Lacking Breastmilk

Hi S.,

My daughter had the same problem. She didn't produce enough breast milk. So with her doctor's ok, she breast fed and bottle fed. Her son seemed to thrive. He is 2 years old now and weighs in at 37 pounds. Are you giving him formula too?? If not, you should.. He needs more than that to get bigger.

Good Luck

I agree with M. If your babe is healthy and happy, I wouldn't worry about it. My first born grew like crazy on breastmilk, and I could only pumped about 2oz at a time. We only used bottles when absolutely necessary b/c it was just too time consuming for me to pump enough to fill one.

With my son, he was growing fine also, but not nearly as much as my daughter did. Everyone and their brother wondered if he was getting enough milk b/c he was so much smaller than she was. I only pumped about an ounce at a time when I pumped for him, and I had one of those Medela electric pumps. But like M said, babies are much more efficient than pumps are. No one took into account that my biological mother was tiny, and not everyone is going to be 6'3".

If it helps at all, my son (17 mo), who is much smaller than my daughter was at the same age, still weighs more than my friend's daughter (2 1/2 yrs). And they're all healthy. Just different sizes.

Are you drinking enough fluids during the day and staying hydrated? Are you relaxed when you are pumping enough to feel the "let down" of your milk...this is usually when it just gushes out...at least in my case it did. These are just some things that I thought of to throw out your way.
Good Luck with it!

S.,
When I used to pump I would only get one ounce from one breast and literally a few drops from the other. I did everything to stimulate my milk including some really disgusting natural herbs, but nothing worked. I finally came to terms with the fact that I wasn't making enough milk and I began to use formula and I never looked back. I still bonded with my daughter and she is fine. I wish you the best of luck. N. H.

Hi S.,
I actually just had a new baby and was visited in the hospital by a wonderful lactation consultant, although I breastfed my other 2 I learned a few things and I thought some of them would help you!
First- when your baby is nursing they have the ability to get at least twice as much as any breast pump will ever get. Alot of moms panic when they cant pump much and assume thats all the baby is getting- thats not the case- he is built to suck and their ability is amazing. So don't worry that hes only getting as much as the pump.
Second as long as the Dr's say he's healthy don't worry about it. You are doing the best thing in the world for your baby and he will be healthy because of it. As long as he is having wet and poopy dipers regularly (the dr could tell you how many per day he should have) you'll know he's getting enough.
Hang in there- I nursed both my boys for a year and they are so healthy, make sure you take care of yourself- drink enough fluids, take your vitamins, and as hard as it is with a baby don't stress!!
Good luck!!

I've been there! I know how frustrating it can be. With my first, I didn't realize that pumping produced less milk than my baby was actually getting when I nurse. I stressed about it every time I even thought about pumping (which for me made it that much more difficult to get a let-down).

Some tricks that have helped me (everyone is different, so take it for what it's worth) - I pump every morning during my 8 mos old's first nurse of the day. I pump the side she is not nursing while she's on the other side. I use her action on the other side to get me a natural let-down on the opposite side. It's by far my most productive pump of the day. The other thing I realized was that looking at pictures of my girls didn't help me (I know it helps a lot of people). For me, thinking of other things (i.e. not paying attn to pumping) helps. WHen I'm at work, I read emails and focus on work stuff.

Good luck to you!!

Don't beat yourself up. Someone has to be 10th and maybe your not good at pumping. As long as he seems happy, healthy, is growing on his curve he is fine. You might not be pumping much because he is such a good nurser you don't have much left to pump.

Just want to reassure you that how much you pump isn't necessarily an indication of how much you're making/how much your baby is able to get! Babies are almost ALWAYS much, much more efficient at removing milk from the breast than are breastpumps. Here's a link you might find helpful:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html#...

