Running Low on Milk Supply

Mothers Milk tea. For me, after two days of using it, my supply came back up. I pumped for 3 months when my daughter was 4-7 mos old and a big sized baby. I was stressed at work (teacher and coach), and was walked in on by a male principal. Not fun, but was much better after adding the tea. You can get it at Whole Foods or Sprouts, and I'm sure the natural health section of other grocery chains. Called "Organic Mother's Milk" by Traditional Medicinals. I may have a box left. Email if you want it.

My friend used fenugreek pills from the health food store and progesterone cream from Arbonne and nursed 6 babies for a year each.

My other friend pumped exclusively for 7 months without breastfeeding (daughter had a problem) with using the tea only and was a major producer with it!

Other helpful pumping tips
1. Put a picture of your baby in your pump bag and stare at it.
2. Record your baby crying - that one REALLY works!
3. Drink a ton of water before and after pumping. I was terrible at this and my pumping definitely improved once I was taking in more water.
4. Be careful to not over-limit your calorie intake. With my second child, I wanted to lose the weight a bit faster. As soon as I cut back too much, my supply would go down.
5. Consider your career. You may be not producing well from stress. Talk to your boss - he has to worry about discrimination if you are not allowed the best situation possible to pump.

Hope this helps,
L.

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are you able to pump at least once or twice during the day? At least pump on your lunch hour... unless you can go to your son to nurse. Also what about pumping first thing in the morning, either when you get up (before the baby is up) or as soon as you get to work. You will have the most milk in the mornings.

Another option is to pump on one side while you nurse on the other while your baby is taking his first morning feeding. i also tried to keep up my supply by pumping on the weekends, at least once per day while my baby was napping.

I also nursed my baby when I dropped him off at daycare and again when I picked him up, before I put him in the car to go home. It is quite normal for a baby to cluster nurse in the evenings, which was hard when trying to make dinner and everything, but that is what we did.. we nursed almost constantly in the evening and once or twice (I think) during the night. Some babies will reverse cycle feed meaning that they take most of their milk during the evenings & nights when their mother is away during the day.

There are some things that can help with your milk supply, like eating oatmeal every day, drinking lots of water, taking fenugreek, or mother's milk tea. You can also get a prescription for Dompridon, but that's pricy

Also, you baby will soon be 4 months & can start some solids, My milk supply decreased and I choose to supplement with food during the day instead of formula. I would send a banana to school for them to mash up & feed. Or start some cereals.

Also, if you find that you have to give formula while you are working, there is no reason why you can't continue to nurse while you are with your baby. Continue to use stage1 bottles so that he has to work a bit for his dinner. That will help him to continue to nurse when you are together.

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S., good for you for wanting to continue breastfeeding your son. Please, please take a look at the links that one of the moms provided about the laws in Texas. They are there to protect working moms.

When I returned to work I had the benefit of a good employer that provided 'quiet' rooms for moms. However, sometimes it was hard to find the room empty when you needed it. It seems that all the new moms were on the same pumping schedule. And, often times I had to be in meetings and only had certain openings in my day. So, I used my Medela pump in my car. We had a parking garage at work. I'd go there and sit in the back seat, drape baby blankets over my backseat windows or myself and pump. If it was too hot, I'd start the car and the air, too. I was only in there for 15-20 minutes. Rarely would anyone know I was there and I'd take my phone, in case they really needed to reach me. I also put 'Other' on my outlook calendar so they would know not to disturb me unless it was necessary.

We worked in cubicles, but whether you work in an office or a retail environment, hopefully you can find a place (employee restroom or your car) where you can find a few minutes of privacy. Just rest assured that they can't fire you or write you up for taking the time that the law allows nursing mothers in the state of Texas. That should help relieve your stress a bit. Besides, your employer does know this and you could bring a lawsuit if they terminated you for excercising your rights as a new mom.

Keep up the good work!

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Good thing for Us breastfeeding mom's in Texas... THERE ARE LAWS IN PLACE FOR US.

http://www.llli.org/Law/LawBills.html

It has all the information needed to present to your employer. THEY CAN NOT DENIE YOU TIME AND LOCATIONS. They must provide an appropriate work schedule and a private location with clean cleaning facilities to wash out your pump.

