Need Help with Breastfeeding/low Milk Supply

I wasn't able to breastfeed my first child either. There was just not enough milk was to feed her b/c she came out at 10lbs. Another reason I was not producing is b/c I was terribly stressed out. You may need to practice some relaxation exercises and also drink lot's of water and to help get it started a warm compress.

My first one was crying a lot b/c she was so hungry so I had to end up going to formula. My next child was a whole other story. I had a lot of milk supply without any problems.

Good luck and I hope I was able to help a little bit. :)

I hear you need to drink WHEAT beer. Not a lot but maybe a beer a night to help with the milk production. I also heard you can drink the NA beer as well so long as it's wheat. I heard it doesn't have anything to do with you relaxing, it's what is in the beer that helps.

I breastfed my son for 12 months. My advice is to stop using the bottle and stick strickly to the breast. Drink plenty of water and keep a glass next to you when she nurses. Also, try to relax as stress slows milk production, believe me I know. I was going through a separation with my husband and anytime I stressed forget it, I couldnt produce hardly anything. You go girl, breastmilk is so good for your baby/ I was so frustrated at first.But don't give up.

You could try the 24 hour fix. This is where you both lie in bed together mostly naked skin to skin for 24 hours only getting up to go to the bathroom. She should have only a diaper on, and you only undies.
STAY in bed, for the WHOLE 24 hours and breastfeed as much as she will take. This means more than likely she will be suckling for 22 hours out of the 24. Even when she is sleeping, allow her to use you as a pacifier.
Your partner (Or a relative if you are single) should take care of you during this time, bringing all your meals to you in bed, and making sure you have at LEAST 2 liters of water a day. You ONLY get up to go to the bathroom! No showering or anything!!
I have never seen this fail when followed properly.

Breastfed 2 kids and Organic tea called Healthy nursing tea worked magnificently with me;) with no caffeine and sugar and any preservatives.....naturally sweet I LOVE it;))))

What seems to work best for me is drinking a TON of water. Like, to the point where I feel like I'm drinking too much. Eating a lot also seems to bring up my supply. Supposedly oatmeal helps with milk production. I have not found that to be true, but know ladies for whom it works like a charm. I have a friend who swears by quinoa to get her milk up. I haven't tried that, but it could be worth a shot.

Good luck - I had a hard time establishing my supply at first so I know how it is. Keep trying!

Hi T.,

Lactoferrin Gold is a great protein that helps to produce healthy bacteria in the body and increase milk for nursing mothers. There are supplements that you may give to the baby since it is wholefoods that will help in building her immune system and a good foundation of health

If you would like more info let me know and I will show you where to purchase it.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

I agree with the fact that you need to offer the breast frequently like every 1.5 to 2 hours during the day and offer anytime she wakes at night. Try to get her off the bottle and formula because that will not help things. You can make plenty of milk so just hang in there. It won't take long. Make sure you're eating a nice healthy diet and getting enough calories for the both of you. Good luck!!

You may already be doing this, but drink LOTS of water. Perhaps try a nipple shield? When my daughter was young it was just like the bottle, but my advantage was the other way around. Pump while she's supplementing with formula. That's when she wants it, that's when you need to make it. Of course all of this is easier said than done ;)

The first few months of breastfeeding aren't easy, but soon it will be. I beg you to stick with it, it will soon be something you love and cherish.

I live near Salinas, so if you need any help, please contact me.
~S.

Hi T. -

My daughter was a preemie as well, 6 weeks. While in the NICU, they did give her formula occasionally while I was still trying to get my supply up. I was ok with it b/c I knew she needed calories. I always tried to breastfeed, but she was just so little to latch. I pumped, a lot. Once she was home, we still fed her bottles of breastmilk b/c she still didn't know how to latch yet. During that time, I was also seeing the LCs at Kaiser.

