Will My Milk Supply Increase?

Hello,
In the past I have suggested to women to use Milkthistle to increase their milk supply. Making it as a tea is preferred but it does come in capsules. To make the tea boil the water add tea bag and cover for 20-30 minute drink this 3-4 times/day. This should get you up and going in no time. If you do the capsules, take 2-3, 3-4X/day. good luck
L.

I have a four week old too! And, with my first (3 years old) I had IMS (Insufficient Milk Supply). I worked so hard to get my supply up and know what you're going through. I eventually nursed for 13 months (with supplementing a bit) and here are some of my thoughts.

Be careful with Reglan. It can have side effects of depression. Just watch it closely so that you know if you're starting to feel down.

You need that baby to stimulate your milk supply. Pumping is great ( my family called me the pumpinator) but you need the baby's suck. Can you get him on the breast? I fed my son 15 minutes each side and then pumped. Its hard at first, but the crucial time period is the first 3 months. So, its just a season of time that you're doing this!

Often a mom who pumps will not get out as much as the baby can pull out. Even with moms who have lots of milk, they pump less than the baby actually eats. Don't let the low amount of pumped milk discourage you.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP: Get a prescription for Domperidon (rather than Reglan). Its the best drug out there. It is the ONLY thing that worked for my milk supply. Its a bit costly, has to be made at the pharmacy (so you need to find a pharmacy that knows about it), and is often not prescribed b/c Drs. don't know about it. I had it in MT with my first son. When I moved to PA the lactation nurse here told me that its the best thing available for milk production but they have trouble getting Drs. to prescribe it b/c they are not educated about it. It is not FDA approved for breast feeding. But, my lactation specialist in MT had done a lot of research on it and had educated the Drs. so my OB group prescribed it and the pharmacy in in my city regularly made it. It worked like a charm. You have to take it every 6 hours regularly. If you need some materials on it, let me know and I'll track it down for you.

Don't be discouraged!!! Relaxing is best for your milk supply. And, with my baby no. 2, I have plenty of milk. So, all the work I did with No. 1 paid off for this baby.

Good luck.

K.,

Congratulations on your little miracle! It is wonderful that you are willing to put this much effort into breastfeeding when so many are quick to take the easy way out.

Have you seen and IBC lactation consultant? How were you diagnosed with a "low" supply? What was the baby's diaper count BEFORE you started supplementing? You say you are pumping every 2-3 hours, is that around the clock?

The average pump output for a nursing mother is .5 to 2 oz total from both breasts and some women do not respond well to pumps so pumping is not a good indicator of supply. This info and a ton of other can be verified through www.kellymom.com which is my go to site for all things related to breastfeeding.

Are you pumping at least 12 times per day? At this stage of the game, newborns are nursing around the clock for longer and longer periods. At one point, I sat down and figured it out and my daughter was nursing for more than 8 hours per day. Keeping her on the breast as long as she could stay on really helped to establish the my milk supply.

Are you eating and staying hydrated? You can also try adding oatmeal to your diet. How much Fenugreek and reglan are you taking. I've often heard that if you don't smell like maple syrup, you aren't taking enough. There are a variety of herbs and teas that can help increase your supply.

What kind of a pump are you using? Given that you're struggling, you should really look into renting a hospital grade double electric pump if you have not already done so. This type of pump is much more likely to be able to help you induce and maintain a healthy milk supply. At the very minimum you need a heavy duty double electric pump designed for daily use.

Have you been to any la leche meetings or looked for any other local groups for in person support? There's a wonderfful online community on www.livejournal.com (a free journaling site) called Adopt a Mom (http://community.livejournal.com/adopt_a_mom/profile). It provides one on one support to nursing moms ESPECIALLY those who are struggling. There are also several pumping related communities.

Being prone to plugged ducts can make the road bumpier, but it is possible to work through that. Do you put the baby to the breast at all? Will the baby still latch?

Please don't despair mama and don't give up. You are giving your son a precious gift and the best possible start you can. It is worth all the effort you put into it.

Please PM me if there is anything I can help you with.

S.

I have a friend who went thru the same thing. Turns out the fertility problem was the same reason she didn't make a lot of milk. She decided to do what milk she could and formula. I have successfully bf 3 children and hadn't heard of this until recently but it makes sense...hormones...keep up with it if you canm. Sounds like you are doing a fabulous job already with all your hatd workm. Also check out kellymom.com

Healthy nursing tea was the only remedy which worked and improved my low milk flow.