Another thing to consider is that your pump may also differ from your sister's pump - even if they're the same style, there could be an issue like one of the following that can affect your letdown and the quantity of milk you get when pumping:
* the cones or phlanges that you put onto your breasts could be the wrong size for your nipples - the average size that comes with pumps does NOT fit over 50% of women, and this definitely can result in less milk
* perhaps a pump membrane or some other part of the pump isn't fitted just right or needs replacing - this can affect the suction and, therefore, how much you're able to pump

Also, some women just don't get much when they pump even though their babies are clearly healthy, vibrant, thriving, and happy. Look at your baby --> if he's alert, active, meeting developmental milestones, happy, and peeing/pooping regularly and normally, then you very likely have a healthy, satisfied baby. :)

Keep up the *wonderful* job you are doing by nursing your baby - it is truly such a gift, both to your child AND to yourself. If you'd like more reassurance, consider attending one of the monthly breastfeeding support meetings offered in your area by this mother-to-mother, volunteer, non-profit group: http://www.lllohio.org/groups/cleveland.html

Hope this helps!

Dear S.,
I take fenugreek herb twice a day to keep up my milk supply. Its very cheap and you can get it a GNC. I did not produce much the first time with my daughter but now im doing much better with my son. Im not over producing im staying right where he needs which makes it a little difficult to have extra for him. Iv also heard beer works but you may not want to do that( plus im sure other moms are freaking right now)Just know that even a little bit of breast milk is better then none at all. Plus, shouldn't he be doing some baby food right now? THat should help put some weight on. Good Luck!
A.

Hello,

Don't worry about your little one being in the 10%... if he is having his 6-8 wet diapers a day and the normal poopoo's you are doing good. Pumping is a different "art" then nursing... some moms have trouble pumping when other moms are really good at it.

Main thing with pumping is to relax!!! I've been told that having a pic of you little one or something to hold that reminds you of them helps. When I'm at work - I sit down, I read a magazine and try not to pay attention to the actual pumping. Also, I try to change the "sucktion" now and then... after all a baby doesn't suck the same way everytime. It has helped me to extract more. I want from 2-3 oz total to almost 4-6 oz each time (I usually pump 2 times when I'm at work). Good luck!

There is a herbal supplement in the vitamin stores called Fenugreek. Buy a bottle of that. It's meant to help nursing moms to produce more milk. I used that with my son when I was struggling to produce milk at all. It's really cheap too.

Hi S.,

I'm sure you are doing everything that you can for your baby, some women just can't breastfeed and that's OK. I had the same problem and I was doing everything I could, drinking water (even more than 8 glasses)because I was always a water drinker, eating healthy and had the lactation specialist over and just wasn't producing. Just because we are women doesn't mean we all can breastfeed, doesn't mean you are a bad mother either. Good luck no matter if your breastfeeding or bottle feeding your baby will still thrive!

If it is frustrating you so much, that affects your supply too...You should drink Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea which is naturally boost your milk supply frequently.
Good Luck!!

Updated

If it is frustrating you so much, that affects your supply too...You should drink Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea which is naturally boost your milk supply frequently.
Good Luck!!

Hi S.,

I just wanted to add in a few thoughts although from the sounds of other respondents and from what you wrote - you already have more than enough tools at your command!

1st - I checked out "Reglan" on http://www.breastfeeding.org/articles/reglan.html
and do you think it is possible that he may be feeding poorly BECAUSE of you taking Reglan?
" * Studies have shown no infant side effects, but
* Watch for sleepiness and poor feeding in your infant."
Although this may be a medication that is designed to stimulate milk flow it sounds like it doesn't actually always work, especially if it is contributing to any type of anxiety (an emotion that is known to decrease milk flow).

2nd - with regards to pumping and low amount of milk flow - I want to encourage you to remember that each and every woman producing milk is different. This includes amount during letdown, time it takes to let down, how long it takes for your baby to drain your breast, etc. The amount of milk you make depends on a lot of things - emotional state/relaxation, how much water you are drinking, how much perceived demand your body is experiencing, etc.

It is good to remember like everyone has already said, that a baby sucking can really pull more out of your breasts than a pump. For myself, I never was able to pump too much at one go, most likely because I didn't have the patience to wait until each breast was totally DRAINED because it took forever! I also had a baby who would nurse for quite long stretches at a time. Slowly but surely was the way he went about it. It was not uncommon for him to nurse for 20-30 minutes at a time in the beginning. This was a totally different experience than my sister-in-law had where she had gushing breasts in the first five minutes of letdown and her baby was also done much much quicker.

