Breast Feeding & Pumping

Hello M., Congratulations!!! It's amazing how our bodies work, your body will only produce as much milk as your son needs (exclusive breastfeeding). More nursing more milk suppy...try not to supplement because this will only slow and confuse your milk supply. While your son is bottle fed, pump for extra to freeze. Starting Oct. 1st you can breastfeed him in the mornings, if you can -pump at lunch, breastfeed him late evening and bedtime. Please don't give up, you have done such a great job. It seems like you are a very dedicated super woman.

Fenugreek works wonders. I am a home daycare provider and one of my clients just went back to work and was having trouble keeping up with her BF baby and started on Fenugreek and it worked. I really suggest checking out www.kellymom.com I started taking fenugreek too so I could pump extra to store and the fenugreek works great for me.

I haven't pumped in over two years, but I highly recommend you check out the message boards at breastfeeding.com. The women on the General Support board are extremely friendly and knowledgeable.

Good luck!

Hi! I breastfed my son for 26 months, and when he was born I had NO milk. Pumping helped some, but really, the best way to build up supply is nurse,nurse,nurse like crazy! DON'T supplement with formula; its confusing to your baby. There is tea available at the health food stores; I think its called Mother's Milk Tea. I know some moms have had success with it. Also, I would recommend trying to get to some La Leche League meetings. If you are concerned about having to bring your 4 year old with you, call and talk to a LLL leader about what meetings are toddler-friendly. I am sure they would have lots of suggestions for you as well. Good luck - breast milk is nature's perfect food!

I never used any herbs, but I as a RN that is lactation certified I will tell you to check with your pedi before you start any new herbal meds!
Along with pumping you are going to want to put your son the the breast before you give him a bottle, the nipple stimulation is what helps increase your milk production. and when it is possible I suggest that you pump after the feeding. No matter how good the pump is a baby is best, babies suck gets more milk from a breast than a pump, even the best pump. I know that it is a lot of work and time consuming but it is worth it!

Hi! I see that people are recommending Mother's Milk and Fenugreek. I did both and it helped increase my supply while i changed my pumping routine. I started with MM tea - 3-4 times per day and made sure to pump at least 3 times. After I nursed him at night, I would pump myself dry. I tried to do that after each time I nursed, but it was hard. Just try to do it once per day and it should help. The fenugreen is strong, so I only took it for a few weeks because it made me feel terrible (gassy, stomach pains, nauseous). I stopped using both after about a month and now I have A LOT of milk. But there is no sub for pumping so make sure you carve out time to do it - even if you DO have company. It's tough, I know, but it pays off in the long run.

You have to nurse more and bottle less. More nursing is the easiest and best way to increase your supply. The more you give formula, the less milk you produce and it becomes a cycle which will lead to less breastmilk. Pumping is not fun but is necessary to supply breastmilk to your son. Stay away from formula as much as you can!!

I also have 2 kids (5&2) and it was tougher breastfeeding with the 2nd one. All the books say the more you breast feed the more milk supply. I think this is basically true but what I have noticed is that I never pumped that much milk. My friend had the same problem. But what did work is that I noticed I had the most milk in the morning so I would bfeed before I went to work and then pump when I got in. If you are not back at work yet you can try this at home. After the first feeding in the morning then pump for your freezer supply. Also drink a lot if water. Also dont feel bad about supplementing with formula. Do what keeps you sane. Remember, "if mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy" :)

you said: supplement about 2-3 feedings a day w/formula in order to give me a break and/or to allow my milk to come in fuller in order to satisfy my over 13 lb newborn.

Any time you supplement, you are telling your body to produce less milk. The babies nursing lets your body know how much he needs. This is the best way to increase supply.

No matter how much or how little you nurse, milk will be there (even if it is only once a day) and will not dry up as long as there is some stimulation.

There are herbs you can take to help increase supply. Fenugreek and red raspberry tea are both recommended.
For more support google La Leche League to find a chapter in your area.

Good luck...
E.

The best thing you can do to increase your supply is to pump even more. Even if you don't get much initially, it will increase if you keep at it. If you try to pump at the same times every day, that will help, too, because your body will expect that you need milk at that time, and after a few days it will be there. Do you have a good pump? That makes a big difference, too. If you will be pumping a lot, the investment for a Medela pump is totally worth it. Good luck!

It would be good if you can talk to a lactation consultant. In the mean time, try to drink alot of fluids and pump at work. Also just continue to nurse every chance you get may help keep your milk supply going. Also check out babycenter.com under breastfeeding for other advice.

I am breastfeeding my 3mo old and I also have a 5yr old and I know it can get hetic around the house especially with company and everyday life. Pumping before you breastfeed is some times the best but also what I do is feed my daughter on one side and after she is down for a nap, I pump the other side and sometimes that will trigger a let down on the side I just fed her on and can get more milk that way. Also maybe when your kids are down for the night go in the livingroom, relax and pump as much as you can. I haven't pumped in a month and depleted my stored supply and now that things have gotten calmer I am almost back to where I started and check with your job to find out if you can take small breaks to pump at work. Good Luck

I agree with the others, try not to use the bottles. When you give a bottle you must pump to make up for it. Remember the best let down is by your baby. I also found that I had the most milk in the AM from the night build up. I breast fed 2 kids each for 12 months and worked full time. It was a lot of work and effort to pump 3-4 times a day at work and keep up with all the freezer bags and cleaning of the bottles for day care. It is not for everyone, but if you want to you can do it. Family memebers and friends understand if you bf, just cover up. Why should you have to use a bottle because you have visitors. Do what is best for you and your baby. Wish you the best of luck. PS I never used herbs or cookies, it is possible with exta fluids and determination

The more you pump or breastfeed your son, the more milk your body will make. Maybe you could stop supplementing for a while to build your supply back up, then pump when you do supplement so that you can freeze some breastmilk. If you don't pump when you supplement then your supply will decrease again. There are also lots of lactation consultants out there that can help. Hope this helps!

Like the other posts - Fenugreek seed! I totally swear by it.. it didn't make me feel sick - I didn't have any side effects or smell like maple syrup like it can possible do. I took it religiously with my first child - I had so much milk, it would squirt the poor baby in the face before he could latch! I would pump almost a whole 8 oz bottle! from both sides. With my second child, I didn't take the fenugreek and I didn't produce an abundance as I did with my first and the fenugreek. I still pumped at work tho. If you can = pump!
GOOD LUCK, A.

Breast milk is a supply and demand situation. So the more you pump or nurse the more breast milk will be made by your body.

I've heard eating these cookies really help and they taste great too!

Housepoet's Famous Lactation Boosting Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Flaxseed
cookies
>
>
> Ingredients :
> * 1 cup butter or marg
> * 1 cup sugar
> * 1 cup brown sugar
> * 4 tablespoons water
> * 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal*
> * 2 large eggs
> * 1 teaspoon vanilla
> * 2 cups flour
> * 1 teaspoon baking soda
> * 1 teaspoon salt
> * 3 cups oats, thick cut if you can get them
> * 1 cup or more chocolate chips
> * 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous)
>
> Directions:
> Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and water,
set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing
well. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine mix. Beat until blended.
Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips. Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats
then chips. Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment or silpat.
The dough is a little crumbly, so it helps to use a scoop.
>
> Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.
>
> Makes: 6 dozen cookies