Off and on, I used a nipple shield, and that helped a lot. It helped her to get more milk out of me while nursing, without becoming too frustrated and expending too many calories while trying to nurse. In the end, it took her 9 weeks to learn how to latch, although she still got a bottle of breastmilk once/day or once every 2 days. I was going back to work soon so she needed to get used to the bottle regardless. She's 6.5 months now, still nursing.

While I didn't have a low supply issue, I wrote the above to suggest maybe using a nipple shield. Some people don't advocate it, but it helped us a lot. Also, it can be really frustrating, I know you are trying. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out.

A good resource re: increasing milk supply: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

Good luck,
H.

T., I am sorry that you are having such a rough time. A couple of things to add to the Mother's Milk Tea, capsules or beer, please remember to rest a lot and drink lots and lots of water. More than you would ever think possible.

Stress probably is not helping, so if you have a family member that could help for a few days that may make a difference. Also, if the breastfeeding is the way for your family to continue, remember you are doing a great thing for your daughter. Right now the house does not have to be perfect, get take out (healthy of course).... Relax and enjoy this time with your new daughter.

I breastfed my son for 19 months. All breastfed babies are jaundiced for the first two months, dont be scared... read the books... the new books. I got the evil eye from everyone who didnt agree with it and no help from anyone. I went to a lact... consult... at the hosp and she was great... a Godsend! She told me to feed that child every hour on the hour. Wake him and feed him. 1pm 2pm 3 pm and so on... we did this all day and all night until my boobs could catch up with his demand. We never used formula.Not even when I felt empty and he was in tears. One day when I was sick I used a formula...and my consultant yelled at me. She said that even with the sickness I had breastfeeding was a good thing and that my boobs would have provided the antibodies to protect my child from my sickness. More power to the boobs! So I fed him some more... frequency is the answer to production. So many moms are so concerned with sleeping through the night that they dont feed at night. well, I confess, I let the baby wake me if he needed me, but I never let him go past two hours. I wanted to feed him. This was the one time in my life that I felt like I was helping God in some way... Like God was using me... and I will let him. As my baby grew up past 8 months he was drinking more at each sitting, but every 2 hours by day and 3 hours by night, and I was happy. I needed the sleep. After a year, I was feeding him 2 hours by day and 4 hours by night for the next months, up to 19 months. My best advice is to put that formula in the trash. When your baby is hungry she will eat from what you have. If she needs more an hour later... off with that shirt and give her more... every hour till you are both happy. Your boobs empty? It just means that no one was "placing an order". Put that baby there anyway and let her suck as if it were a pacifyer and this will help your body to know that it isnt making enough. Your next feeding after placing the order will be larger. Everytime you use a bottle of formula, you are ruining the pattern between you and the baby. Dont substitute. Hold the baby... let her cry and try even if you feel empty. This is her way of talking to your body. And for you... eat everything you want... do not diet... drink plenty but not soda or caffinated drinks as they dehydrate the supply of milk. You dont need any of those pills... really they arent much help... frequency is key. The more you place an order on those boobs... the more milk will come to your table.
Best Wishes,
A..

Dear T.,
Just keep offering the breast and pumping. If she truly prefers a bottle, she can still get breast milk.
My son was a great nurser, but my first baby.....not so much. Then I'd get nervous and stressed out. She was tiny, she didn't like nursing and I was scared shitless. My doctor told me to drink a glass of red wine and relax. So I did and it helped. I'm not advocating alcohol consumption or anything like that, but one glass of red wine, one time, a couple hours before I nursed her taught me the lesson that when I was relaxed about nursing, she was relaxed about it too. I think she could totally feel me tensed up so nursing didn't seem like happy chill time for her either. Like I said, just keep pumping every 2 hours and even if she prefers the bottle, at least she's getting whatever you can get pumped.
Keep in mind that many moms have to go back to work after 6 weeks and their babies get bottles. The bottle itself isn't the end of the world. Don't beat yourself up about it if that's the way it works for you and for your baby. I've know women who knew from the beginning they had no interest in breastfeeding and took medicine to dry up their milk right after their babies were born. It was a personal choice they made and their kids are grown and healthy. Babies who are adopted get formula. What's a woman who is physically incapable of nursing supposed to do? The very best she can........
My point is, relax a little. Don't guilt trip yourself. Be sure you're taking care of you. Hang in there. You're not doing anything wrong. I had two babies and they were night and day different from each other when it came to nursing. All babies are different.
You love your baby, you're doing a good job. Just hang in there. Things will be okay.

