how do you build up your milk supply?

Question

I have a one month old daughter and we have successfully breast feeding until now. She has moved her feeding up to 3 to 4oz and I feel I don't make that much. I took her to the doctor and he said I should try half breastmilk and half formula but I don't want her to have formula. What should I do?

Answer 1

What I always did and it worked for me was drink lots and lots of water and eat peanut butter. Then pretty soon I could feel I had more.

Answer 2

How do you know how much she is drinking? Are you nursing, expressing milk, both or adding formula?

Why do you think you "don't make that much?" Your body will make however much milk she asks for. DO NOT judge how much you can produce by how much you can pump. No pump is as efficient as your baby is as long as the child is latched on correctly. It's a supply and demand process. Put the baby to the breast and your body will make the milk. Your baby will always be able to get more milk nursing at the breast than you can with the pump as long as her latch is good. The pump is only "man's best imitation" of the perfection of a nursing baby.

Also, the loss of a feeling of engorgement is NOT an indicator of a supply problem. Engorgement means that 1. you've got an OVERsupply of milk or 2. you've gone too long between feedings.

How is she gaining weight? Is she having plenty of wet and dirty diapers? How does she act after nursing? Content? Falling asleep? Those are the signs that all is going fine!

Nursing more often or pumping more often are the best ways to increase supply. Remember.....it's all supply and demand! Also there is commonly a growth spurt around this time which is a period that she will eat more frequently and take in more milk for about 3 days. This is her way of boosting your supply to her new level! Just follow her lead and put her to the breast when she seems hungry.

Answer 3

I know how you feel- you don't want your baby to have formula. First of all, if your baby is thriving and gaining weight, you probably are producing enough.

If your pediatrician is concerned about your baby's weight gain, then you should try to feed your daughter more often. If your baby isn't interested, then pump. This should help build up your milk supply. If this doesn't seem to work, try using "fenugreek", an herbal supplement that you can find at any vitamin store. I checked with my OB, pediatrician and la leche league and they all said it was safe to use. The only drawback is that your sweat and urine will start to smell like maple syrup! It worked for me. Once you build it back up, you can stop taking the supplements.

Good luck to you!

Answer 4

Believe it or not, the MORE she breast feeds, the MORE milk you will make. If she's not actually feeding off of your breast that much, you can always go to the drug store and get one of those manual breast pumps that you can use in between her feedings. This will increase your breast milk drastically. Breast milk is good in the freezer for up to one year. Therefore, when she gets a little older, and she has stopped breastfeeding, you can still give her the immunities by using your breast milk over her cereals, and mixed in with her formula and/or regular milk.
Good luck.

Answer 5

Beer does wrk but the reason why it wrks is the high amount of calories so eat some steak instead of the beer.

Pump between feeding

Try drinkin "mother's milk tea"

Try taking 3pills of Fenugreek (u will smell like maple syrup tho)

Drink plenty of fluids and get adequate rest.

Alot of time we feel like we arent making enough milk but if the baby is gaining weight the baby is fine often times they use the nipple as a pacy so that might be it

If what I just said dosent wrk try contacting LLL but they will tell u everything I have said

Answer 6

I had the same problem... what I had to do was use a pump between feedings for a couple of days until my body understood that I needed to make more. Attempt to feed, an hour or so later (or halfway until next feeding) Try to pump an extra oz. or two into a bottle and save it for her. If you cant produce enough come feeding time.. WAHLAH! You still have a little extra to give her. (Also great to get he used to a bottle for when you can't be there.)

Answer 7

Your doctor may be trying to do you a favor. In breastfeeding, it's more a demand and supply situation (as opposed to economics supply and demand). As your baby's needs step up, so should your supply. However, if your body is, in fact, unable to meet her needs, you may end up with a failure to thrive situation -- not good.

I need ask, also, how do you know how many ounces? Are you pumping or feeding at the breast?

Answer 8

Breast milk is usually produced upon demand...in other words, if your baby is nursing alot...you will produce more milk. If you do NOT start producing more within a week or so...you should supplement the baby with formula. Try drinking plenty of liquids...water is best...that may help increase production. If you baby doesnt get enough nutrition..it will start losing weight and could develope "failure to thrive".
Hope this helps.....glad that you are nursing your baby...it is sooo beneficial for the baby for the first year. I nursed both my children...and I have such a closer bond with them.

Answer 9

Lots of skin contact and lots of suckling lots of water. The more suckling the better. No pacifiers. Put your baby on your bare tummy and have her with no shirt on. Also pumping does work sometimes. My sister pumped to get her supply up and it did nothing but make her sore.

I do not recommend peanut butter since it has been proven the more you eat of it the more likely your baby will have an allergy!!!

Answer 10

feed her more often then usally or as she sleeps/nap pump and after a couple of days you will notice you are ingourge more often
and if you can try to just breastfeed only it is very healthy and financial and instead of getting up and going to the kitchen make sure its not hot or whatever you do to make a form. bottle you just lift your shirt and your done.
any more questions you can call breastfeeding hot line and/or go to this
1-800-994-9662

http://www.lalecheleague.org/

Answer 11

I would try pumping when she's not feeding, the more you use it builds up the supply or just pump in general so you can give her more if she needs it.