Breastfeeding Mom - Minneapolis,MN

I use "More Milk Plus" (You can get it online, I get mine on Amazon.com and get free shipping). It has Fenugreek AND Blessed Thistle and it really does work for me. I also try to pump more frequently to trick my body into producing more milk.
Good luck!

I was just going to recommend beer and oatmeal, too. I read someone else's post about it, too, and I recommend trying it.

Hi H.
I would not use Reglan to increase your milk supply I used it for another medical conditon and now have to deal with daily facial muscule spams. they have actually black boxed this medication so I am unsure if a doctor would actually prescribe for milk production. Have you tried mother milks tea that really helped increase my milk production I was haveing the same issues as you. Good Luck and hang in there

Drink so much water that you think you'll float :D I had the same issue. Thought my milk was going down and so I tried fenugreek as well. Not sure if it actually worked. Also the doc's and nurses told me to get plenty of rest. If your body is stressed and not rested you'll not produce as much. I'm sure you've heard it already but pump at least every 3 hours till you get more milk in then when ever he eats you pump so your body knows how much to produce depending on demand. Good luck!

Keep nursing, try a breast shield. The more you nurse the more milk you will net.. Keep pumping even if there is no milk coming out, that will simulate somewhat nursing and that will help increase your milk supply. Also see a lactation consultant they will make sure the latch is correct and keep nursing. the more you nurse the more milk your body willl make. Good luck

I just talked to someone about Reglan and she had great success with it. She nursed twins for 12 months and was able to pump an additional 10 ounces a day! She has so much extra milk that she donates it to a local bank. I have another friend who started using it when her son was about 5 months old and says she wishes she would have earlier because it made such a huge difference. I had supply problems with my first and didn't respond well at all to the pump (half an ounce each side or less), so I'm keeping Reglan in mind for my second. I would definitely try it!

ETA: Oh and I did try nipple shields and they were wonderful and what I credit with finally helping us learn to nurse after 2 weeks of failures. If you do try nursing again, I would highly recommend seeing an LC and trying them out. We only needed to use them for a week and a half before breastfeeding was fully established. I'm still nursing and my LO is 23 months haha, but I still can't pump more than .5-1 ounce in a 20 minute session.

And I tried EVERYTHING to increase my supply and ability to pump! A dark beer a day, fenugreek (tons), mother's milk tea, nursing mom herbal supplements, tons of water, eating very well, vitamins, etc. And Pumping after every feeding - and in between. For awhile I felt like I was a milking cow lol! Don't be afraid to use Reglan, and especially don't feel guilty about it. People can be very fanatical about breastfeeding and some moms DO need extra help that isn't herbal or based on common sense. I commend you for trying so hard to give your baby your "liquid gold"!

hi H., your diet and liquid intake make a big difference, so make sure you are eating enough and drinking enough. Also, rather than the fenugreek supplement, try the Tea, this will help you get more liquid in and help your supply increase. Three cups a day is the general suggestion to improve supply. There is a version in Traditional Medicinals (Mothers Milk), and Yogi Tea (I forget what this one is called).

Also at only 4 weeks old I would keep trying to bring him to breast, as this will also help your supply improve. Did you have his Frenulum clipped? If not, i would consider this, I have seen very good success with my clients with this.

Do you have a lactation consultant you can work with? This would really be helpful too, and they can help you get baby to latch again as well.

Don't give up!! you can do it!!! You are doing such a good job for your baby. Find other mom's that can support you too!!!
Take care!!

Are you attempting to pump several times per day, and are you pumping until you are dry? If you are, and are only producing a small amount, I would suggest trying to put your baby to breast. Some women just don't produce for the pump. Despite your baby being tongue-tied (my son was also), you can still teach your baby to nurse. Consult with a lactation specialist or contact someone in your local La Leche League for help.

http://lllusa.org/index.php

Good luck!

I'd practice trying to get him to nurse in whatever way it takes. Then your production problem will be solved.

We had difficulties with my first born. Here are some tips.

1. Finger sucking: Not his own, but yours or Dad's. There is a way you can help train his tongue to lay in proper position for latch-on. A lactation consultant can help show you what I'm talking about.

2. Nipple shield: Helps train his latch and your nipple to be an easier shape for latching. (We women spend so much of our lives trying to keep our nipples from sticking out, it bites us in the butt when we try to breastfeed.)

