I've tried EVERYTHING, how can I increase my milk??

Jennifer Ann Saunders - posted on 11/09/2010

Drink lots of water and take the Phenugreek. You have to take it as it says. Mine was like two pills twice a day. Very important - DO NOT STRESS. Stress is a big factor in decreased supply.

You're doing great!

Angela - posted on 11/08/2010

Eat more.

Rae - posted on 11/08/2010

There's a medication called domperidone, the trade name I know it by is Motilium. Its actually marketed as an anti-nausea drug, but it increases your prolactin levels, and in our area health service (I'm a student midwife in Australia), the doctors and lactation consultants prescribe it all the time, it is a miracle solution for most people with low supply! Check it out if you can find it, highly recommend it.

Jenny - posted on 11/08/2010

I did the more milk plus drops that contain fenugreek and blessed thistle at 2.5 months, stayed on it for 2 months and have had no problems since. It did increase my supply and then didn't go down again. It took about 3 weeks to really start working.

Naheeda - posted on 11/08/2010

I had the exact same problem, I almost gave up breastfeeding. I tried fenugreek and nursing tea, neither worked. I went to a breastfeeding clinic where I met with a lactation consultant and pediatrician. i was prescribed domperidone which is completely safe. I have now been exclusively breastfeeding for six months. I swear by it and would recommend it! Speak to your doctor. Good luck!

BjandMelissa - posted on 11/08/2010

this tea works well, it has the Fenugreek in it also.
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Mama%27s-Mi...

Andrea - posted on 11/07/2010

A lactating consultant told me to take fenugreek found at any vitamin supplement store and follow the directions on the back of the bottle. It helped me produce the milk I needed for my children. Good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 11/07/2010

Gain some weight and see if that helps. Also drink lots of fluids. I used the Mother's Milk Tea that is in the Natural section when I had the same issue with my son. Two years later figured out that he has lower jaw motor/muscle issues that probably prevented him from feeding correctly. I would check with your hospital that you delivered from to see if you can rent one from them. You can check with Freecycle on Yahoo to see someone locally has any they can give you. I got some battery/electric ones that I don't use from people that I just sanitized in case I needed it. (can send to you if you want). Good luck and don't give up. I felt helpless too many many times with my son.

Melissa - posted on 11/06/2010

I had the same problem. My daughter was born at 50th percentile, dropped to 30th, then to 10th at 9 months of age and my pediatrian freaked! The Ped recommened the two herbs mentioned previously, and I did take those until my appointment with a GI specialized. That doctor asked me if I had seen any improvement, to which I said no. He then put me on Reglan and made sure I DID NOT suppliment my child. 2 weeks later we rechecked my daughters weight and still she was falling. Meantime, my daughter was giving me trouble nursing. So that GI doctor asked me if I still wanted to pursue BFing and I admitted that I felt like my daughter was self weaning. I decided I'd give 1 bottle a day and continued adding a bottle/ dropping a feeding every 2 weeks. Ultimately, I gave up BFing at 11 and 1/2 months. It was sad, but my daughter LOVED drinking from the bottle. There was 1 setback later on, but it turned out she wanted the high-flow nipple. Problem solved, daughter happy, weight gain stablized. She's 18 months now and suffers none in developmental milestones.

Jessa - posted on 11/06/2010

When my 4th child was born he had to spend a fair amount of time in the hospital due to breathing and heart problems, they had me pumping for his feeding tube and nursing, they kept telling me I wasn't producing enough milk. Then the lactation consultant came in and said no, my problem was that I was an over producer and I needed to switch to single sided feedings and that my body just didn't work well with a pump. That fixed everything, but in the mean time they ran a whole list of stuff for me to try to increase my milk.

