Need Help Producing More Milk

HI!
What was working for me was pumping every 2-3 hours and I got my milk supply back within two days.You can not be without pumping the whole day while you are at work. I also recommend the raspberry leaves tea it is fantastic! I am drinking it since I got pregnant and my son is almost 11 months old and I still have plenty of milk for him.

Good luck!
M.

1 mom found this helpful

Make sure you are still nursing as much as possible and drink plenty!

Sounds like you're doing great so far. I breastfed both of my daughters for about one for each of them. My routine was shortly after they were born, I would nurse in the morning, and then pump as well immediately afterwards. During the day, I pumped 3 times-around 9am, 12:30pm and then around 4pm. Morning is supposed to be the best time for milk production. With my second daughter, she actually was on breastmilk for almost 2 months after I weaned her because I had pumped so much.
Like someone else suggested, make sure you have a good pump. I used the Medela pump in style advanced...and used it a lot! It worked great!
Good luck and keep up the good work and don't give up!

Mother's Milk tea by Traditional Medicinals found at most grocery stores: You can even make a batch of iced tea from it to drink throughout the day.

Get plenty of rest. Take your baby girl to bed with you and nurse in the side-lying position.

Pump in the morning, and RELAX :)

I had the same problem. The pediatrician told to take yeast pills and drink one beer a day to help build up the milk. It worked,because I ended up breast feeding for 12 months. Good luck!

Breast milk is "supply and demand" - meaning the more you nurse/pump, the more you make. I would suggest trying to pump at work at least once to try to build up your supply. Good luck!

Hello Ta Tah, have you reied the teas called "Mothers Milk" by Traditional medicinials? You can find it at a Health food store. It will help you produce more. I have givin it to every new breast feeding mother. If you can not find it, contact me, and I will get it for you and mail it to you. Just let me know.:)
Also, oatmeal, a little dark beer after a feeding. Pump after every feeding. Good luck.

I breastfed my daughter for a year and I had supply problems from day one. I pumped after every single feeding for several months to try and increase supply. When I was not with her (working or otherwise not at home) I pumped at least every 3 hours (the frequency at which she was eating). My milk started drying up when I stopped pumping at work (I did this close to when I was going to be weaning her anyway). Since milk supply is supply and demand, it's important to make your body know it needs to produce more (that's why pumping right after feeding is supposed to help). Sometimes, in the morning I would also feed her and simultaneously pump the other side. Babies are more efficient than pumps, so when she got to the second side, she was still able to get milk even after I had pumped. Make sure you are pumping for at least a full 15 minutes- anything less does not give enough stimulation to increase supply.

What really saved me and let me keep bf'ing was the herbal supplement Fenugreek. It is amazing!! I bought it at GNC. I was taking 2-3 pills twice a day. The difference in my production with the Fenugreek was absolutely amazing! If I noticed my supply drop a bit, I would just take more Fenugreek. I also had to supplement my daughter with formula because even with all the pumping and the Fenugreek I just wasn't able to produce enough for her. Do the best you can, but know that it's OK to supplement with formula if needed. Someone else said on here that bf'ing can take over your life to the point where it is no longer enjoyable. I did experience that and it was an awful feeling. Supplementing a bit let me also live my life. Any amount of breastmilk you give her is great. Good luck!

Are you taking any antihistamines? Those can dry you up. Also, try to limit caffeine.

Keep pumping as much as you can around the clock. The more you pump/breastfeed, the more you will make. Stick to it!

I always thought the worst time to pump was at night. That is when I had the least amount. Unless you feed your baby around 8, then pump at 11:30. I always was engorged in the morning so I would feed my son and then pump the excess when I wanted extra. The other thing you can do is give formula once or twice and pump your own. That way you get ahead a little. Sounds like you are doing great!

Try to add as many extra pumping sessions as you can. After you feed her, pump for a couple extra minutes just so you get the extra stimulation.