Best wishes!

Mother's Milk Tea...its relaxing and I really do think it helped my supply...and it doesn't upset the tummy or make you smell like maple syrup : - ) I just added a packet of splenda to it and enjoy!

PS...Stress is a HUGE factor when it comes to milk supply, so try to just "go with it" (formula is fine if need be right now) and not get stressed about this, that will do wonders in itself. !

T.,

Drink water and tons of it. I drink about 3-4 liters per day and I notice when I only get in 2 it drastically affects my supply. Also if you are at home with her just stop giving her the formula. Let her suck on you all day if you have to (you said you wanted her off formula). Breastmilk works by demand. The more she demands the more your body will supply. When you start to supplement then your body thinks it is supplying enough. Also when I have a issue with decreased milk I try to pump for 20-30 minutes longer than normal or pump and nurse at the same time. My guy used to be fussy after he was finished nursing too but more because he just wanted to suck. I would just put him back on the breast (this will help create more milk supply too) or give him a pacifier. Try not to stress as this can decrease your supply as well. Believe that you will have enough for her. Remember our bodies were made for this purpose. I hope this help and good luck.

Hi T.,
I have almost the same problem. My daughter is two weeks old now and because she was jaundice we also had to supplement, then when I tried to put her back to the breast, she was lazy as well and didn't want to feed. I ended up using a shield (which I have used before with my last daughter and only was able to feed her via breast for two months). I now have an infection in my rt. breast, but the doctor says it won't effect her and actually will get better faster with the antibiotic and her feeding more on that breast. Anyhow... I asked some moms in my moms group about this and they suggested Mother's Milk Tea. I have not had the chance to buy this yet, but am told it will build up your milk supply to almost double, if not double.

It can be made cold or hot depending on you and you may drink it once a day or as much as you want. You can get this at Safeway, or Whole Foods or even Olivers (what we have in the North Bay - Sonoma County). My daughter is also extremely gassy which we use Mylicon for esp. when she has trouble burping. We still currently supplement only because by evening my milk supply has run out and she is so hungry that she just cries and cries so my husband takes over with a bottle of formula and once she burps, poos (which is usually two or three times) and spits up a bit, she falls right to sleep and sleeps for at least 4 hours on 2-4 oz.
I hope the mother's milk works for you. I can't wait to try it myself since I know it has worked really well for the mom's in my MOPs group.

Good luck and please keep us posted.
S. C-P

I have drank the tea for breastfeeding by Traditional Medicines. You can probably find it a health store or whole foods. I found that drinking a beer brought on my milk. Depends on how you feel about having a beer but you don't have to drink the whole thing and have with some food. The mini pill supposedly makes you have less milk supply as well but you probably aren't on that yet.

Good luck I hope you find what works!

I had a similar experience when my son was born. I supplemented with formula. My advice would be to not worry about not exclusively doign breast milk. Try differnt formulas so that she is happy, and don't spend time worrying, because I think that being stressed lowered my milk supply. I was stressed and not sleeping and it didn't help. My advice is to get a lot of sleep, drink a lot, relax as much as you can (as in don't sit worrying and crying.) Always nurse her before formula so that she's doing her strong sucking on you. You may find that after some time (month or two) that she is exclusively nursing. And you may find that you can phase out formula when you start solids. Let your husband take a feeding or two with formula overnight and get some rest - it may do wonders. It did for me.

Good luck! Remember the most important thing is for you to enjoy your baby!! Don't let anything ruin that!

