My daughter is only 2 weeks old and she has increased her eating drastically. I am pumping now because she had some complications when she first came into the world and she was bottle fed. I started to breastfeed but, she lost weight and the doctor told me to measure how muchs she was eating...hence the bottle feeding method. Now I feel like I can't produce enough breast milk for her. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can increase my breast milk?
My milk supply decreased when I went back to work and had to pump several times a day. I drink tons of water and take fenugreek tablets. You can buy them at gnc. My ped recommended
It and it has worked very well. My supply has definitely increased. Hope this helps!
Hi M.
You can try more milk plus from Whole Foods. Also oatmeal is supposed to help.
Good luck.
L.
Ditto what all those going before me have said. A dark beer before bedtime can be helpful as well. Non-alcoholic dark beers are available. The oats, hops, barley etc are what's important.
Hi
My Son is 4 months old and when I wanted to increase my milk supply I would pump sfter he ate even if there was no milk flow. This would stimoulate more milk. I also too Blessed Thistle & Fennugreek (sp?) homeopathis pills. 2 pills 3 times a day. And in 3 days my milk supply was up. Fennugreek makes you smell like maple syrup. I only did it for a week. And somtimes I do it for 3 days just to increase when he goes through a feeding craze - grwoth spurt. Look up Blessed thistle & Fennugreek and try mothers milk tea
I was not producing enough mild for my daughter because she was not nursing, she would only take a bottle so I would exclusively pump. So my lactation nurse recommended fenugreek. It is a natural herb and can be purchased without a prescription at a vitamin store. You can research this at www.kellymom.com that is the website that lactation nurses at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY recommended me. I started taking fenugreek and after 2-3 days my milk supply literally doubled. I did not have any side effects except for the maple syrope smell.
Let me know if you need more information about this. But I highly recommend fenugreek.
Eat almonds; drink herbal tea from your healthfood store which assists in milk supply. It would be labelled for nursing mother's milk or something of that title. Plenty of water & chamomile tea.
Hello. I don't know if you've tried this, but maybe try breastfeeding to stimulate your milk production and then bottle feed then pump. Do this consistently. I swore by the Mother's Milk tea..It tastes great and actually helped with my milk production. There are also the herbal pills I forget the name, those work well too. The key is not to decrease the pumping/feeding so your breasts will think that your little one is in need of more milk. This is what my lactation consultant told me and it really did help. I breast fed to over a year. Good luck.
Wonderful information is available at www.lecheleague.com
Be certain you are eating a balanced diet (with loads of fruits and vegatables and drinking plenty of water. If you are dehydrated, you won't be able to produce enough milk. (The breast is not a source for powdered milk.) ;-)
Congratulations on setting a wonderful foundation for your little one's start in life.
Keep nursing her on demand and your supply should go up. Talk to a certified lactation consultant or La Leche leader. Do not get breastfeeding help from you pediatrician, because they are not they are not experts when it comes to breastfeeding. Best of luck!
Hi.
Try fennegruk (sp?) then let her nurse first finish off with a bottle. Her suckling best way to have your milk production increase.
Hope that helps
Pump every three hours, supplement with formula if you have to. That will get your production up - remember our bodies work on "demand will get supply", meaning that if your body gets the message (from pumping/feeding) that your baby needs more, the body will produce more.
I would encourage you to continue breastfeeding (if you are now) as well as pumping. Your daughter nursing will be more effective than you pumping, so try both if you can. If she struggles with a latch because she is used to bottles, you can try a nipple shield. A friend of mine almost exclusively pumped for a year and did end up having to supplement with formula a little bit, so it is not the end of the world. If her growth curve is normal, don't worry about feeding her just to make her gain weight. Some women have luck with the herbs in Mother's Milk tea, or try techniques like nurse one side/pump the other. I found pumping first thing in the morning fairly effective. Good luck!
Hi M.,
I would say to have her nurse as much as possible, and pump every couple hours, when she's not eating. but do it at least an hour or so before she is expected to nurse. Only do this until she is getting as much as she needs from you - a couple days to a week?
If she is having trouble latching and not nursing well, change the nipple on her bottle. If she is not using a NUK nipple on her bottle, she will become easily confused between the 2 different nipple shapes, and not latch onto you.
http://www.nuk.de/produkte/mahlzeit/bottles_beakers_and_c...
go to this site, it will show you what the nipples look like. If you are not using one shaped like this on your baby's bottles, she will get confused. Get one, it will help alot, if she is having problems latching.
If its just the amount she is getting from you, again, nurse as much as possible to build up your milk. And don't forget to drink alot of liquids yourself, that will also help.
