cesarean == low milk production?

Question

I notice women who go through cesarean will have to put in extra effort to increase their milk production. I have friends who said that their milk just flow so much(spurt everywhere, pump full bottle, must wear nursing pads) and they delivered naturally. I have friends who have a hard time breastfeeding and I notice they all went through c-section.

I went through c-sec and certainly try all sorts of ways to increase my milk supply. Anybody who wants to share your experience?

Answer 1

What you need to remember is that in the first few weeks, milk production is hormone-driven; after that it is demand-driven. So, it is true that it may take longer for your milk to come in at first because your body did not go through the hormonal changes it was supposed to due to the c/s. But, if you nurse frequently during the first 2 weeks, get lots of rest, etc., your supply should be just fine after a while. Spend a lot of time in contact with your baby, cue-feed, etc., and you should be just fine. Make sure to call your La Leche League leader or Lactation Consultant at the first sign of a problem.

Answer 2

I had two C-sections. I stopped nursing the first baby at 16 months because baby number 2 was on the way. The second I am still nursing at 15 months.

Milk was pretty much abundant with the first. It hasn't seemed as much so with the second. But as long as they are getting some of mommy's milk, they are getting the benefits that help build up their immune system and fight bacterial infection. (Did you know you can put breast milk in baby's eye when they have that discharge right after birth and it clears up?)

One misconception is that there are a lot of cases where women have such a low amount of milk that they can not breastfeed. The truth is, the instances where it is really impossible to breast feed are few and far between. Our diet has a lot to do with milk production or the lack thereof. And there is work to be done if we have created a situation that is not conducive to good milk production. I strongly believe that God made women's bodies to have babies and to nourish those babies. He has also provided for health and cure for those bodies.

Doctors never suggest herbs to increase lactation, yet it is the most natural and least harmful way.
Natural ways to increase milk supply:
Red Raspberry Tea
Brewer's Yeast- 3-4 tablets daily (may cause gas at first)
Concentrated Alfalfa-3-4 capsules daily
Marshmallow Tea-drink warm as often as desired, or 2 capsules 3 or 4 times daily.
Blessed Thistle Tea
NOTE: SAGE and PARSLEY dry up milk if taken in therapeutic doses.
For more information, see "Breast Milk (increase and enrich)" at
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/scan/MM=9fe8b2572dddaf76ac02a6a2c182f7cc:15:26:12?mv_more_ip=1&mv_nextpage=need%2da%2dremedy&pf=sql&mv_arg=

Answer 3

I got a c-section and after every feeding I was still pumping 12 ounces every 3 to 4 hours. My milk came in day 3... I've been doing fairly good with it and I'm 4 1/2 months into and haven't had a problem producing yet. My friend had a baby naturally and tried nursing for about 3 weeks, but didn't have enough milk...

If you really want to increase it. After every feeding pump. This way your body will supply more milk... Give it a few. It'll work like a charm.

Answer 4

I had a cesarean 5 months ago and my milk was fine,I made sure I drank alot of water,ate very healthy and pumped every 2 to 3 hours even through the night.I was not able to breast feed,my son had an unkown heart defect and had his first surgery when he was 2 days old so he was too weak to breast feed.We spent the first 2 weeks in the hospital where he had a NG feeding tube and was also bottle fed my milk.He never did gain enough strength to breast feed so I continued to pump.Once my milk came in I had no problem getting 3 oz out of each breast every time I pumped,I was also dairy and soy free the whole time because my son was allergic.I have just stopped pumping 3 days ago and have 500 oz which is being donated to Childrens Hospital.Try to keep up the water,be sure to drink the same amount you pump as well as your 8 glasses a day.Good luck to you and as long as your baby is gaining weight your doing just fine.Not all women spray milk,I never leaked or sprayed,good luck to you.

Answer 5

I have heard from nurses, etc, that c-section moms take five days for their milk to come it, and naturally, it takes approx 2 days for milk to come in.
Both my kids were natural, and my milk came in quite fast, about 1 1/2 days later. I did not have too much, but I did not have a problem either. My little boy looked like a football player at 4 months old!
Two of my sisters-in-law, and one sister had c-sections, and they all found problems with milk coming in late.
To increase your milk production, make sure you are drinking enough fluid, and eating healthy throughout the day. Nurse often - they more you nurse the more your produce. Also, get as much rest as possible. I found my babies got a better feed if I was better rested. Fennel tea is safe and good for increasing milk supply, and also good for babies tummy. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin while nursing, and include some fatty acids in your diet too (omega 3 flax seed or fish oil is good for your milk).