Hi, K.!
First of all, congratulations on your baby, your commitment & all of you hard work!!!!

Second, I agree with everything that Sarah M said!!!!! This chic knows what she's talking about!

Just to reiterate a few points, pumping is NEVER, ever an indication of milk supply. You'd think it would be, but it's not. Some women just respond poorly to one. Also, at this age, your baby still has a very small belly, so your body doesn't NEED to produce a lot of milk at one feeding. At this age too, your body is adjusting to the fact that you only gave birth to one child, not an army. So your body will only make enough milk to feed one person, instead of wasting ALL that effort & energy making milk that no one drinks. Chances are too, that if you're getting a lot of plugged ducts, you're making more than enough milk! In fact, it's often a sign of OVER supply, not low supply.

Babies do typically nurse every 1-2 hrs (from the START of one feeding to the next, not in between!) for several weeks & they often "cluster feed" several times a day too (most often, but not always, at night).

Nursing is one of nature's most perfect examples of supply & demand. The more that is demanded, the more that is supplied. That being said, the more you supplement, the less your body will make, because the less demand is being placed on it.

Along with the plugged ducts, you may need to stop wearing a bra w/ an underwire (if you haven't already) or stop wearing one all-together for a while. Underwire's are a big culprit of plugged ducts.

One more tidbit of advice: call your local La Leche League Leader ASAP & start going to meetings!!! The support & information that you get from them is truly priceless. I credit the VAST majority of my success nursing my children to LLL!

I hope that that helps some!
Congrats again & take care!

Congratulations on your baby boy! Great job being so dedicated to breastfeeding. I'm not nearly as versed as everyone else here, but wanted to reiterate that liquids are so important. I'm sure you're already drinking a ton, but I would notice a direct correlation with drinking a lot of water in a day and a huge increase in milk production. No caffeine, which I'm sure you know as well. Also, someone recommended renting a hospital-grade pump. I did that and it worked REALLY well. I believe it was called Ameda. Best Wishes!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Yes, you can be successful even though you seem to be proned to clogged milk ducts. Once your little guy latches on they won't clog as much. I know they can be very painful (the clogged ducts). Use warm compresses and a nice warmest you can stand shower.

It takes a little while to really get a large supply. Your body is making the amount your son is eating. Make sure your eating your 3 meals a day and a few healthy snacks in between. Drink lots of water - milk etc. Your pediatrician is seeing him regularly for his routine check ups. The pediatrician will let you know if your son needs a supplement formula. Most pediatricians recommend you breast feed as long as possible. Breast milk is the BEST for your little one.

KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB OF BREASTFEEDING K. IT WILL GET EASIER TO BREASTFEED IT'S ALWAYS ROUGH IN THE BEGINNING!

I hope this helps?

A little about me: Mom of 4 Grandma of 1.
I. B.

Hello K.!
Just wanted to share some advice/info that i have learned from a very excellent book "So that's what their for!"
1) the more you supplement (give a bottle) the less milk your body makes as the baby is not at your breast stimulating production...remember supply and demand...
2) a pump is not nearly as efficient as your baby at removing the milk
3) frequent nursing (on demand) will help with plugged milk ducts and as you nurse more and more may eliminate the problem completely! ***as will plenty of water and rest.....if you do get a plugged duct apply hot water to the area, massage downward, then put the baby to the affected breast...(worked EVERY time for me...advice from an RN)
4) it is much easier for baby to extract milk from a bottle than from your breast...this could "confuse" your baby boy and cause his suck to "weaken" at your breast which could decrease your milk supply
5) it is best to wait to give a binky to avoid "nipple confusion" as they call it

**I am in no way an expert on breastfeeding...just sharing what i have read/learned...hang in there...i stopped breastfeeding my baby at a month and regret that decision somewhat....(as soon as i gave my dd a bottle i noticed a difference in her suck at the breast almost instantly...my milk supply dwindled soon after....
try and find the book "so that's what their for" or go to kellymom.com for some excellent advice!

Hi K.,

Congratulations on your new little one! Reading your post I felt like I was reading my own story from 7 months ago. I have been there and it DOES get better!!! But, it does take a while, so hang in there!

