Breastfeeding - Haledon,NJ

I was told a beer a day. Something about the yeast. Holy, Moly! Did that ever help. I was a breastfeeding Mom, pumping while at work. I ran out of bottle for take home. I know it may not sound the greatest, but if you're sober...you're milk is sober. That's what I was told by an experienced lactation specialist who breastfed her 3 also. Good luck.

I had the same problem. Make a doctor appointment and ask for Reglan. It is really for stomach problems but it has an effect on breastfeeding mothers. You take the pill 4 times a day and boy oh boy you will have enough milk for an army!! Good luck!!

I know this doesn't sound great but they say anything with yeast will produce breast milk. The easiest way to get it is to drink a beer. Hope that helps!

M.,
I breast feed my 3 children - 1st until 7 1/2 months old and the twin boys for 1 year. I loved breastfeeding but it is a very lonely world out there for support. I work full time and worked full time while breastfeeding at a very stressful job but I wanted to take the time now to give some tips.

I honestly believe that pumping is the key to creating more milk. With all 3 children, I always pumped right after every feeding. In essence this tricked my body into thinking that I had an additional child that it needed to produce more milk for. To be successful only an electric pump will work - it was worth the $. I got the Medala pump and paid about $200 at drugstore.com plus free shipping($50 cheaper than most places). Most hospitals also will rent electric pumps out also.
Also when you breastfeed your emotions are very important - need to try not to think about lack of mile, try to think that you are the luckiest person in the world that you are the only one that can do this for your precious little baby. Go to a nice private place where you are comfortable and can feel relaxed for both breastfeeding and pumping. People would joke to me that I was a cow BUT even I wasn't that successful when I breastfeed in front of people or in public places.

Mothers milk tea I had the same problem and it really helps there are instructions on the box you can get it at any health food store or grocery store and ask you ob about it they may suggest other things as well

Hi M.,
I had one breast that barely produced. I even nicknamed it, "wimpy". Regardless, I keep nursing and pumping, and managed to keep breastfeeding until my daughter was 15 months old. Call a consultant because they know their stuff and try not to give up. If "wimpy" could do it, so can yours.
Good luck!
-C.

you got a lot of good advice here, but one of the most basic and important things is to DRINK WATER. drink lots of it, especially right before and during nursing. and no caffiene, no cold medications, it dehydrates you.
its important to eat well and rest as much as you can, impossible, i know, but try. and very important to relax right before and during nursing, i was never able to let down if i was uptight, do what you need to to relax. sometimes when you are having a rough time, it helps to not focus on the baby. any ads we see make us feel like when we are nursing we are supposed to be gazing lovingly into our babies eyes the whole time in a soft white robe, but if you are stressed about nursing, sometimes its better to focus elsewhere. i had trouble getting started with my son, and i realized that i was so stressed about him nursing that i was actually squishing him. so i started watching funny tv or talking to non-stressful people on the phone while i nursed, and it helped a lot.
***the more you nurse the more you will produce***, try not to use any bottles until you boost your supply. nurse as often as you can, including during the night, as much as you can without your nipples getting sore. **have a nurse-in for a couple of days**, relax in bed with the baby, have plenty of water and healthy snacks and just nurse, at least every 2 or 3 hours on each side. even if the baby isnt hungry that often, putting the baby on the breast for even 5 min to stimulate will help. and be sure to finish one side before going to the other side, and switch your starting side each time. if the baby falls asleep nursing, wake him? up once or twice to get a little more into him. you can wake him gently, flick the bottom of his foot, or wipe down his face/hands with a damp washcloth, or take off some of his clothing, change his diaper, whatever. it sounds rude, but its very tiring for them in the beginning, and they often fall asleep from the effort before they are full anyway. plus its all for him anyway, so dont feel bad:)
pumping with a good electric pump will help a lot, but DO NOT pump before or in place of nursing, only after baby is all done, like the other mama said. (all of this is just for now to boost your supply, by the way, once you do that and get into a groove, it wont be like this, its a piece of cake once you get things settled)
also, oatmeal helped me a lot, i saw a noticable difference. use real oatmeal, and put on fake maple syrup, it has fenugreek in it.
my gyn also told me beer, but he said black beer is best, i dont know what that is, assuming a dark beer?
hope this all helps. the nurse-in is the best thing you can do, drink lots of water, stick with it and you will see a difference very quickly.
if none of this works, la leche is a great resource, i also have the number of a good lactation consultant if you want, email me.
best of luck, stick with it, it will work. and dont underestimate the power of a good support group. if you have people in your life who are not supportive, and keep telling you "just give him a bottle" you need to look elsewhere for support right now, at least until you get established. you can email me any time. your body was designed to do this, stick with it, it will work. best of luck, D.