If you are giving her water bottles, stop. this will fill her up so she wont be so hungry for your milk, and don't offer the bottle, unless its for a regular feeding - if someone else is feeding her, or if she is not nursing enough on you and is still hungry.
Average nursing time on each breast is about 15-20 minutes. If she gets out most of the milk (which is usual) within 5-7 minutes, she may get frustrated that its not coming as fast as it was at first, switch breasts, let her nurse for 15 minutes, then offer the first breast again.
If she gets hungry again before 3 hours, do not give her a bottle, offer the breast again.
If you are having problems with "let down", drink a beer about 30 before scheduled nursing. This will also help with production and her getting enough. (The 30 minutes is for it to mostly wear off your system before she gets it, if your worried about it, try 1/2 a beer.)The beer also helps you relax and nursing should be less stressful for you both.
Good luck
The best way to increase your breastmilk production is to get your baby on your breast as much as possible. Don't use the bottle, don't supplement and don't schedule feedings. IF your daughter was given formula at the start that could be part of the reason why she lost weight. However most babies loose a little weight after they are born.
Make sure you are eating high nutrient, well balanced diet. Don't eat low fat while Breast feeding--Healthy fats are good :D
You can measure how much your baby is getting by using a scale before and after feedings from the breast (do not change diaper while doing this). Honestly though, if your baby is happy and producing enough wet diapers and her BMs are a mustardy yellow then she's probably eating enough.
If you can find a GOOD lactation consultant or LLL then go and talk to them.
The easiest and most effective way to increase your supply is to allow her to do it for u by trying to get her to nurse why make all that extra work for yourself and make her wait when I was in the hospital the nurses grabbed up my baby right away and bottle fed him deliberatly jeopardizing my breastfeeding plans and it was difficult at first but it worked out great after a few months see people don't realize this but it takes about three months to establish a good routine and supply and most women are just giving up by then. At two weeks they have a growth spurt and eat more to increase your supply the baby knows what to do naturally .
Take care and good luck.
From H.
M.,
kellymom.com is a WONDERFUL source for breast feeding. It has so much information. I would recommend the section on increasing milk supply, if that is what you feel is needed or if your doctor has recommended it. I have often referred to that site for help.
Also, I'm sure you have a La Leche League group nearby. They can help as well. Its free, and you don't have to go, you can just call the leader of the area, and she can talk to you over the phone and give you advice.
Stick with it. Everyone says it will get easier, and it really does. Its worth all the hard-work you are putting into it! Good luck and congrats on your newborn!
Hi M.,
Pumping does not stimulate the milk production the way that a baby does, so you are better off putting the baby to the breast than pumping for her. "Measuring" how much she eats does not affect her weight gain. I would put the baby to the breast every two hours during the daytime hours and every 3 during the night to stimulate the milk production and to satisfy her appetite. Even if you're exclusively pumping, I would follow this schedule (I exclusively pumped for my last baby from 4 days til 9 weeks old). At 2 weeks, she is probably going through her first growth spurt so the increase in appetite is normal - just as it would be normal for her to lose 5 to 7.5 % of her body weight during her first week of life.
When it comes to breastfeeding, I would suggest seeking the advice of a lactation consultant and/or a La Leche League Leader (LLL is free!)
I would suggest nursing her then pump. That should naturally increase your supply. Best wishes
Try fenugreek. It's a natural herb and does a great job at increasing milk supply. I take 3 tablets 3 times a day with meals. Only draw back is your urine and/or body odor may smell like maple syrup. Have you tried putting her to the breast again? Also, you need a really good pump. I use the Medela Pump in Style. I've used it through several children and it is still pumping strong. Good luck.
I recall my LLL leader telling someone having similar problems as you, to get someone to take care of the house for you for a few days (your mom or mom-in-law-assuming your husband has to work) and get into bed with your baby, naked from waist up and baby only in diaper. The more skin contact, the better. Nurse as much as she wants. Your smell will encourage her, so don't shower.
I know, sounds wacky and a little boring. But the way I look at it with my girls, it was my job.
The more you nurse, the more you will produce. I pumped one side while nursing the other for the first few months. The milk in the beginning, the foremilk, has the lowest fat content while the milk toward the end has the highest, so the longer she nurses, the more fat she'll get.
As far as keeping her awake to nurse, get her undressed - they hate that - and play with her feet... stuff like that.
Good luck and I send you kudos for breastfeeding.
-E.
PS I also like Kellymom.com for additional info
M.,
Congratulations on breastfeeding your infant, even if indirectly! Your perseverance is going to pay off for her!
