. It worked great!! The only negative about the drug is that it does have a side effect that could make you depressed. Some people it affects but others have no problem. Also, have you tried pumping? Sometimes pumping will help increase the milk supply. I ended up having to buy a pump and giving my son his milk in a bottle. Anyway, i hope this helps

I would definitley seek out support from your local lactation consultant or La Lech League group

However, this may help
Increasing Milk Supply (from Dr.Jack Newman Utlimate book of Breastfeeding Answeres)
Express milk with a pump of nursing baby more frequently "supply and demand"

Herbs to try: Febugreek and Blessed Thistle (very little scientific research has been done but it has worked for many moms)

AGain nurse more frequently or pump more frequently.
I personally used the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle and it worked
Also get some one on one (actual person) support from a reliable source ie, lactation consultant/counselor or La leche group. Also, nurse baby before you feed him he may be eating more food than nursing.
Hope this helps and keep us posted

Hi Leyla!
First of all, congratulations on making the choice to breast feed! It can be tough at times, but highly worth it.
Have you heard of a book called "Baby Wise"? You can get it in paperback just about everywhere. I followed the advice in there and never had any problems with milk supply (and I nursed all 3 of my kids!).
To tide you over until you can get the book, make sure you're getting enough rest, getting enough to drink (water is best), and that you're sticking to a pretty regular routine of nursing. Every 3-5 hours at that age, I think.

Sometimes it's hard to "get ahead", but I'm sure that there are times your baby sleeps all night and you feel a bit "full" during the night. I'd say that when that happens, go ahead and pump! You can also supplement a feeding with formula and pump instead. If you haven't fed your baby any formula yet, I'd say go ahead and do it! It'll give you piece of mind that if you're not able to get home in time or are out and about and don't want to nurse in public, you have an option.

Hope that helps! Just remember, with breast milk, your body will respond to supply and demand, so the more you nurse or pump, the more milk your body will make. (if you pump in between feedings, your body will start making more).

best wishes!
M.

The lactation nurse told me to wait 30 minutes after you feed the baby, then double pump (both breasts at the same time, if possible)for 10-15 minutes and save that milk.
You don't have to do it after every feeding, but the more often you do it, the more milk you will store up. At first you may not see much milk, but it should build up.
You can also take an herb called Fenegreek.

I found that drinking lots of milk, waiting a half an hour and getting into a hot shower helped me. Start pumping as soon as you get out of the hot shower, and flow is usually higher. also, sometimes having your baby close by helps too. The smell of your baby promotes flow as well. Try when you first get up in the morning, when you have a stockpile of milk as well. hope these help.

I had this same problem with all three of my kids. I could never make enough. I would eat and drink until food would make me nearly sick, and pumped ALL the time. It worked for the first 3 months but once they got a little bigger there was nothing I could naturally do. This seems to be a heriditary problem in my family as they all have the same issues. My OB gave me a med which relieves acidic stomachs, which will also increase the milk (they aren't related, but will somehow increase the milk for nursing mothers). It worked so well!!! Don't feel bad if you can't do it without a little help, it's well worth it and they won't give you something that's not safe to use.

It will be hard to store milk, while being with your infant 24x7, as supply equals demand, although, I was able to store some at that time, by pumping on one side while nursing on the other. I only nursed on one side at a time, so there would be sufficient milk for the next feeding.

If you want to make more and better milk, you need to be drinking around a gallon of water a day, and eating the best possible diet, of fruits veggies and lean protiens...hope this helps,

Nursing is such a joy and bonding experience, I did it for three years straight with my two children and although they are done now, I look back fondly on those times we shared.

D. M.

I agree with many of the responses. I nursed my 3 kids for at least a year each. Get in touch with a good support system, LaLeche is great and very helpful! On top of eating right and staying hydrated, I "tricked" my body and added a feeding. I took one of the longer stretches between feedings and tried to pump. It was slow at first, but after a few days, my body thought the baby wanted to eat more and then produced more. I kept pumping at the same time of day for a few weeks and froze the "liquid gold." You can also pump and store the extra milk you will have after her growth spurt. Another key, is a good pump (Ameda and Madela electric ones work great)!
Good luck and keep up the good work!

I have herd from other mom's that pumping at least once a day helps b/c it has much more suction.

Hello Leyla,
You have received wonderful suggestions. But I would like you to suggest as well to visit or find your local La leche league http://www.llli.org. All the members are mothers that breastfeed. Is a wonderful support team and they will help you. Check it out is free and is a wonderful support. You be surprise the things that are going to help you and you don't have to spend any money, or take anything.
Pumping is good but your best pump is your baby. Take a shower with hot water and let the water hit your breast for a while.
But go visit the group.
good luck

I agree with most of the other mothers, start pumping more. It might take awhile but your supply will increase. I nursed my son for 13 months. My milk supply started to decrease due to a breast infection. I had been told that wheat germ will increase your supply. It worked for me! I ate it on cereal or yoqurt. My milk supply started increasing very quickly.