3. Skin contact. Your body will naturally produce more milk the more skin contact you have with your baby. Try nursing from one side while you pump from the other. Get down to your bra and him down to a diaper and hold him to your chest under a blanket. Make sure you can smell him while you're trying to pump. Along with his suckeling, these things will help teach your body that this is happening.

4. Until breastfeeding is established, make sure you feed him his bottles. Ideally with the skin contact and pumping at the same time. It is important that he associate your smell with food. That will help him learn as well.

It's not too late. I wish you and your little one luck and patience with each other.

Try a sleep in with baby. Take baby to bed with you for 48 hours and only get up to use the bathroom. This will increase your milk supply.

By supplementing with formula, you are cutting your supply. You need to nurse more and bottle feed less.

I've found that the size of the shield makes a difference. I pump twice as much with the shield that came with the pump than the extra set I bought....you may need a different size. Also, how often are you pumping and for how long? A good resource I've referred to is www.kellymom.com. Good luck!

It's important to both drink a ton of water and consume enough calories. They say to consume about 200 more calories than usual, but I've never been a good calorie counter, so I just make sure I eat more than I otherwise would. And don't just drink when you're thirsty. Always have water on hand and drink drink drink! There are nights when I'm too tired and don't have my normal before bed snack (or second dinner) and I notice that I'm not near as full as I usually am. Also, make sure you are relaxed. When I had to go back to work after I had my daughter I was so nervous about pumping (and making sure I was being discreet, etc) that I got almost nothing out. Then I started bringing books with me and I would read while pumping and that helped SO much. Remember to keep pumping for 5 minutes or more after you think you're done. You'd be surprised at what else might sneak out. Plus the more stimulation, the more production. I'm having to do this now, as I'm trying to build up a surplus for when my son starts cereal in a couple weeks. Good for you for trying everything you can to provide your milk for your son! Good luck and keep with it!

I'm so sorry you're having problems with your milk supply......I had a similar struggle with my first baby (preemie). Let me re-iterate something that has already been said several times : there is NO substitute for having the baby nurse at your breast. They only let me try to nurse my daughter once a day, and we had a really tough time getting a consistent latch. So, they gave me a tube feeder to use. I know that there are at least two companies that make them.....it's a bag or bottle that you fill with either breast milk or formula. You hang it from your bra strap and there is a tiny, soft tube that goes down to your chest and you tape it just above your nipple. This way, the baby is rewarded when he sucks, until he gets used to latching on breast instead of the bottle. I used this method in addition to getting domperidone from Canada ( I can't really say the medicine helped much, because I wasn't able to get it until my daughter was about 8 months old - maybe earlier I would have noticed a more dramatic result?). Also, for the first 9 months, we rented a hospital grade pump for about $40 from our local hospital. I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi H., Dill essential oil will help promote your milk flow. Oils assimilate into our bodies very rapidly and efficiently. The concentration of oils is 10 - 100 times that of a dried herb, results are better results. Also our oils have positive "side effects" and a very safe to take internally which is also sugessted. I would be very reluctant to introduce any drug into a mom's body that is wanting to breastfeed. Reglan in particular has a lawsuit and a recall going on. More and more the options narrow to natural products.

My little girl had the same problem. Reglan helped for me, but not much and I agree it's a lot of work for such little result. My doctor sent me to a lactation consultant; if you choose to see one, please do so sooner rather than later. I stuck it out and tried to do it myself with Mother's Milk tea (which does actually help some) and regular pumping (which caused my nipples to crack due to a poor choice of pump) and can't really say that the delay hurt, but it certainly didn't help and i ended up losing my milk supply. The things that helped for me-

-Switching to a Medela dual electric pump
-Reglan
-Mother's Milk tea from Traditional Medicinals
-Learning to stimulate milk production manually from the lactation consultant
-Remembering that, however little milk I could produce, at least I could give her a little, and the baby would not suffer or blame me for my low milk production
-Knowing when to stop. When it got to a point that I was regularly frustrated, making less than 1 oz in a session, maybe 3-4 oz in a day and realizing that I was more depressed with the results than glad for what little I could bottle for her, I gave it up. I counted myself lucky that I live in a century where being unable to breastfeed does not mean being unable to feed my child.

