" My milk supply dropped this past week. I am not planning on weaning yet. How could I bring it back up?
2006-12-27 14:56:43 · 6 answers · asked by Haritha T 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
The best thing to do is to nurse or pump more frequently. IT's supply and demand.....the more often you remove milk from the breasts, the more milk they will make.
Spend this weekend taking a "nursing vacation" and do nothing but nurse and self-care.
If you don't see an increase after about 4 days of increased pumping/nursing, consider adding a fenugreek supplement. You'll want to take 3-4 capsules 3x per day.
Check out http://www.kellymom.com for a lot of good info.
2006-12-27 15:00:18 · answer #1 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why do you think this is?? The first post gave excellent information, but you also need to find the root of your problem. Are you on birth control? Even the kind meant for breastfeeding moms will deplete your milk (though the companies making it say otherwise). Talk to a lactation consultant so that they can go through questions and answers to find the problem! If you feel you have to supplement for the time being until your milk comes through, do the norm formula/ water equivalent, but then add 2 extra ounces of water! And don't give formula till after the baby has tried to nurse, and keep trying to nurse to try to keep the milk continuing. If all else fails, don't beat yourself up over the fact of no longer breastfeeding. At least you tried, unlike a lot of women!
2006-12-27 23:30:48 · answer #2 · answered by Sunshine Swirl 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, how old is your baby? You may not have actually dropped supply, in so much that your milk is finally keeping at demand and is balanced for now. No growth spurts lately? Anyway...
if you are needing to boost supply, I would definitely push the nursing with your baby this week, drink lots of water, boost calorie intake, and just plan on relaxing with baby. My MIL swore on an ounce of chocolate every day to boost milk ;-)
Good luck, and congrats on the nursing!
2006-12-27 23:24:01 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is an herb called fenugreek you can take. it actually helps moms who have adopted to be able to nurse, go to medela.com for more info, you can also e-mail a lactation expert on this site for more advice. it IS safe to use while nursing. you take 1800 mgs 3 times a day....(3 pills 3 times daily) it will build your supply up in 24 to 48 hours. You can get it at any drug store at about 8$ a bottle.
2006-12-27 23:39:32 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This happened to me when I was nursing and went back to work. The best advice is to nurse more frequently. I ended up having to pump at work every 2 hours. It was a lot, but it helped. If that doesn't help in a few days to a week, I would suggest a call to your doctor, who may be able to refer you to a lactation consultant. They may suggest a supplement and some other remedies.
Good luck and don't give up!
2006-12-27 23:19:48 · answer #5 · answered by harrisnish 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No bottles.
Did you start taking birth control? (if so, stop)
Nurse every 2 hours.
Also remember, your breasts become more efficient. Their not as hard as in the beginning, you make how much the baby is drinking.
Also, baby could be going through a growing spurt, and just eating more.
2006-12-27 23:51:14 · answer #6 · answered by Eye Candy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