Breastfeeding... need advice on how to make more milk...

Lindsey - posted on 02/12/2010

pumping all of the time is important! i was having the same problem at first, but got the hang of it! and you should be eating as if you were still pregnant! if you don't eat enough, then you won't make enough! and drink at least 64 oz of fluids a day! sometimes i only make 2 or 3 oz at a time, but recently i have been able to make 3 to 10 oz in an hour period! it is hard to keep your baby latched on and well fed at the same time! you will never have any time to yourself unless you can pump because you can tell how much they are eating, and can make sure that they are eating enough! just be patient with it too, because it may take a long time to get the milk out and get used to it, but it really is worth it! a manual pump is great, especially if you can't afford an electric one! i have both, and they really make life easier! :)

Tanesha - posted on 02/12/2010

You can always try to pump in between feedings and drink lots of fluids. The more you feed or pump, the more milk your body will produce

Marla - posted on 02/10/2010

Lots of water and pumping!

Sabrina - posted on 02/10/2010

There's a medication you can get from your doctor called Reglan (Metaclopramide). It's made to treat heartburn, but has the side effect of increasing breastmilk supply. My doctor has me taking it 3 times a day for 10 days, now on day 3, and I've noticed a big difference already!

Darlene - posted on 02/10/2010

I've also heard that oatmeal helps. So does adding in pumping sessions as much as possible.

Good Luck!

Courtney - posted on 02/10/2010

Pumping!!! Omg everytime I need to pump for something my supply ups like crazy. Pump for 15 mins an hour after feeding or at least an hour BEFORE feeding so theres enough for baby. Freezing breastmilk does kill off all the white blood cells (which is basically the main benefit for breastfeeding) but is still good- i try to just keep it refrigerated. You could have someone else feed your baby the milk out of the fridge and pump while they feed so the milk in the fridge deoesnt go bad (30 minutes if youre skipping the feeding though). I got the First Years double pump from Target for about 80 bucks and it works great.
Also, I just read in one of my parenting mags that oatmeal helps (? Worth a try)
Good luck!

Kimberly - posted on 02/08/2010

I swear by the fenugreek. I drink the tea that has it in it with fennel and such. I was almost completely dry, I was feeding my little one 70% formula after I had my gallbladder out. The drugs from it just wiped out my milk supply completely. After a week of taking the fenugreek I didn't have to use any formula. I don't think that it was only the fenugreek that helped, but I think that it helped tremendously. I was very skeptical about it before I tried it. Even now If I feel like she's hungry and I don't feel very full, I'll have a cup of the tea and it seems to make me feel fuller quicker. A few gals in my breastfeeding support group have had similar results. It can't hurt to try it. They sell it at walmart for like $4.

Rachel - posted on 02/08/2010

Drink lots of water! its helped me!

Lindsay - posted on 02/08/2010

Brewers yeast and blessed thistle are other common things people take. I tried brewers yeast though and found it had a disgusting aftertaste that invoked my gag reflex.



Anyway, another possibility is using a breast pump between feeds or straight after a feed. The resultant breast milk can always be given to your child. This was what my health visitor suggested. Hope that helps