Tex. Health & Safety Code § 165.001 et seq.
1995 Tex. ALS 600; 1995 Tex. Gen. Laws 600; 1995 Tex. Ch 600; 1995 Tex. HB 359

Section 165.033. Breast-Feeding Policy.
The Department shall develop recommendations supporting the practice of worksite breast-feeding that address the following:
(1) Work schedule flexibility, including scheduling breaks and work patterns to provide time for expression of milk;
(2) The provision of accessible locations allowing privacy;
(3) Access nearby to a clean, safe water source and a sink for washing hands and rinsing out any needed breast-pumping equipment; and
(4) Access to hygienic storage alternatives in the workplace for the mother's breast milk.

Give it to them girl. It's the law and they HAVE TO ABIDE BY IT. GOOD LUCK!!!

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Are you on WIC? If not, make an appointment with them.

My daughter had her first baby 5 years ago and was not able to breastfeed successfully. WIC provided vouchers for her formula. She also had a baby in March who is successfully being breastfed. WIC provided her with a manual pump at no cost to her. After she'd been successfully nursing for a month, they have provided her with an electric pump which she uses at home and at work. It, too, was at no cost to herself.

WIC stands for Women Infants and Children. It is a government agency whose sole purpose is to improve the maternal and child health by improving nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood.

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S.,

It's hard to work and breastfeed, but one thing that can help is try to night nurse as much as possible. My daughter preferred breast to pumped bottle and she turned the tables on me without my consent! Worked out for the best, since it helped with milk supply.

Pointer - cosleeping with baby help ease burden of night nursing.

Good luck!

S.,
I completely understand and suffered some of the same problems when I returned to work. There are several things that can help so I will list them. I did a combination of all...
1. Pump every 2-3hours (it is a law that your employer must allow you to do this)
2. Supplements:
a. More Milk Plus by Motherlove (can be found at Sprouts, Whole Foods, maybe at Vitamin Shoppe)
b. Goat's Rue by Motherlove (I think this is a stronger supplement that is often used by mom's who adopt and want to breastfeed, you need to buy it online)
3. More Milk Tea or lactation tea can be found in the organic section of Kroger or at Sprouts or Whole Foods
4. Drink 6-8 8oz glasses of water a day
5. See a chiropractor &/or acupuncturist to help with the physical challenges that could be interfering with breastfeeding
6. Feed during the night (I know this is a hard one)
7. when you are with your baby do not let him have a bottle, he may get frustrated at first, he may even refuse at first but keep offering him the breast and only the breast.
Hope this helps, if you have questions you can reach me by email at ____@____.com

You've already had some great advice. It is SO hard pumping but it is worth it. I pumped exclusively with my first. It was a huge hassle to pump at work. I got to where I was only pumping at lunch, but I was getting quite a bit - if you can, continue to pump for about 5 minutes after you quit getting any milk - supply and demand. Your body will up the supply to meet the greater demand. Also, please check out http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/ and look under "supply issues" as you can find tons of advice on pumping, increasing your supply, etc. You'll also find a lot of encouragement. Good luck!!

Oh, one more thing - DO NOT GIVE IN TO GUILT. Whatever you end up doing, you are doing your best. Don't waste valueable energy on guilt!!!

sounds like you may be stressing yourself a little. stress makes your milk supply drop. i know it's hard not to sometimes but try to think about something to get you to relax. also go to www.breastea.com and order you some breastea it's wonderful for increasing your milk supply. i noticed a difference on the first day and definitely on the second there was a huge difference. you have to nurse and pump frequently and consistantly to keep your supply up to where you need to be and where your baby's needs are. it's a huge committment but you've already done it once and you're perfectly capabl eof doing it again! i was determined to breast feed as long as possible to avoid buying formula because it was so expensive. hang in there and keep on trucking!
hth

Ideally, you would drink more water and pump more often to have more milk supply. The extra milk, you freeze it and then used it when needed. However with your limitations on pumping, that's hard because you should pump every 4 hours.
I did start working pretty soon, so I pump before work, at lunch time and around 3pm, but my milk supply decreased.
I sounds like you need to start getting formula. sorry!