I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom who could afford to let my baby just nurse as he needed to. My mom (a pediatrician) always suggested that if I wanted to pump to have extra in storage for those times when i needed to step out that I first let the baby get what he needed - say from one breast and then right after he was finished to pump that breast until it was empty and, jump the pump over to the second breast while it was full and had milk and pump that one until it was empty. Like someone also mentioned before - your breasts have to be emptied to stimulate MORE MILK flow. If your baby is not emptying them, or if you are not emptying them when you pump then your breasts won't feel the need to make more. Really, what you want is to feed then baby and then some if I am interpreting your message above correctly.

Finally, with regards to increasing your breast milk supply -
I found Mother's Milk Tea to be very very effective for me, but then I was not doing any of the other things you mentioned like Reglan or Fenugreek so I don't know if they might be counteracting each other.

On this website http://ar.essortment.com/increasebreas_rhtl.htm

I found the following suggestions helpful (beyond what people have already mentioned)

"3. Massage your breasts often. Babies will naturally knead the breast, triggering letdown. Take the time to massage your breasts while in the shower or bath, periodically throughout the day - such as when you're in the bathroom, and especially while baby is nursing. Even though the letdown may not produce a leaking breast or a spray of milk, it will still occur. This will signal to the breast that the baby is nursing more often, even if in reality he isn't. The breast will increase supply accordingly.

4. Watch your diet. (**THIS SEEMS LIKE A REALLY BIG ELEMENT TOWARDS CREATING GOOD RICH HEALTHY BREAST MILK TO ME**:) A diet that consists of quick-fix food and loads of caffeine isn't good for mother or baby. As well as needing plenty of fluids, your body also needs lots of nutrients to provide a nutritious meal for your baby. For a quick snack, grab some fruit instead of a candy bar or fast food. For a nutritious, yet time-saving meal, throw something into a crock pot in the morning. At dinnertime the meal will be cooked and ready, without you having to spend time watching over it. Vitamin-rich vegetables, protein-filled meats, and hundreds of different casseroles can be prepared in a crock pot with little or no effort, saving you plenty of time.

6. Use natural herbs. Even major chain department stores now carry various types of herbs in capsule form; freshly ground herbs can be purchased at health food stores and online. Fenugreek is an excellent herb to help increase milk supply. It is an expectorant and has no side effects other than causing your milk to have a maple syrup scent. Milk Thistle is another wonderful supply enhancer, although not quite as effective as Fenugreek. There are also many brand-name teas available, such as Mother's Milk, or Mother's Milk Two for pregnant mothers who are nursing.

All of these things can increase a diminished milk supply greatly, even to the point of restoring the powerful spraying letdown if a mother is especially determined. The single most important factor, though, is letting the baby nurse on demand rather than on a set schedule. Allowing your baby to determine how frequently he needs to eat is key to coordinating an appropriate supply of milk. If you can, carry your baby next to your body in a sling while you go about your day, so that a breast is readily available whenever the baby needs to nurse. Even if the baby is just nursing for comfort, an incredible bonding technique that formula does not provide, the breasts will see this as more demand and adjust their supply accordingly.

If nothing seems to be working or if the mother simply needs reassurance that her breasts are working as they should be, the La Leche League is only a phone call away. A La Leche League Leader can provide invaluable support, help a mother whose child is having trouble latching on or adjusting with new teeth, and can suggest many routes for increasing supply. For a fee, a mother can visit a lactation consultant who specializes in supporting breast feeding mothers. There are even supplemental nursing systems and lactational aids that will allow a mother to feed formula to her baby while the baby is nursing at the breast; which will stimulate the breasts to produce more milk while still assuring the baby is getting enough food in the meantime.

Take heart! There are ways to increase your milk supply or even bring back a supply that has completely dried up. Remember that your body grew your baby, and there is no better food than what your body custom-produces for your child. Formula does not provide the antibodies to illness that breast milk does, nor does it change and adjust according to the age and needs of your child like your breast milk does.