You could also pump on one side while she nurses on the other. When you are home with her on the weekends have her nurse as often as you can and even pump in between feedings. The more stimulation you get the more milk your body will produce.

Good Luck

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but if you are only pumping at night, and not all day during work,your milk supply will decrease, and you won't be able to pump enough for whole days, much less a surplus. The only way to produce more milk is to pump and feed more and to replace every single bottle feeding with pumping if you can't nurse. Your body reacts to the demand created by your baby, as in how often and how much they need to eat.

You'll need to find a way to pump during the day, I know it's really hard with work! Or at the very least, you should pump in the morning, and right when you get home (or nurse her those times) as well as at night-twice or 3 times at night if you can stay up that late! Basically, you need to pump or nurse her more often. Don't beat yourself up if you have to supplement with some formula or stop sooner than planned, any breast milk you give her is very beneficial. All you can do is your very best. Good Luck!

YOu should be drinking AT LEAST 64 oz of water per day. Your body needs the raw material to be able to properly produce enough.

Ways to increase supply:

Oatmeal - instant, regular, cookies - doesn't matter what form, it works. Eat it for breakfast, have it as a mid-morning snack. Whatever works for you.

Mother's Milk Tea - 5-6 cups per day

Fenugreek - 3-4 capsules 4x a day (you know you are taking enough when you smell like maple syrup)

Pump at the half way point between normal feedings - this WILL NOT short your baby. You make more milk because there is milk being taken out. Think factory, not store room.

Pump WHILE nursing - especially in the morning when supply is the highest. Baby on one side, pump on the other. Letdown tends to be better with baby then with pump, and so you will end up pumping more.

Also, as for the amount she is drinking at the daycare. Baby only EVER needs 1-1.25oz per hour of seperation. This amount NEVER increases. Your milk adjusts to baby's needs, not the amount. Babies will drink more out of a bottle then when nursing, because it is 'drink or drown'. When nursing your flow changes thru out the nursing session, but flow never changes with the bottle, so that leaves them wanting to continue suckling even though they don't need any more milk. You can have to daycare offer a paci after feeding to see if that will help. Also, don't make the bottles any larger then 4oz.

I have been pumping for my son at the daycare for almost a year now, so feel free to message me, and I'll help in any way I can.

Kudos to you for all your extra efforts for your baby. It is well worth it. I did the same and am thankful I did it even though it was time consuming. I thought of it as part of the job. I would awaken an extra hour or so before the baby each morning to pump and I got plenty of milk and still had enough to feed her when so got up. Your body does adjust. It was easy to pump in the morning as I was so full from the night. This morning pumping should help build your supply. I always had plenty of milk in the freezer for emergencies as well. Keep up the Great Work!

When you do get the opportunity to nurse her, use the 3 nipple method. Nurse her on the 1st breast. When you switch to the 2nd breast, pump the 1st breast at the same time. The next time you nurse her, be sure to start w/ the breast she finished with as this will be the 1 you pump.

You're pumping at night? This is when the body produces the least milk. You should pump when the baby would normally be eating, or around that time- if my baby usually ate at 10 and 1, I'd pump at noon and get the volume I'd need for 2 feeds. You may want to invest in renting a really good pump. I used the Symphony which was available at the hospital I worked at, and got twice as much milk in half the time.

Definitely pump as frequently as you can. I found oatmeal to help my milk production significantly. I'd have some for breakfast every day. I went through the same fears you are not wanting to put my daughter on formula. But I found it helped my production (I know it sounds crazy) to research and decide on and purchase a bit of formula to keep in the house. That way mentally you know you have backup ready to go if you need it. I never did but I felt SO much better knowing what that I had something I was OK with feeding my baby in the house and ready to go. (I chose Baby's Only organic) It also helped me to feel better deciding that IF I had to give her formula, I'd still just be supplementing my breast milk not completely switching over. I really think making those mental decisions had a slightly positive reaction in my production. But more importantly it helped me have a little less stress.
You are doing something wonderful for your baby girl and each bit of breast milk you give her no matter how much is a perfect gift, best wishes!