PS: I forgot, you need to increase your calorie intake by eating at least 500 extra calories per day while breastfeeding. (usually average intake is 1500-2000 a day).
so to increase your milk WATER WATER WATER + EAT MORE.

S.,
I was born and raised in Texas. The law states that if you work an 8 hour day, you will get 2 15 minute breaks.
You didn't really share your full work situation. But, the Medella Pump in Style has batteries also. You can pump anywhere. Is your office setup so that you could pump at your desk while working? I pump and write in charts. I pump while I drive, covered up by a jacket I put on backwards without zipping it. There is a car adapter too!
I supplement with formula too! Follow your gut!! You know whats best for your baby!
My doctor told me that the walmart brand formula and costco brands are basically like the similac and infamil. The only difference is its the recipe that was given in similac and infimal aprox. 5 years ago. He said those kids are going into kindergarten now.

I'm not trying to be a troublemaker, but I wonder if there are laws to support you for pumping. People take smoking breaks all the time. I don't see why you can't take the time to pump - it's not like it takes that long.

Here's something you can try if you have an office and some privacy. There is a pumping "bra" - basically an elastic band with holes that hold the pumps on your breasts. If you have the privacy, you could pump while working and everybody wins! Don't know if it's possible, but what the heck!

Hello,
First of all, congrats on your baby and kudos to you for trying so hard to be a good mama. All I could think when I read your story was if ever there was a case for why you should stay home and nurse vs go back to work this is it. Is there ANY way you could plead your case w your boss to let you have a leave of absence? You won't get this chance to nurture your son the best way possible again! I know this may seem a cruel question when you will undoubtedly respond you HAVE to work to make ends meet; but if you're saying you can't afford formula I would do everything in my power to re-think your life choices. You didn't mention a husband so I am assuming you are a single mom. Do you have a family you could go to for a loan or to stay with if you're in an apt? Church friends for emotional support? I'm sure you've considered the savings if you no longer had to pay for daycare, work clothes, transportation costs to and from work, etc. I pray you can find a way to stay home for now, even if it's just for 3 more months!

Get some collostrum chewable tablets from Sprouts. They aren't terribly expensive, and in my experience, you will start producing more than you ever thought you could. Also, I believe your boss is required BY LAW to allow you time to pump. Maybe someone knows the specifics of the law, but it's worth looking into if he gives you a hard time.

my daughter was a carnation milk formula baby
Old fashioned but she didn't like any of the store
bought formulas, I gave her vitimins drops as a supplement. A case of canned milk is a lot cheaper
She's 28 now , was a very healthy baby (no ear aches, colic , nothing but a couple of colds)It's the same thing I was given as a baby

Some moms can find creative ways of getting enough pumping in. First, minimize missed feedings by feeding your baby right before you drop him off and right when you pick him up, ask caregiver to time feedings to work with your schedule. Second, you usually need to pump for every missed feeding to maintain supply and a double pump makes that faster and easier. Your body gets "trained" to the pump so give it a little time. Also, you could squeeze in an extra pumping some other time (right before you go to bed or get up in the night to pump or extra early) and use that milk to minimize how much you have to pump at work.

Go to a La Leche League meeting, particularly an evening meeting and you may get some great tips from pumping moms. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I would suggest pumping on the weekends right after your son "primes the pump" by nursing. THen store the extra milk in breast milk bags in the freezer. I also found it helpful to read something totally non-work and non-baby-related while pumping at work, like a novel. That took the stress off of me and actually made pumping in the bathroom a welcome break from work.

As far as your employer being understanding about you pumping at work, I could be wrong but I think they have no choice. Check with the HR department.

For other ideas, check with the La Leche League or a lactation consultant. If the desire is there, I know you can make a go of nursing your son as long as you want to. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Good luck to you,

M.

P.S. Are you tired of day care workers raising your kids, like I used to be? I am building a team of 5 financially free champions over the next 2-5 years. Want to be one of them? Email me through Mamasource if you are ready for change.

