Breast Feeding - Muskegon, MI

Hi M. -
I ran into the same problem when my baby started to sleep longer at night. I started to pump every night before bed, usually around 10 or 10:30, and that seemed to help. Also, offering both breasts at each feeding always seems to work when we've needed to up the supply. Good luck and keep up the great work!!!

Hi M..

My daughter will be 4 month old tomorrow, and I went through the exact same thing with her at 3 months. I never had the full feeling, and she was a tad fussy. She slept through the night for about 9 hours at the time, and I was surprised I didn't feel full in the mornings either. I nursed her from one side until she was angry she wasn't getting anything out, then switched to the other. I switched back immediately after she was finished with the second side and let her try to get more milk from the first side. It took about 2 days, but the supply caught up. Now, my daughter nurses from one side per feeding and is completely satisfied - and I still don't get that full feeling.

I know it is tempting to offer formula to supplement, but that will defeat the purpose. You need your child to nurse as often as she wants (even if it means every hour) so that your body gets the message that you need more milk. If you supplement, your daughter won't be interested in nursing and the problem will continue. This is my first child, and I am hoping to nurse her until at least one year - more if she wants it. Good luck and happy nursing.

First... let me say I think you have a great family arrangment! My sister is 12 years younger then I am... not by plan, but that is the way it worked out. We have just a tremendous relationship. There was never any jealousy or anything. We did so many things together when she was growing up. Now, that she is an adult and married as well.... we have a very deep close relationship.

Ok... 3 months ... you are at that point where most nursing moms and babies hit a 'stride'. Meaning your supply is matching her demand exactly. HOWEVER, many babies ALSO go through a growth spurt around 3/4 months. Ironic, huh?! So.... she may very well be trying to get more! Keep at it. Nurse frequently... that may mean every hour or two hours. I know... tough ... but it can be done. It won't last long. Promise. I went through a very very similar thing with my daughter. I thought I was not giving her enough... but it worked itself out.

Oatmeal is good too as someone else suggested and yes, make sure you are getting enough water and nutrition.

But you will rarely feel 'full' at this point.

If baby girl is gaining weight as she should, having an appropriate number of wet and soiled dipes.... then she is getting enough to eat.

There are ALOT of really great breastfeeding books out there. I find 'The Nursing Mother's Companion' by Kathleen Huggins, R.N., M.S very helpful. She goes through each 'baby stage' and what you can expect, trouble shooting etc... It's a great resource.

La Leche League is also a great resource.

Don't give up!!! You're giving your daughter a great start!

At about 3 months your supply and the babies demand tend to be almost prefect...Meaning that your breasts rarly "feel" full. If you want to make sure that you have enough of a supply slow cooked oatmeal works really well. Nurse, nurse, nurse. Also, she may be going through a growth spurt.
Blessings and happy nursing, K.

M.,
I htink this is completely normal. When a baby starts sleeping more at night, they want to make up for the lack of eating during the day. I always welcomed the more frequent daytime nursing because it meant I was sleeping better at night. More than likely your supply is just fine. She may be going through a growth spurt as well and the more frequent nursing is to build up a greater supply. If you are really concerned about it, you could try pumping for 5 to 10 minutes after nursing- you probably won't get much out but it will stimulate production. This will help build it up, but like I said she is more than likely capable of builing it up on her own.
Do you have a good breastfeeding book? I really like The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins. She is very reassuring on this topic, and gives good advice for knowing if your baby is getting enough. I think she says that your baby should gain an ounce a day until 4 months.
I think you just need to ask, is she gaining enough weight, and is she content in between nursings? If the answer is no, then I would talk to the ped. and/or lactation consultant.
Good luck,
Val

Well like you stated, breast milk or breast feeding is all about supply and demand, it produces what the baby demands. You can try applying heat, I forgot exactly what that does, but apply heat, like a warm towel, showers. I know that if you put "cold" on your breast it stops that supply, but if you apply heat then it I guess helps make, produce more...I apologize, I breastfed my eldest son and I fed him whenever he wanted to eat, I didn't have a problem or any issues. I did have moments when I thought I probably wasn't supplying enough milk. But heat somehow helps...have you talked to your doctor or a nurse, if you stay in the Kent county area there are programs and nurses that help and answer any questions you have about breast feeding. Try the Kent county health department, moms program, butterworth also offers some things too.