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp73483_333181_sespider/babys_o...

You've already gotten tons of great advice, but one more "trick" to try. Whenever you pump, keep something of your daughter's close to you - a photo you can look at or a blanket you can smell. Part of the reason that you produce more when she's nursing than when you're pumping is the psychological impact of seeing, smelling, cuddling your precious angel, so try anything that helps to simulate those feelings . . .

Are you able to pump at work? Maybe you need to just get your body on a different schedule...the more you feed and the more you pump, the more you will make...that supply and demand system...try pumping on your lunch break if you can...that might make a big difference...
How are your feedings going on your days off...and how much is she up at night?

Dear Ta Rah,
My sister in law lives in South Africa and when she had problems they told her to have a beer shanty each evening to help increase the supply. It was half beer, half sprite. It really worked well for her and she had a definite increase in her milk supply. There was something in the beer that helped but I am not sure what. I am not a big fan of beer but I tried one and the sprite killed the beer taste.
Good luck,
G.

Dear Ta Rah S,
I do not know if you breast fed your first, but you know that the 3 mos. infant is going through a growth spirt and will want to be attached to you for a longer period of time as the child needs more milk.
Brewer's Yeast will help to facilitate more milk, but because it is a yeast, you are playing games with a yeast over-growth so you may need a pro-biotic at the same time. I did this and it is very sensitive a situation. It can be done but you might want to contact a professional. You cannot burn the candle at both ends when you have to nurse the baby. Make sure you get plenty of rest and taking your pre-natal....the baby will get the short end if you do not take care of yourself.
Just relax and the milk will come...this is always a delicate dilema. Good luck!
E.

Hi Ta Rah,

I was wondering if you pump while you are at work? I had to make sure that I was pumping every 2-3 hours. I also took the herb Fenugreek. It seemed to help with milk production. When my daughter started to need more, I added a few ounces of formula and it worked out fine. Hope you find a solution.
~Julia

Hi Ta Rah S.

I remember a helpful tip that my friend told me- chocolate milk. There is something in chocolate milk vs. white milk, that helps with production.

I had the problem of not being able to produce and tried it.
I hope it helps.

If you ever have a problem of having too much milk, cold cabbage leaves inside of your bra work...

Good luck

I agree with the other moms... fenugreek (take it until you smell like maple syrup... I took 3 3x a day), pump more often, pump at work, pump in the mornings, pump after each feeding.... THAT having been said, breastfeeding can get to the point where it takes over your life to such a point that it stops being workable. I had low milk supply and my LC and I decided that a bottle or two of formula a day was preferable to me getting so frustrated that I quit bfing at all (I was pumping 10 times a day). I was SUCH a wreck about adding formula, but it made such a difference in our lives. Similac makes an organic formula that has no corn syrup in it, if that is important to you. If you want to keep bfing exclusively, go for it, but if it starts getting out of control, know that there is an "in between" option.

I know when I was having problems I was told to add a pumping session in the morning. I normally fed at 7 am and 11am so I added one around 9 or so for a few weeks and that did it. It took a few days for the body to realize it needed to make more milk at that time but it worked. If you have any other questions you can call a lactation specialist. I know nursing mothers has them and you can call them anytime. Good luck.

Your milk supply is highest in the morning, so try to pump then. Try pumping right after you finish breastfeeding. It may take a few days, but your milk supply will increase due to the increase in demand. Simple supply-demand principle. A great resource is "The Breastfeeding Book" by Martha and William Sears. Yay for you for breastfeeding!!!

Hi, Ta:

Contact your local breast feeding consultant at La Leche League.

www.llli.org

Good luck. D.

What worked for me was to chugged a glass of water/milk right before I pumped. Also stimulation of the breasts while picturing a waterfall or listening to water sounds worked extremely well. Try it, it might work....

Pump often and go to your local healthfood store they have herbal teas speficically for nursing mothers to help with milk supply.