Need More Milk - Umatilla,OR

I have used herbal supplements to increase my milk supply. Mother Love (you can find them online) makes a number of supplements which include Fenugreek and other herbs that help increase the supply.
Best Wishes.

Fenugreek tablets. It helped me a lot in the beginning and I know people use it later on when their milk supply starts to wane...

The dr always told me to eat more calories.
Someone told me there was something at the health food store that could help increase it.

I too had a problem with pumping enough for my son, only I found out it wasn't a lack of supply as much as it was an aversion to the pump. I pump in the morning when my supply is at its most. I nurse my son on one side and pump at the same time on the other. It's a little tricky, but I'm able to get pleanty of milk this way. Good luck!

This site has great information for increasing your supply:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#increase

Aside from using these methods, I would just start pumping after she nurses, as often as you can. More demand=more supply. You should start to see an increase after a few days.

If all else fails, you can mix the cereal with formula.

You can boost your breast milk production with the help of Healthy nursing tea, a natural herbal tea supplement.

My lactation consultant said that the best way is to pump for about 10 minutes after your baby eats, just to give your breasts the cue that more is needed. It may take a while, but hopefully it helps. Are you opposed to mixing it with formula? Jaxson is my first, and I work so I have extra to mix his cereal with when we start it, but I'm not even sure how thin to make it yet. Would the amount of formula be too much to start her with?

good morning,

I read through the other comments quickly so I could make sure I wasn't repeating anthing unnecessarily.

There are two posts that I can relate too...

I drank the Mother's Milk Tea, which did seem to help, and the other thing that I did- and I honestly believe it is the main reason i was able to boost my supply- was that I would pump on one side while my son ate on the other. It was a little tricky at first, but our babies are the greatest trigger for us producing milk. By pumping while feeding your body is happy to make as much as it needs too- or at least mine did. When I was finished nursing on one side I would still have my son nurse on the other, even after pumping. Your body may hold out on your pump- but it won't hold out on your baby. Just make sure to drink lots of water.

Always make sure to keep a decent supply in the freezer- even if you think you may not need it right away. You never know when it may come in handy, and it is no fun panicking because you don't know how you are going to feed your baby.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

What worked for me was drinking lots of water and, believe it or not, having a beer (or part of one). I always drank the beer *after* nursing my daughter, so as not to pass along the alcohol to her, of course. This is an old wives' tale, I know, but it worked for me!

Pumping immediately after nursing was the best time for me, too.

Good luck!

I had a hard time pumping as well. Actually before I went back to work I was freaked out, because I could barely get together an ounce and I was worried that I couldn't pump enough for her - well once I HAD TO it actually worked out just fine, even though I hated it.
My only suggestion would be to stick with it, probably you just have some subconscious aversion to pumping and once you get used to the thought again it will be easier.

I'm currently going through the hoops to increase my milk supply. After two Lactation Consultants and sifting through the web, here's what I've come up with for increasing my supply from 1 oz. to 12 oz. pumping in just 2 weeks:

1. Rent a hospital grade pump
2. Drink lots of water (64 oz minimum) and eat every 2-3 hours
3. Pump as often as possible (goal of 8 times a day for 15 min)
4. Fenugreek PLUS Blessed Thistle. Take three times the dosage on the bottle (this recommendation from the lac consult)
5. Prescription Reglan if you really need it
6. Relax! You'll get more let down if you can get some quiet time to pump (before baby wakes up in the morning and right before bed is great)
7. Opt for other first foods. I second the suggestion to use avocado as a first food instead of cereal. Great amounts of iron in it without any questionable garbage mixed in.

Good luck and hang in there!

Try looking at her & thinking about her while you're pumping. Also try uping your good fat & water intake. Good luck.

Hi K.,

Just a couple of things:

1. My daughter's pediatrician said that babies really don't NEED cereal first; especially if you wait until 6 months. There's no fantastic nutritional value in it; it's mainly to help them learn to deal with spoon-feeding, texture, eating in general.

2. I tried my daughter on cereal right before she was 6 months and simply mixed it with water instead of breastmilk (she was exclusively breastfed, too).

3. If you're still wanting to up your supply drink TONS and TONS of water. Fenugreek did almost nothing for my supply, but my doctor prescribed Reglan for three months. It increased my supply tremendously, so when I pumped I actually got milk to come out! I only needed it for the three months. After that it seemed like my body was used to producing that much and my supply maintained - I'm still nursing 18 months in! :)

Good luck!

