How Do I Increase Milk Supply?

J.,

Don't give up! Keepn breastfeeding and drinking lots of fluids. There is always a couple of days lag time between your baby's increased appetite and your increase in milk! Too many mothers give up because they think they don't have enough milk, but you will make more if you just keep breastfeeding.Your baby will go through several growth spurts like this and it's normal for their to be lag time.

Hi Jakie!
You are doing a great job, so don't lose heart!
I'm not sure if you would want to try this, but it does have good results:
1)drink LOTS of water...the more the better
2)drink 1/2 to 1 whole beer a day...the darker the better(ie.Guiness). The object of drinking a beer is not to get you drunk so that you'll have a better out look on the brestfeeding, but to get the Hops that is in the beer. Hops really helps stimulate your milk supply and usually one half of a beer does wonders...I'm a Doula (childbirth assistant and I've seen it work).
3)FennuGreek...take the recomended dose. It is usually used to help with digestion, but can really help with milk supply as well. This is an herb and you can find it in the pill form at Wal-Mart...One of the major effects of this is that it has a licorice sent to it and can make you and your urine smell like licorice. Also, this is a wildflower herb, if you suffer fron allergies you don't want to take this.
4)There is a tea that you can get at most grocery store (I've seen it more at Kroger) called Mother's Milk Tea. Its a great tea for helping boost your milk supply.
5) DON'T GIVE UP. YOU"RE DOING GREAT
6)Try feeding your daughter a little more often in the evening like around dinner time and in the morning around breakfast. This may help put a curve to her cravings.
7)At 3 months, all babies hit a major growth spurt in weight. Therefore they eat more. Things should slow down towards the end of her fourth month...Then it'll perk back up again between 5 and 6 months and once again at 9. But all babies are different, so she may not be the case.
8)And, keep your feet warm when you pump and nurse. I had an old woman who nursed 12 children tell me that if I kept my feet warm I would never run out of milk...and I didn't :) I have past this bit of wisdom on to my clients, the one who heeded the advice nursed succefully. You may want to try it?
**Please note that I'm just a mom and a Doula and that these are just suggestions. Take them how ever you want. I just want to make sure that you don't tell some one that some crazy lady on mamasource told you to drink a case of beer and pop pills ;) J/k
Lots of luck, you're doing great!
Best,
A.

3 month old would be a great time for a growth spurt. :) She is likely increasing her demand in order to increase your supply. She is growing and needs your milk production to pick up a bit.
Since you are pumping, I would suggest nursing her as much as she wants while you are home. Especially through the night. Usually, if you are nursing and let the babe nurse as often as they want for 24 hours, they will start to space back out to their normal feeding time. She just wants more milk so she can grow big and strong. :)
<blush> Can I just tell you how wonderful it is that you are pumping so your baby girl can have the best food for her? :) You are an awesome mom!

I want to say "Good for you" for doing your best to keep up the good work! I wanted SO BADLY to continue to nurse however, when I went back to work when my son was 2 months old I started to lose my milk supply. I took Fenegreek and Blessed Thistle supplements, drank Mother's Milk Tea, (not all at the same time) went on a "pumping" spree for a whole weekend in addition to my son nursing. I pumped every two hours whether I needed to or not for 48 hours. Then extended it another 48 hours (w/ my son still nursing). I tried the heating pad to get my milk ready for the "let down" effect.

Nothing helped. I think I was just too stresed out between working so much and trying to nurse him at the same time.

I think I drank gallons of water - well that was before noon!! :-) I didn't eat any chocolate, hardly no milk, no caffeine and no pop/soda. I drank water, decaffinated iced tea, and apple juice.

So I too, when I have another, would like advise on how you can do that! I read every breast feeding book, talked to every lactation consultant at Kettering as well as both my OB/GYN and my son's pediatrician.

Good luck! It is a wonderful thing!! :-)
K.

This happens commonly in moms who pump. The pump is not as efficient as the baby and the hormone response is lower. Also, when you're home nursing, you would often nurse more often than you are pumping. Your milk supply may start to drop the more time you have to spend pumping.

Ideally, you could take time off of work until she is old enough to take solids, and breastfeed on demand. If that's not possible, you may be spending a lot time making up for it when you're home. Sleep with your baby and nurse through the night while laying on your side. Also, pump on one side while feeding on the other to get more of a let down.

There are herbs you can take to increase your supply, but it's better to do it by increasing the time nursing.

Good luck!

Mother milk tea worked for me you can get it at Kroger or any health food store (almost). Good luck and congratulations on your little bundle.