Answer 6

It is the sucking that helps to increase the milk supply. Therefore, to increase the amount of milk that you produce you need to allow your baby to nurse as often as he/she wants to.

It is very difficult to nurse a baby after a c-section, but it can be and has been done.

Try not to supplement or give your baby a soother. As sucking on a soother lessens the baby's need to suck on the breast. Giving a supplement also decreases the amount of time that your baby will nurse, thereby decreasing your milk supply.

All mothers have the proper nutritiants in their milk for their baby. Human milk was made for babies. Formula manufacturers have been attempting to duplicate mother's milk for decades. They have not succeeded.

Some babies need to nurse more often than other babies. The four hour feeding schedule was developed for the convenience of the nurses and the hospitals; not for the the baby. A four hour schedule used to mean that nurses on an old-fashioned 8 hour work day only had to feed the babies twice on their shift.

A younger, more inexperienced baby may have to nurse every hour, for what seems like a long time.

When a baby first starts to nurse they receive what it called foremilk. This foremilk is thinner and lower in fat. This foremilk lasts for the first part of the nursing period. The rich hindmilk, which is higher in fat, is present during the latter part of the breastfeeding session, usually about 10 minutes or more into the feeding.

It is important to allow your baby to nurse as long as he/she wants to on the first side. After the sucking has slowed, burb your baby, and switch sides.

Always start nursing on the breast that was nursed on last, therefore not completely emptied.

Your baby may be nursing almost non-stop sometimes. This it to bring your milk supply up to the level that he/she needs. Once your milk supply is where your baby needs it, he/she will not nurse quite so often. This may happen at about 2 or 3 weeks of age, 3 months of age, and again at 6 month.

Let your baby guide you and you will never go wrong.

Contract a breastfeeding group called:
La Leche League
This is a group made up of mothers who have all breastfed or are breastfeeding babies. It is an excellent support group. You will find information about them on their website.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/

Answer 7

I have four children, the first I delivered naturally, and the rest by c-section. Although I didn't breastfeed the first, I leaked, and sometimes poured, milk for the first couple of months. With my boys, ( #2 & #3), I breastfed them both with absolutely no problems. However after my last baby, I just didn't seem to make enough to keep my baby full and eventually switched to formula. I don't know why my milk production went from one extreme to another, but I hope this helps.

Answer 8

I had 3 c-sections and had no problem with my milk production. If you want to increase production then feeding more frequently will help, like every two hours at first and then when production is up you can ween back down. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids. Sometimes the child is not suckling correctly so be sure they are getting fed. Your body knows automatically that they need to replace what is removed so if the baby is not suckling enough, pump in between feedings to increase supply.

Answer 9

I had the same problem after my c-section, but it had a lot to do with my daughter ability to latch on, she's just lazy and refused to work for her food. I had to supplement w/ formula when we got home from the hospital because she was losing too much weight. Not to mention that the nurses gave her a pacifier, so that didn't help her latch on. I ended up buying a pump and using that to bottlefeed her, but I came down with a horrible stomach flu a month after that and the medicine made me dry up completely. I think it was a combination of all the factors that made my supply so low, as I was only pumping an ounce if I was lucky. I did notice that after I started having relations w/ my boyfriend again, my supply started to pick up, I remember reading that the hormones released when you have an orgasm can stimulate production, as it's the same one that's released when you breastfeed. Good luck!

Answer 10

It depends on the person. I had a c-section and I never had a problem with milk supply (at first) but I did have a difficult time with my son latching on. He never did so I had to resort to pumping and since then I have had an extremely difficult time maintaining my supply. I do it (and struggle with it) because I know it's the best thing for him.

For some people fenugreek works wonders at increasing supply but for me..it just made me sick. Oatmeal and brewer's yeast are also supposed to help but they didn't for me. My midwife just prescriped Reglan to see if that will help.

My sister, on the other hand, had two c-sections and never had a problem with milk supply.