Changing Milk Supply

I agree with lori"s post,there is nothing wrong w/formula,you have nursed this far,dont be so hard on yourself!!She can have the best of both worlds!!Similac Organic works great in our house,and OMG-he has been to the doctors once in his 11months of life and it turned out to be his teeth-imagine that!!Seriously your a great mom,dont beat yourself up if you cant keep up!!Good Luck with whatever you decide!!

Hi A.,

I nursed my first until 26 months and am currently nursing my second who is 18 months. I found with both of them that the best way to up/keep up supply is to increase my liquid intake (especially water) and to let them nurse as much as possible when wanting to increase supply. Usually when they'd have a growth spurt they'd nurse every 2-3 hours for a day or two to up the supply and then we'd be fine. It's the sucking that stimulates the milk production. Best of luck!

L.

Hi,

I am not sure where you live, but there is great lactation consultant service in Waltham- and they come to your home- and it is covered by insurance many times. It is Jewish Children's and Family Services. Also, at Isis Maternity(Needham, Brookline, Arlington), they do free breastfeeding drop-in groups once a week with a lactation consultant who can help you.
Also, you can try tea called Mother's Milk Tea(at whole foods). But a lactation consultant is the way to go.

Good Luck,
K.

A.
Sounds like what happened to me with my first daughter. It turns out that I was pregnant and that is why the milk supply started changing. I never had a period so that I might be pregnant never really crossed my mind. If that is a possibility, take a test! I breastfed my first until I was about 7 months along and noticed many changes in both supply and how my daughter liked the milk. My second is now 14 months old and I go through periods of changing milk supply (this time assuming that it is due to my body trying to have a period) I have had good luck with fenugreek teas. Also helps me to drink more and get more sleep!
I understand the avoidance of formula. I was against it for both my kids, but the other respondents are right in saying that it is fine for kids. I would also avoid cow milk. I started my daughter on soy milk around 11 months, but am not sure that was the right thing to do.
Good luck! You have done great by your daughter so far and the fact that you are so worried means that you will make the right choices for her. Take the test!
K.

I'm sorry, but she's too young for milk, so if you're not going to provide breastmilk, she must have formula. Why are you so opposed to formula? Children who have formula are not less healthy or inferior in any way.

Nurse and pump frequently, demand increases supply! Don't give in to the temptation to supplement, it will reduce demand and therefor supply. Drink lots of fluids and take time to relax, your milk will come :)

hi.
I am a mom of 4, so done the nursing thing, my youngest is 12 months, and still nursing.
I used to drink 'nursing mother's tea' when my milk supply got off - if she is eating solids, why not give her a sippy cup of water with her meals - this is what I have offered all my babes - and she can nurse when ever she wants , too - but you won't have to worry about fluid intake. especially as it gets warmer outside. I agree with the other person who wrote that what you pump is NOT what she gets when she nurses. but offer your babe water. ( I have also read that sage and parsley both decrease milk supply, so you might watch that - as does illness, and stress, and some medicines).

I have to say that what you pump and what your daughter is actually getting..... are two different things. My dd is 15 mos and she nurses 3 - 5 times a day. I could not pump a thing to save my life if I tried (seriously).... nothing comes out. But I know my daughter is getting what she needs b/c I can see her swallow, etc.

At 10 months - could your daughter be teething? I know my daughter has always gotten extremley frustrated with nursing when she is teething (we are actually dealing with it now -molars are coming in). But if I give her a bottle she is happy to take it b/c she can chew on the nipple - where as mine - she cant!

I agree with the other lady too, pumping at night wont give you a good idea either.... pump in the morning if anything. Drink more water, pump in between feedings, nurse more frequently, etc - these will all help you build up your supply.

And btw, dont get frustrated... you have enough supply - you've been doing it for 10 mos - GREAT JOB!

Also - check out www.kellymom.com - it has a lot of information about nutrition that nursing toddlers need, appropriate weight gain and what to do to build up your supply (natural herbs), etc.

Great choice on continuing to nurse! My daughter is 20 months now, and I find that there are times when my supply seems low as well. In my case some of the causes of this are stress, sleeplessness, low water intake, having my period, and the baby going through a growth spurt as others have mentioned. Don't worry it will increase again with demand, and you do not need to decrease her solids. Pumping never amounted to much more than an ounce or two for me, so I gave up on that after the first few tries. Don't give her formula, we all know that nursing is far better for babies!

Hi, I have always been told to keep feeding/pumping and the body will adjust to what your baby needs. She may just be having a growth spurt and require more. Just don't skip feedings/pumping. Infact you could pump for about ten minutes after feedings to stimulate the breast which will help your body know to make more milk. God Bless, D.

regular oatmeal is suppose to help adn i drink nursing tea too
your daughter might be going threw a growth spurt adn that's why she wants to nurse more
have you increased the amount of food she eats she might just be hungry and isn't getting enough

A.,
Your answer is in your info: "solids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner". If baby eats enough solids, you will not make as much breastmilk. It's simply supply and demand. If you really want to continue nursing, slow down with the solid foods. Babies don't actually need much solid food before one year. Is it baby food that she is eating, or table food? If she's capable of eating table food, then that is basically the time when she should start with solid food, but there's no rush. There really is nothing natural about using baby food.
I am an experienced mom of 3 grown girls. I used the most "baby food" with #1; hardly bothered with #2 and #3. The latter two nursed longer and were always better eaters. By that I don't mean they ate more; they ate more healthy variety ... still do. Be careful not to be too structured about food with them. You don't really do them or yourself any favors. (I'm not assuming you are, just referring to my mistakes.)
If you want to keep nursing/producing milk, just stay hydrated yourself and don't rush solids.