I am breastfeeding and currently my boy is eating more than I am making.. I have supplemented him with formula...my question is about my actual milk production...at first I was producing more milk than I could get out , but now it seems like it has slowed down a LOT...I wasnt pumping as often as I should have b/c it was sooooo time consuming, but i have recently purchased a new pump that is fast and wonderful, and I am trying to pump every 3 hours or so..but the amount is not the same...what can I do to produce more milk?? I am drinking that mother's milk tea with fennel and have been pumping more often for about6 or 7 days and no increase in milk flow??? what can I do?
Drink LOTS AND LOT AND LOTS of water. And, is your diet balanced? I notice on a daily basis, that if I haven't had enough water or I haven't had a balanced diet, my supply is less. You might also know that your body won't produce as much milk by pumping as your little boy is taking while at the breast. You can pump for longer than he eats and you can also massage your breast while you pump to help with the milk flow. Good luck :)
Hi K.,
I've used Fenugreek. It's an herb that you can buy @ HEB, online or at The Vitamin Shoppe. It really helped me quite a bit. Other things I've done to help...3 Ovaltine shakes a day (the malt in it has something to do with increasing supply)& Tasty Nursing Mom's Tea. I get my tea from a place online and it tastes soooo much better than any of the others I've tried. Her website is www.tubsntea.com She's a midwife but I talked to her after my 2nd set of twins and she really helped me get my milk supply up. I'd recommend the Tasty Nursing Mom's Tea II & Lactura Virosa.
I did all 4 of those things and it made a huge difference in my supply. Another great website is www.kellymom.com. I read for hours about different things to help. The most comforting thing I read was that pumping is not a good indicator of how much you are producing because your baby is a master extractor of milk. He is much more effecient at nursing and getting your milk than a pump is.
I hope all of that helps! My twin girls are 4 months and nursing well.
Have an awesome day!
A.
Just keep pumping! Your milk contains a hormone that says "stop making milk". When the milk sits in your breasts, and enough hormone accumulates, your milk production slows. The more you can keep your breast empty, the less hormone is around and the more milk you will produce.
As long as you are supplementing with formula, your body will make less milk as the baby takes less from the breast.
This website is incredibly helpful and has more research-related advice. It's been a great resource to me.
i don't know the answer but i would recommend getting in contact with someone at la leche league or a lactation consultant (cheryl at special addition is great).
K.,
When my son was about the same age as yours, I experienced a similar issue with low supply. I was either pumping or nursing every few hours and I still couldn't get my supply to increase. I mentioned this to my OB-GYN and he gave me a prescription for Reglan. It worked for me! You only take it for a short amount of time (in my case, 2 weeks) to jump-start your milk production, and that's all you need. Here's a link to the info on kellymom.com:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogu...
On top of that, I also drink the Mother's Milk Tea. So many women swear by it, and while I don't know if it REALLY works for me, I figure it's not hurting anything. So why not?
Whole grain oats are also supposed to help, so I eat healthy granola bars and whole grain oatmeal on occasion.
And the advice about drinking water is right on! I am not a water person... In fact, I'm not much of a drinking person at all. I could go all day on one 12oz. soda or one bottle of water, but pregnancy and nursing made me change that. You HAVE TO stay well-hydrated in order to keep this up. And when our pediatrician told us that our son gets a good supply of water from his breastmilk, that made me want to drink more water to make sure he and I both were getting enough.
I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it is to feel like you're doing everything you can and you're still not making enough. You're not alone! Good luck to you!
J.
Mommy of 8-month-old Ryder