1. Eat oatmeal
2. Take Fenugreek or drink Mother's milk tea (if you don't like black licorice I suggest try anything but the tea, it was horrid!)
3. Take a hot shower or bath before nursing/pumping to try and relax.
4. Reglan is a prescription drug that is used to treat nausea but has also been found to boost a mother's milk supply, either your doctor or pediatrician can prescribe it.
5. Take a short nap or a walk, which ever I found to be more relaxing to make sure I was as relaxed as possible before pumping. (most of my issues were with pumping.)
6.Hand express instead of pumping, it is more natural.
7. Allow my son to pacify on the breast instead of his binky as it would help to stimulate my milk production.
8. Change to a different position to nurse, I found it best to lie down with my son and let him nurse to his little hearts content.

I hope that something in the list helps you, it mostly served to drive me nuts in the hospital during that time.

Sarah - posted on 11/06/2010

I had a few more thoughts after nursing my babe again:

Make your nursing spot super comfy with a big blanket to cuddle together under.

Use pillows to support your lower back, head, arms, and maybe a nursing pillow too. Support yourself so you don't need to use any muscles while nursing and so you can completely relax. Watch your breath flow in and out, lengthening and deepening your breath. Consider nursing a sacred time, for baby and also a little break for yourself. Don't underestimate the power of this.

Several people wrote about oatmeal. I eat a big bowl of yogurt with granola (oats, nuts, fruit) every morning. Maybe that's important.

Talk with your husband and get his support. He will need to "mother the mother" as much as possible. OK, this is a truly valid reason for your husband to wait on you. He can bring you drinks, snacks, rub your feet, tell you how much he adores you ... My husband cooks dinner whenever he is home and that is a huge help.

My last thought: I liked to take baths with my first baby (I have 3 now). We played and relaxed in the tub and he often wanted to nurse there and I had big letdown in a nice warm tub. We joked a lot about milk baths.

Don't pay attention to scales, but rather to how your daughter looks and acts. As long as your babe is a little pudgy, with good color and she is responsive and happy, don't fret about ounces. My daughter is healthy, but my ped. frightened me a bit early on because she wasn't growing rapidly. After worrying for a couple months, I decided I wasn't going to even put her on a scale as long as she was nursing, wetting several diapers a day and having BMs. She's never been a rolly polly baby, but she's healthy. But if your baby looses weight (beyond the weight of a BM) you will rightly be concerned. Make sure you are weighing her on the same scale each time.

In India, a woman's mother stays and takes care of her for 6 months after giving birth. With that in mind, let others help you as much as possible because taking care of a young nursling is a big job.

Montse - posted on 11/06/2010

Lettuce and oatmeal are excellent at enhancing milk production

Stacey - posted on 11/06/2010

Health food stores carry this mothers milk tea. It is all natural - i think it has fenugreek in it. When I was breastfeeding, I drank like 4 cups of it a day. I do think it helped. Good luck.

Ashley - posted on 11/06/2010

My bets recommendation is to NOT supplement especially when you got the "goods' for free... He is gaining weight just fine... .YOU are the parent and the doctor can only make suggestions, but you do not have to abide by them. How are his diapers when you change them? Supplementing will completely mess with your supply and it really is unnecessary. Just make sure your baby stays latched on properly until he tells you he is done. The longer the better. The beginning of the milk is more of the watered down milk. That is why a thirsty baby will nurse a shorter time. When a baby nurses longer they are hungry due to the fact that the nice fatty milk is stored at the end and that will fill their little bellies. Do you co-sleep? If not you could try doing that if you feel comfortable with it.. You will get the great skin to skin contact that helps produce more milk and most likely your baby will stay latched on till he is ready to come off making sure he gets that fatty goodness :-D

Another thing you can do to help boost your supply that is cheap is to buy old fashioned oats... cook them and then let them sit out to ferment. I like to let mine sit for 24 hours. There is no bad taste its just softer and squishier.. Keep it cold, so don't heat it up..You can add anything you want to it when it comes time to eating to flavor it up such as cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, fruits, cream ( I like hazelnut flavored :-D ), chocolate chips... really anything goes. It tastes good AND it works. You can do that probably once or twice a week, but what I also do is try to have just oatmeal in general a couple times a week cuz any oats do help, but its the old fashioned that really does the trick.

