Hi ladies:
A few days ago, I got sick with one of those common head colds (the kind where you have to carry kleenex everywhere!) and my milk supply has dropped significantly. I went from pumping 8-10oz each time to now pumping 4-5oz.
I never experienced this with my last child. Is this common? What are some quick fixes to get my supply back up to full capacity? My baby is young, so he's still getting enough, but I'm storing milk as well in case I need to travel so I like to have the extra. Thanks!
You can buy an herb called fenugreek from the healthfood store. I've used the Solary brand. When i felt my supply getting low I took it and it helped me produce more.
First thing you need to make sure of is that you are drinking LOTS of fluids. The body tends to dehydrate with any sickness, so you need to be sure that you are replenishing fluids you are losing.
You can take fenugreek (you can get it at any vitamin or health food store). Take 2-3 at a time 3 or so times a day. Your body will let you know when you've had too much. You'll start to smell like syrup, lol. When I take it, I only have to do it two or three times and my supply goes right up. I stop taking it as soon as I feel that change.
Another thing you can do is to eat oatmeal in just about any form. I don't care for it in cereal form (hot oatmeal), but I like things like Honey Bunches of Oats and that sort of cereal. I also LOVE oatmeal raisin bars (Quaker Oats makes a really yummy one) or oatmeal raisin cookies. This also seems to work fairly quickly. There are some other supplements you can take, but I am not familiar with them. One that comes to mind is drinking what is called Mother's Milk tea. As I have never tried it, I am not really sure where to get it. You could find it with a simple web search though, I'm sure.
Hope that is helpful.
hi im a manager at gnc been here 18 years so i know this works go and ask for fenugreek pills this is a herb for milk increase and or you can ask for a tea called mothers milk now if you can't find these let me know ill help thanks i hope this helps ok
herron
That happened to me a few times. Make sure you are drinking extra water. A cold (and medication) sucks the water right out of you. Mother's milk tea, and old fashioned oatmeal (cookies, or cereal)will help.
Good luck.
Sudafed based products definately can cause a decrease in supply - discontinue use if you are using them and do very frequent nursings to help get things started back up! Hope you feel better soon!
I think it can be pretty common because you can become dehydrated. Also, you can't tell by pumping how much milk you are producing... many women can't pump hardly anything but their child gets more than enough to eat. Drink lots of water, nurse often and avoid all cold medicines. Many OTC cold medicines are "safe" for nursing but that's in the sense that it's medically safe for the baby... they aren't "safe" for nursing in the sense that they are great at drying up your milk supply. :-(
*Eat oatmeal for breakfast every day (not instant, either quick cook, or old-fashioned rolled oats).
*Look in to Fenugreek or Fenugreek/Blessed Thistle supplements in the women's section of vitamins at vitamin stores or Whole Foods stores.
*Nurse on demand, no schedules, and pump right after for 10-15 minutes to stimulate your body to think it needs to produce more for the baby. Or pump one side while nursing on the other.
*Drink tons of water and nothing carbonated. Carbonation is dehydrating.
*Mother's Milk tea is yummy and can be helpful.
*Google "Lactation Cookies" and make some yummy cookies that will help!
*Dark beers are full of great ingredients included brewers yeast and hops that stimulate milk production. Plus, alcohol relaxes you and it's much easier to let down if you aren't worried about pumping enough. There is lots of evidence that a single drink doesn't affect the baby, so don't worry about that.
A lot (most?) cold medicines will lessen your milk supply so be careful with what you take. Other then that yes I would think that being ill would naturally lessen the supply a bit as your body is fighting off a bug instead of just providing milk for your baby.
As far as I know, milk supply increases and decreases with demand and shouldn't be affected by your cold. In any case, make sure you drink lots of water. Pumping does help a little to increase milk supply but the best thing is still nursing. You could try to nurse more often? Or if this continues, I would get in touch with a lactation consultant or speak to my OB. Just a thought, there are some over the counter meds that will dry out your milk or affect your supply. So, before you take any over the counter meds, please ask a pharmacist. I know that some of the sinus meds dry out the milk supply so you definitely have to ensure that you take the right one. However, your milk should be back to normal after discontinuing the medicine.
I think being ill can effect milk supply. Call the Elizabeth Blackwell Center ###-###-####) and talk to a lactation consultant on how to get your supply back up. Good luck!
J.,
I am sure you know to drink enough fluids. Are you taking a cold medicine of any type? They can dry up your milk supply often! When I had probelms with my milk, I was told to start eating oatmeal. I know it sounds odd. But the next morning I was engorged! Might be worth a try. Good luck and I hope that you feel better.
You're probably dehydrated form the cold, so drink plenty of water. Not only will it help your milk supply, but it will also help to break up the congestion by keeping it flowing.
I would also avoid wheat and dairy during this time. Wheat can add to stuffiness, and dairy is a known mucous producer. I stopped eating both for good last February, and my allergic reactions have decreased so much, it's been heavenly!
To Deb K's reply, I would suggest the juice of about a half of a lemon in that hot water remedy. It's delicious! I've taken to having a hot lemonade (hot water with lemon and honey) every night. It's my latest addiction. :-D
Are you drinking enough? Sometimes those terrible colds run you down so much that you don't eat or drink as you normally do. Drink up! It can only help your milk supply and your cold as well.
Cold medicines dry you up. I even had a nurse tell me they told mother to take it if they weren't going to nurse to stop engorgement.
Natural remedy:
2 T honey
2 T vinegar
3-4 dashes of cayenne pepper
a squeeze of lemon, if you have it, but this is optional
Add enough water to be able to drink it. NONE OF THESE THINGS will hurt either one of you!!!!!
Vinegar & honey BOTH have numerous wonderful properties. Cayenne is a a blood purifier and lemon is a cleanser.
May not taste good but it works!
Drink lots of water! Pretend you are a camel and drink, drink, drink! Not only should it help your milk production, but it also should help flush all the bugs out of your system. Be sure and keep up all your vitamins also. Your body needs all the help it can get when you are nursing a baby and are ill. Hopefully this cold leaves you quickly.
God bless you!
Carol