With a little effort and determination, you can overcome any breast feeding obstacle and give your child the food that Mother Nature intended! "

Good luck and don't forget to have faith. Despite my own not being able to pump much at a sitting, my baby grew from 9 lbs 4.5 oz at birth to be in the upper length percentile for size for his age. I think you shouldn't just those graph percentiles as the be-all end-all either. They are culturally based (even though they don't say so) and there is variation among children. Some babies are long tall babies and some are little chunkers.

Personally, I would rather have a long tall baby that grew on breast milk than one that bulked up simply because they were on formula. Although fat little babies are cute, I would rather have one that can move around and get on with the developing that they need to do. Breast fed babies are rarely overweight but they do say that breast feeding really helps with their mental development among the many other benefits that you always hear about.

Cheers,
L.

Hi S.,
I was in the same boat eight months ago (my son is now 16 mos). First it is very common that a breastfed baby;s weight will level off for awhile and this is completely normally and healthy. I also told myself that as long as my son was in any part of the percentile and not below it than I was happy. With regards to the pumping I too was in the same boat I thought why am I not pumping enough? Is he getting enough when he nurses? I was told by another mother on here that we do not love our pumps like we love our babies and i think it is very true. You would be able to tell if your child was hungry or wanting to eat and nurse all the time which should leave you to conclude that your baby is getting enough to eat. However, no matter what anyone ever told me I was still convinced that I was not producing enough milk for my son, so after several ideas that were offered I researched a herbal supplment called fenugreek. Fenugreek is thought to increase a mom's milk supply. Now whether it worked as a placebo or not I felt like it work for me and found that I did start to pump more (maybe in my head I finally relaxed who knows) here is the bad side effect of fenugreek it makes you smell like maple syrup. Good luck and dont stress yourself out. Your baby is healthy and growing normally if not your doctor would have expressed concern.

The key to producing more milk is to either nurse (preferred method) or pump more. I know it's a pain, but it really truly does work if you invest the time and effort. Another thing a lot of mom's forget about is that they HAVE to stay adequately hydrated. So make sure that for the duration of your breastfeeding days, you drink plenty of water. If you have a hard time drinking water, try drinking it thru a straw. I've found it goes down much faster this way. Also you can add lemon or use decaf tea and a sweetener (or a little sugar), and that can count as your water intake. Crystal Light can be counted as well. I had my son 8 weeks prematurely and I had to pump every 2 hrs. to produce enough milk for him while he was in the NICU. I slept thru the night, about 4-6 hours. But then all day long, I just pumped every 2 hours around the clock. It does work. But you have to be willing to do it.

Hi there! PLEASE know that your baby gets a lot more than you pump...while pumps are wonderful, they are NOT an indicator of how much milk you are producing. Your baby is a LOT more efficient than the pump, so don't worry about it....I also was never able to pump much. My son is also 8 months and I am still nursing a lot and doing some solids. You are doing everything you should do - just stay the course. Also, you can contact the La Leche League leader in your area, just go to www.lalecheleague.org - they can affirm what I've told you!!
Happy nursing!
Cheers
P.

yeah, one ounce is not very much. how often do you feed in a day? how long do you pump for? do you feel the "let down"?
i was low on milk supply early right off the bat b/c i wasn't nursing enough so my body didn't know to make more. however, i started taking an herbal supplement of 'blessed thistle' and 'fenugreek' as well as a 'nursing mom' tea. i got it all at wild oats and spent about 10-13 dollars on all of it total. i also starting nursing more frequently and for a little bit longer period of time (40mins at a time!). now he is nine months and he nurses 4 times a day, i probably get 6 ounces in the morning, 4 the next two times and three the last time.
it may be that your milk comes in slowly so if you pump for longer...or maybe your pump isn't working the best, or maybe you do need to try to increase your milk supply.
i hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions, i know that is such a huge concern b/c you can't tell how much you are producing until you pump.

