Milk Supply

Dedre - posted on 11/23/2009

My doctor prescribed Esperite which is an antidepressant but he actualy prescribed it to boost my milk supply which worked!!! You need a prescription because it is a S5 medication. Worked for me

Amanda - posted on 11/17/2009

I have used funugreek and it worked for me. I had to get my supply up and it helped along with drinking lots of water and pumping or nursing multiple time a day. Now my 4 month old is doing great. Hope you figure something out.

Sarah - posted on 11/17/2009

If you're baby is gaining weight, even if it is slowly, then I wouldn't worry too much. Ask your doctor whether the chart they use is based on formula or breastfed babies. Generally speaking, breastfed babies gain weight more slowly and erratically than formula fed babies.



Also, do you know if you were slow to gain weight as a baby. Apparently slow weight gain can be genetic.



Practically speaking drink plenty, eat well and get plenty of rest and feed on demand ,if you aren't already doing so.

Kylie - posted on 11/17/2009

Hi, I took a tablet to increase my supply, I can't remember what it is called, but your dr should know. It worked wonders! I always pumped, as we had latching on issues. But I do know that feeding on the breast and then pumping is a good way to keep up your supply even if your taking the suppliment. Thats according to Tizzie Hall's "Save Our Sleep"

Lisa - posted on 11/17/2009

First, and most importantly my doctor told me that I needed to make sure I got plenty of rest and that I was drinking plenty of fluids. After that maintaining close contact with your infant and doing the pumping post feeding should help. If you find that those things don't have quite the results you are looking for, fenugreek is a breadtfeeding safe supplement that you can take. It's one that my doctor recommended to me when I felt like I was low on milk. It's not very expensive and you can get it at GNC or other reputable stores that sell vitamins and such. You don't need to take much - two pills at most a day and not for more than 5 consecutive days. Also, I found that once I started menstrating again, it seemed like my supply would dip just a bit in the day before and the first day or so after I started. So you can do the fenugreek thing around those times if you find that it helps.

Connie - posted on 11/17/2009

i would agree with the beer suggestion...a stout or even an unfiltered wheat cuz theyteast in beer helps with supply. you can get brewers yeast at a health food store. also b vitamin complex and alfalfa capsules have all been recommended to me.

Erin - posted on 11/17/2009

I exclusively pump & bottle feed (latching issues) for the first yr of my son's life. If u think that he isn't getting it all out then I would recommend pumping after BF and doing this everytime he eats it will help your breasts make more milk during the times you want it to. Otherwise you will get engorged & if you are too full your baby will have latching issues...You could always switch to just pumping & bottle feeding to ensure your baby is getting what you want him to since you are adamently against formula (understandably) some babies especially if becoming more mobile will self ween. Good luck! You can always send a PM if u have more questions...

Shyanne - posted on 11/17/2009

Im having the same problem. Pump every 3 hours, and after each feeding to empty your breasts. Your body adjusts to make as much milk as your child needs. If that doesnt help try contacting a lactation consultant

Shaye - posted on 11/17/2009

I tried Domperidone and it didn't do anything for me. I nursed for 6 months but had to supplement the whole time. I tried pumping and that didn't really help either but due to circumstances, I didn't have time to pump enough. Number one thing is to make sure you are properly hydrated. My doctor also suggested beer but I don't like the taste so I don't think I drank enough to work.

Amanda - posted on 11/17/2009

Domperidone(Motillium) is the perscribed medication you can take for Milk Supply. It's actually pescribed for back issues ans the side effect is increased Milk Supply.

I used this with my first child and it worked instantly!

Felicia - posted on 11/17/2009

FENUGREEK WORKS!

Got it at the vitamin store, took it 3 times a day and it started working right away... love it. I tried the Mother's Milk tea, and as good as it tastes... it wasn't very effective.

Fenugreek is great, though. Good luck!

Jaime - posted on 11/17/2009

you can try 2 things. first one is to have a small and i do mean small glass of wine or beer every other night. this is what the doctor told me to do. there is also a herbal pill that you can take that is supposed to work.

Maura - posted on 11/17/2009

I know this won't sound politically correct, especially in America, but in many European countries the doctors and midwives and grandmothers recommend having a beer -- not an American style beer, but a Guinness or better yet an Oatmeal Stout (one of your posters recommended oatmeal too). Drink it right after a feeding to reduce your baby's exposure to it, I did this almost every day for about ten days and it definitely helped me. Also obviously relaxed me, which may have helped.

