Low Milk Supply - El Cajon,CA

Try A tea called Mothers Milk or a Milkshake my cousin tried a glass of Beer and it worked for her.:) good luck !

Hello,

About 20 months ago my second daughter was born and we were in the middle of a huge move, needless to say my milk supply dried up and I wasn't done breastfeeding. I contacted my friend who is also a lactation consultant and told me that I could take the natural supplement called Fenugreek at Henry's. I tried it but didn't take as often as I was suppose too.

My next door neighbor who just had her 5th baby, was not supplying enough and has started taking it and she has told me that it has really worked for her.

good luck

I had good results with Mother's milk tea as well. The brand line is "traditional Medicinals" and they have tea for just about everything. I was skeptical, but the tea did work. I pump at work, and my output upped by about 4 oz.

No one has been talking about Caffeine!! Are you a coffee, black tea, or soda drinker?? if so, you are being dehydrated by the caffeine intake, as well. if you don't want to cut these out of your diet (I love coffee) then make sure you are knocking down an equal amount of water to balance the caffeine. I usually have about an 8 oz glass before I have my coffee. You can also switch to an herbal tea (like above, or chamomile, etc) instead of black tea, or sprite instead of coke.

As for the latching... try when he's a LITTLE sleepy and a LITTLE hungry, but not too much of either (and not after a feeding but about 20 minutes before you expect he'll cry for the next). And keep you oldest busy with an Elmo DVD or something, to cut down on the stress and interruptions. If you can, wait til she is having a nap herself, and then nurse--lying down. In other words, RELAX. If he doesn't nurse, then you can just cuddle and play, and then try again later.

If all else fails... your boy will be just fine, breast or bottle. Enjoy motherhood (and the fact that you know your child will take a bottle!!!!)

I know there is a lot of pressure in breastfeeding babies. I had a low milk supply and I just couldn't breastfeed them as hard as I tried! I drank a lot of tea, water, ate a lot of soup, had a lot of hot showers(?), took some natural supplements, etc. If you can't, you can't say you didn't try your hardest.

My husband's cousin is a professor at Harvard Medical School, and although of course the first advice a doctor gives is always to try and breastfeed, she said her mom gave her the bottle and she turned out alright. :o)

Don't feel anything less because you're not able to breastfeed - your baby will be fine and just as healthy with the formula. It's just the way it works out sometimes and it's got nothing to do with you as a mother - it's your body who's not cooperating! :o)

Good luck!

I had a low milk supply at first with my son. It took me 3 weeks to establish a good milk supply. The more formula you feed your baby, the less milk you will produce. In order to get my milk supply up I had to nurse my son frequently for about a week. He wanted to nurse every hour or so. It was a pain, but eventually I started to produce more milk. In the beginning I was supplementing him with formula too and that caused my problem. He had lost about a half of a pound at his first Dr's visit. They said to give him formula, but it made my milk supply even worse. Also make sure you are waking your child every 2 hours during the day to nurse. Also drink plenty of water or fluids and eat a good diet.

I was so stressed with nursing my son that I almost gave up. I didn't and I'm glad I continued. Everyone in my family kept giving me annoying advice and their opinion and I just ignored it because it made it worse. Just relax and it will work out for you.

I had low milk supply with both of my babies - much worse with the first (I nursed him for 12 hours straight at the advice of the La Leche nazis until my nipples were bleeding and blistered and STILL did not produce anywhere near enough milk). I was very adamant about not giving my kids formula before I was placed in my situation. I had 4 different pumps - to my surprise the advent hand pump worked much better than the hospital grade medela pump I was renting for 100 bucks a month... that being said however, there are not many pumps that are as efficient as your baby's own mouth - try getting him to latch a few more times when he is not too hungry and you are not too frustrated - before you abandon it altogether. However, if it does not work out, do not beat yourself up! I was only able to BF mine for 4 months and 1 month and they are now both extremely smart, healthy 2 and 3 year olds! Good luck!

I sympathize with you and you are not alone. I am the mother of three. With my first two children, I had no problem breastfeeding. But, with my third (she was a natural birth), who is a healthy 5 month old, I tried and tried to no avail. Yes, my daughter lost weight and became jaundiced also, and had to go under the bilirubin lamps for several days. I breastfed on demand as I was told to do, and when my daughter wasn't nursing, I was pumping to try to increase my milk supply. I tried eating more, drinking more fluids, trying foods that was recommended to help increase the milk supply, and nothing seemed to work. I never even had the "letdown" once. I ended up having to supplement with formula due to the low milk supply. I became discouraged and felt I wasn't being the best mom I could be due to the lack of breast milk. After about a month, I didn't have enough milk at all to feed my daughter, and I started formula exclusively. Yes, I felt bad, because I know breastmilk is best. Now, in retrospect, I did all I could, and I can't fault myself for trying. Plus, I knew that by giving her formula (I use Enfamil with the DHA and ARA), she was getting the nutrition she needed instead of me worrying "did she get enough by breastfeeding?".

