Trouble Getting Enough Breast Milk

Hi Sunnysm0m---Looks like you've gotten some great advice about ways to optimize the breastfeeding. I'd like to suggest another thought.

What does your overall diet look like? In order for your body to make an optimal supply of milk, you must consume an optimal diet. I am taking a series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. According to long-term research, Dr. Pam advocates a diet that consists of 90% of daily calories from plants and no more than 10% animal products. I highly recommend reading The China Study by T Colin Campbell to understand why.

I also recommend keeping a food diary to see exactly what you eat on a daily basis. I am not suggesting that you have a poor diet, but, just like a finanacial budget, it is very difficult to remember correctly what we've spent our nutrition budget on unless we keep track of it. Two weeks would be great. Then, you can see where you might need to improve. Probably the best improvement a person can make is to start avoiding negative ingredients. The things to avoid are: artificial colors and sweeteners, chemical additives/preservatives, partially and fully hydrogenated fats, simple carbs, MSG and HFCS. Please feel free to contact me for any additional clarification on what I suggest.

Remember to get as much sleep as possible (lol), reduce stress and get exercise as well. All are needed for optimal health. I would also recommend a high-quality whole food based supplement, not a multi, that will help support the extra demands that are placed on your body right now. I, along with this Naturopath and the pediatrician Dr. Sears family (www.askDrSears.com and the ABC show The Doctors) recommend one that is the most thoroughly researched food product in a capsule. Research shows that, most importantly, gets into the bloodstream, it strengthens and balances the immune system, repairs and protects DNA, supports cardiovascular health and reduces oxidative stress and systemic inflammation. It also help my body to prevent sunburn, as food makes every cell in the body healthier and better able to perform the functions for which they were intended.

Let me know how I can help. I have lots of files and articles I can share to help you better optimize your family's health. Take care and good luck, D.

I'm probably repeating what others have said, but NURSE NURSE NURSE NURSE. Nurse on demand when you're home in the morning, at night and one the weekend. Nurse her, then pump, then nurse, then pump. There is no pump out there that is as effective as a baby. It's probably not a supply issue as much as a pumping issue. You could also contact your local La Leche League or a lactation consultant to see if they have any other tips.

Nurse as often as you can, since your daughter is much more efficient at getting milk out than a pump will ever be. I nursed my son for 18 months, and I went back to work when he was 9 weeks old, so I've definitely dealt with the pumping. Though I only pumped til he was about 10 months old. Anyway, to the point, when my supply started to drop because I let myself get very dehydrated once, it took tons of water, pumping, and fenugreek. You can buy the fenugreeak at places like GNC. You take a couple of capsules a couple of times a day, and (hopefully) your production goes up. Start out with the four a day, and increase to six or eight if you don't see results. It can make your sweat smell like maple syrup, which is kind of weird, but I guess that's better than the normal smell of sweat! Don't give up if you want to keep at it.

I had some trouble keeping a good supply of breastmilk when my son was about that age too. I was pumping as well but still couldn't seem to get enough to last more than one day. I began a heavy regimen of the following: lots of water (you mentioned that you're doing this) - eating oatmeal EVERY morning - taking fenugreek tablets (I would get the powder & the empty capsules and fill them myself; it was much cheaper)...about 6-12 pills a day 'til you smell like maple syrup; it was nice for my husband that I was smelling so sweet! - fennel seeds (I would take about 2-3 mouthful's a day, straight no chaser! It was crunchy at first & pretty strong but then I got used to it) - Mother's milk tea @ least 3-5x a day (I'd make a big thermos & drink it throughout the day) - and REST (this is a VERY important thing - make sure that you're getting at least 7 hrs. of sleep a night). It took about 2 weeks to get all of this going in my system, but once I did - my milk was THERE - I also invested in renting a stronger Medela pump and the combination of these things really increased my milk supply. It took such a worry off my mind knowing that I was feeding him so much better. Oh...did I mention that removing all "stressors" is also a very good thing to do. ;) Also, if you are able to get the baby to the breast more often more milk will come because their sucking is much more powerful than the pump. On your days off from work - see if you can work in getting baby to the breast every 2 hrs. I wish you the best of luck!

First off, good for you for feeding your baby breast milk, even when it is extremely inconvenient for you. I would definitely nurse whenever you can since baby is more effective at getting milk than a pump. Also, I would make sure that you are eating enough calories. During growth spurts, you might need to add an extra meal or snacks. I would hold off on supplementing with formula because once you do, you are telling your body it doesn't need to produce as much milk, which sends you on a downward spiral for breastfeeding. Eat eat eat and nurse nurse nurse! You can do it!

are you nursing on the breast when you are at home? this will help keep supply up because a pump is not as efficient as a baby. you can take fenugreek (get at gnc or vitamin store) take 2-8 per day i started with 3 in the morning & 3 at night. there is also mothers milk tea (also get at the vitamin store) i recommend nursing on the breast for a whole weekend (whenever baby wants & as much as baby wants) in order to signal your supply to get back up, then start pumping again, every 2-3 hours. you can also pump one side while baby feeds on other

