How Can I Increase My Breast Milk Supply for My 4 Week Old Baby?

I've always recommended the beer trick but if it's not working then maybe you can try Mother's Tea?? I would also increase the amount of times you put him on the breast, even for a few monutes to stimulate production for a week or so.

I successfully used Dr. Schult'z Superfood from American Botanical Pharmacy https://www.herbdoc.com/index.php?option=com_content&.... I made so much milk that i donated it to preemies too. I also noticed that when I juiced greens like kale, spinach mixed with juiced apples/carrots/beets that my milk quality also improved. Go Green and you will make AWESOME milk.

A few things to help with milk supply..
Besides Keep at it...

Drink LOTS of water
Rest & relaxation *when possible*
Mother's milk tea
Fenugreek
Oatmeal
Brewer’s Yeast & Blessed Thistle
Yeast in general..

otherwise there are the medical ways aswell

I know you have gotten some good advice on how to increase supply but I wanted to touch on a few things:
-Right now baby is regulating your supply so you really can't expect great volumes of breastmilk right now.
-Pump and your baby nursing are vastly different things. If you don't have a high quality double electric pump that's what you'll need to maximize your pumping.
-Your concern related to 1-2 bm's per day-that is actually well within normal for a breastfed baby. Some breastfed babies go with every feeding and others only go every few days! Perfectly normal.
-If you want to breastfeed you need to stop offering a bottle after you nurse. It confuses the process. By doing that baby isn't going to ask to come back to the breast as often and therefore isn't going to get your supply to where it needs to be. Let baby do his thing. And that means nurse on demand. In the early days/weeks it can be as much as every hour & 1/2 to 3 hours. But that is baby getting you to make what he needs.
-I totally get it all being on you at night. My hubby was in school with both of our kids and he needed his rest and I never expected him to get up with the kids.
-If the formula is upsetting his tummy you might need to tough it out and continue nursing at night till he's a little older or consider co-sleeping. I found in the early days once my preemie son came home and I was running a foot race to keep up with all his stuff, co-sleeping helped me get some much needed rest.
-And you don't have to pump and dump in the middle of the night if it has been at least 90 minutes that you wait per drink. 90 mins is enough time for a single beer to clear your system. But at that point you are up in the night anyhow so it's better for your production and for baby (since he's not tolerating the formula well) to go ahead and nurse.
-Baby might be able to tolerate the formula a little better once he's a bit older.

Best to you and baby!

Kudos to you for sticking with it!! The previous posts have covered pretty much all that can help with increasing your supply.....
I can't stress enough about the importance of keeping yourself hydrated at all times and keep pumping when you are not nursing to keep up the supply even if you're only getting a little. No pump can efficiently drain your breast like your baby can.
You mentioned that you are bottle feeding your baby at night to catch some shut eye but is someone else giving the bottle at night? If not, don't you think it's more work for you to wake up and heat up a bottle and then feed the baby...I had my baby in a co-sleeper in the beginning and we learned to nurse lying down during the night so he can feed and I'm not even getting up. IMO, it is more restful than getting a bottle ready.
You are doing a great job and keep at it..it will get better!
All the best to you!

Try to take herbal tea Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea;)

Keep pumping.....

I would suggest rather than dumping the milk you pump at night, save it or start to freeze it if you have too much for one days use and use that to feed your child (in a bottle) rather than formula when you choose to use a bottle.
Breast milk freezes great for up to 5 months and is easy to thaw in hot water when ready to use it. For the times you use a bottle, keep pumping and your body will keep producing. As long as you don't miss a pumping your production should stay up. I found that when I was able to substitute one pumping for her nursing (i.e. my husband gave her a bottle, etc.), it helped me in the beginning to increase the supply. I made sure to drink lots of water as well and that also helped.

A nurse told me about an herbal tea called Mothers milk (find it at health food stores) that will help increase supply, but I never tried it so I can't say if it works.

I breastfed my daughter for a year, but I pumped (religiously every 4 hours)(I eventually had to go back to work) in addition to nursing her when she wanted to (my daughter was an "ok" latcher). The pumping did help increase my milk supply and allow me to have enough bottles for her during the day and a few at night so my husband could feed her too! My supply was slow at first too, but if you keep at it and it should eventually increase.

