Increasing My Milk Supply

So it seems like you have gotten a lot of advice about things you can take, all natural and good advice for sure, but the first thing you have to remember is your milk works on a supply and demand system. I nursed twins for 18 months and at times I had to focus on increasing my milk supply.
First make sure you are drinking a ton of water, like 80 oz a day, nursing takes so much from your body so you have to be hydrated. Also you need to eat a good healthy balanced diet, eat every time you are hungry, you are now eating for two (even more so then when you were pregnant).
Second, when you are pumping I would do a minimum of 15-20 minutes per side, until you get a enough milk for what would be a full feeding for your little one. Your 6 month old is obviously taking a bottle when you are gone so however much he or she is drinking is how much you want to get (or close) at each pumping. If you are not producing that much I would pump for a little longer and possibly add an extra pumping session until your supply bumps back up. What kind of pump do you have? A double electric is really the best do help keep your milk supply up, plus then you aren't pumping for hours because you are doing both at once.
You can do it, don't give up!

marshmallow root tea is good. Also, malt, or some brewers yeast in tomato juice works well- not malt in tomato juice- yuck!. My favorite was chocolate malt ovaltine 3 times a day (what we moms will sacrifice and suffer for our kids! : ). My milk was so plentiful and rich, it actually separated into milk and cream!

Try taking fenugreek. You can get it at any health food store. Do not get the tea; it is not strong enough to work. You have to take the capsules and you take a lot. I think it is 3 capsules 3 times a day. It makes you and your milk smell a little like maple syrup, but it really helps increase your production.

I am a Homeopath. The remedy Urtica Urens will increase milk supply. You can find this remedy at Pharmaca or Whole Foods. I would get a 30C. Take 3 pellets every 3X/day until milk supply increases.

Best to you,

K. Sterner

I had periodic times where I thought my milk supply was not quite enough. A local lactation consultant suggested I try a "nurse-in" - arrange childcare ahead of time with your husband or other adults for your older child, and spend a weekend just resting, nursing the little one as much as possible, drinking a lot of water, eating comforting foods, put all stress out of your mind, and resting and nursing some more. It worked for us during growth spurts, and it felt great!

Hi M.,

I have struggled with a low supply since the birth of my son. I have found that a combination of Fenugreek seed capsules with blessed thistle works. If you buy the solarray brands at vitamin cottage they are MUCH cheaper than the mother's milk brand and honestly I found that they work even better for me. They are about $9.00 each. If you go to the website www.drjacknewman.com you can find the reccomended dosages. You have to take enough fenugreek to make you smell like maple syrup or it dosn't work. I also found that eating oatmeal several times a week really helps. Okra also really works for me. I noticed a lot more during pumping on days that I ate jambalaya with a lot of okra! Good luck!

M.,
My name is M. too! I am a certified birth doula, here in Denver. I also had difficult time producing milk, but mine was due to excess blood loss during the delivery of my 4th child. He struggled to gain and even lost several pounds after we left the hospital.
I took many things but the one thing I took and really noticed a big difference was Goat's Rue. They sell it at Vitamin Cottage in a tincture form from a company called Wish Garden. You can also call Bosom Buddies and talk to their lactation consultant, she may have some good ideas for you as well!

Best of luck!
M. in Denver

if you have a health food store near you they should have this stuff called Mother's Milk and it some natural drops you put in water supposed to help with your supply. I tried it and it did help a little.

I also have a 6 month old (going through a growth spurt and eating more). When you pump, try pumping on the highest setting that is still comfortable. Well drained breasts produce more milk. Also, feed the baby on demand as often as he can eat - this helps produce more milk.
Taking a vitamin B supplement might also help

Go to the "Good Earth Health Food Store" and pick up some "Alfalfa Herb". It may sound funny, but milk cows are fed alfalfa and it helps them with milk production and it helps us as well. Ask the workers what else might help, because I know there are other natural things you can take as well. Good luck!

Drink Carrot juice. I have also heard that if you drink half a beer it will come back.

When my baby had colic, the doctor recommended drinking a beer before the afternoon feeding. I could only stand about 6 oz, but it really worked. They say the hops in the beer helps your milk production, and the alcohol helps the milk let down. You could try near beer that is alcohol free.

The other thing I would do is to drink a LOT of water all during the day and nurse as much as you can.

Here's a website that had some suggestions:
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

Hey M.,

First of all be so proud of yourself for pumping at work for that long already. I am doing the same and it is not easy. A few weeks ago my milk seemed to not be flowing as well as it was in the beginning. I usually get 4 oz each side each time and I was getting 2 oz each side each time... I started to get nervous as I am not ready to stop breast feeding yet with only a 3 month old daughter. I work 10 hour days and pump 3 times while at work. I called my mom in concern about what I could do. She asked me if I had changed anything... I stopped to realize I had been taking in a little less food then usual and less milk. I increased both things and my milk supply came flowing back in. I think the first thing I would recommend is to consider your stress level, if you're relaxed enough when pumping and if you diet is consistent and plentiful. I hope this helps! Best of luck - C.