Hope this helps!! Best of luck, but I hope that you decided to stop supplementing and give baby booby all the time :) haha

Nicole - posted on 11/06/2010

have you had your thyroid checked? i am curious if your supply is going down because of this...do you have any other symptoms? insomnia, hot or cold? any depression at all? just trying to see if anything else could be contributing. i use Woman's Nursing Support tea by YOGI. it really helps to boost the supply when needed. i have gone through what you are with my first and my thyroid was my problem. good luck and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Lisa - posted on 11/06/2010

Drink alot of water, make sure you are eating enough, and nurse often...and don't supplement!! It sounds like you want this more than anything, so don't give up. You are just at the beginning of your breastfeeding time with your little one, and the first two months for me was absolutely the hardest. It will even out :)

Casey - posted on 11/06/2010

There are things your doctor can prescibe to up your milk production and I've heard Oatmeal helps. I am sorry that you are going through such a hard time. Good luck.

Lori - posted on 11/06/2010

Alli, I had similar issues with breastmilk with my 2nd son. I got strep throat and had to take meds. Not sure what exactly caused it, but I lost a lot of milk and had to supplement. All along I had been pumping so I had lots in storage. I found to bring it back up, I did a few things. I tried a tea for breast milk. I kinda helped. The fenugreek did help. I also found that if I ate oatmeal more often, I developed more milk. I think it was suggested to have oatmeal 3 times a week. I also found that pumping both sides was not absolutely necessary. I fed my son one one side, then pumped the other. I have a double pump, but I do not think I actually ever pumped both sides at the same time. You could feed baby on one side, then switch, if you are able to, pump from the first side while baby is on the second side, then once baby is done, you can pump the second side. Rest also helps develop milk. I wish you luck, I have been there and know it is not easy to bring your supply up, but it is possible with patience and perseverence.

Sarah - posted on 11/06/2010

I have the opposite problem: too much milk! Here are my keys to an (over) abundant supply:

1. Nurse in a quiet spot where you can totally relax: a special chair, in your bed, somewhere you can put your feet up and lean your head back.

2. Relax while nursing. Know you are giving your babe the best possible nutrition.

3. Eat. A lot. Feed yourself well with lots of whole and nutrient dense foods. When you eat dairy, buy whole milk. Don't shy away from fat: avocados, olive oil, butter - it's all good. Beans, veggies, some protein. Just stay away from refined flours and sugars which won't nourish. If you eat meat, boil some bones for homemade stock, save the gelatin in the bottom of the pan when you roast a chicken and add it to soups. My Whole Foods has started listing foods' ANDI scores, which measures their nutritional density, which is helpful. Eat! Eat! Eat!

4. Have an occasional beer! Or you can drink hops tea, but that's not nearly as yummy. You can read about alcohol and breastfeeding on Kellymom.com. Essentially, if you feel o.k. to drive, you're o.k. to breastfeed and the alcohol leaves your breastmilk as your body metabolizes the alcohol in your blood. If I have a drink, I usually do so after putting my baby to bed when I expect her to sleep a few hours at least.

5. Evaluate your nutritional needs. I supplement with Calcium/Magnesium, a prenatal multi, Vit. D, C and chlorella, and 500 mg DHA/ 100 mg EPA, which is important for baby's neurological development.

6. How about some yoga? Take some time for yourself, open up your body, and then relax! Maybe find a restorative class or check out some of the free podcasts on iTunes.

7. Herbs like Fenugreek can also help. Mothers' Milk tea has been mentioned.

Find a La Leche League leader to talk to and go to a meeting for support and to make new friends.

