How Do I Increase My Milk Supply Without Taking Any Pills or Medications??

Two wonderful sites for breastfeeding questions and support:

www.kellymom.com
www.llli.org

Good luck!

T.
Founder
www.theparentpack.org

My son is almost 7 mos old & I was having the same problem. I asked the pediatrician and he said I can take the herbal supplement called Fennugreek. It seems to be working, I've been taking it for a few weeks. Good luck!

It sounds to me like there is a growth spurt going on, your little guy is nursing a lot to increase your supply so your breasts just aren't filling up much inbetween. That is exactly how it's supposed to work, his more frequent nursing will tell your body to make more milk and soon it will meet his demand. If you are really concerned and want to send a strong signal to your body to make more milk, try spending a weekend with your little guy focusing on nursing totally on demand.

One thing that always increases my supply noticeably is when I nurse sidelying at night and let my dd nurse as long as she wants while we both sleep. This works especially well to increase your milk because the hormones for milk production are at their peak in the night hours, and so your body has a better response to the stimulus of the extra nursing time. I always have breasts full of milk the next day after a night that we do this.

At the same time, softer breasts and not feeling let down are NOT reliable signs of a low milk supply, they are normal and happen to all moms especially in the second six months and once the baby is taking some solids.

In addition, make sure that you always nurse before feeding solids and that you aren't feeding too much solid food. In the first year, solids are not supposed to be the foundation of your baby's nutrition, that remains the job of breastmilk. At seven months, a tablespoon or two a couple times a day is plenty. Here's a good link about how to go about feeding solids at a really helpful site - http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Hi L.-
Nurse nurse nurse...pump pump pump! Drink loads of water and drink that Mother's milk tea by the gallon. Fenugreek works as well!
Good luck!!

My daughter is 11 months and a few months ago, when she started eating solid foods more regularly, I too noticed my milk supply decreased. Most daytime feedings take her nursing a few minutes to stimulate the let down and there are even feedings when she has given up and the let down comes after she's left to play. On those occasions I pick her up and put her back on my breast and she's happy to get the milk. What seems to keep me going is to keep up my water intake and relax, and sometimes massage my breast if is she's getting frustrated and the milk isn't flowing. I've tried the occasional beer, but that didn't seem to make a difference. I had surgery a couple weeks ago and pumped a few days before just in case I wasn't going to be able to feed her afterward, and I did notice an increase in my supply, so you might want to try to pump after each feeding.

I wish you luck and think it's great you're addressing the issue early. I'm sure you're going to be able to make your goal of 18 months.
S.

I take a natural herb called Fenugreek (sp?) which really helps and is totally safe. It I hear that More Milk Plus is also a good product and again, all natural and safe. I pump after most feedings, especially in AM when milk supply is most plentiful. Make sure every time you pump you do so till there is no more milk, which will stimulate you body to make more. This is also a great way to keep up your frozen milk reserves.
Good luck!

Nurse nurse nurse! Your body will respond to your baby's nursing, just let him nurse more often (as much as he wants) and your supply will bounce back. I had a significant supply dip at 6 months (I work full time, so can see the difference in what I pump) even before we started solids (at 7 mos). I increased my pumping frequency and it bounced back in a couple of weeks.

Your body was designed to respond to your baby's demands for milk - just don't stop or cut back and you'll be fine! Also nurse before offering solids and at least every 3 hours during the day.

I used a great Organic tea for lactating Mom's to jump start my supply again. I can't remember the name of it; however, if you call the breastfeeding office at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose California I know they could give you the name of it. Any time I felt like my production was lagging a little I would drink that, one cup usually did the trick. I was able to nurse until my son was 18 months. Hope this helps.

Drink Tons of water and I have heard of the beer thing too. I do believe I tried that once or twice. Supply and demand also, the more you take out, the more you will produce. I fed 6 kids so I understand. Good Luck

HI L.,

You can try mother's milk tea ( sold at Whole Foods stores)... also make sure that your are drinking enough fluid. It may be that you body is slowing down, but if you've had a good supply it may be that you body is just slowing down on milk production because it will only make as much as your little guy is needing. Your let down won't continue to be what it was when you were exclusively nursing. You could also try to nurse more often and that should help too...

Good luck!

Breastfeeding is a little dance we do. Our babies eat more food for a few days and then decide they want to go back to Mom. He may just be building your supply back up or going through a growth spurt. Drink plenty of water and try to relax a little more. There are plenty of mother's teas and other natural suppliments that will help your milk supply. Keep up the good work. I enjoy the time I have had nursing my toddlers. It is very sweet.

The previous responses are all great. I don't know if you've ever heard the old wives tale to drink a beer to increase your supply? You can try it if you want. I don't like beer, but I have had 1 drink here and there while breastfeeding (I like a strawberry margarita) and it definetly won't hurt him, because the amount of alchol that gets to your bloodstream from 1 drink is very small, and the amount that passes from your blood to your milk is smaller and the amount that goes from your milk to your baby's blood stream is smaller so he will be fine as long as you don't go overboard. If you really don't feel comfortable doing that, I can tell you that the main reason that this wives tale works is that it relaxes you. If you relax you produce more milk. So don't worry about your production, even if your baby stays nursing all day for a couple days, he won't starve and he'll just be helping you increase your supply, but definelty stay hydrated and relaxed. Also as your breasts get used to feeling full you may not feel the let down anymore, but don't let that think you suddenly stopped producing. As long as your baby is nursing you will prodice milk. I haven't felt the let down since at long before my son's first birthday but when he's nursing and pulls away to smile at me (melts my heart) he has a bid ol' drip of milk coming out his mouth (my son is 18 months, we're going for 2 years BF). Your body knows what it's doing and your doing great to have made it to 7 months and still wanting to go further!! Hope this helps.

