Need Help With Building up Breastmilk

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/10/2011

1.5-2 ounces is the average amount most women can pump at one time. This is normal!

Grace - posted on 04/09/2011

where do you get the cookies?

Grace - posted on 04/09/2011

You can always try the milkmaid tea or mother's milk tea...It is supposed to help. I am dealing with the same thing myself...I have a four month old and for the past week I have dropped in milk supply and I breastfeed by one breast only...the other only hold two oz or so in it.

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/09/2011

Mentally it also helps to do something proactive about it. Eating cookies or drinking a beer can help you relax and trust yourself and allow your body to do it's job and make milk.
It's like placebo pills, some people really feel better with them just because they think it's helping! I know I feel my head ache better the minute I take a Tylenol even though it doesn't start working for 20 minutes!
I tell you it's all about confidence.

Emily - posted on 04/09/2011

This is gonna sound like such a plug, but it's 100% true. I've had three girls. My oldest only breastfed for about a month because it was just too painful for me and she wasn't even getting anything out of me. My second I bottlefed from the get go. And my youngest, well...she's 17 months old and still breastfed. When she was born, I had the same problem with supply. The lactation specialist told me to supplement until my supply came in, but it just wasn't working. She wouldn't take anything but the breast. So I tried these cookies, they're called milkmakers. They are suprisingly delicious and they upped my supply to 3x what it actually needed to be. I was able to feed her when she needed to be fed, AND pump to allow for bottles. I know at 1 month, it's typical for them to feed every 2 hours but if your baby is on you constantly (as mine was), I would definitely give the cookies a try. Sorry it sounds so commercial, but I recommended them to a friend of mine who just had a baby & they worked for her too so there's gotta be some truth to it.

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/09/2011

3 hours is the very very longest you should ever wait in between feeds. This is very very long to make your breasts wait to be emptied again. Your milk is completely digested in 20 minutes! Then she has an empty stomach and your breasts are ready to feed her again.
3 hours is a very slippery slope. Most women can't wait that long in between feeds or their bodies will slow down making milk because it this that you don't need much!

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/09/2011

It should be as simple as breastfeed her every 30 minutes or so, one breast at a time. Same breast again if it still feels full. Forget the pump, it never works as good as the baby anyways and it's awfully annoying to pump!
Bf her more, like I said up to every 30 minutes if you can. It will work. This is how breasts make more milk, they get emptied more often.
Most great apes breastfeed their babies many times an hour and so it's actually closer to natural to breastfeed many times an hour. Making baby wait for three hours really is a tricky thing because our breasts need to be stimulated more then that to make enough milk.

And don't give up! Your body is designed to make milk, it can all get working out. Just stick with it and you will see improvement. (-and never supplement with formula, this will for sure make your milk go down)

Angela - posted on 04/09/2011

Make sure to pump or breastfeed at least every 3 hours. I would also try something herbal to boost your supply. Breastea makes a really good herbal tea my lactation consultant recommended to me. It works great. You can get it from http://www.breastea.com

Colleen - posted on 03/02/2011

All good advice...if you can get to a La Leche League (or any BF support) meeting they may have other ideas for you. llli.org is the site to find local help.

Number of diapers (6-8) is very important, if they are soiled (wet or poop) the baby is getting plenty. If you are still concerned and have access to a good scale, weigh the baby before you feed and after. That will tell you how much s/he is ingesting.

A rapid let down seems possible too. Try hand expressing into a cup or bottle first to see if there is a big "gush or stream" s/he may be frustrated because the milk is coming too fast and it is hard to keep up.

Bottles are definitely a bad idea for keeping up supply (unless you are using expressed milk). Are you using a pump or hand expression. For the pump is it rental or did you buy it, is it electric or manual. Rental grade pumps work the best for pumps. Hand expression takes practice. Also, try pumping RIGHT after she feeds. I never got much more than 2 oz per breast when pumping with my first (I used manual pumps I purchased, both at the same time.)

As always let the baby nurse as much and as often as the baby wants.

The La Leche League and Jack Newman's books on breastfeeding are great resources.

Kathy - posted on 03/01/2011

Also, check her latch to make sure she's suckling effectively. This is video is great!

Celeste - posted on 03/01/2011

OK, none of that means low supply.
-Baby getting frustrated: My first thought is overactive letdown: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-l...

-Pumping output: None of that means low supply either. Average output s 1/2 to 2 oz *total*.

How's her diaper count? 6-8 diapers, no matter content? If so, your supply is FINE. However, supplementing with formula is such a slippery slope. When you give a bottle of formula, your breasts do not get the signal to make more milk. The more your baby nurses, the more you will produce since breastfeeding is a supply and demand process.

Jacqueline - posted on 03/01/2011

my supply is low because when i put her on there she will drink for like five or six mins and then get fustrated...then when i would pump when she sleep less than an ounce comes out for each breast..so i had to star giving her formula which i don't want to do but ima try the beer see if it works for me

Celeste - posted on 03/01/2011

Ditto Sara. What's going on that you believe your supply is low? But generally? Nurse more. The more you nurse, the more you make. Also, one thing to keep in mind that pump output is not indicative of supply.

Sharonda - posted on 02/28/2011

Hi... My baby will be 6 months tomarrow and I have been breastfeeding since day one, I've never given her a bottle, I was scared she would get confuse right after birth..she latched on when she came out, later on that day it was kind of hard for her, so within those couple hours to days my milk supply stared to dry out, so my nurse told me when I get home....DRINK A BEER!!! I was like huh? She said drink a beer and it will help produce milk, so sho nough I drunk one and everysince then I had no problem it was more than enough milk for my baby..... It's harmless to the baby, all it takes is one, it worked right then and there... well I hope I were helpful...goodluck!!!:)

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 02/28/2011

What makes you think that your supply is low? How many wet diapers does baby have in a day? Your breasts may be regulating so they may not feel as full, this is normal. Here's a helpful link on figuring out if you have low supply and how to fix it:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-su...