Best luck!! You have a lot of tools at your disposal. And you always do have the option to supplement if you exhaust your options and your babe still needs more. No one will judge you if you end up taking that route.

Louise - posted on 11/06/2010

I use blessed thistle and find it works really well. I have used it on its own and also in conjunction with weleda nursing tea (which has fenugreek in it) and I think that is a great combination. Hope it works for you, don't give up hope Im sure you will find something :)

Jennifer - posted on 11/05/2010

I also had issues with poor milk supply with my first child. I saw a lactation consultant and they recommended the combination of fenugreek and blessed thistle (at high doses as was referred to in an earlier post), however, I was told that this works better if you take immediately after your baby's birth. I was prescribed domperidone since I wasn't able to see the consultant until my son was 5 weeks old. I did have to supplement, however, I used a tube and supplemented at the breast. Luckily with my second child I didn't have these issues, however, just to be safe I stocked up on the fenugreek and domperidone before he was born and took it right from the get go. You can get the amount you need to take from Jack Newman (who is referred to on the Kelly Mom site and has a book on breastfeeding - it was his clinic I went to). (general info can be found at http://www.drjacknewman.com/ and specific info on the herbs can be found at http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_...)

Jessie - posted on 11/04/2010

I used fenugreek and drank Mother's Milk Tea (traditional medicinals I think is the brand I used) and they worked well for me to get a boost. If you have the manual pump use it after every breastfeeding session on both breasts (take turns, go back and forth every few minutes, etc until you find something that works) if you "have" to supplement only do so after your baby has nursed from both breasts and then use your manual pump while your baby eats from a bottle. Talk a warm bath or shower trying using the manual pump in there. I took my baby into the bath tub with me to help him stay awake to nurse as a newborn he just latched on and promptly fell asleep without really getting any milk out. Unfortunately I borrowed my electric pump from my best friend so I dont have one to give away :( You can do this!

Rhonda - posted on 11/04/2010

I found a breast pump through my midwife's office, she had leads on where to get one. Also, I noticed as I was searching on ebay for new valves for my pump that there were several double pumps for 50 or less.
I agree with everyone else about supplementing. When my new baby was jaundice our Ped recommended supplementing, instead, I just started waking her every hour and having her nurse. Although our situation was different I found that my supply increased by doing that for just a day.
It is tough when you are struggling breastfeed... hang in there, your body knows what to do.

Ania - posted on 11/04/2010

Listen...don't freak out ...and relax...Do you know that doctor's use growth charts according to formula fed babies? so really don't get scared, your milk supply is probably fine and if your breasts feel empty it is because they finally adjusted to what your baby needs that happens around 6-8 weeks from the moment the baby was born. Also does your baby seem happy? if yes why would you supplement with formula? Feeding with formula will eventually decrease your milk supply because if there is no demand there is no production. go to www.kellymom.com it is a great website If you need to talk or ask more questions just email me I will try to help. I've done a lot of research and I'm still doing it. join kellymom on facebook they always have the latest articles about stuff like that. Honestly stop formula feeding, what percetile your son is? just breastfeed and breastfeed and drink drink drink water don't stress and rest you still need a lot of rest. Hang in there. I have a good pump but I also borrowed it from someone so I can't help you on this one

Ania - posted on 11/04/2010

I jst posted on my facebook a movie about pumping. and I posted here as a new conversation it is a link through kellymom.com you should check it out it should help

Amanda - posted on 11/04/2010

fenugreek and blessed thistle do both work. also you can get domperidone from your dr. i have supply issues and just have to keep feeding as often as i can

Kathy - posted on 11/03/2010

Amanda, there's lots of useful advice here - have you had a chance to have a look? You might find it a good idea to consult a lactation specialist.