I had the same problem: plenty of milk when my son nursed, but couldn't get much from pumping. I finally decided to just mix his cereal with formula, since he was getting mostly breastmilk anyway. Lots of people mix cereal with water, so I figured formula was a nice middle-ground.

Try pumping while she's nursing for a couple days and that should help. You'll be getting double stimulation and the easier letdown of her latch.

K.,

It is not too late to boost your supply. Your body will respond to stimulation. I would add in a pumping after your baby feeds first thing in the morning, when your prolactin levels are the highest.

You can also try fenugreek, an herbal galactagogue.

Email me if you want any more specific advice.

I had the same issue. At first I just expressed a few drops with my hands straight into the bowl after getting it going with a hand pump. When she was just starting cereal, it was such a tiny amount that a few drops were enough. Later I just mixed the cereal with water which worked just fine. Also, cereal does not have to be the first food. Avocado or sweet potato are also really good choices. We tried avo first with both our girls.

It may take longer or be more difficult, but you can still increase your supply. The best way to do it is to pump when you are full. When you would normally feed baby, pump first, then feed on what you think is an empty breast. Baby will still be able to get some and will continue sucking which will signal your body to increase production. Since she is getting less, she will just feed sooner for the next feeding, but there will be enough left over that she will not be going hungry. Until your supply picks up, you should probably only do this once a day so baby doesn't get frustrated.

Hi K.-

I am a parent coach and I recommend Mother's Milk Tea made by Traditional Medicinals to the nursing parents I work with. You can get it at most drug stores, like Rite Aid.

http://www.tealand.com/MothersMilk.aspx

I even recommended it for my best friend and it works well.

Good luck-

Rebecc Magby

When I went back to work I would Breastfeed & then pump right after for about 10min. I would only get a little bit but slowly your body will make more (as it thinks the baby needs more). I also got "Mother's Milk" tea. Good luck!

[EDIT]:

I forgot to add: If you are trying to get the most from pumping, massage your breasts before pumping and then pump on one breast while your little one is on the other. This is a time when your body knows that the little one is one ht boob, and it tends to respond more. You can also prep your system by holding baby naked (no clothing at all) against your chest (also naked).

ALSO, do not take Reglan. There is no need for you to take it. It is only for women who truly have low supply issues and whose babies are not getting enough milk to be fed and growing. Since you would like OVERFLOW supply, and you're feeding your little one just fine on breastmilk alone and only want extra, you don't need it. It can also cause depression or depression-like symptom if you take it, so it's not a light decision to make, or to recommend. [END EDIT]

Oatmeal worked very well for me. Also, an oatmeal stout beer will work very well. It relaxes you (which is most of our problem) AND it's got the natural supply booster.

Another thing you can do is drink Mother's Milk tea. This didn't do anything for me, because if you follow the directions on the box you have to drink a lot everyday and I'm not good about keeping up on that. But people swear by it. Another thing is fenugreek. You can get them in pills from a natural/organic food joint like Whole Paycheck (woops - Whole Foods, rather :p).

A truly great site to check out is http://www.kellymom.com

Good luck!

you can mix the rice cereal with water if it is really a problem...but the amount she eats (from you) should also start to change as she eats more and more foods...why not pump for a minute before nursing (I just finished the rice cereal stage, you don't need more than an ounce or so each day anyway...)

you could also pump for 10 minutes after feedings when your daughter has been satisfied. If she is sleeping through the night or at least a long stretch when you first put her down at night then pump in the evening 2-3 hours after she goes to bed. Once you are able to pump the amount of milk you think you need extra each day then you can drop the 10 minute pumping sessions and just do the 1 in the evening right before you go to bed. It is never too late to increase production. Women who have never given birth can lactate and successfully breastfeed all it takes is regular and frequent stimulation of the nipple and emptying of the breast.

Two things that helped me up my supply a bit was drink more water and eat oatmeal. We forget when we are breastfeeding that we are losing most of the water in our system. Make sure to drink plenty of water and do it before you get thirsty...cause when you're thirsty, that's an early sign of dehydration. For some reason the oatmeal helped up my supply as well. I just ate a small bowl in the morning every day...helps. :D

You don't need to start cereal so early. She's fine with just breast milk for a year, and even longer if she still seems happy. I wouldn't be in a rush to start if everything is going well now.