Anyone else out there with PCOS battle low milk supply? And were you able to find anything that actually worked to increase your supply? I've done Reglan, Goat's Rue, Fenugreek, the silly tea, pumping galore, nursing as much as possible, and many other more crazy things--all to no avail. I've also spend a small fortune on visits to lactation consultants, and I've read all the books and websites and had home health visits from the hospital, etc. Right now I'm able to produce 1.75-2 ounces per feeding, which is about half of what my 4-week-old son needs. At his one-week and two-week visits it became apparent that he was not gaining weight, so I supplement with formula after breastfeeding. I've heard about women who needed to supplement with formula for upwards of 6 weeks before their supply caught up to their child's needs. Any of you have this happen? Did you do anything special to increase your supply? Like I said, pumping and Reglan didn't work for me, so I'm losing hope of being able to nurse exclusively.
Also, is there any way to keep my 2-year-old from climbing all over me while I'm trying to nurse the baby? FYI, I had the same low milk supply when trying to nurse my older boy as well. Sigh. It's hard not to feel guilty/sad/distressed about it, even though I've been down this road before.
An important note: about 1/3 of women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome suffer from low milk supply. Another 1/3 have oversupply, and then the last 1/3 have no issues with supply.
I used healthy nursing tea by secrets of tea and boosted my milk flow enough to fill my baby's tummy.
I DO, I DO!!!!!!!!!!
I have PCOS and had low milk supply with my son (15 months old). I A. currently pregnant w/ #2 and worrying about the same thing with him.
This site is WONDERFULLY helpful...I A. a moderator on it as well and VERY involved. Make yourself at home. Everyone is family on this site...
Good luck!
Congratulations on breastfeeding as much as you can.
Another option instead of formula is to find donor breastmilk.
I A. sure you may already know, but is it something you can take hormones to correct any imbalance?
I didn't have PCOS, but I had low milk supply. I tried all the herbs and supplements. I finally went to acupuncture and saw near immediate results. I'd be happy to recommend her if you live in the Portland area.
Hello~
i also A. going through a low supply situation with my first. K.T. who is the acupuncturist you are referring to here in Portland? thank you!
I don't have POS but had low milk supply and reglan didn't work for me either. Domperidone did work (See http://www.drjacknewman.com/help/Domperidone%20Getting%20.... You can get it from http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/
I used breast compression (see also Dr. Jack Newman's website http://www.drjacknewman.com/default.asp) and pumped after every daytime feeding. I went from a maximum of supplementing about 14 oz/day of formula at about 4 weeks to completely breastfeeding my son by 12-14 weeks.
You may also want to try Blessed thistle. I've read that the combination of Fenugreek and Blessed thistle taken together is more effective than either one on it's own.