Amanda - posted on 11/03/2010

im having the same problems right now i just got done taken reglan to increase my milk supply but ive been done taken that for a few days now and it seems my milk supply has gone back done again and im getting so furstrated im about to give up but i dont want to my daughter refuses to take a bottle and i feel guilty not being able to give her what she wants and needs ive asked for help people keep says the same thing and im just wanted breast feeding to be easier then formula but its not its way harder

Kathy - posted on 11/03/2010

Thanks Sarah, that's what we've all forgotten!

Sarah - posted on 11/03/2010

You have lots of great advice here, but one thing you may not be doing is relaxing. I think the number one killer of milk supplies is stress! Do the best you can with all this advice, and when all is done sit back and enjoy this little baby. Let your own hormones get to work. I had a difficult time nursing my first. I started out with a great supply, but I got sidetracked when the doctor said he wasn't gaining weight. And I worried that because it hurt so much I wasn't doing it right. My supply did dwindle, but I was able to nurse 10 months. I did even better with each child after because I wasn't so stressed about it. Give yourself a pat on the back. You're doing great and your baby will benefit from anything you can give.

Kathy - posted on 11/03/2010

Kacey, physical traumas, such as a breast reduction, don't always respond to the sort of advice we've been giving Alli.

Have you had professional advice on your situation? Did the surgeon who performed your breast reduction give you any information about possible effects on lactation?

There are some medications (Domperidone?) that can help with increasing supply, although that's not their primary purpose. This is a medical matter, and you'd need to discuss it with your health professional. I assume such drugs are only available on prescription.

Kacey - posted on 11/03/2010

i've been having this same problem! i think it's do to my breast reduction but i can't be sure it my health unit so long to give me an electric double breast pump and it's not working to increase my supply either. i'm at my wits end too! my son is 2 months old too! if it's stressing you out you may have to quit knowing that you gave him a great start!

Bridie - posted on 11/03/2010

My milk took 9 days to come in and I had to feed my son every hour and pump in between. But once my milk was a little more established, I still didn't have a lot, but I found if I drank a beer or a guiness it would increase my milk almost instantly. However, I know it's not ideal to be drinking whilst breastfeeding but it helped me and my son is 1 next week and i'm still breastfeeding.

Heather - posted on 11/03/2010

First off a purchasing a second hand pump is a bad idea, even if you sterilize it there is a chance it could pass diseases such as Hepatitis or HIV. I personally rented a pump from the hospital while I was trying to increase my supply, after 1 month I no longer needed a medical grade electric pump & have been able to get by with a single manual pump since then. Pumping while nursing is a great way to increase supply as the pump will be more effective, unless your baby is having problems latching he is doing a much more efficient job of getting milk than any pump will so nurse as often as possible. Do not supplement, as this will decrease your supply - if you absolutely must supplement nurse baby first then once he seems to be done offer him a bottle to "top off the tank" rather than replace the feeding altogether.

Evelyn - posted on 11/02/2010

Fenugreek works for me, I was starting a birth control pill which drastically decreased my supply, so I stopped the pill, and took fenugreek capsules twice a day. Also, I drink the tea at night (milkmaid tea with fenugreek seeds added)...my supply is back up, I exclusively breast feed. It helped me, hope it works for you.

Kathy - posted on 11/02/2010

Just a reminder that herbal and other supplements will only work if you breastfeed frequently with a correct latch. Alli, I notice in your original post that you/ve tried breastfeeding only every few hours - they key, in fact, is breastfeeding FREQUENTLY. Allow your baby free access to your breast. If he/she sleep too long you might even have to wake him/her up!

Noelle - posted on 11/02/2010

yes I have used fenugreek but the trick is you have to take way more than the bottle says to take (like 3 caps 3 times per day I think) it worked a little bit, there was also a prescription through my doc: reglan I think, it helped to but made me SUPER sleepy, I was also told to have a beer as the brewers yeast is helpful for milk spply. traditional medicinals makes a mothers milk tea that helps with milk supply too and kellymom.com is a great website as I had seen some one else had suggested. nursing alot is helpful(like every two hours atleast and drink a LOT of water. hope these suggestions are helpful and not redundant. good luck!