The lactation consultant suggested that my daughters "Ok" latching didn't improve because she became used to a bottle (and eventually 6/7 mo she wanted the bottle with breastmilk rather than the breast)(not as much work for them), but for me, it was worth the trade off because it allowed me to offer my daughter what I thought was the best choice for all of my family.

Hope this helps. Good Luck and Best Wishes

Ok it sound like you are doing great, a few things you could try.
1. Get a harness to hold the pump onto you (hands free) keep pumping 10 min after baby nurses. Yes you will only get little; he is eating all that he needs so to not have a ton means he is doing his job. EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT.

2. Drink lots of fluids, take FENUGREEK and drink Mothers Milk Tea
3. STAY AWAY FROM SAGE, this will dry you up
4. If you are taking birth control pills, that might not be helping (I have a friend that the "MiniPill that is safe for breastfeeding, always dried her up
5. I know you need your sleep so you bottle feed at night, do you pump after bottle-feeding? You need to, so really you might as well nurse. You are telling your body you do not need that feeding and minimize your supply. If you are pumping during this time, great then just keep it up.
6. Minimal Stress

If the baby is happy after you nurse you are doing a great job. He will be upset when the well runs dry and he is still hungry, so if he is happy then all is good.

If you would like to know how much he is eating then weigh him before and after eating and subtract the before from the after and that will tell you how much he ate, therefore, how much you are making.

YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!!!! :0)

im sure im repeating. drink lots and lots. i still think you should breastfeed at night, i find it much easier to do that than feed a bottle. can you maybe try? i found my tiredness no different from daughter number one bottlefed through the night and daughter number 2 breastfed. i was just tired, esp at 4 weeks old.

the one thing i swear to you is stop feeding that bottle. just because you pump, and get nothing, that is not indicative of what your baby gets. when you breastfeed him, and then he stops sucking because you have taken him off, your body thinks "i fulfilled him, good job". but then you gave him that bottle, which proves he did actually need more. but you arent giving your body a chance to make it. your body will eventually be making like 32 ounces of breastmilk give or take. but that is only because your baby empties you and keeps sucking to say "make more". if you give him a bottle to satify him, your body never makes more.

what i would suggest is to stop bottle feeding at all. at night, did you pump? if not, you have probaly already trained your body not to feed at night, although you could still go back. not sure how you feel about that. regardless, stop bottle feeding at all times during the day. nurse your baby on demand, but i think you might try nursing closer to 2-3 hours, that will make up for any shortages over 24 hours. keep him on there as long as possible. if you really want to try something, immediately after finishing your first side, you could hook up the pump on that side, but continue nursing the second breast, sometimes its easier that way. then do the 2nd side after you are sure he is finished. it doesnt matter if the pump actually gets anything, its just trying to get your breasts ready for when he needs 2 more minutes here and there in the future. pumping is NOT indicative of what he is getting so dont go crazy.

the only thing im not understanding is "too much formula (he eats 3-4 oz at every feeding... totaling about 24-27 oz per day)" now is that breastmilk with formula or are you saying he drink that in addition to his nursing?

Drink lots of water; your body can't produce fluids unless you're taking lots of fluids in, and you also need some for your own body (that you're not giving away). There is a tea called Mother's Milk that you can buy to help stimulate more lactation. It is an herbal tea that you can get at a health food store. Good luck!

Google "LaLeche League". Drink lots of water I heard the stout (beer)helps, too. And when you pump, the milk can be stored in a glass container for about 24 hours. You can add it to the formula, as well.
Blessings on your family!

I wish I was able to give you specific advice, but all I have is encouragement. I give you so much credit for trying as hard as you are. I breastfed my son for 14months. He is my only child, and although we hit some bumps along the way the experience was AMAZING and I miss it so much since we stopped. (we had to stop, my milk dried up) All I can say is hang in there and be proud of the wonderful gift you are giving your son! Whatever happens to your supply you'll always have the memories of closeness and he'll have that foundation of love. Good luck with everything!!