Good luck! It's worth it to try and improve your milk production and extend this special time with your baby, and I wish you all the best!

hi. my milk supply dipped when my baby turned 3 months and a breastfeeding doctor put me on a med called domperidone and it really increased my supply. getting enough calories, drinking lots of water, and the "mother's milk" tea can help. good luck and good for you for sticking with it! :)

You might try pumping more often to signal to your body that you need more milk--try it every 2 hours for a few days and you will be surprised how your body responds--it's a supply and demand issue for the brain! I used to do this when I felt like I wasn't producing enough and pretty soon I could fill 2 pumping bottles on each breast.

I would not use Reglan. I had a similar problem with my first b/c breastfeeding is harder than most think. I worked with a lactation consultant and nursed often (on demand or at least every 3 hrs), pumped after every feeding (except during the night) and took domperidone. I ordered the domperidone over the internet b/c it is not sold in the US. And I also took fenegreek and blessed thistle. Email me if you want more info. Here is a terrific website http://www.drjacknewman.com/

It is the Newman breastfeeding clinic. I found it very helpful.

I'm sorry you're going through this. I understand that your son was tongue tied at birth, but it may be possible for him to learn to breastfeed with help. I would search for a good lactation consultant, and contact the local La Leche League group. Here is an article from their site: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVAprMay02p27.html

There was a recent lawsuit regarding side effects from Reglan, so I would absolutely avoid it. I second the suggestion of drinking plenty of water and mother's milk tea. Oatmeal can also help boost your supply. I've nursed four babies, and have never been able to successfully pump. I have a friend who had better results from a simple hand pump than from hospital grade. I think the most important thing will be finding professionals who have dealt with this issue. I wish you all the best!

B.

I agree that you should try using a nipple shield. I had a really hard time nursing my sons (a lactation consultant thinks they had a very deep tongue tie), and have used a shield for both. It's more like a bottle nipple, and easier for the baby to latch on to. Try one before you give up. I think it will make it so much easier for you, and hence, baby will nurse more. Also, have you considered having his tongue tie snipped? I've heard it's a quick procedure in the doctor's office. I know the thought is scary, but once it's over, you should have a much easier time.
My 4 month old has been latching on to my breast much better now. We keep practicing and he's doing great. Hang in there, Mama, you're doing great. :)

Lots of luck,
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

La Leche League

www.llli.org
search for a group in your town or one that is simply nearby. this group will be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for your support and proper information for you to keep this up. you can make enough milk to feed your child without supplimenting. you can!

pumping wont get all the milk out nor will it always get the milk out in the right consistency. you have the foremilk and the hindmilk and an imbalance causes some trouble.

so make sure you get as much information as you can

mostly, firstly, and of the UTMOST IMPORTANCE, stop relying on the pump and start getting that baby to the breast on demand all day and night. this will help. even if you dont think hes getting anything; chances are thats a good thing and more milk will be stimulated to be produced.
good luck!

Dear Breastfeeding Mom,

I likewise struggled with low milk production for both my kids. You need Blessed Thistle In addition to Fenugreek. Plus try "Mother's Lactation Tonic". It's natural and is made by Herb Pharm--in a golden orange bottle with green writing. Order it at your local health food store. It works wonders! I nursed for 13 months. Best wishes!

Has your baby's frenulum been clipped yet? If not, I'd look into doing that ASAP so that he can nurse. I agree that it's not too late for him to learn to nurse, and that would solve much of your supply problem. Make sure you are eating a well balanced, nutritious diet and getting plenty of fluid. I've also heard that one dark beer a day (like Guinness) helps because of all the B vitamins; it's what they recommend often in Britain.

Is he still tongue tied? He's not too old to learn to latch on, WIC has free lactation consultants. My oldest was also tongue tied so she couldn't breastfeed and her dr didn't feel the need to clip her tongue since she could drink from a bottle just fine.

Anyway, pumping is no replacement for nursing and many women have the same difficulty you are having (I did too....eventually I could only pump half an ounce at a time so I finally gave up on it and only used formula.)

My second didn't nurse either and I tried pumping and the same thing happened. But with my next two I breastfed and never had a supply issue...I really think it was the pumping.

Pumping tips 1) hospital grade pumps are made for full time pumping. Make sure that your pump is rated for working moms ect. 2) get another size shield. This helped me a little, though ultimately I needed to nurse rather then pump.