I think I was meant to answer your question because the same exact thing happened to me with my supply going down - except I became frantic about it and stressed so much it depleated my supply so much that I did have to give my daughter a couple of formula bottles. So I will pass on this knowledge - it's not the end of the world if your daughter has to have one bottle of formula - just because you give her one doesn't mean your supply will automatically dry up. Don't stress out about it - stress is your worse enemy when breastfeeding. With that said - my lactation consultant said when pumping don't stop just cuz milk stops coming out. She told me to do it for at least 10 minutes on each side whether milk is flowing or not keep pumping - it's telling your body to produce more milk. Also you can massage your breasts while pumping. There are 2 let downs per breast and sometimes massaging can get that little extra out and drain each breast completely. Let me tell you also that you should be drinking at least and ounce of water for each pound you weigh. I'm a hefty girl and so what I thought was enough water turned out to be not enough. Now I don't measure it to my weight, but so you know I have a plastic bottle that holds 2.2 liters (which it says it's 8 glasses) and in a 24 hour period I drink 2 1/2 of them. I even pump in the middle of the night. The herb Fenugreek is great! I'm still on it - I take 2 capsules 3 times a day. If the fenugreek doesn't work- which you will see a difference in the first couple days - you may have to take it with other herbs, like alfalfa or fennel. I have found a combination of herbs in a pill call Lactation Ease - which you take 2 capsules twice a day. I know it seems like a lot of pills to take but it's nothing once you get used to taking them on a schedule. I haven't had much success with the mother's milk tea but my friend did. I'm sure your schedule is hectic but another thing I did was took a couple of weekends and nursed all day in bed. Whenever she wanted to nurse I let her. It's great bonding time and relaxation for your body. Get a good book or rent some good movies and lock yourself in your room. My husband even hung out with us which made it great family time! =) Hope this advice helps - please let us know if it did! =)

You are probably still producing enough; however, pumping becomes less effective and yields less after a while. The amount you pump is not indicative of the amount you actually produce. For instance, I have never done anything but nurse and I actually overproduced for the first six or seven months of my now eight-month-old's life, but from about 4 months on if I pumped I could only get like 4 oz. Even though I was pumping (not often) I could still tell that my breasts were not empty. Perhaps you should try nursing/pumping more often. Check with a lactation consultant, but I think if you pumped say every two hours it would help you with the amount you are getting. There are so many women who think that they aren't producing enough, but believe it or not most times they are producing exactly as they should. Not producing is actually a VERY rare problem.

So you have tried pumping every 2 hours? How about calling an LC and asking what type of supplements you could take? I know there are some you can take as I have a friend who made her milk come in so she could breastfeed her ADOPTED daughter. I just don't know what they are because I've never taken them myself.

Well, she could be going through a growth spurt so she is drinking more. Also, do you let her nurse at all? I read somehwere that that helps your body know whow much milk to produce and what nutrients to incude.

That being said - do not feel guilty about having to supplement - I think a lot of people do. I know I did from time time.

Good luck!

Not sure what everyone else has said, but try drinking a beer a couple nights a week. It has natural yeast in it to help you produce. Good luck and if you do have to switch know you gave it to her the first few months, the most important months to get it!!! You can also give her 1/2 BM and 1/2 formula...nothing wrong with mixing it since you are mainly bottle feeding!!

She's probably growth spurting, but what you need to do is set up a set pumping time at night about 2hrs after she goes to bed, and another about an hour before she wakes in the morning. In the morning your breasts will be full and you should be able to pump more, and if you do it an hour before she wakes your breasts have plenty of time to fill back up so she can nurse upon waking.

Try eating oatmeal once a day, drink a dark beer, only drink water to thirst because too much water CAn hamper your supply too. Relax, and just add in an extr apumping at night after she goes to bed and early morning.

Keep nursing and get fenugreek.
You can find it at GNC or any other vitamin store.

Best wishes to you.

This seems to be a pretty common problem with primarily pumping. Babies are usually able to get out more milk than the pump is, so if you can pump first, and then have your baby latch on she will get a litttle more out, which will help increase your production. Obviously you can't do this while at work, but maybe on the weekends and evenings would be enough?

Another thought - there are different kinds of pumps out there, and I have read that some moms are able to get more out with one pump than with another. It might be worth trying a different pump.

I don't know if this is true for other women as well, but for me personally, I have noticed that even moderate exercise reduces my milk supply. So if you're starting back at the gym it might help to do a little less, and make sure to get enough calories. Much as we might be eager to take off the baby weight, it really helps keep milk production up.

Good luck!

use fenugreek fresh or in tablets form i used the fresh form let me know of you want recipies and also where to find some

One more suggestion, since everyone has hit most of the points already.
go to www.tubsntea.com. She has 2 types of Nursing Mom's tea. This is a friend of mine who is a midwife in NM and wildcrafts her own tea. Yes, nurse as often as you can, stay hydrated and eat plenty of good food.
Best of luck to you,
L. M

When I was having issues with my milk supply, my ob/gyn told me to start taking Fenugreek. It's a natural herb (actually is used in cooking quite a bit) and it naturally stimulates milk production. I've known a couple other moms who used it and it worked quite well for them.

Good luck
J.

I too have a 3-month-old & just returned to work this week. After reading your post and all of the great responses you've recieved so far I have nothing new to add exactly. But I agree with the others who suggest nursing as much as possible when you are home with your daughter and keep pumping as often as possible. This is my second child and I did have some rough patches when it seemed as though I wasn't pumping enough and they were usually due to a growth spurt on his part and/or not enough water/food on my part.
Give it time and your body should catch up with the baby's appetite!

Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea has worked for every mom I know, who has taken it. It`s natural tea without caffeine... I've had friends take it and it turned them into a milk producing machine and I also tried it and got a lot of milk production speedily.