My milk supply is low

Monika - posted on 05/03/2013

It depends on a mom, I have low milk supply and pumpings after feedings increased my milk supply, but from 1 oz to 3 oz, that's 3 oz altogether , not from each breast. :( My lactation consultant and pediatricians praise me, so I feel less of a bad mother. However, I do have to supplement with formula, but I respond to baby's cues. If she's starving and crying out I will give her a small 2 oz formula, I try not to feed her formula during daytime, I keep on nursing, supplement before bedtime, pump while she's asleep... sigh.

Laura - posted on 10/03/2009

Did no one mention a good DARK beer? Not a long term solution but a good jump start! and my Dr.. recommended Steal Cut Oats.

Sarah - posted on 10/03/2009

Best thing to do is pump for an extra 5-10 min after each feeding, and try to build up a bigger supply. Pump every two hours that he isn't nursing and store that up as well. I am not a big one on drugs or having to take something extra, SO that is all I would suggest. And drink LOTS of water....water makes milk!! When you pump, pump both breast at the same time, this stimulates the breasts to let down and release more milk.

Ashley - posted on 10/03/2009

take in more calories, drink lots of water, even drinking ensure as well, also at babies r us there is tea to help stimulate it,, also think to your self i need more milk,gaze at your baby, the body will respond!

Ruth - posted on 10/03/2009

mums that have stopped breast feeding can restart after several months, it just takes time to build up supply by regular 3 hourly pumping

Ruth - posted on 10/03/2009

pump off a couple of oz at the beginning of the feed.

pump every 3 hours to build up supply, it takes about 3/4 days for supply to increase.

drink plenty of fluids e.g water

rest with your feet up if and when you can

eat a healthy diet, with iron rich foods eg green leafy vegetables

Ruth - posted on 10/03/2009

very good advice I agree

Shirley - posted on 10/03/2009

if you don't have a pump... read my story how to get a Medela for cheap

Shirley - posted on 10/03/2009

Start pumping, it will come back

Liecil - posted on 10/03/2009

The best thing u should do to increase ur milk supply is to eat lots of green veges .Drink plenty of fluids...water or soup.goodluck

Jackie - posted on 10/01/2009

Hi Chantell! I recommend pumping, pumping, pumping and pumping some more. I recently quit pumping and my milk supply dwindled. In my experience, it has been a supply and demand process. The more your body thinks it needs to make, the more it will.

Jaclyne - posted on 10/01/2009

drink mothers milk tea w/ fennel seed. fenugreek is also a plus, but if ur baby has peanut allergy don't do it. i do the mothers milk tea and fennel seed and drink a lot of water.

Kristi - posted on 10/01/2009

i got some great advice from the web site www.ameda.com check it out, im sure it will be helpfull to you!

Jessica - posted on 10/01/2009

Pump after every feeding. more nipple stimulation = more milk production

Amber - posted on 10/01/2009

I personally think you don't need supplements. If you incorporate pumping sessions into your day every day at the same time your body will know to produce milk at that time. For example, you can designate 10:00 am and 9:00 pm as your pumping sessions your body will learn to make milk for those times. It's supply and demand; your body will think baby needs those 2 extra feedings per day so it will increase your supply to meet that demand.

HTH

Francesca - posted on 10/01/2009

The more you pump, the more you will make. After he has finished his feed. Start to pump. (Remember you want him to get the very nutrient rich fore milk that is at the beginning of each feed/hind milk is the thick ending milk that is very fatty to help your little man gain weight) Even if it feels like you are not getting anything, the suction will stimulate production. And drink plenty of fluids.



Personally, I stay away from herbal products. My doctor said that they can be harmful to my baby. So check with your doctor before starting anything new. :) Good Luck.

Geneva - posted on 10/01/2009

Start pumping right after your baby feeds. I've found that I can always get a little more even after my baby is done eating (usually I think just because he is tired or full). Once you get enough to fill the freezer bags (5 oz or so) then start freezing them. I visited a lactation specialist when my son was 2 weeks old and she wanted me to start doing it then even though I wouldn't be going back until he was 4-5 months old. Good luck!

Jamie - posted on 10/01/2009

I use fengugreek, it won't work if it isn't involved with your prolactin levels. They say before you return to work have enough milk for about a day and half. You should also pump while you're at work to replace those missed feedings so you can continue.

Pam - posted on 10/01/2009

SOME IDEAS:



-Nurse in different positions every time.

-Pump BEFORE you feed your baby, your body will let-down again for baby, but not for pump.

-Pump one breast WHILE NURSING on the other - and only feed from one breat each time.