I didn't have a great supply myself w my last one. Hes two and we are still breast feeding. The more you nurse, the more you make .....so they say. I took red rasberry tea and pumped the first 4 months. Gave up on pumping and kept the kid connected to my boob 24/7. Had him sleep w me so I wouldn't have to wake up to feed. That helped a lot and I got more sleep. I did do a small bottle of organic formula in the eve, just cause I needed to get him off me for awhile.

My supply drops when I don't nurse or pump at night. This is common for many women, but not all - and it makes no difference how frequently you nurse during the day. One 6 hour stretch at night is all I can go without a noticeable drop not the following day, but the day after.

The good news is that it will come back once you start nursing or pumping at night, but the unfortunate news is that it can take up to a week (at least that's how long it takes for my supply to return).

I now encourage night nursing by not using a pacifier and co-sleeping. After figuring out how to nurse while lying down, I just fall right back asleep with baby.

That being said, I now use Domperidone because I have such a sensitive supply - and will probably do so with my subsequent children; however, I still have to nurse at night to maintain a good milk supply during the day.

Hi M. 4, I just wanted to lift my hat to you. I am inspired by your dedicaiton and energy.

Some other tips:
- Drink plenty of water
- one hot meal a day with good protein
- get some rest (I know, a joke in your case :))

Congratulations on your amazing family.
jilly

I agree with not dumping the milk you are pumping at night. MIght as well use it! If your 4 week old is already sleeping through the night...wow! I had milk supply issues around 3-4 months and saw an LC. She told me to breastfeed my daughter every 1.5-2 hours and pump after every feeding. Obviously this could be crazy to implement with your other kids--and your newborn may not even want to eat that often (mine did). The idea is to tell your body you need more. I would think that having such a long stretch at night could keep your supply a little at bay. Also, even if you're only getting 1/2 oz when you pump after a feeding, it should eventually increase.
Definitely drink TONS of water and make sure you are eating the extra 500 calories a day. You may be eating healthy (I am that way too), but you aren't eating enough, your body won't be able to meet all the demands that you are placing on it.
If your son is breasting for 10-15 minutes per side and ALSO drinking 3-4oz of formula, you may want to go to an LC to find out how much he is transferring during breastfeeding. Also, babies tummies are really tiny, so it would seem that either he's getting nothing from you or he is overeating with the bottle after nursing. I would breastfeed, pump and then offer a bottle of breastmilk (this was at 4 months, though, not 4 weeks). Also, 1-2 BMs is probably more normal with formula babies, so perhaps that's a sign that he's taking in more formula than breastmilk.
I have no idea how you handle all that you have going on right now! I hope you are able to find the solution that works best for you. Try the co-sleeping, if you can. It might be another trick that can help!

*edit--also, if you don't have a high quality pump, you might rent a double pump from the hospital for a month or so to see if that helps. It is amazing how much better a good pump works!

To have the milk supply that your baby need you have to breast feed exclusively. once you introduce bottle milk even for one time a day is enough to have not enough milk production...I learned that with my 2nd baby. I didn´t even buy any formula for 8 months and my milk production was amazing....I drunk water a lot of course!!! My production with my first baby was so poor and I learned that this was because I gave also formula.....visit "lalecheleague.com"
good luck

contact your local la leche league. Don't give up breastfeeding to give your baby artificial breast milk!!! are you drinking lots of water? If not, do so. Do not consume breast milk of another species, it slows down your breast milk, don't eat processed foods, eat a clean diet rich in whole fresh grains and LOTS of fresh green leafy veggies.

Talk to a lactation consultant that is understanding about your situation. They can also help you figure out how much you're producing. Good luck!

PUMP PUMP PUMP! take fenugreek capsules and drink Mother's Milk Tea.
Eat plenty of healthy proteins and whole grain carbs - sweet potatoes are good too.
the more you bottle feed the less milk you'll make.
beer is good for your let-down if you're tense but you only need a few sips.

First, if you ONLY have one beer, you shouldn't need to pump and dump. If you don't feel a buzz (lightheaded, silly, whatever), then your body is metabolizing it fine.