Another pumping session can help, but usually the best time for pumping to really increase supply is between 3-5am (when your supply is often at it's best).

Something that sounds odd but really can help is oatmeal and root beer. I cannot remember what the theory is behind it, but eating oatmeal every day can help your supply, and believe it or not, root beer can as well. There have been a few times in the past 9 months of nursing my youngest when I have noticed a lowering in how much I was producing and each time this has actually remedied the problem.

I had the same problem. Not enough milk and I have twins. I used More Milk Plus. It is natural and comes in the form of liquid or capsuls.

Good luck!

I think you have gotten some great advice, but I will tell you what worked for me.
1. Make sure that you are pumping on a schedule, that way your body knows when it needs to produce.
2. Drink lots of water and start Fenugreek 3 tablets, 3 times a day. Do this for 2-3 days, if you aren't noticing a difference, keep bumping up the dose. I know someone that was barely producing milk, and 8 fenugreek 3 times a day finally did the trick. You can get it at GNC (cheaper in bulk).
3. I would also suggest double pumping. I found some hands free bras that allowed me to double pump (they aren't great to wear, but I put them on over my undone nursing bra when I pump, and it works great - let me know if you need more details on that). And relax or at least do something to take your mind off of pumping if possible.
4. I would also pump for at least 20 minutes. At the end of the pumping, "wring" yourself out. Make sure that you get every last drop out.
5. I also used to pump after the morning feeding, although this gets harder as they get older and more active, and at night before going to sleep. This extra bit helped me supplement my daily pumping because I never do pump as much as he is fed at daycare.
6. Oatmeal for breakfast isn't a bad idea. I started doing this and I do notice a difference in my pumping consistency.
7. If all else fails - see the doctor. They do have a prescription that can help you out

Hi M., I just wanted you to know it's normal for your little one to eat more at about 6 months. Mine have done that too. I pumped after my little one would eat as often as I could. I tried fenugreek. It didn't seem to make that much difference for me. I tried eating oatmeal. That didn't do much for me either. I think I just fed them a little more solid food during that time and did all these other things, and somehow we made it through. Hang in there!

Fenugreek has done absolute wonders for me. You can buy it at a health food store for about $10.00 a bottle.

Mother's Milk Tea! If real issue your OB/Gyn can perscribe Reglan. Good luck and don't stress, I don't think that helps you or the milk supply:)

There have been many requests just like your with excellent responces, you can do a search for them. Fenugreek and blessed thissle are the best herbal remedies for low milk supply. I have a friend who takes liquid tinictures of the two herbs with great results. I took them in pill form and that worked well for me but the liquid is supposedly better because it is more concentrated.

Fenugreek. Mother's milk tea. Plenty of water. I make sure I have a glass every time I pump/feed baby. I would also suggest at night or in the morning after you've fed baby, to go pump for 10 minutes. I had a problem with my 5 mo old wanting to eat more frequently, but then she would start playing with me in the middle of feeding so my supply was getting the message that she wasn't as hungry and I was starting to feel empty. What worked for me was pumping while her daddy would feed her cereal after I had her at the breast and then spreading out her schedule to 3 hours between feedings. She is back to sleeping through the night and doing fine with the new schedule and my supply is back up. Be patient, but stubborn if you want to hang on to your milk for a little longer. Once it goes, it's incredibly hard to get back. But on the other hand, 6 months of breast feeding is awesome. Don't beat yourself up. Working and breastfeeding is hard and tiring.

My first question for you would be if you are back on the pill. I read recently that it can lead to a dcrease in milk production if you are not on a progesterone-only pill. Hope this helps.

When I found myself in that position in the past, I upped my pumping sessions at home (I was not allowed any more time at work) and upped my water & granola intake. I found that eating more oatmeal & granola bars upped my supply and helped when I was pumping. Good luck! Check out kellymom.com for more tips.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

S.

Chantielle said exactly what I was thinking. 10 minutes per side at work isn't long enough if you want more supply. The double electric pump is going to help you the most if you don't have one. Drink more water. Add another pumping. If you do those things, you'll probably find after a short while, that you have more than enough for your little one, and maybe even enough to replenish your freezer supply. Good luck!

Try milk maid tea, you can get it at www.motherearthandbaby.com It is an natural tea with fennel and other herbs to increase lactation. It worked great for me. Good luck

You can try an herbal supplement called Mother's Milk Plus, which contains fenugreek. This helped me with my last child when my supply started waning. Good luck!

M.,
What worked great for me was drinking "Organic Mother Milk" tea. It's not the best tasting, but not bad either. It is totally worth it for the first 2 weeks after my supply was lessening I drank 3-5 cups a day and man did it help. I now only drink a cup when I have a day where my little man is drinking more than normal. It is a litle spendy but totally worth it in my opinion.
www.TraditionalMedicinals.com