-Contact your local LaLeche League consultant for more help

Miranda - posted on 10/01/2009

Yes, drink lots of water!! After he eats, try pumping. Even if you only get half an ounce, still do it. It lets your body know that more milk is wanted/needed and it will produce more eventually. Good lucK! I wasn't aware of all the smarty pants stuff like Amali, but I did notice when I was breastfeeding, my supply was greated in the wee hours of the morning, probably around 4-8?

Amali - posted on 09/30/2009

water water water...people do not understand how important water is....hydration is the key....you are making a liquid for your baby so how can one make some without fluids...while fenugreek, mothers milk teas can help, you have to keep drinking them to keep your supply up which can get boring and leaving you, your persperation, and pee smelling like fenugreek.....even baby's poopoo too...think about it, when u prepare formula(similac) for your baby, don't you need to add water to it in order for the baby to be able to drink it....same as the breast, it contains the formula only u must drink water so your baby can drink the formula coming out....best time to pump is in the morning between 1-7 am as thats when your milk supply is the greatest and the hormone prolactin is at its peak....whatever you pump should go straight in the freezer(stored for later use)...if baby wakes up do not give him what you pumped, but nurse him...pumps can not get out hind milk (the fattier milk that follows foremilk), it may be of little quantity but its very dense in calories and only a little is needed to keep baby feeling full for his next feeding....after that make sure you remain pumping at the same interval, every 3-4 hours so your milk supply will not decrease over time.

Alicia - posted on 09/30/2009

herbal supplements have side effects, when I took fenugreek it caused my blood sugar to drop leaving me with no energy. I found the best way to increase my supply for storage was to pump about 5 min. after each feeding.

Nicole - posted on 09/30/2009

Drink LOTS of water!! In my Le Leche meetings they say half your body weight in OZ of water (I.E. a 200 lb woman would drink 100oz a day) That is what always helps me the most and pump after you feed the baby every time. GL!!

Michelle - posted on 09/30/2009

I had this problem too and I would use the breast pump now to uncrease your supply and so you have some to freeze for him to have while you are at work. Whatever the normal feeding time is when you will be at work, use a pump on your break to keep that rime thing normal. There is a tea that I drank that really helped me produce more milk and I pumped twice daily as well as normal breastfeeding times. The tea is from a company called Traditional Medicinals and it's called Mother's Milk. See if you can get to a La Leache meeting group once a week and bring your baby as they will help you there too!
Good Luck!!

Danielle - posted on 09/30/2009

Also, personally I would not recommend taking any herbal suppliments because a lot of experts seem to think that they may not be safe since they are not regulated the way that other medications are and they are not required to list all of their ingredients on labels, so they may include other ingredients that could be harmful. Just do some research and check with your pediatrician before taking anything just to be safe.

Danielle - posted on 09/30/2009

I would pump every morning on one side while my baby nursed on the other side and would alternate sides with her back and forth as long as she would keep latching on and sucking. Some mornings this would go on for an hour or more. It takes so much time to pump and feed your baby separately, and if you're like me you're opposite side is leaking the whole time you're baby nurses anyway, so it just made sense to me to save time and save milk by pumping and nursing at the same time. If I didn't get enough milk the first time I would just store the whole bottle and flange assembly with a plastic baggie over it in the fridge and get it back out each time I fed her that morning until I had 3-4 oz. or so, then I would pour it into a storage bag, label it, and freeze it flat. I did this at least once a day for about a month or so before I went back to work, and now that I'm back I pump at every break and at lunch (approx. every 2 hrs.) and I've been able to maintain a couple of weeks worth of milk stocked up in the freezer. Anyway, just keep pumping and nursing as often and as long as you're baby wants and you're milk supply will go up.

Katie - posted on 09/30/2009

I found if I expressed regularly especially before a feed- as its easier to express when breasts are fuller- then you will build up more of a supply to meet the demand good luckx

Tammy - posted on 09/30/2009

Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle are the herbal supplements I know of - they are supposed to work best taken in combination, and you need to take enough of the herb capsules to be able to smell the Fenugreek on your skin.



Capsules are usually more concentrated than teas - you'd spend your life in the washroom trying to drink enough tea... of course, good hydration helps as well, so maybe that's why it seems to help some women.



Try pumping after each feeding (or as often right after as you reasonably can) while you are at home still, to see if you can stimulate more milk production that way as well.

Christine - posted on 09/30/2009

there is a tincture u can find at most health food stores. it is called more milk plus. it works great!!!

RaeChele - posted on 09/30/2009

Fenugreek, red-rasberry leaf are some of the things that will help. Look for mother's milk tea in the store and just pump more often. Every time he eats pump after. At work just get on a pump every two hour schedule. Hope it helps cuz I know how that feels and I'm only have stash for 3 days and it makes me nervous everytime she eats more.