I just want you to know you weren't alone and for you to be reassured that even though your body isn't cooperating.... to not fault yourself, you are trying your hardest and to remember that you are doing your very best to be the greatest mother your child needs.

Hi K.,

I know just how you feel about not being able to breast feed. Society has built it up so much, you feel you're a failure if you cannot start your child off in the healthiest of ways. My doctor told me to drink a glass of wine before I tried to feed, he said it would calm me, let my milk down, and not hurt the baby. It worked. Let us know how it all works out for you, and if you still can't get those suckers to work, just print out all of these responses and put them in your child's baby book. There, you have proof that you tried your very best!

Good luck!
V.

Hello K.,
You should drink Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea that`s organic tea and boost your milk supply speedily.
Best wishes....

I nursed my daughter for 20 1/2 months and never gave her formula, just breast milk. My only suggestion is to eat alot of protein. I drank 32 oz of milk, 48 oz of water and juice every day. Also I ate chicken, cheese, peanut butter, fruit and vegetables and just about anything with protein in it. Stay away from junk food and empty calories and eat healthy stuff. I was told by a friend that eating protein and drinking lots of liquids helps to keep your milk supply. It worked for me, so I hope this helps! J.

Hi K.,

Every time my breasts feel like they aren't full enough I drink this tea my friend bought me. It works wonders. It is called Woman's Nursing Mom by Yogi Tea. Im not sure where she got it some corner store or grocery store- look in any tea section. I know they have a different brand called Mother's MIlk at Whole foods. It recommends about 2-3 cups a day, but I will drink one cup and the next day my breasts will be very full and leaking all over the place. I would rather drink something like this than take any pills because whatever we take we are giving it to our child through our milk.
Good Luck

I soo know what your going through..Are youin Tracy?Call the Sutter Hospital(in Tracy) and ask for the lactation nurse, "Dona" is the lady who helpped me, she's very nice.They can give you meds to make your milk come back, or go to a heath food store and buy "fenugreek"( not sure of the spelling)you take 4capsules 4 times a day, it's an herb that helps bring your milk suply up.
Don't give up and no matter what PUMP!PUMP!PUMP!
I had trouble w/ my first latching on( who is now almost 3)and pumped for 6months, W/ my son I was the same way,I wanted to breast feed so bad and I did for 8months,my milk suply was low w/ him and I had to use Fenugreek
I hope this helps you and by all means call your Doc and ask about the meds/herbs I sugested....K.

K.,

As other women have said, continue trying to get your little one to latch on. I don't know if you have tried this, but they make these things called nipple shields and if your son is used to the bottle it will make a nice transition to the bottle. Here are two links with more info on it:
http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/nipshield.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/wean-shield.html

Also to increase your milk supply, one glass of DARK beer an evening is supposed to do the trick. I know 4 people who have done this. Oatmeal (the kind that takes a few minutes to make, not the instant stuff) also boosts your supply. Fenugreek is also supposed to help-but you have to make sure that you take 2-3 tablets 3 times a day. Your pee and sweet should have a bit of a maple syrup smell to it.

Keep up all the hard work! Some babies just take longer to get the hang of breastfeeding than others!

Hello Kren,
Have you tried the La Lecha group in your area? I called them once and they were so nice. They will come to your home if you need them to and they have group meetings and help over the phone. My milk went that low too, but it came back up. Give them a call.

The most important thing is to Nurse As Often As Possible. Nursing is the very best way to increase your supply. Unless he has a medical problem, he will be able to extract more milk from your breast than a regular pump can. Your breast will only make more milk once its fully emptied, and the more often, the better.

If you do need to pump in order to be away from Caleb, I really strongly recommend that you get a Hospital Grade Pump, which can be rented from the Nursing Mothers Counsel ###-###-####). It is MUCH better than the Pump In Style for the early months. (The Pump In Style will be terrific once your supply is fully established, and you can use it all year - you did not waste your money!)

One way to fit in even more nursing sessions is to allow Caleb to sleep in your bed with you. It really is safe (unless you or your husband smokes or takes serious/sleep medications), and once you learn to nurse while lying down (takes some practice but is totally worth it), then you can sleep and nurse at the same time!

Good luck! Call the Nursing Mothers Counsel for free telephone advice if you don't already have a lactation consultant helping you.

Best wishes,
J.

Well you can't be stressed about it because then your let down will not be easy. You must drink plenty of fluids (about 12 glasses a day) and eat nutritious foods to keep your milk supply up. Alcohol consumption can also hinder your milk supply. Just try to keep calm and relaxed and pump or have your baby latch on as much as possible during the day to keep up your supply. The more you stimulate the milk ducts, the more milk you'll make. I hope this helps. You can also go to La Leche League's website and learn more there. Good luck!