Oatmeal and fenugreek worked really well for me. I used fenugreek tea - the taste is rather strong at first, but you can add honey/sweetener if you like. Or try the capsules. Check out kellymom.com and LLL, or you can give an IBCLC/LC a call. Go to birthnetwork.org if you'd like to contact a birth/breastfeeding professional in your area.

Hi M., that can be confusing and frustrating sometimes! Your little one's increased nursing frequency is increasing your milk supply. The length of each feeding doesn't have as much effect on the increase as much as the increase in frequency. When not enough seems to be coming fast enough for the little one, you could try burping and switching sides, even several times during a feeding. Also, she is likely experiencing a growth spurt about this time, which would make her want more milk more often, and you are and will produce it just fine (unless, you have some special circumstance like breast reduction surgery or something that would reduce your breast tissue for milk production, in which case, you would want to consult a professional). You can keep an eye on wet and poopy diapers to be sure she is getting enough, and continued weight gain. Also, as she gains new skills, she is likely to want to nurse more, and some more in the morning and at night to adjust for the increased sleep time at night. :) Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water and stay well hydrated. You may notice the difference in your milk supply that way, too, as well as the slight difference in the color and smell of the baby's pee when you are well hydrated vs. when you are not.

Also, La Leche League is really great to consult for anything about breastfeeding, and to get in touch with other Moms who are breastfeeding in your area. They can be a great help in lots of ways, especially information and support.

Good luck! :)

R.
I have 4 children and have been nursing continuously since the birth of my first, 8 3/4 years ago. My youngest is 6 1/2 months.

Hello M.,

When my daughter was born I would pump in between feedings because I knew I would be going back to work. This really helped me to keep a great milk supply. For probably the first 4 months I could pump anywhere from 65oz to 70oz. I have obviously slowed down now. But I had such a good milk supply that I still am pumping twice a day and getting around 30oz and my little girl is almost 9 months old. It was sad that she wanted to stop nursing not long after I went back to work. I guess she liked getting her food faster from the bottle.

Hi M.,

My son's pediatrician suggested fenugreek. It's an herb that I believe is in the mother's milk tea, and you can buy both at the health food store. I would still check with the pediatrician, lactation consultant, or OB. However, for me, I quit feeling full when my son was little, and he did go through a couple of spurts that he seemed to nurse all of the time. I started pumping right after he nursed just to get the rest of the milk, since I stored it for later. My lacation consultant said the best thing to do was empty the breast often. I would not pump in the night though since it is good the baby is sleeping that long. By 4 months old, my son only nursed 4 times a day (at pretty regular times) and that is the only time that my body produced milk. It was great! By the way, it was wondeful to be storing frozen milk. I ended up getting very sick and needed medication when my son was 11 months and I had enough milk to get through a couple of weeks so that I could get rid of the milk that I was making. Good luck!

Make sure you are eating double the calorie intake that you normally do. I know you are probably focused on losing the baby weight, but nursing burns most of the calories that you take in. Drink lots of liquids as well.