I had a low supply from day one. What I had to do for almost 3 months was to nurse her, then pump immediately after nursing her and give her whatever I pumped in a bottle. During this time she was also being supplemented with formula b/c she was not gaining enough weight. Some important things to remember is that the baby is much more efficient than a pump. So, I would recommend nursing the baby, then pumping. You will not get much pumped milk this way, but the pumping gives you extra stimulation which increases milk production (supply and demand). You may also want to consider renting a hospital grade pump. They are more powerful and can help to boost your supply. I rented one just for 2 months until my supply improved. The Fenugreek worked wonders for me! I have been taking it for many months. If I notice my supply dipping for any reason, I increase my Fenugreek for a couple days. I have also read that oatmeal helps to boost milk production, so I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast.

I also had mastitis twice in the same breast within my baby's first 6 weeks of life. (Not sure if it was due to plugged ducts or what). Even to this day, that breast produces less milk because of the infections, but I have had no further problems. I think the longer you bf the easier it is b/c your body finally figures it all out. All the books I have read say it takes 6 weeks for breastfeeding to be well-established. If I had listened to that I would have given up! It took me a good 3-4 months before I really felt like everything came together. I'm not saying that to scare or discourage you- just know that if things aren't great by 6 weeks it doesn't mean they won't be! Things are so good now I almost forget how rough it was in the beginning.

Don't feel bad about having to supplement. Do what is best for you and your baby. My daughter has been supplemented since day 1. I give her as much breastmilk as possible and then supplement if needed. She still always gets a formula bottle before bed b/c my supply is really low at that time of day and she can't get enough from me to be satisfied before bed. Another note on nipple confusion. My daughter has NEVER had a problem going back and forth between breast, bottle, and pacifier. She was started on a bottle at 1 week old and has at least one bottle most days of the week. In fact, all my friends who waited to introduce bottles the recommended 6 weeks never got their babies to take bottles.

Good luck!!!

I had some problems with my milk supply with my second. I was drinking mother's milk tea and was told to nurse him and then pump immediately after. It seemed all I was doing was nursing and pumping, but eventually my supply did increase. It is possible, but don't be discouraged if you need to keep supplementing. Whatever breast milk you can provide will be beneficial for your little guy.

K.,

Don't give up! I found that nursing my three kids (including twins) that the body makes milk as the baby needs it. Unless you have found with your lactation consultant that this is not the case with you, you should continue trying to nurse. Personally, I found a pump would not make the same amount as nursing. I pumped for six weeks before my twins came home from the hospital and it wasn't until they really were strong enough to latch on that the milk really started flowing.

I had the same problem with both of my children. I was able to ebf for about 2 weeks and then the supply went down. Both children had thrush, I got it on my nipples, that caused pain and stress, I couldn't relax, no let-down, no milk...horrible cycle. With DD1 I pumped and eventually used the supplimenter (I know all about that thing) until I realized I was spending more time obsessing about what she was eating and not enough time just being happy with her. Eventually we went from 1 supplementary bottle to all formula (after mixing formula and expressed milk for 2 months.) 2nd DD, same deal- pumped 12X a day (only got about 10 oz. total) fed expressed milk w/formula, visited an acupuncturist, took herbs, drank gallons of water, lasted about 6 weeks. Believe me, you are doing the best you can, and according to our pediatrician the most important thing to give your child is the colostrum, which you have gotten through no problem! Do what you can do, and if you just can't produce anymore, return the pump, buy some bottles, and just move on. My older DD is 5 and reads on a 3rd-grade level, never had an ear infection, and is doing just fine! My younger dd does get ear infections, but she's also talking in full paragraphs (she just turned 2) and is otherwise healthy! So again, do what you can. If I have a 3rd child I'm not even going to try to bf...take care!! You're the best mommy ever!

increase liquids.

sometimes not possible and your not a failure if you can't. Relax use formula and enjoy the baby.

I agree with plenty of liquids for plugged ducts. And...plenty of rest??? Yeah, right! Good luck!

Hi,
I am an acupuncturist. I have had success with getting breast milk to flow with acupuncture. I don't know where you live. I am in Northeast Philly at ###-###-####. If you live close by call me I may be able to help. If I am not in your neighborhood then go on www.acupuncture.com and search for acpuncturists that are located near you. Good luck and congratulations on your new family.