i am breastfeeding and i would like to produce more milk...i am already eating oatmeal.. any suggestions?

Answer 1

What makes you think you're not producing enough milk? Women who think they "don't have enough" are, in fact, more likely to be overproducing than underproducing.

Some things that are *not* signs of too little milk include no longer leaking, no engorgement or feeling full, pumping less than previously (or just very little). These are usually signs that nursing is going well; your body has adjusted to the needs of your baby. (When your baby is first born, your breasts don't know that you didn't give birth to twins or even triplets, so they overproduce.)

Some women think they don't have enough milk because baby is fussy at the breast or isn't gaining well. These are more likely to be a sign of too much milk than of too little. If you have *too much* milk, try switching breasts less often. If baby usually nurses on both breasts at one feeding, keep her/him to only one breast. If she/he is already taking only one breast per feeding, offer one breast for 4-6 hours straight (regardless of how many feedings this is), then the other for the next 4-6 hours. Some women have to go up to 8 hours per breast, but that is unusual.

If you are exclusively pumping and not getting enough milk, there are a couple of things to try before assuming it's "not enough milk production". First of all, change pumps, preferably to a more effective pump; best is a hospital-grade rental pump that pumps both breasts at the same time. Second, pump more often. Third, try thinking about your baby, preferably sitting right next to her/him so you can see, hear, and smell baby. If this *doesn't* work for you, try the exact opposite--think about something *other* than baby while pumping. Concentrating on the baby works better for most women, but some have better luck the other way.

If you still think you aren't producing enough, consider what could be causing it. The two most common causes are hormonal levels and breast surgery. If you have *ever* had surgery on your breasts or chest (even as a young child), there may be damage to the nerves and/or milk ducts. These can sometimes heal themselves (especially in later pregnancies), so don't give up on nursing later children if this is your situation. Also, see sources section below for some support (the Web site is specifically aimed at women who have had breast reduction, but much is similar regardless of the type of surgery).

Hormones can also cause low milk production. The most common of these are PCOS, high or low thyroid levels, use of hormonal birth control, and pregnancy. Some of these can be fixed by taking care of the problem, but PCOS may not be, and if you are pregnant, you probably can't reverse the production problem.

If none of the above applies, there are a couple of things you can try. The first thing is to nurse more often. You usually have to nurse at lease 10-12 times in 24 hours to increase your supply. If this doesn't work in 3-5 days, you could try a galactagogue (substance that increases milk production). The one I would suggest above all is fenugreek. Fenugreek is the only herb with scientific evidence of its effectiveness. It should not be used if you have asthma or diabetes. If you want to use it, take 1 capsule 3 times a day for 3-4 days. Increase to 2 capsules 3 times a day for several more days. Continue this way until you are taking an effective dose for *you* (usually 2-4 capsules per dose); you will recognize that when your urine and sweat have a maple syrup smell. Continue at that dosage for at least a week (but you can continue for long periods of time). Stop if you or the baby have any allergic reactions to the fenugreek (they are rare, but possible). If you choose to stop taking the fenugreek, stop it gradually, just as when you started. If your supply drops again, go back to the previous dosage and continue for the forseeable future.

Good luck!! I hope this helps!!

Answer 2

try these things...lentils ,excellent for you cause of the iron and gives you more milk.
semolina with honey
drink at least 8-10 cups of water a day.
Guinness..excellent for iron and to produce milk.
dates fresh,good source of vitamin .
all these will help you produce more milk.
Also sleep is VERY important rest when baby rests.
I breast fed my 1st son for 16 mths and i am still breastfeeding my 2nd son who is now 15 mths.
if you do these things believe me you will have a contented baby who has milk flowing from his mum like a tap.
congrats to you keep up with the breastfeeding for as long as you can.There is nothing so beautiful as this bond between mum and baby.
good luck
claire

Answer 3

In my family, we'd eat a bit of chocolate if we needed to boost our milk production. I know it sounds silly, but it works for us. But if you want to make more milk, then express to the tiniest drop all the extra milk left over after your baby has fed. The more milk that is used, the more milk you'll make. Its kinda hard to get the last bit out with your hands, so you might need a pump, but it should help up your milk production.

Answer 4

the more the baby takes from you, the more you will produce in order to supply the baby's demand. Or you could express the milk....with a pump or by hand. Why do you want to make more?

Answer 5

Drink more liquids, and feed and pump more often, the idea is to get it to flow, if you miss every once in a while and then express every last drop of it that might help too, but I will warn you that it can make you a little sore to do that, but it fills your breast when it comes back in and when you stop it then they swell giving them more room to produce, that is where the pain comes in.

Answer 6

The more you do it the more you will produce. Use a pump and express between nursing the baby and you should get more milk.

Answer 7

You should check with your doctor first, but I have been told that if you drink 1 beer a day it will help with milk production. I'm not sure why, another breast-feeding mother told me. Good luck!

Answer 8

Pump in between. I also took the herb fenugreek, not sure if it worked but I had plenty for my baby girl.

Answer 9

Try drinking lots of water. You can also eat things high in protein is supposed to help to.

Answer 10

try useing a brest pump the more u pump the more you will make cause u will only make what ur baby eats if all u do if feed him/her off of u.