URGENT: Is it possible to stimulate breast milk production again after 48 hours of not breastfeeding?

Question

We had to feed the baby formula for 48 hours because of a serious colon-allergy she developed. During that time my wife pumped her milk out, up to 6 ounces at a time. Now 48 hours later her milk production has been seriously diminished, and she is receiving the baby stimulation but we are worried it might not come back to full production. You think it will come back? Has it helped you to drink oatmeal as some friends have suggested?

Answer 1

YES it should be possible for her to get the baby nursing again. Is baby latching on OK after having 48 hours of bottles? Her supply may not be even all that different since she pumped through the 48 hours.

She should nurse frequently and no more bottles while she trys to stimulate her supply. There is no reason at this point to add any supplements in order to try to recover supply. Hopefully, supply and demand alone will be enough to boost supply back up at this point. (And don't judge her supply by what he was able to pump. The pump is only man's best imitation of baby. A baby who is latched on properly will get much more than a pump.)

There are herbs that she can take to try to boost production, but I wouldn't suggest that yet at this point. Instead I'd suggest a "nursing vacation" where she spends the next 2 days doing NOTHING but nursing the baby frequently and having skin to skin contact. Dad should take over housework, other kids, etc. during that time and let mom concentrate only on baby.

EDITED TO ADD:
Since RAli mentioned the fenugreek, I have to add a caution. DO NOT TAKE FENUGREEK if mom has any of the following conditions:
peanut allergy, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, hypoglycemia or Blood pressure problems.]
The typical dosage for fenugreek is 3-4 capsules 3x per day. Mom will smell like maple syrup if she is taking enough.

Answer 2

If your wife has a good diet and it getting a good amount of vitamins and calcium, it should be able to come back. Just let the baby breastfeed until her supply is diminished. If the baby is still hungry, supplement with formula. What happens is, when the breastmilk supply is diminished, it will stimulate the breast to make more milk. The more frequently the supply is diminished, the more breastmilk should be made.

As for the oatmeal thing, I've never heard that. I've heard drinking more milk will help. You can always call a lactation consultant at your local hospital to help out, too.

Answer 3

Breastfeeding can be very emotional and frustrating. Continue breastfeeding the baby every two hours if it is a newborn. Take fenugreek tea or capsules to stimulate milk production. This really works, and is used extensively by lactation experts. Fenugreek is an herb available in healthfood stores. I always get it from middle eastern markets in seed form and then boil it to make tea. Add sugar and it tastes like maple syrup, mmm.

Answer 4

My breastmilk diminished twice during the first 8 mths that I breast fed my baby and it always came back.
He's 1 yr. old now and still breastfeeding. Just stick with it and make sure that your wife is eating as normal as possible 'cause her nutrition will directly affect both the quality and quantity of the milk.

Drink as much water as possible too.
Don't worry, it'll come back as long as you stick with it. When my milk diminished and my baby nursed, it sort of hurt when he drained the breast but after a couple of days the milk production was up to standard again.
Stick with it, it's worth it!
Good luck!

Answer 5

YES! Definately possible. In fact, a mom still has the ability to produce up to 2 years after stopping! I promise the pain of being full won't last that long! Since she has been pumping there should be no problem getting her back on track with breastfeeding! GOOD LUCK! :)

Answer 6

I had a friend who stopped for two weeks and was able to resume breastfeeding. She should continue to try to stimulate her production by pumping in addition to the baby nursing. The beauty of breastfeeding is your body can readjust here and there depending on your baby's needs. Best of luck!

Answer 7

dont worry once the baby starts to suck on her breast it will stimulate it and her prodcution will be back to what it was. make she she eats nutrious food because that is what the baby will be getting. 20 mins on each side. until it returns to normal give her breast and then wait a couple of mins if the baby is still hungry make a little milk in the bottle and give baby. every 3 hrs not too much bottle milk

Answer 8

Yes it will come back.. The baby just needs to contiune to nurse as normal. If you pumped regularly while the baby wasn't nursing then your milk productin should be the same. You don't need to do anything, the milk will come in. Its called supply and demand. If the baby is nursing often, then more milk will be made.

Answer 9

There's a lot of great answers above, especially from momma2mingbu and RAli. In addition to Fenugreek and drinking plenty of water, you could also try an herb called Blessed Thistle and/or a tea called "Mother's Milk," also available in health food stores and some grocery stores (my grocery carries it in the organic foods section.) I've not heard of the oatmeal trick, but the above herbs have worked for me. Good luck!

Answer 10

Your milk will start to come back. Don't worry! It only slowed down because there was no stimulation. Now that she is getting the stimulation again, it will start back up. Tell her to make sure that she is eating a lot too. That helps. :)