Help with increasing milk supply

Hope - posted on 03/21/2011

My lactation specialist also suggested get plenty of rest, drink a lot of water and eat oatmeal. Hope this helps.

Anna - posted on 02/06/2011

Lactation cookies are worth a try, they are tasty too :) You can find the recipe by doing a google search. I tried the fenugreek but it didnt do much for my supply.

Schmoopy - posted on 02/04/2011

Pump every 3 hours, round the clock. And take Fenugreek. You can get it at most vitamin stores, and Whole Foods usually has it. This is a great BFing support site - this page is all about Fenugreek (dosage info, etc.): http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksuppl...

Don't give up!!! BFing is the single most important thing you can do for your preemie. NOBODY else can give him this gift - not even the docs and nurses with their fancy medical training!

Alison - posted on 02/01/2011

Hi there, I had twin girls born 9wks early and pumped from the start. First of all I hired the pump of all pumps, it was a monster of a machine....I then over heard a nurse speak about a over the counter drug which adds lactation called motilian (or something like that) Doctors also gave mums dom-peridome to help with milk supply as well...good luck

Marylea - posted on 01/31/2011

I had the same problem. My daughter was born at 28weeks and I was pumping the entire time. She was in the hospital for almost 4 months and I couldn't be there all the time. She wouldn't breastfed while in the hospital so I would pump and bottle fed her. Right before she was about to come home my milk supply dropped to nearly half so I ended up going on domperidone. I dont know if you've heard of it but its a drug for stumach problems that, as a side affect, causes one to lactate. The nurses in the NICU suggested it to me. I had a doctor tell me not to go on it but I did anyway because I really wanted to breastfed. When my daugther came home she learned to breastfed in less than a month and I only needed to be on domperidone for few months. When I ran out of my perscription i just stopped taking it, by then my supply was up to normal and I continued to breastfed till my daughter was 19months. (She's 21months old now) Also if you aren't pumping at night you should probably start. Wake up once to twice a night and pump. I was told by a lactation consultant that its not how long you pump but how often. Hope that helps, good luck.



Marylea~

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www.me-myselfandbaby.blogspot.com

Tiffany - posted on 01/31/2011

They should allow you to pump at his bedside. Also tell them you want to try to get him to latch on while you are in the hospital during his normal feeding times. Also if you can get a recording of him crying and listen to it while pumping at home helped me. Lastly if you can increase how often you pump and pump for longer it will help trigger more milk production. These are all the things I did with my son who was born at 29 weeks!! Good luck!!

Mia - posted on 01/31/2011

Find a good LC you have a good rapport with, check with them. The usual is fenugreek which is natural or domperidone (motilium) which you need a script fo. Maybe go back to pumping if that worked until he actually does come home & talk with the LC about how to decrease your pumping while BF.

Brandy - posted on 01/31/2011

i trid pumping for three months until the lactitians told me to stop, but i was not producing milk from the start and these are the things i tried, no caffiene, plenty of fluids and a good diet, massaging the breasts, power pumping, warm wash cloths, pics and videos of the baby, an item with the baby's scent, combing the breasts, reglan, and an herbal tea called mothers milk. i hope you have better luck than i did

Rebecca - posted on 01/20/2011

If they let you pump at his bassinette, do it. I did that with my daughter. Seeing her, being near her, hearing her and other babies in the NICU cry helped my milk supply. Also take fenugreek, or ask your doctor for Reglan as both will help. I drink a TON of fruit juices and water. Also, the non-instant oatmeal and brewer's yeast help increase supply, so I make oatmeal cookies with brewer's yeast. "Kangaroo" or "skin-to-skin" with your baby will help. Also breastfeeding is a supply/demand thing, so nurse more frequently. I also use a nipple shield with my daughter. I don't eat or drink things with caffiene. I also don't drink teas or coffees as those are diretics. Good luck. I breasfed my son for 29 months, and have been breastfeeding my daughter now for 11 weeks.

Chaille - posted on 01/20/2011

This is what my lactation consultant suggested when my supply started dropping off after about 6 weeks of pumping: try power pumping. Once during the day pump for 15 minutes, take a 30 minute break, pump again for 15 minutes, take a 30 minute break and pump again. It tricks your body into thinking that your baby is having a growth spurt. I also took supplements with fenugreek in them. That seemed to help a little too. I wish I could have continued pumping/breastfeeding because I know the benefits of it, but in the end I just couldn't keep it up. Good luck! :)

Jessica - posted on 01/20/2011

make sure u drink plenty of water and try to pump more often for longer periods of time

Jessie - posted on 01/19/2011

My daughter was in the NICU for 3 wks. I pumped religiousily every 3 hrs day and night. Shes almost 8 mos old and i still pump. I have read suggestion to take fenugreek, but from my experience, when i would start to drop off i would pump more often. My daughter would breast feed without issues, however i was nervous about it as i couldnt see what she was eating. So i only breast fed her before bed at night. I had the pump n styIe by medela, but started to lose what i was producing. I had to rent the symphony by medela to get it back up and just stuck with it. I wish you the best of luck!

Lisa - posted on 01/19/2011

im not a huge believer in herb supplements but when this happened to me i took fenugreek to keep my milk going look it up...