You have some great advice the one thing that I did not see and it may be listed is get a good pump Medela Pump's are very good and it helps to double pump. A good breast pump will help extract more milk and pumping both breast at one time also helps. And if you can relax it will also help during pumping. Good luck. My son was unable to nurse due to health problems so I pumped for one year it takes work but can be done with the right support and information. If you do not have a Medela Pump and or can not afford one if you qualify you can get one from WIC or I am sure that you can get a used one from a mom on this form that is done with the pump and just get new tubing and the other adapters.

Really the best thing is to pump 4x per day. That is really the only way to meet the supply. I had to quit with my second after 4 1/2 months b/c I was just not pumping enough during the day. I also know of people that would provide formuala during the day and breastfeed in the morning and at night. I did this for a little bit with my first; however, I got nervous that she wasn't getting enough and ended up giving her formula exclusively.

My friend has been breastfeeding for over a year and her milk supply started to diminsh b/c she was not feeding as often b/c her child is older now. However, she started taking some sort of supplement that is not liscensed in the US to increase her milk supply. My advice would be to get with a lactation consultant or the la leche league in your area for safe supplements and/or other advice. Good luck!!

Hi. Great advice so far. I wanted to second Fenugreek to help increase your milk. I had a demenished supply when I went back to work also even in a 'nursing friendly' environment. So what I did was nursed completely in the morning. Then I used my lunch to fully pump each side then I nursed my son at the day care or in the car, and didn't wait till I got home. My son required expensive formula as he couldn't process milk protein so it was cost effective to nurse a year. Which I was able to do. Hang in there. Be sure to check with your HR dept about what your rights are regardless of what your boss feels about it.

Each child and the care thereof can be a individual as the child. Do you qualify for WIC free formula? Then, you can pump at home and possibly (ask your pediatrician) mix 1/2 and 1/2 continuing to bottle feed. Just a suggestion or two...Later

Honey, you have to pump or breastfeed consistently to keep it flowing. You could call Plano Lactation Associates and get more information and tips. I bet that your employer can't keep you from doing it. They may also have some good tips on how you can do it the least amount of time at work to produce the results you need. They are at ###-###-####. Also try getting info at www.lalecheleague.org. Good luck to you!

P.s. I went down and read other comments after posting and there are many great suggestions. Lots of water, fenugreek and a good Medela pump were all things that helped me. I traveled a great deal while breastfeeding and carried my Medela pump everywhere. I pumped in airport bathroom stalls, airplane bathrooms and office buildings all over the country. If I can do it, you can too! Hang in there!

FENUGREEK! I was amazed at what this stuff can do. I was trying to nurse my twins and one was great, and the other not so great. So it was difficult to keep even, make sure each side was being completely emptied, which helped my milk supply stay up. Another twin mom recommended fenugreek, and I was at first pumping over 15 oz from each breast. Things evened out, but it definitely increased my supply.

You can buy it at GNC.

Good luck S..

Sorry to hear that your employer is not understanding and supportive. I too had to go back to work when my kids were 12 week old. My employer was good, but it's part of nature that when you don't have baby next to you that milk won't come out well. I suggest you to nurse more often when you are with your baby. Drink lots of fluid. I found fish soup with ginger helped. Try to pump during the night if your baby doesn't wake up to nurse. Always nurse 1st before giving fomula. I heard Mother's Milk team helps, but I never tried it. Rest and relax. Since I stored quite a lot of milk before going back to work. I was able to get by with all breastmik with my babies until they were 1. After that, they had some cow milk and solid food but continuing nursing until 3. You can find many good articles on this topic. I hope this helps.

I think Laura E. has given excellent advice, that was also my first response when you stated your employer is being hard on you about the breaks. While bringing these laws to his (or her) attention, however, you may want to remind your employer that this will not be an ongoing situation. You are still the valuable asset you have always been to the company and will resume your duties without the pumping breaks as soon as you son is weaned from breastmilk (on your schedule, of course). New moms are naturally exhausted and distracted when they return to work, your workload at home has more than doubled and you have this pressing issue on your mind. If you both work together through this, your employer will have a loyal and grateful employee once your son has been weaned. I just believe in offering the positive when sending a warning.

