I was ill for 2 days and could not breast feed i think my milk has dried up how do i get it flowing again?

Question

I still have milk but its just dribbles i have been pumping to try and bring my flow back but it is not working please help my son is only 11 days old so i stopped feeding him for two days as i was really ill but i really want to feed him again.

Answer 1

put small hand towels in hot water or something by which u can warm ur breasts n then massage towards the nipple with ur thumb slowly n sometimes may be little harder if milk doesn't come by light massage. n put nipples in ur kids mouth for sucking again n again he will be able to suck i m sure.

this happened to me as i was given my daughter 3 days after she was born n she was not been able to suck so i tried all above n it worked.

Answer 2

It's too bad you didn't keep nursing him. You would have given him protection against whatever you had...

In the meantime, nurse him *all the time*. To increase your milk supply, you need to nurse *at least* 10-12 times a day, and the more the better. If he'll nurse every hour, that's great.

You do *not* need to drink milk to make milk. Cows don't drink milk!! Also, don't force liquids--drink if you are thirsty and if not, then don't. Drinking *more* than you need can't help and one study actually showed that it dried up your milk supplyl.

Eliminate all artificial nipples (bottles and pacifiers). All the baby's sucking should be at the breast in order to get your milk supply back up. If you are still not producing enough milk, give the baby's supplement with a syringe. Buy a syringe at a local pharmacy (any size, but *no needle*!!). Fill it with the supplement. While your son is nursing, hold the syringe near the corner of his mouth. Drip small amounts of supplement into his mouth as he sucks to encourage him to continue. It will help him remember how to nurse!

Please call a La Leche League Leader. She can give you more one-on-one help. And it's *free*! (If you have trouble getting through, keep trying; they're all volunteers who work from their homes while caring for their own kids...)

Answer 3

Oh, dear. First off, while you were sick, or if you get sick again and decide for whatever reason not to breastfeed your baby during that time, you NEED to be pumping no matter what. Especially when baby is young.

You are in a red zone here and need professional help. I strongly, strongly suggest visiting Dr Jack Newman's website. You can email him personally here. He is a pediatrician who works exclusively with breastfeeding mothers - supply issues, pain, bad latches, too much milk, anything. You will find good articles but I think it is really important that you email him and ask. There are prescription medications (one I know of called Domperidone) that you can take to boost your milk supply, as well as herbs.

For next time, if you stopped because you were medicated, find out of your medication is safe for breastfeeding, and if not, find one that is! It is a wide misconception that you can't breastfeed while on medication but most of the time, you CAN - and if you can't with that particular med, there is almost always a safe alternative.

Your baby may have a hard time latching on again now as well. In reality a baby should not be introduced to a bottle until they are at least 6 weeks old, to prevent nipple confusion (which is really just preference towards the bottle nipple, since it's easier to get more milk, faster). Put baby to breast every single time he is hungry regardless of how little you have in there, the action of baby sucking will help your milk supply more than anything else you can do.

The best thing to do when you are sick is to breastfeed your baby, because you will pass the immunities your body is developing to your conditions on to your baby, so your baby is less likely to be sick (or AS sick). When you are sick is the MOST important time to be breastfeeding, for your baby's safety.

Remember that you can still do this. Try to have confidence that you will get over this. And please, please, please email Dr Jack Newman - he has helped thousands of women breastfeed successfully (even adopting mothers who have never given birth before have been able to breastfeed because of his expertise)

Good luck.

Answer 4

Go and see your doctor, they have medication that will help increase your milk supply. Meanwhile keep expressing especially after a feed as this tricks the body into thinking that the baby wants more milk and is still sucking at the breast and within 24 hours will produce a bit more. Contact the breastfeeding association for extra info you will find their number in the front of your blue book.

Answer 5

I thought my milk had dried up also... but I think it takes weeks to do so at least it did for me, as I had to stop breastfeeding my son because he was a biter. I could be wrong, since all women are different.
Just keep trying to pump and feed your baby. The more you pump the more you should produce (according to Parenting Magazine).
If you think there is a real problem, dont hesitate to go to your doctor.

Answer 6

keep using the breast pump and keep trying to feed your son as much as possible. I went into hospital when my baby was 3 weeks old and the doctor (who knew I was breast feeding) gave me tablets that meant I couldnt feed my son. In hospital they gave me the pump to use but I found my milk dried up and after 48 hours my son had got too used to the bottle and wasnt interested in feeding off me.

Answer 7

My breastfeeding consultant recommended a pill called Reglan... it is prescribed for stomach aches, but has a side effect of stimulating the prolacting hormone, making you produce more milk. I personally have not used it, but it's worth a try. It is sold over the counter... but consult your doctor before taking it anyway.

Also you can use hot towels over your breasts and circular massages. And of course... nurse your baby as much as you can.... better if it can be every 2 hours... day and night...

Answer 8

TRy contacting the National Childbirth Trust - they have breast feeding counsellors who have a range of suggestions. Also, try to relax and not worry - if you put your baby to the breast, his sucking should stimulate the milk again. Best wishes, and dont give up - it will come back

Answer 9

Let your PASSION flow while feeding your son. Recall the feeling you had when you fed him, the ticklish flow of milk in your veins, the satisfaction you enjoyed when he enjoyed nursing.. etc . In the meantime, drink a lot of fluids and ensure no infection has affected your breasts as a result of your recent illness.

Give it a few attempts, and all will be fine.

Answer 10

Put him on the breast every 30 minutes and dont give formula...it will suck and he will want to nurse constantly, but you will get your milk supply back up...