I am a mother of a six month old baby and I am currently breastfeeding. As of recently I have noticed that my milk supply is quite low. It has gotten to the point that at night I am completely empty and she is still hungry. I am hoping for some suggestion on increasing my flow or reasons why I am be low? I do not however want to supplement.

Sarah - posted on 01/02/2009

have you tried fenugreek? it's available at healthfood stores, and it makes you faintly smell sweet, like maple syrup

Karen - posted on 01/02/2009

Sounds like you have been given lots of great advice! The only thing I have to add is that with my first child due to things out of my control (i had to pump & dump during her 2nd mth due to the medicine i had to be on due to some birth complications), I had a low supply and she needed more milk than I was able to give her so I bought the Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) from Medela. (about $50.00) It is a bottle (that you put in pumped breast milk or formula) that hangs around your neck with little tubes that you tape to your breast so your baby takes in your breast (stimulating your supply) and the tubes so she is getting fed while working to your increase your supply also. My supply didn't get back to being all she needed but we still got to enjoy the closeness of nursing and I was able to produce a couple ounces of milk for every feeding for over a year! (I did also have to have the hassle of preparing formula, washing the bottle...etc) Drink water, rest and good luck!

Angela - posted on 01/02/2009

The same thing happened to me when my baby was 1 month old. My Lactation consultant told me to use this supplement called "More Milk Plus" and it worked. You can order online or get it at a health food store and they have no side effects on you or baby. Just keep pumping and take that 3 times a day and your supply will be back in a few days.

Shanieka - posted on 01/02/2009

Nurse more often and take fenugreek! I took 3 pills 3 times a day,increased my calorie intake and nursed on demand. My milk supply came back within 24 hours!!

Sarah - posted on 01/02/2009

Nurse often, and drink plenty of water. If you are drinking alot of caffeine that can reduce your milk flow also. Don't worry, you are never really completely empty. Just keep nursing and your supply will catch up!

Raylene - posted on 01/02/2009

The midwife suggested to me to drink more water to increase milk supply and to feed more on demand. their is a suppliment you can try from the health food shop, and if all ease doesn't help try a stout beer, (a think beer) apparently the midwife told my friend to have one of a night and it worked for her. Good luck....

Kari - posted on 01/02/2009

I used reglan. It's given to you by your ob you take it for 5-7 days starting with 3-4 pills till you are taking one by the last day. It doubled my supply within a week. I did this twice while breastfeeding my son. He weaned himself at 14months. I was also a labor and delivery nurse and would say call your ob and see if you can get some. I had no side effects and it allowed me to continue breastfeeding. I also continued with pumping and on demand feeding too help. Good Luck

Kirsten - posted on 01/02/2009

Hi there. I'm just wondering how you know your supply is low. It's really hard to tell unless you are weighing the baby on a very accurate (down to 10ths of an ounce) scale before and after a feed. Or you could pump, wait two hours and pump again, using the second pumping to estimate your supply (and of course feeding the baby the pumped feeds). These are the only accurate methods I've heard of to estimate supply.

If you're baby seems hungry after a feed it may well be a growth spurt, as other ladies have suggested. Most babies have one at 6 months, get fussy and have to nurse more frequently.

But if you really want to know what your supply is, you can try one of the two methods above. Good luck!

Karina - posted on 01/02/2009

I had my milk supply compeltely go away after I developed mastitis while my son was 2.5 months. I found a wonderful te called Mother's Milk at a health food/vitamin store. I drank it (as well as lots of water) and tried to nurse often. My milk returned in full swing! Good luck :)

Lisa - posted on 01/01/2009

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that many people have already said to drink water, so that was nothing new. But, also something that can't be stressed enough.

However, I have to disagree with drinking beer. It has alcohol in it which dehydrates. I can see what they are saying about the relaxing benefits, but the last thing you want is something that dehydrates. And, doesn't it pass through the breast milk???

Lisa - posted on 01/01/2009

I have have four kids and breastfed all of them. Two very important things that I believe tremendously helped me, but took a couple of kids for me to learn: You have to drink extra water for your milk supply to stay up. Secondly, and something that many people disagree with me on, but proved to work very well-- get them on at least somewhat of a schedule so that your milk has time to build back up and to relieve some stress off of you so that you're not constantly worried about breastfeeding. By this age, every three hours is not unreasonable, if not longer. Hope that helps.

Lynn - posted on 01/01/2009

Hi Shanda ! I hope I am not the 40th person to make these same suggestions to you .... and I don't want to sound like it is easy ....but here is what I did .....



Be SURE you are getting enough sleep and rest - sleeping when your baby sleeps.

Drink alot of water and whatever else you enjoy ....tea, 1/2 botttle of beer if you are okay with alcohol (it relaxes you and makes more milk). Nurse her frequently....and then go have another drink of something ....tomato juice, V-8 - anything liquid that will go down will make milk !



Look at it this way ....she is in a growth spurt and needs more milk and it takes your body a day or 3 to catch up.



