How can i increase my breast milk supply. i think im not making enough and dont know what to do..

S - posted on 01/17/2010

Oh and i've heard many suggest the beer thing. I asked my doctor about it, she said it's the yeast (brewer's yeast) but you can also get it from nonalcoholic beer or mother's milk cookies

Susan - posted on 01/17/2010

I was in the same position when I had my son. However nothing solved my problem and I ended up having to bottle feed. I had tried everything for 8 weeks and my son continued to lose more and more weight each week after birth. Eventually we had to take him to see a doctor at the maternity hospital and he was the one who told me that I had no milk supply. I was getting the fore milk but not the hind milk that my baby needed and he told me to try bottle feeding. Once I did neither me nor my son looked back it was a heart breaking time but I just had to realise that the only thing that mattered was what was best for him and that meant bottles because i couldn't give him what he needed. The doctor told me that sometimes it just happens that way and that it was not my fault.

Debbie - posted on 01/17/2010

try gently squeezing or using a pump in a warm bath, you can even feed in the bath with your baby. once you get going your flow will increase as much as you need, it worked for m & i succesfully breastfed my 3rd daughter for 18 months! good luck!

Tracy - posted on 01/17/2010

I found wearing breast cups during the day helped get them from boots. You might find you leak into them all day but i just kept emptying them into a bottle in the fridge or ice cube trays in the freezer. Hope this helps x

Jennifer - posted on 01/17/2010

www.llli.org (that's "L" "L" "L" "i" - for La Leche League)

Jennifer - posted on 01/17/2010

someone told me that long ago they were told to drink a beer! i am not exactly sure but I know that you are encouraged to eat and drink while you are breast feeding. Have you looked on line at the LaLeche (if that's how it's spelled) website? They would be the people who would know! good luck

Sarah - posted on 01/17/2010

I had been wondering the same thing a few months ago. When I looked in my "Complete Guide to Breastfeeding" it had a few suggestions:

Make sure at each feeding, you have the baby feed off of each side to stimulate milk production on each side more often;
As moms have suggested below, feed/pump more often so that your body needs to make more milk for the next feeding;
Make sure the baby is latched on properly to make sure they are getting milk efficiently;
Rest and make sure you are hydrated and fed (hard one for me at first);
Make sure you are eating well and not just junk food;
Take a bath or shower before feeding;
Do deep breathing to relax before feeding;
Take tylenol or ibuprofen for breast tenderness to help you remain relaxed during feeding;
Listen to calming music while feeding;
Nurse in a comfortable position
Drink tea or cocoa before you nurse to warm you up

S - posted on 01/17/2010

Wow this is a topic that reemerges every week, I've posted lenghty responses on many others i'mma make it easy this time kellymom.com



OH i'm so sorry it's driving you to tears. I've been there and it's frustrating...you get to a point where you'll do anything.



Relax... you can increase your supply it just takes time. I increased my supply from 2 oz. per day to over 20 if you want specifics shoot me a private message.

Rosemary (Rosie) - posted on 01/17/2010

thanks..everyone for your imput..i feel better i can stop crying now...thanks again

Amber - posted on 01/17/2010

EVERY SINGLE mother feels this at least once in the very tumultuous journey through breast feeding. The best advice is to KEEP FEEDING AND PUMPING as much as possible. Your body will eventually get into the baby's routine and. Supply and demand!

Lisa - posted on 01/17/2010

I was told to have a glass of water near by when feeding so you can drink water, the more you feed your baby the more milk will come in. hope this helps

Twila - posted on 01/17/2010

Smaller but frequent feeding/pumpings will increase your supply. But as long as your baby's gaining you're making enough. If he seems hungry a lot, it's just because he's growing a lot.

Rosemary (Rosie) - posted on 01/17/2010

i have a pump..when i do nothing really comes out..is this a sign of me stopping??/

Laura - posted on 01/17/2010

If you have a breast pump I would suggest pumping. The more you pump the more milk your body will make.