The ability for breast to store milk is very dependent upon multiple things. Just because someone has larger breast does not mean they have a larger stoarage capacity (although someone who has small breast are pretty much garunteed to have a smaller storing capacity). If your pumping and bottle feeding and the child is never going to the breast, hospital grade pumps are the only ones that are made to establish and maintain milk supply. Even the expensive medalla pumps are not made to establish milk supply. Milk production is actually started before your milk even comes in, specifically the first two weeks of a babies lifes. Therefore, pumping or breastfeeding every 2-4 hours as the baby needs it is highly important to establish a good supply. Your breast produce more milk if they are completely emptied with each feeding. (Pumping two minutes after the last drop or if low milk supply, pumping after breastfeeding until two minutes after the last drop and supplementing). If you choose to bottle feed at one feeding, you must pump at that feeding also, in order to keep milk supply high.
That being said...everyone is completely different. Some people can produce milk for triplets when they only have one baby and others can't produce enough milk for one baby. Stress levels, medications and some health issues can play in to this, or not. And each pregnancy is compteley different. So basically, if you don't produce milk with this child, does not mean you won't produce enough with the next.
I had to supplement with my son with every feed. I just couldn't store enough to feed him. And I only had a hand pump when I skipped a feeding with him, so that wasn't the best alternative. (Pumping each breast with a hand pump for 30-45 minutes to get the milk out was just merely insane b/c when I didn't feed him it was because I wasn't around him.)
Hang in there, know your doing the best you can with what you've got! Your doing the best you can for your son, and you've done a great job to still have milk this far into your sons life! Best of luck and Congrats.

I don't really have any advice but I can totally relate! I have a medella breast pump too and when I was nursing, could only get an ounce of each breast...I was told by a nurse at Children's that some women don't "let down" for pumps and not to worry. She couldn't get much from a pump either and she breast fed twins for 7 mos. The frustrating part is when you want to store up for times you can't be there to feed... Maybe someone can give you advice on what to do I just wanted you to know that you are not alone...:)

Some things I thought might help...being sure you are totally relaxed while pumping and looking at pics of your baby is supposed to help let down. Also, nursing "on demand" and especially at night helps keep your milk supply strong. I think that how much you can pump doesn't necessarily tell you how much the baby's getting! Our bodies respond much better to a snuggly baby that we love than a pump!

S.,
I know how you feel. With my 3rd son I had that same problem. Infact at one point in time I could pump for 10 min on one side and only get 1/2 oz I got really down on myself. I pretty much dried up on the one side. They told me that it was nothing that I did it just happens. We eventually switched to formula because we thought that he was having health issues and the doctor was trying him out on special formula. He was small from the get go and he is still only in about the 20th percentile. Now with my daughter I was breastfeeding and I always thought that she was getting enough...plenty of wet and poopy diapers...but when I went for her 4 month check-up she had only gained 3 1/2 oz in 2 months. She went from being in the 60th percentile to the 9th in 2 months...the doctors said that she may be getting enough but that I wasn't producing enough calories in my breastmilk. With her I could pump and get about a 4 - 6 oz bottle but she just wasnt growing...so under the doctors supervision we had to switch to formula. You should have seen her grow..WOW what a difference. In 3 weeks she gained 2 pounds and that was just switching her from breastmilk to formula and keeping her on the same feeding schedule.

I know of other women who can pump and get enough to feed the kids in the neighborhood...but that just wasn't me. I did what I could to nurse my children but in the end I just had to switch to formula for the best interest of my kids. I am glad that I breastfeed them for the time I did and I would do it again. I wouldn't have changed that bonding time with them for anything. At first it was hard for me to bottle feed her and not breastfeed her but I knew that it was the best thing for her and when I started to see how quickly she was growing I knew that I was making the right decision for us. I will take her next week for her 9 month check-up so it will be interesting to see where she is now on the chart.

I wish you the best and I hope that you do what works for you and your son and don't worry about what everyone else can do...you need to do what works for you and not let others make you feel bad. As long as your doctors aren't worried about your childs growth rate than I wouldn't either.

You don't say how much he is nursing. If you are exclusively pumping, one ounce is not much. If you are nursing and pumping at the same time, that might be normal depending on how much your baby nurses. The more you pump and nurse, the more milk you'll get. If you pump every once in a while, you may not get too much. If that's the case, you may want to try pumping first thing in the morning when you are fullest. I used to pump from one side and give my daughter her first feeding of the day from the other side.