You are right not to supplement - that causes a whole batch of OTHER problems ....the baby takes more and more supplement and your body starts to cut back on production.



You sound like a wonderful committed nursing Mum ....good for you !

Lynn

lscheidl@hotmail.com



I would appreciate hearing other advice you got that was radically different from mine - I;d love to learn something new today.

Katie - posted on 01/01/2009

I had the same problem and my Doc gave me Reglan. You take one pill 4 times a day. You can also try fenugreek (an herbal supplement), but from what I have heard you take 3 pills at a time 4 times a day. That, to me, seems like a full time job! haha. Good luck!

Erin - posted on 01/01/2009

My in-laws swear by having oatmeal. Another way to eat it is to grind it up in the blender and then blend it with milk and sugar if you want to make a breakfast shake. I do this when ever I feel that my littls one is wanting more from me since they have grown a bit.

Crystal - posted on 01/01/2009

Staying hydrated most important! Dehydration can cause decreased milk production. Just to let you know, when my milk production decreased with my last daughter it was because I was pregnant with my son! (HUGE surprise! Though it's not supposed to be possible it is) Dr. said milk decreased because breastfeeding causes your uterus to contract which you DON'T want to happen if preganant (until it's time of course), so you're body naturally causes the milk prod. to diminish to prevent early contractions.

Candace - posted on 01/01/2009

In a couple of days my daughter will be 7 mos old. When she was 3 mos old, I thought I was drying up because my breasts weren't getting full like they used to and it became impossible to keep her satisfied. Soon, I discovered she was taking an interest in how adults were eating and we talked to our Dr. and started her on cereal right away. I breastfed her promptly in the morning after changing her, fed her cereal and cereal at night before bed, and nursed her every 3-4 hours. She stayed healthy, looks and weighs good but it was good to know I wasnt drying up b/c I like you dont ever want to supplement. When I felt like I was a little low, I'd have a couple sips of beer before bed (because she sleeps thru the night it gives my body time to be real full in the and I'd relax as much as possible, and breastfeed her as much as she wanted from then on (The more breastfeeding the more your body increases milk). Then when she was 4 mos we started on yellows and red baby foods, then 5 mos greens, (greens later because its harder on babies tummies) and now we feed her fruits and finger foods. What I'm saying is she is possibly needing more baby food during the day. We feed our daughter milk promptly in am after a while then cereal and then shell nap then shell eat 1 and half jars of no 2 baby foods, at about 9 or 10 am, nap again and play then for lunch shell have a size 3 jar of baby food and one no 2 jar. She also snacks on some graduate fruit puffs or these graduate little toast snacks, she plays and eats those. Then for supper shell eat a jar of meal baby food like spaghetti dinner or turkey macaroni dinner and a jar of fruit and/or veggies and maybe more food in between but rarely. She may not eat all of that but usually she does and I breastfeed her before bed always. And whenever she wants it during the day. I usually top 4-6 x's a day. Im saying I dont know what you feed her but maybe your daughter needs more baby food during the day like mine or maybe you are low. Stress can make your milk decrease, as well as garlic and certain herbs and medicines can effect your milk production as well. Also, some herbs can make you lactate more. Im telling you all I know, but I hope somewhere along the line you figure it out and can still breastfeed.

Tammie - posted on 01/01/2009

yes the yeast in beer increases the milk supply. But the most basic thing for milk production is to make sure you are eating properly and often to insure your milk production. that was the mistake i made when I was nursing. I wasn't aware that in order to produce breast milk, you have to continue eating all 3 meals and best to follow the nutritions health guide for getting your daily portions of dairy, grain, protien etc.

the beer is a quick fix but i would not suggest this for long term.

Ayenda - posted on 01/01/2009

Hi. Evenutally you will make more as the baby sucks for more, but drinking more water (not beer for the obvious reasons). It will be beneficial. Oh yeah, you can drink it while nursing. It can help prevent you from falling asleep. If you're not drinking water, massage your breasts while nursing. It helps stimulate the milk ducts and prevent that painful experience (I forgot the name).

Torie - posted on 01/01/2009

Sounds like you need a little weekend breastfeeding in bed. Boost your supply back up by drinking more water, take some Brewer's Yeast or Mother's Milk drops and just nurse, nurse, nurse! Your baby may be going through a growth spurt and need the extra milk. Your body will catch up the more you let baby nurse.



Good luck!



-T

www.ModernMommas.com

Rose - posted on 01/01/2009

Hot showers help to increase the milk flow. You may also try to feed her more often. Make sure you are eating often enough to produce the milk and nutrition your little girl needs.

Alison - posted on 01/01/2009

I actually had this problem. Unfortunately, my doctor said that sometimes your body will start reducing its milk production on its own. You can try to pump to increase the flow, but this didn't really work for me and I ended up having to supplement. Hope you can figure something out!