Another food you can consume without buying supplements etc is oatmeal. Don't buy the quick oats or processed bags. Just buy a traditional box of old fashioned oatmeal. Eat it for breakfast or make cookies... but really... best way is to let LO nurse nurse nurse...whenever...however long !!! All night if need be!

HI!! I breastfed my second son for over a year and had the same worries as you when I went back to work part-time. First, make sure you are drinking almost excessive amounts of water. Since it has been hot, you are perspiring more than usual and need extra for him, because he is thirsty and hot too. I love the Mother's Milk Lactation tea, that others had mentioned. (My safeway carries it in the organic/natural food section) I would brew a big batch, add some honey and drink all day while I was at school working. I did take the herbal pills that are the basically the same herb as the tea, but I found it weird...taking a gazillion pills a day. I found the tea worked great!! I also found that when I started PMS-ing, my milk supply would decrease as well. So I drank more tea:-) Your baby may also be teething, and the nursing is soothing to him. Look out for other "teething" signs and check his gums. Good Luck!!

supply and demand..

what I would do is drink drink drink.. then feed him then pump pump pump...
if your body thinks you need more it will produce more..

Hi L.,

Offer your baby the breast BEFORE solid foods at each feeding (this will really help!). Make sure you are drinking lots of water and extra fluids every day - you want to be really hydrated. Avoid sodas and black or green teas, as they will dehydrate you. Mother's Milk Tea, fenugreek and several other herbs and foods can help increase your milk supply. Can you pump again before you go to bed each night? Even if your baby won't use the pumped breast milk, pumping will help to increase your supply. Be sure to get enough rest and extra nutrition. Boost your nutrition with Berry Radical, an antioxidant superfood. It's easy to mix a packet of Berry Radical (made from raw chocolate, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate, goji berry, acai berry & more) into a cup of hot water, or into a fruit smoothie. Best of luck to you!

K.
http://www.aromatherapist.BerryRadical.com
http://www.aromatherapist.mionegroup.com

Drink a ton of water and eat a bowl of oatmeal every day. Here's a link to a website with a lot of good info...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

I think that since you have that good pump (that is the one I have and I love it!) that you should pump for the meal that you are now giving your baby real food for. I think if you were to do that you would increase your milk supply. Also, if you are that concerned that your milk supply is running so low that your child is hungry, you can consult your Dr. office. I am with Kaiser and had a similar worry when my son (now 14 months) was about 4 months old. I called the pediatrician's office and they had me schedule an apt. with a lactation expert. What we did was go in, weigh my son, nurse him and then weigh him again to see how much milk he actually got. We found out he was getting plenty but you may find otherwise.

A friend of mine also started taking a supplement (natural) that help increase her milk supply when she was worried about the same thing. I know you said you don't want to take anything, but if worse comes to worst you could try a natural supplement. I don't recall what it was, however. Sorry.

Hi L.,
I'm wondering why you are feeding your little darling baby food? His body really isn't ready to digest anything but breastmilk for the first 12 months of his life. I practiced exclusive breastfeeding with my son, he was 9lbs 11 oz at birth and 15 lbs at 2 months. I introduced applejuice and oatmeal after his 1st birthday and he is still in excellent health at age 28. In any case, I'm speculating that your subconscious has decided to inhibit your milk production since less is needed now that you have added baby food. Please understand I'm speculating, but it sure makes sense to me. Kudos to your son for rejecting the bottle, babies know what's best for them.
All my best, S.

I always had really good luck with Traditional Medicinals Organic MOthers Milk tea. It is tasty too, which is a benefit. You can find it at Raleys, Whole Foods or local health food stores. I am sure you can order online too. When I drank the tea I always noticed a large increase in milk. I actually had a cup each morning while nursing. Good luck, enjoy....they grow up tooooooo quick.

Keep up on the water is what my pediatrician said, but I also went to Elephant Pharm where the herbalist put together a tea for me to drink. Maybe that might work for you, but don't forget to consult with your doctor, too.

As a few others already recommended, More Milk Plus by Motherlove is a great product - http://www.motherlove.com/product_more_milk_plus.php

I use to take Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle herbal capsules, but started using the More Milk Plus tincture instead. My lactation consultant recommended it. While some moms have had results from the Mother's teas, I was told they often don't help much since the herbal concentration is low (in comparison to taking capsules or tinctures).

I had great results from using capsules, as well as More Milk Plus. I found taking the latter was easier than swallowing lots of pills. The taste is strong, but I add it to a small amount of warm water and drink quickly. Teas never did much for me. Also for good measure, I try to eat a lot of oatmeal.

I've been exclusively pumping for my daughter since she was a couple days old (she's now 8 mos). Initially I could only supply about half the milk she needed. Now I don't need to supplement with formula at all.

the Chinese way: white fish soup with peanuts and papaya- or try them separately, won't hurt!
Good luck!