Hi M.,
One of the best ways that you can keep your milk flowing, is to pump your milk when your daughter is sleeping. Maybe pump right before you go to bed- during those 5-6 hours when she is sleeping- but making sure that you don't pump yourself empty minutes before she awakens. You can also pump after you lie her down to sleep. Also, drink plenty of water at all times. I had a problem with my milk supply when my 5 year old was 2 months old. I tried many natural remedies, and nursed her until she was 12 months old. Fennel and fenugreek are herbs that keep your milk flowing, but what increased my milk supply almost instantly was an herbal remedy called More Milk Plus by Mother Love. I just went on their website, www.motherlove.com and read their reviews. Like with me, the reviews that I read got results quickly. I highly recommend this product. Also, make sure that you eat a healthy diet. Another product that worked for me was a tea by Traditional Medicinals, called Mother's Milk, which you can buy at a health store.
Good luck to you.
K.

She is probably going through a growth spurt, your milk should catch up. You can pump after nursing her or while she is sleeping to increase the supple. IN the meantime if she is still hungry, try supplementing with 1-2 ounces of formula when she is done nursing.

The mothers milk tea is good... Get it from the health food store.
Also Oat meal and Tapioca are supposed to fortify the milk and may help with production also. The main one though is drinking enough water...Gotta stay hydrated for 2 :-)
Try to nurse her more often and longer during the day. You body will start pumping it out so be prepared for a few uncomfy nights... At night don't pump. But if you engourge then manually express it to take the pressure off... If you pump at night you will pull out more and you will wake up a few hours later being full again.
I would discourage using a bottle, If baby is already fussing because she has to work to get it out giving bottles will ensure that weaning happens...
Stick to it!!! Good luck...

M. -
I know there are herbs that can help increase your milk supply. If you call the OB unit at the hospital and ask for the lactation consultant, she will be able to tell you all the things you can do and use to increase your milk. It could just be that your daughter is going through a growth-spurt and wants to increase your milk supply by nursing more often. You could also try to pump after you nurse, and maybe during the night (if you feel like waking up to do it!).
good luck!

Hello my name is M. and i have two girls one that is 2 and one that is going to be 4 months on the 8 th of this month. I have breatfeed both of them and i understand what you are going through.

What i did when i was at your point was to increase my fluid intake and pump 2 times at night once right before i went to bed and again 4 hours later. Plus i pumped a couple times in the day. Like before you go to work, and at lunch.
Also does your baby take a pacifer i have found that my oldest that did didnt try to feed as much as my youngest who does not.
Another thing to think about is that the baby may have hit another growing spurt or is just looking to it for comfort.

Thats how i handled it
hope it helps
M.

The longer sleeping would for sure effect the supply during the day. Are you fedding her anything else? Giving her a pacifier? ANYTHING by mouth will effect your supply. Her eating habits will continue to change. I would get up in the night and nurse her even though she isn't waking up hungry and make sure YOU are getting plenty of fluids. You could contact a LeLeche League leader for advice. Good for you that you are nursing her...it is the BEST for you and your little one.

Check the LLLI website (La Leche League Int'l) for info, buy THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, find the LaLeche League group on your area and talk to the leader. You can get this on line too, and attend the monthly meetings if you can - lots of info and support and finding other breastfeeding buddies!

I'm not sure if you're pumping at work or what, but it takes a few days for supply to catch up to demand, and your sweet baby may be going thru a growth spurt right now. Anyway, most nursing babes want to feed every 1 1/2 - 3 hours during the day. They will tell you what they need! Good for you for giving your baby the very best!!!

Greetings M.,

Congratulations to you on the birth of your new baby girl!
Drink plenty of fluids especially water.
Check out La Leche League www.llusa.org
Wishing you and your family a FANTASTIC summer!
Much success!

Love,
S.