If you haven't received this suggestion already: try nursing her again. She is still young enough that she can pick it up. Continue the pumping, but she is the one who will remind your breasts to make more.
Alternatively, if she is still not ready to try, Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, taken together, assist each other in milk production. Your OB can prescribe something (I can't think of the name of the drug) that will also increase your production.
Good luck,
M.
Hi M.!
The brand of pump you have will matter a lot, especially if you are depending on it solely. I am not sure what brand you are using, but there can be very noticeable differences between brands and price $.
I went through 4 different pumps!! Two very good ones were the Lansinoh, or Aveda Purely Yours - which have very little difference between them. My only problems with them were that the battery pack didn't work in one (and I needed it for pumping at work away from an outlet source). The other went kaput after a few months (just popped and fizzled and smoke started coming out of it -eek!)
Propbably the best one was the Medela - also the most expensive, but it's worth it! I used a brand that I won't even mention that cost about $50 and after 15 min of pumping, would only have about 2 ounces of milk. After 15 min of pumping with the Medela, I would have about 5 ounces! Definitely worth the extra money in time and production!!
So check what brand of pump you have because that may be the real problem.
I never noticed any difference with supplements, etc. I DID notice that I needed A LOT of fluids to keep up my production. I became known as the "gatorade lady" at the store near my job ecause I would buy at least four big jugs a day and gozzle the stuff down. Of course, I feel I should mention that there is a lot of sugar in that stuff, so water is probably best... but the point is to get a LOT of fluids, especially right before, during, and after pumping time.
Good luck with everything and congratulations on your little one!
Your situation happens a lot. It happen to me and a lot of mommies I know. You can pump on one side while nursing on the other. Also, coconut milk, fennel tea, blessed thistle and oatmeal aid in producing more milk. Keep yourself hydrated. I am still nursing a 14 month old. Good luck!
Dear M., Congrats on your baby girl. I think you can increase your liquids. When I breastfed (many years ago) we were told to drink beer for the malt. I'm sure you will get advice from younger moms. Grandma Mary
Pumping often enough to keep up or increase supply (8-12 times in 24 hours) is tough to do with a baby to care for. Can you get help for a few days so you can focus on nursing and pumping? I tried to breastfeed both of mine after they each got hooked on the bottle in the hospital and neither took to breastfeeding (though I pumped breastmilk for each one). Fenegreek helps (up to 3 capsules, 3 times a day). I had a recipe for lactation cookies (it is at home and I am not)which are oatmeal cookies with 2 tablespoons brewers yeast plus 2 tablespoons of flaxmeal in water. It is important to get the baby on the breast in the next few weeks because this is when your milk supply is getting established. I got good support from Dr. Gabay who is an MD specializing in lactation. She is in Westchester, NY and she has a web site (I think it is www.breastfeedingdoctor.com but I don't have it in front of me). She put me on a perscription medication called domperidone which also increased supply. Good luck and keep trying and trying to get the support you need. Even if you can't make exclusive breastfeeding work remember that every drop of breastmilk you do give the baby does her good. If I didn't believe this I would not have spent the last 8 months pumping for my baby!
First off, since she was bottle fed first, make sure that she has a good latch when she is on the breast. it may be worth calling a lactation consultant if you are unsure. A bad latch will cause her not to get all the milk she needs.
Otherwise, the milk production is purely a supply and demand thing. the more she eats, the more you'll produce. you can pump in between feedings to increase production. Very important is to relax and not sress!! if you are stressed out your body may react in different ways, one of which could be to produce less. So, try an old and tried favorite, have a glass of beer in the evening (or at any time just after a feeding). Beer stimulates milk production and it will help you relax and fall into the natural rythm of your body and your baby's feeding needs.
remember how much the baby eats should be measured by the output not necessarily the input! so, as long as she has 7-8 wet diapers a day and at least one poop, you are doing OK. Also speaking of poop, breast milk is absorbed very efficiently and it's not uncommon for breastfed babies to go 7-10 days without pooping. so don't let that worry you. my daughter was on a "once a week poop" cycle till 5 -6 months when we started solids and she was exclusively breastfeed until that age (and then on till 12 months).
Finally, if you still feel like your baby is not getting enough food just from breastfeeding, and she is losing weight, it's ok to supplement with formula for a few weeks, and then go back to breastmilk only.
Good luck!
Try Mother's milk tea or fenugreek (it' san herb you can get from GNC) a few times a day. I did both when I had a low supply and over a few days it was better. Better yet, it may be worth your while to talk to "Breastfeeding Resources" (they are an actual doctor's office in Stratford CT). I had some serious problems with breastfeeding and they helped out SO much! breastfeedingresources.com is there web site.