Well, before I went back to work I had stored a lot of frozen milk for my mom for when I went back to work. I actually still have quit a bit left. But when I went back to work I only pumped during lunch & fed when I picked her up. My mom would feed her early enough so that she would be hungry when I got there. Well I got tired of pumping all together so now I feed before work in the morning, & when I pick her up, also at night when time for bed. She sleeps all night so the cycle starts all over again. When my frozen brst mlk runs out, she'll be strickly formula during the day. My suggestion for buying formula would be to sign up on the websites for either infamil, or goodstart formula. They have coupons you can get, I think good start is the better kind & cheaper than infamil.

You can do it- I promise. It just takes determination and commitment. I went back to work when my girls (twins) were 8 weeks old. At first I went back to bartending so that I would be home with them during the day. Then when they were about 6 months old I went back to my day job working 40 hours plus. My girls were nursed exclusively (I did use formula to mix their cereal). I nursed them until they were 18 months old.

You can find time to pump. (I used to get up at 3:00 in the morning to pump even though they slept through the night) You can freeze the milk for several days (weeks?) to be given by your caretaker when you are away. It is important to drink lots of water. You also need to keep up your caloric intake. Be sure to eat your fruits and veggies to provide strong nutrients to your baby. Also continue taking your prenatal vitamins. I promise you can do this if you really want to do it. I did, and I am no one special.

Best of Luck.

Hi S.!
There is a tea that you can get from Central Market called my mother's milk that helps up your supply. It actually works really well!
Are you drinking enough water? I know that when I have not drank enough water for the day, my son seems hungrier. So I would definitely try to drink around 100-120 ounces a day! I know that seems like a lot, but that is how much I drink, and my son, who is two months and 13.5 pounds, gets enough! Also, if you make sure and eat enough during the day, especially some fatty foods, and a good assortment of fruit and vegetables, that seems to help too!
Try to pump whenever you can during the day. I work in a restaurant, so I feel your pain on not being able to pump!
Another good thing to do is to pump when you get home to get let down and then feed your son so that he doesn't have to wait for you to have let down!
And if you can't continue to breastfeed despite all of that, have you tried WIC? I had WIC with my first after only being able to breastfeed for six months and it was awesome not having to pay for all that expensive formula!
I really hope that helps!

The posters below are right; Fenugreek and Mother's Milk tea help increase your milk supply. Eating oatmeal, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough rest help, too. BUT - none of that is going to make a difference if you aren't emptying your breasts frequently enough. Breastfeeding/Milk production functions on the law of supply and demand. If you aren't demanding that your body produce more milk by emptying your breasts often, then your body isn't going to produce more, no matter how many supplements you take.
It's really hard to pump while working; I did it from the time my daughter was six weeks old until she was seven months old, when I was finally able to stay home with her and just nurse. I hated pumping with a passion, and always felt pressured to not take breaks for pumping. But, if you want the breastfeeding to work and to continue, you have to pump while you're at work, and do it more often than you are right now. There are laws that support your right to breastfeed :-)

Sorry about your employment situation. Maybe a letter from the pediatrician or OB will also help your employer be more willing to work with you. Good luck!

Fenugreek helped me but I also got a prescription from my obgyn called domperidone. It's to increase milk supply and it has worked wonders for my daughter and I!!! My issue was that I was making enough to feed her but not enough to pump anything out and eventually I got to the point where I always felt empty when she was in a hungry growth spurt. The domperidone is wonderful so you may want to ask your doctor about it. Feel free to message me if you want anymore info on it. :) Way to hang in there though!

I don't think your boss can not let you take time to pump. When I had my youngest (7 years ago Saturday) I would split my lunch hour. I would take 15 mins mid morning and 15 mins mid afternoon and 30 mins to actually eat lunch. You have got to do what is best for you and your baby. But don't stress out. I know with my oldest I was not able to produce as much as with my youngest. With him I would supplement during the day once he was about 5 months and then when I was home nurse. Another thing I did sometimes would be to nurse on one side while pumping from the other. Yes it was a juggling act but there where times it was needed.

Good luck and God bless you and your angles!