Mary - posted on 11/02/2010

I agree, Stop supplementing. That will continue to decrease your supply. Nurse as much as he wants to nurse, even initiate some feedings. If he is sleeping long stretches (longer than 3-4 hours) I would wake him up to nurse.
It is hard to have a smaller baby. One that doesn't go with the weight charts. That's how my first is. She was born 6 lbs 3 oz and never gained weight as quickly as the ped's wanted. I exclusively nursed her for 9 months. I contacted a pediatric nutritionist who told me to check for 3 thing before deciding if baby is getting enough. 1) Diapers, Is baby having wet and dirty diapers? If yes, (6-10 a day) then baby is getting enough. 2) Is baby content? Does he fuss a lot? Try to curl up, Stick his hands in his mouth? Feed him when he fusses. Even if you think its just for comfort, even if he just ate. Some babies are cluster feeders (meaning they eat multiple times in a short length of time) 3) Is he meeting milestones?
If he's doing all these things you have NOTHING to worry about!!!
At about this time your supply starts to regulate and baby has a growth spurt so you may feel like you aren't making as much as you used too and that he isnt getting enough, but rest assured, you are! Your body has the ability to build a child from 2 half cells and your body has the ability to nourish him! Don't give up!
Also, it would be beneficial to cut out pacifier usage so that you are getting more nipple stimulation. skin to skin contact helps, nursing in the bath tub helps, taking your prenatals helps, drinking tons of water (or juice) helps, & even drinking a beer helps increase supply. pumping can help but its not necessary & I've personally increased my supply (accidentally) by using a cheap single electric pump ($30 from walmart) by pumpin once every morning

i dont have one sorry! :(

i havent tried either, sorry! : (

To decide if he is getting enough

Brandy - posted on 11/02/2010

If there's enough coming out then there is enough going in...he should have 5-6 wet diapers a day and 1-2 dirty at least every 2-3 days for his age. Color also plays an important role.....wet diapers should be a light yellow, if they are dark yellow/amber in color baby may be dehydrated.
If you are supplementing remember always nurse first and offer very little supplement after (like 1/2oz at a time) until he is full.
Also try oatmeal...not the instant kind the cooking kind. Fenugreek works for alot of women. Are you on WIC? Even if they can't give you a dbl elec pump to keep they may have a pump to loan you. I found my one pump on ebay.
Also, if you can, take a few days and spend them in bed with baby...skin-to-skin and nursing whenever he wants. Also try pumping one breast while he is latched onto the other or pumping after feeding on that side(for the extra stimulation).
If you do get a dbl elec pump you could pump after feedings for the extra stimulation (even if you get little to nothing out at that time) or even power pumping: take a 1hr period for 3days in a row, pump for 10min then rest for 10min and repeat the process for the entire hour.
Also remember that breastfed babies grow at a different rate than formula fed babies.

Mary - posted on 11/02/2010

Alli:
I think there has been a lot of good advice here. One question: are you sure your child isn't getting enough milk? How are you judging this? When you go to see the pedi, they use a growth chart standardized for formula fed babies. You may want to try plotting weight and length yourself on a breast feeding chart:
http://www.massbfc.org/news/growthChart2...
If your child is growing and eliminating then there may not be a problem. I would avoid supplementing unless there is a medical need to do so, or there is truly a supply issue. Otherwise, there's lots of good advice there, and remember you are doing a great job!!!!

Melissa - posted on 11/02/2010

Kellymom.com helped me so much. i havent had any issue getting milk out actually i need it to stop. but oatmeal, and i know a positive relaxed attitude helps. not saying your not doing this just helpful for you to be stress free and very positive maybe even thinking of him/her at the moments might help it does for me! but try that site it is a good one

Katie - posted on 11/02/2010

When I need to increase my supply (Mainly to have enough milk to pump and freeze) I used Mother's milk tea. You can get it at health food stores. It worked for me. Also, try to nurse more often. Even if your LO doesn't seem that hungry. That's the most efficient way to increase your supply. I didn't ever seem to not have enough milk for my DD. I just needed more to freeze. I always had an abundance of milk like my mother did.

