Baby Not Nursing Effectively, Low Milk Supply

My milk dried up when my daughter was 2 months old. Before the 2 month mark, it was a smaller and smaller amount each week. I had to supplement from week two. I also had to find which formula fit my little one, as the iron based formulas made her sick... I finally found Prosobee - awesome stuff.

I know it kinda bites hiney, but it's possible that your milk is just not reproducing very well... :(

Try to get in touch with a lactation consultant if you haven't already. The hospital where you delivered, or your doctor/midwife can recommend one.
Hang in there, we all go through periods where the amount of milk we produce slacks off a bit. Nurse her as much as possible, as another poster mentioned, nursing is far more effective than a pump. You may only be pumping 2-3 oz, but your dd is probably getting more.

I wish I had more wisdom for you! Good luck ~
L.
oh yeah - oetmeal is good for upping your supply.
visit www.kellymom.com - very helpful website.

I agree with the respone to find a lactation consultant. I nursed my baby for 15 months and I had several problems and I utilized the free help available at hospitals and throught the LeLeche League. I know the lactaions consultants at Baylor Grapvine and Harris Methodist HEB will help you over the phone and you can even go in for consults at no charge. My biggest advice is DON'T GIVE UP!!! Your breast milk is the best thing and nurse your baby as much as possible and then pump excess. Your body knows the difference between baby and pump and when you pump the hormone that produces milk doesn't release to cause more let downs. Another piece of advice is to EAT! I know we often want to get baby weight off as soon as possible and as a new mom you are busy and you can easily skip meals but it is important that you eat enough calories and drink lots of water, like 2 gallons a day. I had these little refillable bottles and I would drink a whole one every time I nursed in addition to what I drank throughout the day! I could go on and on but I hope this helps in some way!

Hi,

If you can try to rent one of the electrical Medela Pumps that the Hospitals are using. They are very effective, you even can ajust with how much force you want it to suck. You can contact the hospital you delivered at or La Leche league for an address. I nursed my second child, and yes it is not easy. My LC suggested to gently rub the top part of her gum to increase the sucking. That helped. If you need to give her formula, don't feel bad about it. Lots of kids are being raised with it and they are just as healthy and smart as other kids. Good luck!

Your supply is well established If you start Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea. It helps to alleviate your fears of low breast milk production.

The moms who had a low milk supply, and were able to nurse, are awesome! I wish I had been able to talk to them 2 1/2 (almost 3) years ago!! I did not get the kind of support they had with either of my children.

Follow their advice, but if your milk just does not increase, DO NOT feel guilty about not being able to breast feed. I was not able to breast feed either of my boys (now almost 17 and almost 3), but neither has proven to be "sick" or to have decreased intelligence because they ended up on formulas. My 16-year-old has already finished high school, and is working on post-high school studies this year, and my 2-year-old is only speech-delayed. (I tell people it's because his brain is spinning so fast, he can't slow it down to talk!)

Keep trying, and let me know how things turn out!

Sounds like you have a nip and napper? Mine was like that. I ended up just letting him nurse and nap on the breast for long periods. I read a lot of books during that time. :)

Ask your LC about using a lactaid or sns. These are for supplemental nursing. Instead of giving the baby a bottle, and potentially decreasing your supply, it puts the baby to the breast and allows them to nurse and get your extra milk or formula. They were a life saver for me. I also took dom and pumped a LOT which worked really well for me too. Keep in mind, what you pump is not (and I repeat IS NOT) a good indicator of your supply. Do not get hung up on it (like I did) and even further slow your supply. There are other lactogenic foods you can eat such as oatmeal. www.kellymom.com is a great resource for all things breastfeeding. Also, there is a yahoo group -- MOBI -- for mothers facing nursing issues which is good.

Another recommendation I would have is getting in touch with your local la leche league. It's free and you odn't have to be a member. I found them to be the greatest resource in dealing with my supply issues. The whole supply thing can drive you crazy and it's good to have the support of real moms (and a good LC too). I never would have made it without them. It does and can get better with some help and effort. You can nurse a baby even if you have a low supply. I did for 2 1/2 years.

When my babies were nursing, if they would let go or seem to stop I would gently rub their cheek, close to the jaw line. It kind of tickles but it really makes them suck. Also when your putting your breast into her mouth, make sure you grab a full handful of your breast and that her mouth completely goes around the areola and nipple. That's what I was told with my first and it worked with both of mine. Good Luck. A. P

C., the advice to talk to a lactation consultant is great. From your post, I see that you have talked to one already. So here is my suggestion and why. I would like for you to talk to a Lactaion Consultant again about positions. My son took to my breast immediately after birth and breast fed until he was almost two years old. He loved it and so did I. My daughter, on the other hand, did not. I talked to a LC in the hospital repeatedly. We finally figured out that it was all about the position. She was almost 2 punds bigger than my son was, but she had a tiny little rosebud mouth and tended to pull her bottom lip in when trying to nurse. We found that holding her "football style" was best for her. Now, if your daughter is like mine (hard headed), you will have to find a new position that she likes when she gets bigger. I made the mistake of not exploring other postitions once she got well established nursing. As a result, she would not switch so easily to other positions and wound up refusing to nurse between 8 and nine months because the football hold was no longer comfortable for her and she didn't know how to latch on very well in other positions. So, please talk with another LC. Go back to the hospital and talk to one there or find a La Leche League group close to you. Also, if you are going to pump to increase your milk supply, I suggest that you rent a professional grade pump from the hospital. If you cannot do that, invest in a Medela. They are FABULOUS!

Good luck to you.

My first piece of advice is hang in there! Keep on the fenegreek, there is also a tea you can get (i got my from the sunflower shop on camp bowie) called mothers milk. I had a period where my milk got a little low, here is what helped me. I took the fenegreek, then i rented a double pump after each feeding pump. there is some evidence that a double pump will up the supply. the more milk you express (either through pumping or feeding) the more it makes. so even if you have to pump all the time do it. take a couple of days maybe over a weekend, and have a "feed in" just lay in bed with you baby and feed feed feed, then pump pump pump. make sure you are getting at least 1800 calories a day, you dont have to drink a ton of water just drink to thirst. hang in there, just do what you can do and dont beat yourself up about it.
E.

Breast is best for increasing your milk supply as the pump will not cause your body to produce milk as effectively as the nursing baby will. The best approach to increasing your milk supply is to nurse your baby every two hours during the day and every 3 hours during the nite until your supply is well established. Unfortunately, adding the formula just makes the baby want to nurse less and it can be difficult to get off formula, but it can be done. I had the same problem with my first son, who was a smaller, early baby and did not latch on properly nor nurse well. I'm assuming you have worked with a lactation consultant or local La Leche league leader to resolve any problems with latching or ineffective sucking? If not, you need to do that ASAP, as pumping (especially at the rate you mention) won't be enough. Pumping did not help me at all. I had to just nurse very often as he would nurse very slowly and yes, it will seem like all you do some days is nurse. I would only have 15 minutes between nursing some days. But, by 3 months he was off the formula and fully on the breast. Nite time nursing is key to increasing your milk supply. In hindsight, I was likely hypothyroid at the time and that can result in poor letdown and a low milk supply, so you might want to make sure your doctor checks your thyroid (TSH and Free T3 and Free T4).