Not Enough milk-BFing Question

Eat oatmeal once a day, get some mothers milk tea, and drink water to thirst. remember taht your pump gets out less than half of what your baby can get out.
She's in a growth spurt, so nurse her as often as she wants, and then encourage her to nurse a few more times just to bump your supply.

Your pump will never get out what your baby can, so if you pump 4-6oz, double that for what your baby can get out, usually more. Babies are way more efficient than a pump, your body responds to your baby way better regardless of your pump.

Only nurse from one breast per feeding too, so she gets all the hindmilk, and if she empties a breast and continues ot nurse it, your body will be stimulated to make more milk for her. So nurse her one breast only, no switching, so your body is stimulated by your baby, its supply and demand, if the demand is up, your bod ywill make the supply.

1 mom found this helpful

It sounds like your little one is hitting a growth spurt~ :)

Nurse as often as you can - this is the BEST way to naturally increase your supply. Also you have to INCREASE you water intake. I was basically swimming in it, I drank so much! LOL~
I also had a huge glass at my bedside to drink when getting up in the nighttime (still do.).

Try not to overly stress yourself as that can cause a reduction in your supply. Your body will naturally produce what your little one needs. (And if you are not seeing the increase after feedings, then she possibly received what she needed for that time.)

Some herbs help~ but not too often depending on your body (and water intake, as you have to flush them), but relaxing and trying not to stress helps for let-down.

1 mom found this helpful

i know it's frustrating! i felt the same way not too long ago. i find when my daughter is going to go thru a growth spurt she wants to nurse all the time. i think it's a natural way for my milk supply to build up. so, don't worry, you'll catch up and she'll ease up on the number of times she nurses when you start producing more, trust me!
on the pumping side, sometimes i go through times where i can't pump hardly anything. i think it's because the baby is much more efficient at emptying your breasts than a pump and i think that stress and worry make it worse, in my experience.
don't give up (unless you're feeling like you start to want to wean her)!
best wishes!
also, have you tried mother's milk tea? i've found it at meijer and it takes nice, i don't drink it regularly enough to know if it works well.....but an idea.

I use to eat oatmeal - it's suppose to help with milk production. I'd eat it anyway I could if I felt my little man wasn't getting enough... cookies, instant (for breakfast or snack) - there are so many flavors so you can change it up so you don't get tired of it, or anything else you can make out of oatmeal. Also, have a nurse day... I use to have one now and then. You just stay home on a day off and let her nurse as much as she will. I'd stay in my pj's and spend most of the day watching TV, playing with him, stay in bed if you want - basicly a lazy day.

Don't forget to drink lots of liquids too... sometimes when we work we forget to keep track of our liquid intake which will effect or production. Make sure you are getting enough to produce.

One other note... pumping can help, but I was never able to get a lot when I did. I was lucky to get 4-6 oz when I pumped and my guy nursed till he was about 10 mo old. Some moms can pump a lot, others can't.

Good luck & Congratz on the little one.

My own body began weaning my baby at 3 months, unfortunately, and so I'm afraid I am not personally much help. However, I can tell you the things people recommended for me, and they kept me producing some milk until my son was 6 months, although it didn't work indefinitely.

The first is to pump and pump and pump. Pump after feedings, but also pump every 45 minutes, if you can. Tell your body you need more!

Secondly, check out Fenugreek. It's an herbal supplement that is supposed to increase breast-milk. Read the instructions on the packet to make sure you are taking enough of it, and give it at least 2 weeks to kick in. Products like Mother's Milk tea are also supposed to be good.

Begin eating good-fatty foods, and make sure you are drinking A LOT of water. Make sure you're drinking at least 2% milk, or make fruit milkshakes, eat avocados, unsalted nuts, and all the other good fats. Be careful with this one - it is effective, but I also gained back almost all of my baby weight in the 3 months I was on the diet, and the weight has been a lot harder to lose the second time around.

Cut down on anything you eat that is dehydrating. That includes anything very high in sodium (chips, salted nuts, Chinese food - you name it) as well as sodas and other carbonated drinks.