Second, breast milk is a supply-meets-demand thing. If you suppliment, your body thinks it is making enough and won't produce more. Have him nurse one side until it is completely drained. Then switch. Then pump. If you pump while he nurses the other side, I hear you get more milk.

To help increase milk supply, drink plenty of fluids. The best things to drink besides water are raspberry juice (100% juice - I find raspberry-apple frozen concentrate at my grocery store) and Mother's Milk Tea (found in health food stores or in that section of the grocery store). You can also eat oatmeal. There are other things, but that's what I did, so that's what I remember.

As far as his BMs: along as they are soft BMs, it is fine. My son would have maybe one a day, and once he went 5 or 6 DAYS without having one! I was freaking out and took him to the ped. She asked me if he was acting like he was in pain (no, he wasn't). She felt around his tummy and said it didn't feel like there was anything hard in there (constipation), so he was fine. As SOON as we got home, he had a HUGE BM! I was more relieved than he was! lol

#1 IMPORTANT RULE: Your supply cannot be accurately measured by what you pump. The infant's mouth in the suckling position is like the best vacuum ever made versus the 1960's dusty vacuum (breast pump), that barely picks up the surface dirt.

You want to up your breast milk supply... then stop bottle feeding. It's fine to bottle feed when your breasts are not nearby and someone else must feed baby the expressed milk... but if you are close by physically to your child, the best way to ensure your production gets up to the level it must to nourish him is to allow him full access as much as possible to nurse when HE is hungry, not enforce a schedule in which little infant bellies don't take well to.

Invest in a baby wrap and shirts that allow you to take out one breast for the baby while you are out and about caring for your household and children. Moby's are one of the best I know to allow for feeding baby all the time without anyone noticing.

You are correct in that the formula is causing the infant gas, constipation and stomach upset - - it is what happens when foreign bacteria enters a sterile and immature gastrointestinal tract of an infant. When you are able to sit down and ENJOY your nursing episode, pump the other side not in use while the baby is nursing from the other side... and save that milk in the freezer.

Oatmeal, Fenugreek w/ Blessed Thistle and upping your hydration level are the best ways to ensure your supply will increase (even if you are not allowing the baby to tell your body how much is needed to for the supply of demand).

Good luck, nursing isn't hard, but takes a lot of dedication, a lot of asking questions of those qualified to answer them (IBCLCs and those training for it, also Le Leche League), and patience.

Water, fenugreek, or mothers milk tea.........Also, with one beer a night you do NOT need to pump and dump. I just went throught the same thing and my midwife actually told me to drink one dark beer a day and it would HELP him not hurt him:) Good luck. You are doing great!! Good job juggling the rest of the kids and a newborn, it is extremely hard to do( I have a 6 yr, 4 yr, and 11 month old).

Wish I could help but I had enough milk to feed my daughter and a bunch of premies in the hospital..But the doctor told me because I was producing so much milk to not pump, stay out of hot showers, keep tight bra's on at all times. So I am guessing if those things increase the milk supply they might help you. Start taking hot showers and letting the water run over your breasts. Loosen your bra up. Also, drink, drink, drink lots of water. He told me to cut back on my water intake. Also in between nursing you could massage your breasts to help produce more milk. I was told not to touch mine because any type of stimulation will produce more milk. Hope this helps..

I agree with the other posts about hydration and fenugreek.

When you pump to increase your supply, know that you may not get a lot of milk. It's the suction that stimulates your body to produce more. So even if you don't draw milk, let it "suck" on you for a few minutes so your body is stimulated, thinking your baby needs more milk, and you will notice your supply increase slowly.

I also think that if you are planning to bottle feed at night you will continue to have challenges keeping your supply up. You are telling your body at night "we don't need milk", but then are putting the demands of nursing every 3 hrs PLUS pumping which tells it "we need more milk".

I totally understand the wanting to sleep thing, however maybe there's a compromise. Can you have your baby in a bassinet next to you at nights? So you can pull him into bed with you, and then put him back after he's done nursing? He probably will hardly wake. Or you can just get up, go to his room, nurse him and go back to sleep without the hassle of bottles.

I think you'll have an easier time nursing if you stick with it at nights too. You won't have to worry about your supply because you aren't supplementing.

Best wishes