If your son is growing and does not seem hungry, I'm sure he's getting all that he needs. I also wanted to say that both my girls took a dip in percentiles between six and nine months. I had one in the fifth percentile (my oldest) and one in the twelfth (my youngest). My oldest is now in the 50th percentile, and my youngest is around the 75th. Sometimes they just need some time to catch up. Good luck!

Suzi,
What kind of pump do you have? the ones you rent fron the hospital for $1 per day Medula really make a difference.
Have you met with a lactation consultant? there is one named Bonnie at Mount Carmel East and She also works at St Ann's. Bonnie is amazing. I had twins and i had enough for one baby but not two.

here are a few tips: How much water are you drinking? A gallon is where i had to be to have enough. (crazy, but you get used to it) One you know you have a good pump, limit each pumping to 15 minutes but increase to once every 2 hours. it will take about a week, but your flow will increase. i got to the point where i could get 6-8oz per pumping and i started with less than an oz.

Hope that helps.
J.

all three of our children were just breast fed - no supplements - they were all right in the middle of the weight charts and when I pumped, I only got an ounce if I pumped about 3-4 times and added it together. They are all growing just like they should and had plenty when they were breast fed.

check out the book The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding - it helps with any questions you might have - I got it from the library whenever I needed it.

I have a 9 month old boy and I have not been pumping as much lately as I had in the past. Just the other day I pumped and only got 1 ounce, I used to get anywhere from 1 to 4 ounces when I pumped. I have been told that baby's sucking stimulates let down much more than pumping. A month or so ago I tried pumping on one side while my baby fed on the other side and I got 5 ounces. This worked a couple of times, but I have to say that at this age it is difficult to manage. My baby wanted to keep grabbing and was distracted by the sound of the pump (I also use a Medlla pump). Maybe you could try it. It did make me feel reassured that maybe my baby was getting more milk when he fed than I got when I pumped. Also I have found great help and encouragement with breastfeeding from La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org). I hope this helps.

I went through the same thing you are going through. With my son everytime I would pump I would only get maybe an ounce.

At first I thought it was the pump...so I went out and bought a new one, it only helped with maybe a half ounce more. It could be the type of pump you are using. But more than likely it is just how your body is.

We had to supplement some formula in the begining because of this.

I hope this helps....believe me you are not alone :-)

Hi, there, S. --

You may have heard this a ton by now already, but there's a huge variation in how much milk women can produce. I had a friend who once pumped 16 OZ. YES, 16!! My MAX pump ever (and I breastfed my daughter for a YEAR) was 5 oz, combined.

By 8 months old, my daughter was well on her way to eating solid food. I would nurse first and then she'd have her meal, about 4 times a day, with some nursing in between, as needed. At that point, she was primarily eating pureed baby foods from jars.

At first (around 5 months), I'd tried to nurse her, then pump to have milk to put in her cereal and baby food, but no matter how ardently I nursed her, my milk production was never ever sufficient for that. I finally came to the conclusion that whatever I could give her was wonderful... I'd been very locked in to feeling that ONLY breast milk was good enough, and I was always feeling depressed and insufficient and like a failure.

Finally, I realized that I was giving her all I possibly could and I became OK with adding formula into her baby food after she'd nursed so that she was getting a sufficient amount of proteins, regardless of the source being 100% me or otherwise. I personally believe that it's MOST important to give your baby the supplies they need to grow and NOT to be hung up on whether those are from you or from another nutritionally complete alternative.

I went through literal HELL to breastfeed, and I didn't ever give up, even when the odds were tremendously against us. So, even though I believe that it CAN work out to breastfeed even if you have to give it more than you've got, I'm not so under the spell of La Leche League that I think it's healthy to restrict your child to only your product in the event that your supply is low.

Anyway, I would suggest that you do whatever you need to to ensure your child is getting his needs met, and don't be too much of a stickler for the breast feeding side of things. Soon, he will be on table foods (by 12 months, according to what our pediatrician recommended), and he will start needing to rely on those inputs to satisfy his needs.

Take care, and good luck!
H.