Hello M.,

I know this sounds funny but when you aren't producing enough milk--they often tell you to drink a beer each day--probably better to drink it at night in case you get tired.

You probably won't see the effects for about three days but it should be a good beer--I nursed a huge boy for almost 2 years thanks to that tip.

Hope that helps.

W. Woody

Married stay-at-home mom of a six-year old and owner of a home-based benefits business.

drink a beer. The combination of the hops and barley in the beer produce milk for some reason. but make sure you breastfeed an hour after you drink the beer.

also try warm compresses before breast feeding. and reduce your stress levels.

I had a problem producing too. I ended up pumping for hours, and then freezing my milk. Not my ideal but I was going through a stressful time so I just 'dried up'. good luck

M.,

There are teas you can drink to help increase your production of milk. One is called Mother's Milk - usually found at most grocery stores or in health food stores. Tastes a bit like licorice....but I found it to help.

I would also recommend checking out from the library 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding' from La Leche League or check online for your local chapter and call their leader for advice. You do not need to be a paying member to reap the benefits of the knowledge they have, nor do you have to agree with all that they believe.....but they have put a lot of time into learning about breastfeeding and they want to share it.

Best of luck to you
-W.

Like other people have stated, try eating oatmeal, drink plenty of water, try Fenugreek, nurse more and try pumping. Oh and definitely call a lactation consultant or your local La Leche League. They can provide you with wonderful support.
Good Luck.

White Plains Hospital has lactation consultants that you can call. They are very knowledgeable.

I had the same issue when breastfeeding my son 6 years ago. I ate more oatmeal and it helped. In Dominican Republic, many women eat codfish as well (don't ask me why, but they do for that reason). In addition, keep lactating; I have heard that helps as well.

I met one girl that recommended something from GNC--it was called Mother's???--you should check it out online and see.

I've had good luck with lactation tea. You have to drink about 4 cups a day. My friend takes Fenugreek supplements, and she is very happy with them. She also told me to eat Oatmeal, and that seemed to increase my supply. Nursing more also helps get more milk going. I think calling a lactation consultant is excellent advice. Good Luck and Keep Nursing! :)

like everyone else - i recomend the mothers milk tea and giving a call to your local La Leche League leader. here is the NJ website for LLL

http://www.lalecheleaguenj.org/

Also - breastfeed as much as possible.. we work on a supply and demand system - more demand should help yield more supply.

Good luck!

You can take the herb fenugreek or drink mother's milk tea. also oatmeal has been said to benefit moms. The important thing that drives milk production is milk removal. BF often and keep baby activley nursing. Email me at ____@____.com if you want further tips. I am a Lactation consultant and BF my 4 children

Fenugreek! It has always worked for me. I took 4 pills in the morning and 4 at night for a week and I was pumping twice as much as before the pills. The only side effect was that it made me smell like maple syrup, not too bad!!!

Eating oatmeal helps too. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies count!

Hope this helps...
D.

There is a tea you can buy online or at GNC stores called Mother's Milk (tastes like aniseed) that is supposed to help.

Good luck.

One of the things my midwife suggested was non-alcoholic beer. It's the barley or the hops (I can never remember which, but it's the one in non-alcoholic beer). Also there are teas you can dink. I bought one at the local health food store. Let the tea bag sit in the hot water for about 20 mins. Then reheat if you need to. Also have you tried pumping when your not feeding. This could help to increase your supply.

Hi M.,
You can ask your doctor about Reglan. It's a medication they give babies for reflux but it also helps with milk production. It doesn't last forever but it helped me for a couple months and it was a couple months more that my daughter got breast milk. You can also take an herb called Fenugreek that is supposed to help. Make sure you are drinking water like crazy! Good luck.

I had this problem too. I took an herbal supplement called fenugreek. It worked within hours. You can get it at feel rite market on delaware. they also have mother's tea there, which has fenugreek and some other herbs in it. only thing is....(fenugreek) makes your sweat smell like maple syrup.

I don't know how old your baby is or why you think you arn't producing enough. If you arn't getting a lot with a pump then don't worry because the baby gets way more out than a pump, if your baby had enough dirty and wet diapers and is gaining weight then you ar fine. If the is really a problem then take Fenugreek. 4 pills 4 times a day.
Do not drink beer it won't help, it will make it worse!
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html (read the part at the bottom)

There is an herbal supplement called Fenugreek. It's relatively inexpensive. It will help with milk production. I have also been told that the two most important things to help with milk production are lots of water and sleep. I know the last might be hard =) but it does work. Good Luck!

Try drink like a half of beer. It won't hurt you or your baby.