Doris - posted on 11/16/2009

Hi, please nurse as much as you can and don't give up. Your milk supply will plateau at about 5 or 6 months. There is a pill your doctor can prescribe for you, but I haven't tried it before and know some moms who needed to.
Fenugreek with Blessed Thistle is said to work (herb) can be purchased at vitamin stores, but takes a couple of days to work.
Pumping after each feed is good to empty out the breasts and unclog anything. I say save the pumped milk and give it to him at night before bedtime so you don't have to constantly be washing bottles and he can have a good amount at the end. Too much bottle feed will decrease milk supply. Baby's stimulation is magic! and too much bottle feed will tell baby breasts don't work and may wean himself earlier than expected..?
Don't worry too much about his weight. Is he having soiled and stool diapers? I think that is more important. I believe it's 5 wet diapers and 2 stools a day is normal - according to what I have been told.
***don't stress out*** #1 thing that hinders milk supply. Drink water in between and before feedings helps too! Rest is also important. When baby rests, you should rest!
I hope everything will turn out for you. My advice is not the best, but this is my personal experience!

Jacqui - posted on 11/16/2009

Hi Trina, After reading your post, I am starting to think my 3 month old son's issues with feeding could be related to a lack of supply too. He feeds really well at 3am and 6am after going to sleep at about 8:30pm each night however his daytime feeds are the issue.
He only feeds for about 5 minutes at a time and will cry and detach approximately every 40 seconds. I started expressing today so I will see if that helps to increase supply.

Natalie - posted on 11/16/2009

youtube... Jack newton, we strongly suggest this in our prenatal and our breastfeeding clinics!!!

Natalie - posted on 11/16/2009

How old is your baby,
the normal birth weight increase is 1/2lb to 1lb a week in newborns to 3 months. Then it may stabilize and baby gradualy gains weight. the medication to increase milk supply is domperidone, you should seek a lactation consultant in your area if you find that after pumping after meals does not increase you milk supply also, plenty of rest , healthy meals and baby bonding are a key to succes in breastfeeding!
you may want to check your latch position, during milk let down a baby may pull away until they have mastered their techneak.

All the best to u!

Jerricka - posted on 11/16/2009

one word "oatmeal" don't ask me how but it works.

Maricely - posted on 11/16/2009

Quoting Trina:

Milk Supply

so im beginning to think my supply is a bit low and was wondering if anyone has heard of a pill you can take to get it going again and what its called and if anyone has tried it? does it actually work? my son had a doctors appt today and hes gaining weight but not as much as they would like (hes slowly dropping on their chart) so she wants me to supplement with formula 2-3 times a day. offer me first then formula.....i tried it and he hates formuls SO i guess ill just have to feed him MORE often and then pump whats left over and try and give that to him in a bottle and if he doesnt want it then freeze it! see he eats a bit then pulls off so im thinking it kinda "stops' so he gives up so if i pump the rest and give it to him in a bottle he might drink more!? how does this sound to you? should i try something different? i just really DONT want to do formula ut ive got to get my boobs going and get his weight up!

 

Hey Trina!

There is a tea that helps a bit, its called Mothers Milk.  I bought it at whole foods. I think pumping wouldnt be a bad idea but always offer the boob because he is the one that stimulates your milk production. If you produce enough milk then storing wouldnt be a bad idea but I can tell you that its exhausting to do both. Good luck!!

Libby - posted on 11/16/2009

I would suggest doing exactly what you want to do. My little girl hated formula too. But we had to give it to her for a few days. You can try taking Fenugreek to help with your supply. It's just an herbal supplement. There is something my doctor prescribed when I had my 1st son 7 1/2 years ago. But I can't remember the name of it. You can ask your doctor if there is anything he can prescribe to help with the supply. But try to drink more water and see if that helps. I don't see anything wrong with giving a bottle of milk to see f he will take it.



One other thing, maybe your little one is just a long eater. I've noticed with my daughter she eats, takes a break, and then will be hungry and want to finish eating in a little bit. Maybe your little one is just a slow eater so don't feel bad to offer the breast again in a little bit.