Keep at it! And I agree with some of the other Moms that a glass of wine or beer now and then to help you relax (and possibly boost supply) is not a bad thing.
When my baby was 3 days old I could tell she was really hungry and my milk hadn't come in yet. I talked to an older, wiser friend who advised me to have a glass of whatever (nothing hard). I did just that, had a good cry, and when I woke in the morning I had tons of milk.
You might also try seeing a different lactation consultant. They might have different ideas that work better for you, your body, and your baby.
I'm not sure if I recommended this site to you yesterday, but I highly recommend this website:
http://www.drjacknewman.com/

He and his partner are breastfeeding experts/gurus based in Canada. The site has lots and lots of streaming video you can watch to teach about a good latch. They also teach you how to recognize when the baby is really drinking and not just nibbling at the breast.
One thing they discuss that might really help you is compressing your breast while baby is nursing. It helps to bring more milk into their mouths and wake them up! It's especially helpful if your supply is a little low or if your letdown is slow. There is also a video made by this couple which is FANTASTIC. Ask your lactation consultant if she/he's familiar with them and maybe you can borrow the video. It's called: Dr. Jack Newman's Visual Guide to Breastfeeding.

You're doing a great job.

I know every case is different...but are you sure she isn't getting enough - I thought the same with my son - but realized he wanted the bottle cuz the milk flow just came faster and he had to work harder for the breast..i just kept alternating and making him work for it and after about 3 weeks, my milk was overflowing in his mouth...keep on working at it if you have time - btw...I am a working mom with clients in different locations - i had to pump every 2 hours in between clients just to get 12 oz (feeding him it the next day), and now my son is on 12 oz pumped during the day and still night feeding and is 13 months now.

It sounds like you might have tried this, but More Milk Plus capsules worked really well for me, after fenugreek did not. I think that I took at least double the dose that was on the bottle, maybe more than that.

You could also try seeing a different LC, one with some different ideas? Good luck!!
T.

check out a good breastfeeding book from your library.
My son was preemie too and we really struggled - I never made enough milk to pump extra for outings like my girlfriends could. Sooo jealous!
However, I had a great lactation nurse at Kaiser who really helped me a lot. Fenugreek casules from your health food store will really boost mild production 3 pills 3 times a day PLUS the Mother's Milk tea and then eat a lot of brown rice, sweet potatoes and apricots - juice or dried help too since it's Winter & fresh are not really available. A little bit of wheat beer will help with your let-down reflex.(Pyramid Apricot Wheat Beer works great!) Also - you need to get off the formula so Baby doesn't hold out for the easier feedings. Pump, Pump pump to get your production up. There will be growth spurts where Baby will want to nurse all the time and you're body will have to catch up - give it a few days - Baby won't starve - and your production will increase to meet demand.
Hang in there! It got easier for us once my son got a little bigger and stronger.

Did you try More Milk Plus? Also, I'm told that Brewer's Yeast helps. I'd get the capsules unless you don't mind eating something that tastes real bad.
Also, are you getting enough sleep during the day? I'm sure the lactation specialist has you taking naps already.
good luck!
C.

My son is living proof that relactation is possible. I liked Ally A's response - essentially it all boils down to nursing frequency AND disregarding misinformation. First of all it was important for me to realize that some women make a lot of milk - and their experience is usually very different than someone who has just an adequate supply. Usually, these people will have a hard time believing that you don't have a lot of milk and may make you feel like you have to defend your low milk supply - I know this sounds strange, but it was certainly an added stressor for me.

Anyhow, the cure is to educate yourself. Realize that the books aren't always right. For example, it is normal to have a low milk supply in the evening. Also, if you pump every hour, you cummulatively will pump more than if you pump every two hours. And lastly, nursing at night b/n 12am-3am or 10pm-5am is the quickest way to increase your prolactin levels.

My last suggestion is not a popular one, but it has worked for me and my son. When I finally got the hang of putting him down to sleep, I would pump while he napped (every 45 min to an hour) until I had enough for a 3.5/4 oz feeding. I did this throughout the day. I preferred this method because I was able to make sure that he was getting enough milk.