There is a commercial tea called Mother's Milk which has helped me increase my supply with my daughter a few years back. I believe you can buy it at Kreiger's. I would also try increasing how often you pump since we produce milk on demand. Are you able to pump while you are home or maybe you could add an extra session into your day at work. I would also suggest contacting your local Le Leche League.

Drink LOTS of water.

Also get some Fenugreek seeds. Try to relax, as stress reduces milk. Also, remember that babies go through growth spurts and you are likely experiencing one right now.
Have the baby nurse more often. Pump more frequently at work.

Here's an excellent website:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T022800.asp

Best wishes!
K.

If you're producing less breast milk and looking for a natural way to boost your supply, Healthy nursing tea could be a great help.

Hi, I'm also nursing and have had trouble pumping enough for my baby. I called my ob/gyn (Dr. Banias, Highly reccomend him)he perscribed reglan 3 x's a day, it's definitely working. Don't give up, she probably is also going through a growth spurt too. good luck

Pumping and feeding more often is supposed to work, but didn't help me. Also Fenugreek is supposed to help though I have heard you have to take alot more than what is suggested on the bottle. It wasn't super easy to find but try natural health stores or GNC is where I found it. It didn't help me, but I did smell like syrup! Talk to your ob/gyn or lactation consultant about what should work for you. Good luck and try to tough it out - it's worth it!

J.,

I see that a lot of mothers have suggested the Mother's Milk tea - I have some left over from when I was nursing my daughter. I've since weened her and I have a jar of it that is not opened - If you would like it I'd be more than happy to give it to you - let me know and we can talk about how I can get it to you.

Also I read that just like there are herbs and supplements that can help increase your milk supply there are also herbs and supplements that decrease your milk supply - one of which is peppermint. Look into that also because you may be counteracting the things you are using to increase your supply.

Oh and you want to make your breast feel as empty as you can (i.e. pumping and feeding as much as you can) when your body feels that the breast are empty it signals your body to produce more milk. So don't worry if your breast don't feel full.

Good Luck,
Mel

J.,
I totally agree with Caryn F. I went through the same thing when my oldest was three months. I ended up switching to formula because I didn't have any support or advice. However, I nursed my twins for a year because I realized the supply and demand factor is true. Just have patience and follow your baby's lead.

Good job! Just keep pumping, and drink lots and lots of water. If it seems like your body is still behind, you can try pumping for a few minutes (5-15) after your baby is done feeding. Even if you aren't getting much (or anything) out, the pumping is signaling your body that it needs to make more milk. It will probably take your body a few days to adapt, but don't worry- it will catch up! Good job on choosing to breastfeed and pump even while working- it's hard work, but worth the sacrifice.

First of all, how old is your baby? They often hit growth spurts where they want to eat ALL THE TIME for a week or so, then, when they've increased supply, they go back to nursing normally.

My advise is to nurse as often as your baby shows hunger cues. Maybe increase the number of times you pump, and at night and on weekends, just nurse nurse nurse. You can also try taking fenugreek and blessed thistle, available at most supplement stores, or mother's milk tea.

J., I agree with Tamara. I am a NICU RN, working on my lactation certification. It seems to be the case that tyhe babies will eat more from the bottle than the breast. I would double check your pump and see if you need to tweak the settings, need a different size flange?

She could be having a growth spurt and if you were only breastfeeding, then you would feed her more often, ever 1-2 hrs if needed. The more stimulation you have to your breasts (the more milk is expressed, then the more you will produce). So I agree to try and nurse her as often as possible. If you want to power pump, then nurse your baby, then pump (just like 5-10 minutes). Do this for 2 days.

The herbs as someone stated are Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. THe tea is similar but much weaker. You actually take 3 capsules 3 times a day of each of the the herbs and you may take them at the same time. Fenugreek is the most commonly found, you will know it is working when you smell like maple syrup. You can call any LC and they will tell you -- the breastfeeding helping where I work is ###-###-####, feel free to call with any questions. Also sometimes the moms choose to get s prescription from their OB, Reglan, made to treat gastric reflux, but the side effect is increased prolactin level. I also would recommend taking her in to see a lactaion consult. The LCs at my hospital charge insurance and if you don't have insurance they will really work with you, they really are eager to help anyone.

Let me know how it goes!

M.

I just quit feeding my baby on demand (every 45 minutes) and nursed him no less than two hours between feedings. It really helped me and I haven't given him formula for a few weeks. (Which is good because he is allergic to it) I needed the two hours to build up my milk.