Amanda - posted on 11/02/2010

As others have said, supplementing will only hurt your supply. Spend a few days in bed with your little one when your significant other can cater to you. Take the opportunity to relax and strengthen your bond. Catch up on reading, sleeping and movies. Stressing out about your milk supply will only make it worse. Just relax and accept where you are at with it and I garauntee it will start to go up.



Make sure you are drinking enough, but not too much as that will have the same affect as not drinking enough. Try drinking an glass of water whenever you breastfeed.



Eat oatmeal every morning, you can plan ahead and even get it cooking in the crockpot overnight. There are also recipes available for yummy lactation cookies.



Drink a dark beer every night before bed.



Make sure you are eating at least one warm meal a day. Chicken, turkey, dark leafy greens, chick peas are a few things that can help with supply.



If you try the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, take equal quantities of both. The max dose is about 3 capsules of each, 3 times daily. Start with 1 capsule of each 3 times daily though and work your way up. The Fenugreek should make you smell like maple syrup. Watch out for gassiness in you and babe though as that can be a side effect of the Fenugreek.



There are a few good lactation blends out there as well. MotherLove makes one, a tincture called More Milk. It doesn't taste great, but you don't have to take a million pills. Gaia herbs also makes a Lactation Blend in a phyto capsule.



Check out http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article... for more diet and herbal help. Hilary Jacobson, the woman who runs the site, has a fantastic book called Mother Food. It was an invaluable resource for me. It is a print to order book so it takes a little time to get it. Definitely worth it though.



Also check out the videos here http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeedi... This was another invaluable resource for me.



Here is the recipe for some lactation cookies http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/lactation... I love the peaceful parenting site.



Good luck momma! You are doing great!

Oh and here is an article from Best for Babes on "Booby Traps" http://www.bestforbabes.org/breastfeedin...

Jennifer - posted on 11/01/2010

i've been told by nearly everyone to drink lots and lots of water.

Lisa - posted on 10/31/2010

When I had my first daughter the nurses at the center gave me whole milk to drink. You may not only want more milk you also want quality milk that's satisfying your son's nutritional needs. I'm not a Dr. but look at what you eat, when you eat, don't feed on a empty stomach. And don't just try to increase and you are not eating well. What you eat your baby eats through the breast milk. So first forget the more and work on the quality the more he drinks the supply should increase. Oh check the herb store.....please for the herb that helps to increase the breast milk flow...don't forget eat healthy...drink whole milk if you can.

Janice - posted on 10/31/2010

Eating fish will increase milk supply.

Dee - posted on 10/31/2010

look on craigslist. that is where i found an electric double pump

Alli - posted on 10/31/2010

Thank you all SO MUCH. It is really discouraging when this happens & NO ONE in my family has breast-fed so they don't understand the emotional distress it causes when you can't seem to nurse :( I definitely appreciate all of the help & hopefully you'll all see a new post soon that says "Hey! I'm making more milk than ever now!" :) Elias definitely appreciates it too!

Carolyn - posted on 10/31/2010

i use that same pump and like at as well. i have to admit tho i have a slight over supply , but only pump 2-3 times a day to load the freezer up , as my son nurses every feed.

i dont know how well the mipump will hold up being used steadily, or for someone with difficutly expressing milk.

Chelsea - posted on 10/31/2010

Keep your chin up, and as the other ladies said do not supplement! Not all babies fallow the *curve* they make their OWN curve. Here is a cheap double pump, that I LOVE...http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDe...
Walmart has some cheaper ones, the playtex one is really good.... anything can help. Just keep trying!