Aisa - posted on 11/16/2009

there is a herb called fenugreek apparently that is good to increase and oats, im looking into it my self and looking for a good pump, i've read a few things about the herb but still am undecided as to start taking it or not. I'm waiting on my health nurse to come back from leave before asking her opinion

Shannon - posted on 11/16/2009

Babies have an amazing sense of being full. Is he fussy often? That might just be how his body is. My mom had 5 kids and only 1 made it to the charts. If he is older than 3-4 months you can try giving him some watered down rice cereal a time or two each day. Also, make sure he is getting the hind milk (the stuff after the initial flow), that is the most fatty part. I have heard of women pumping and just saving the cream on top to make into a bottle. If he is fussy often then put him to the breast every 1-2 hours for a couple days to increase your flow

Carolyn - posted on 11/16/2009

The more often you pump the more milk you will make. If you pump even though you don't have a let down, you should start to produce more milk for him. I like that you are keeping in contact with your Doctor. That is always good. Try pumping about one hour after you feed him. Even though you get very little it should increase gradually. Remember always pump both sides no matter how much you get or do not get. You want the production of milk to be equal on each side as much as possible. Giving him your breast milk from a bottle is a good idea. This will also give you an estimate of how much he is really consuming. Best of luck and I hope this helps you and your baby.

Trina - posted on 11/16/2009

THANK YOU SO MUCH MOMS!!!!!!!!!!! this is awesome!!!

September - posted on 11/16/2009

I would continue to nurse him as often as possible so that your body knows that you still need your supply. The more you nurse the more milk you will make. I think that it's a great idea to pump and offer more if you think that he will take it. Otherwise there is an herb that you can take that is all natural called Fenugreek to help up your supply. I used it myself and it worked well. You and your pee may smell like maple syrup just to give you a heads up :) but it works wonders! Good luck and best wishes!

Heidi - posted on 11/16/2009

Drink lots of water, eat watermelon ( for some reason this really boosted my supply), pump after every feeding. I tried different teas and suppliments and nothing really helped me. The only thing that worked was eating lots of fruits and veggies and drinking tons of water. Good luck! I was able to nurse for 13 months and my girl is in the 97% of her height and considered 'normal' for her weight.

Erin - posted on 11/16/2009

i have a thyroide condition that causes low milk supply.before taking medicine you might want to try supplements. brewers yeast tablets are good, but you can only take them short term as they may cause thrush. raspberry tea is another good one to try, 2 or 3 cups a day also there is blessed thistle, i can't speak to its affectiveness as i was done bfing before i tried them. i did try the medicine from the dr., its called domperidone, it is an anti nausia drug and one of the side affects is lactation, another side affect, and one that caused me alot of trouble, is dizzieness. i became so dizzy by the second day that i could not function, i couldn't carry my baby for fear of falling or dropping her, i did fall down on my own a couple of times. i strongly urge you to try the natural path first, good luck

Becky - posted on 11/16/2009

Keep trying to breastfeed him and pump often so that you can produce more if possible. Sometimes it doesn't work and sometimes it does. I breastfeed my three kids for a year each and with the first one I had to pump to produce more milk for her. With some of my friends it didn't work. Good luck trying this and don't give up.

Regan - posted on 11/16/2009

The more you use the more you'll make. Get a pump and start pumping... pump after the baby has eatten to drain the breast. Keep the milk in the freezer or where ever. Do this for a couple days and your milk supply will increase.



Also, how old is the baby? How large are your breasts? I have large breasts and I found that whe my kids were new babies my breasts would kind of seal off their nostrils. I started snaking a finger above the nipple. while the rest of my hand supported the breast from below, so I could gently pull back the tissue around their noses. This helped them nurse longer. Could this be why he breaks latch?



Don't feed him from a bottle unless the breast is no longer available... for example, you went to get groceries and left the babe with someone else. Keep at the breast, pump to increase supply and good luck!

Michelle - posted on 11/16/2009

Use Herbal Remedies – There are many safe and proven herbal remedies that can help to increase your milk production quickly. The new most popular are fenugreek and milk thistle. Both are safe for mother and baby, and will assist in increasing milk supply within a few short days.

There are many Nursing Tea's available.

Connie - posted on 11/16/2009

Pumping after he eats should increase your milk - and if you leave the pump on an extra minute or so after you're "empty", it should increase your milk more. You can also try pumping in between feedings.....word of warning, though. I had the same problem, and started pumping too much, and became engorged - it'll take some balancing.



never heard of a pill that increases milk supplies (?)



I agree about the formula - I didn't want to do it either. It upsets their little bellies so much - I hope things turn out for you the way you want them to. Good luck!

Melissa - posted on 11/16/2009

I didn't have that problem. But I think the way you said, about feeding him and them pumping the rest into a bottle, is good. I would try that. I was against giving my son formula as well, so I would try your way. Ask your son's pediatrition or consult a laction aide. Best of luck!!