Hi M.,
I recently breastfed two babies, my first who is now 3 and my daughter who is 16 months. I used fenugreek and the Mother's Milk tea. The trick is to take enough of both which isn't exactly easy becasue it is a lot. You need to drink 4-5 cups a day, if you don't like it at first try to just do it because the taste does grow on you...it's not bad just different. And the extra fluid is good for you. Also I was told with the fenugreek you know you are taking enough if your urine smells like maple syrup. I had a little bit of a hard time with the fenugreek, if I took too much it bothered my stomach, but I have a sensitive stomach. Also remember to make sure you are eating and drinking enough, you need calories to produce milk and lots of water! I was able to give my first one breastmilk only until he was 10 months and I then I had to supplement. With my daughter I had to supplement around 5-6 months and had to stop nursing her all together around 10 months. Busy lifestyles and pumping at work is hard on the supply but don't worry about the nighttime schedule affecting your supply. That is naturally supposed to happen. Do the best you can and applaud yourself because many mothers don't or can't nurse their baby!

when my daughter starting sleeping through the night i would wake up exrta early and pump a bottle to store it, this way my body thought i was still nursing in the night. within a week my milk supply was back up, and my frezzer was full too. she is now 1 and still nursing i have never run out of milk, your body adjust and everything will be fine

I was coping with less breast milk and was too much frustrated to get it back because the baby wasn't taking bottle. Healthy nursing tea did help and I started producing more milk than before.

Pumping works very well and plenty of liquids seems to help.

Hi M., My name is M. and I am a mother of 3. I breastfed all of my children for the 1st 2 years of their lives and loved the entire experience. Are you pumping at work to keep your milk supply up? If not then you should be but remember that pumping only produces 40% of your breastmilk whereas when a baby nurses they can empty a breast. Make sure that you are drinking plenty of fluids ( not alot of caffeine). Babies go thru growth spurts to where all they want to do is nurse which signals your body to produce more milk. Enfamil formula company has developed a breastfeeding supplement which helps your breastmilk enrich with DHA and RHA for better brain development. I am sure that you can purchase this at local stores. It is one gelcap per day. Keep on trying and don't give up. Breastfeeding is so important for both of you. Good luck, M.

A 3 month old nursing every 2-3 hours is pretty normal. Here's a link with great info on the topic:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

I had a colicky son, so it was hard to tell when his crying meant "I'm hungry!" So, I would attempt to nurse him, the milk would start flowing, but then he would stop. So, I was left with a body ready to feed someone, and no one who wanted to eat! I used an electric breast pump to empty either into bottles or plastic liners (that fit into the bottle system I was using) and refrigerated or froze it. It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I had breast milk that I could take with me whenever I wanted and didn't have to worry about where I would be when I needed to nurse him. He ended up with breast milk for about 9 months, but when he started on solid foods, wasn't interested in it anymore. I pumped the whole time and it created a ridiculous amount of milk because the more you pump, the more you make. I could pump out way more than he would drink, so pumping was much more productive. If you want to nurse for the bonding experience, you can still do that and pump in between, too. My doctor used to laugh about how much breast milk I made and called me "Twin Pines Dairy"...LOL.
You're right...it's supply and demand!
Good luck...L.

HI M.
I liked mothers milk tea. I would pump sometimes while my girly was sleeping, around a time she'd have nursed. That will pick up your bodies demand signal. And then you can give her that after nursing both sides. Make sure your drinking enough water, and eating enough that can slow production down too.
Thinking about nursing can stimulate let down, it might work with increasing production. Any way your doing a great job! A. H

Start pumping during the day between her other feedings. It will increase your milk supply after a few days, at least it did mine. Hope it works for you. GOd Bless.

You should contact La Leche League for support.
You should also trust that if you nurse your daughter on demand, she will get the milk she needs. You probably think your supply has tapered off because you are no longer engorged all the time and producing more milk than is needed. Also, your daughter's demand may have changed which is why she is nursing more often. You can always pump between nursing sessions to help boost your supply. I've nursed twins for 13 months (still going strong) and found that I struggled a bit keeping up with their demand when I returned to work and was not able to pump as often as I would have nursed had I been with them. I took Fenugreek in a capsule form (available at Whole Foods and health food stores) and they really helped. I noticed a huge increase in my supply within a few days, but it can take up to two weeks to work (if it works for you at all).

S