Shannon - posted on 01/01/2009

Definately drink lots of water.. try to avoid all alcoholic beverages (all though a single glass of wine here and there will not kill ya!!) ohh, and caffinated beverages really should be avoided as well... I still drink one cup of coffee in the am to keep from getting migraines since I ave always been a caffine addict...LOL!!! I too had an issue with supply, especially at night!! My son, now 4 months... would wake up to nurse and would suck and suck for almost 5 minutes untill I would finally let down. I felt horrible, and of course the more upset I got the worse it got. I started taking fenugreek, the bottle says to take 2 a day 3 times a day... this caused me to get itchy in places I really didn't want to be, so I cut it back after three days to 1 pill at a time 4 times a day. It makes you smell a little maple syrup like when you perspire, but I can certainly think of worse things to smell like. I bought a bottle of 180 capsules for about $12 at the health food store.... ohh, and I pumped my water intake to 5 12 oz bottles a day, plus whatever else I drink on top of that. I am back to pumping 2 times at work and getting about 10oz and nursing is fine.... I can nurse him, wait 90 minutes, pump about 2 oz, nurse him another 90 minutes later and the day goes on like this when I am home. Good luck on whatever you choose to do!

Lori - posted on 01/01/2009

I also had a similar problem when I had to start supplementing our son due to slow weight gain. I tried the prescription, but couldn't tolerate the side effects. So, I tried taking Fenugreek (could only find it at GNC). There are some other herbal supplements, too. Also, try pumping more frequently. Have you contacted a Lactation Consultant? Their help is invaluable!! I will say, I eventually quit nursing because I just stopped producing enough milk, mostly because of supplementing! Best wishes!

Dawn - posted on 01/01/2009

beer depletes your supply as does all alcohol. nurse often and drink lots of water. if your supply is really low, stage a nurse in. Get sitters for other kids and curl up in bed or on the couch. watch TV or read a book and nurse every hr or two, by the end of the day your supply will be back up to normal. (I am a breastfeeding counselor bTW)

The body works off of supply and demand. If in the past few days you've introduced solids or had irregular feeding patterns your body may think you don't need as much milk as it was producing, so nursing more will tell the body that you do in fact need more

Good luck and relax you won't need to supplement. =)

Dee - posted on 01/01/2009

When I breast fed many years ago I was told to massage the breast just like you would a cows utter, with my last one I had tons of trouble, I'm sure your hubby won't mind helping you out on this one lol

Danielle - posted on 01/01/2009

There are a couple ways that i have heard of to increase your milk supply. First i would try to pump every 2 hours for 24 hours and drink lots and lots of water. there is a prescription called reglan that can increase your milk supply and i think you can take it for about five days. good luck, it is so hard to wonder about your milk supply and if the baby is getting enough. I think your milk supply naturally starts going down around six months depending on the baby and the fat content also starts going down too.oh, i have also heard from a mother that breastfed five children that beer increases your milk supply....i never tried that one!

Amber - posted on 01/01/2009

This happened to me too and I refuse to take a supplement. It should be a natural process and not forced in my opinion. I drank tons more water and nursed more often. It's now back to normal. Don't drink beer...it does affect the baby! Are you stressed? Maybe the holidays have reeked havoc on your body.

Patricia - posted on 01/01/2009

i've nursed 8 children around that age they seem to be in a stand still with growth,for a few weeks, our milk supply seems low. but the more they nurse the more we produce. be patient you'll see a difference soon. as long as she's growing you're fine.

Anita - posted on 01/01/2009

Please don't worry as the more your baby feeds, the more milk your body will make...when you seit down to feed your daughter make sure that you also have a glass of water or juice..I used a drink bottle by my bed at night as I was extremely thirsty when feeding. Increase her feeds even if it is every hour or two at first as this will increase your milk and she will only drink as much as she needs. In hot weather she may want to feed more but for shorter periods as babies prefer the sweeter hind milk to quench their thirst. Even if you think that you are 'empty' and she is sucking, she is still getting something from you..

Perservere as breast feeding is so rewarding for both mother and baby..This is my 6th baby and I fed the last 2 for 18 months and 3 years consecutively and aim to feed for at least 2 years with my 2 month old son.

Stacey - posted on 01/01/2009

I had that problem too. Whatever you do supplementing doesn’t help. My midwife told me to nurse more to increase supply. My child was a marathon nurser. She would nurse for all day long with sessions lasting over an hour. I had hospital grade pump but I was still not able to produce enough milk. I couldn’t imagine nursing her any more then I already was. I did start introducing formula and I eventually dried up within a few months.

Selina - posted on 01/01/2009

nurse your baby more often. the more you nurse her, the more your milk supply will be. also, knew some mothers out there who tried fenugreek to increase their milk supply. don't despair, our milk supply will never deplete as long as you still nurse your baby. im still breastfeeding my son, eventho he is 21mths now.

Melissa - posted on 01/01/2009

I had a similar issue with our son. There is a prescription you can take that increases milk production, or there are some natural herbs/supplements available at a health food store. My midwife told me to nurse more often, because it is a supply and demand system. So even if you nurse or pump and get very little, after a few days of that increased nursing/pumping, you should see an increase. And be sure to drink plenty of water! Hope that helps. It can be so frustrating, especially when they seem hungry. Good luck!