I hope that you will be successful in increasing your milk flow. However, worst-case scenario, talk to your doctor about how to supplement your child's diet with formula without losing more milk supply. By the time my son was 6 months, I had been struggling with supply for over 3 months, and my son would have starved eating just my milk. But as my doctor kept saying, every drop is liquid gold. Even if you cannot feed exclusively breastmilk, keep the breastmilk coming in whatever portions you can to give your child the full benefit. Each drop is better than none at all. Good luck.

The thing we've seen (as midwives) up milk production quickly for the most people have been products from MotherLove Herbals such as "More MIlk Plus." Their website can help you find a local source.

I'd also call a Le Lache League leader (they are free, and their local numbers are available on the LLL website), for some home troubleshooting your unique situation. Milk supply can be negatively affected by many things, including going back to work, introducing solids, changing sleeping schedule, the vacuum on your pump needing repair (very common in loaned/shared pumps), stress, dieting and more. Basics that help are indeed frequent pumping (but more often, not for LONGER - marathon pumping doesn't help, many suggest something like 10 minutes each time), much more skin-to-skin contact (even taking baths together etc.), co-sleeping (so that the baby can nurse alot at night while you both get sleep), and bras that fit properly.

Good Luck!
B.
www.VisitIndigo.com

I had a breast reduction six years, which made it next to impossible to breastfeed. I just had my third baby, and I decided to give the herbal remedies a try. I have been very impressed with the results! I started off with Mother's Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals. It worked well, but I got tired of constantly drinking tea. I just switched to Lactate Support by Gaia Herbs, and I am amazed by the results. My little guy is actually latching on, which is a huge surprise! My other two were too frustrated by my lack of milk, so I had to pump what little I could for them. The main ingredient is fenugreek, which you should be able to find at any health food store. It worked wonders for me!

I had a problem with my milk supply when I returned to work with my third child and I was determined to nurse for the first year. I contacted the lactation consultant at the hospital where I delivered and she recommended that I strictly nurse, no pumping when I got home in the evening and on the weekends. Although the pump simulates your baby's suckling it is not nearly as strong as your baby. Your body produces milk based on supply and demand. The more you nurse with your baby the more milk you will produce. This really worked for me. I was dangerously close to not being able to produce enough milk for my baby and after following this suggestion my milk supply increased and I made to my goal of nursing for the first 12 months. I hope this helps.

The best wau to increase your milk supply is to nurse as often as possible! The herbal stuff works pretty good too. also try eating oatmeal, rolled oats not instant. She may be going through a growth spurt as well. Babies nurse more when they are going through a growth spurt.
Blessings, K.

Drink LOTS of water. I would try for about a week to drink at least a gallon a day. Yes you will be useing the washroom a lot but if the problem is dehydration you will know for sure. At 6 months, are you starting to feed her at all. If she is increasing her intake, she might be ready to start on cereal, and if you are giving her cereal, maybe increase to twice a day or adding in some fruit.

Sounds like a growth spurt, when they hit one they want to eat more often and it can feel like you're not making enough milk. At this point, it's pretty rare to not be producing enough milk, so unless she seems frustrated, I wouldn't worry about it.

As everyone has said, make sure you are very hydrated. When I was pumping, fenugreek worked wonders for me also. I think I took 2 of them, 3x a day. Can't remember now, but you can go to kellymom.com for tips. I bought the fenugreek from GNC, I actually have almost a whole bottle left over because they were buy one get one 50% off or free, but then my supply came back and I didn't need it.

I know when my son was about that age I was struggling to pump enough for him, but it all worked out. He started solids, which took a huge load off of my shoulders. I could pump less and just nurse more at home. Your baby is much more efficient at getting milk than a pump anyway, so I wouldn't worry about the amount you're pumping.

L.; i had 3 children and one of them nursed evrey two hours, its not that you are not necessarily producing enough milk, it just may mean she is hungry often, which is normal, is she crying after a long nursing session? or is she sleeping? if she is sleeping, or not crabby she is satisfied, she will let you know after breastfeeding if she is not satisfied, she would be crying for more, they dont drink alot at early ages, if she takes a bottle along with breastfeeding, she may not breastfeed, due to its easier for her to get it from the bottle, each child is different, dont maesure the amount, measure how she reacts to it, if she is happy dont worry about it, if she is not happy then you may worry, either way continue to do what you are doing and congrats on breast feeding, D. s