How do I increase my milk supply ?

Question

My milk supply has gone down and my pedi. wants me to start supplementing my 2 month old daughter.How can I increase my supply while keeping her at a healthy,progressing weight.

Answer 1

Breastmilk is a supply and demand system. If you would like to increase your supply, put your baby to your breast more often than you have been. The more the baby demands, the more your body will supply. Pumping after you nurse will also achieve the same result. Even if you aren't getting any milk out when you are pumping, you are still demanding the supply.

You can also try eating oatmeal a few times a day, which could increase your supply slightly.

You also should question the reason why your dr. wants you to supplement. Is your daughter gaining weight? Is she having wet and poopy diapers daily? If so, then she is getting plenty from you. Many people are concerned about breastfeeding because you can't see how much the baby is eating, but as long as she is gaining weight and has enough wet diapers everyday, she is doing fine.

Good luck, Mama!!

Answer 2

This is a complicated question. How do you know your supply has gone down? Chances are good that your supply has evened out - and you're no longer over-producing (which is what you do in the beginning, and is why your breasts get engorged). If the baby's weight is still good, and she's having 6 wet diapers a day, you're making enough milk.

If you still want to make more, there are medications you can take (Reglan - but it causes depression, watch out! And domperidone, which is not available in the U.S. unless you get it at a compounding pharmacy, which sucks because it works better than Reglan with fewer side effects). I took Reglan and it worked, but I had whopping depression as a result.

You can take fenugreek supplements (they're found at a health food store). You have to take a LOT - so many that you start to smell like maple syrup. Start with what it says on the bottle, and keep adding pills until people start saying, "Did you have waffles for breakfast?" You can also take Brewer's Yeast (take the dose on the bottle). There are teas at health food stores (Mother's Milk Tea, etc.) that support breastfeeding. You can also get Fenugreek tea, but I couldn't drink enough of it to matter, because it tasted like maple which is a flavor I don't love - I preferred it in pill form.

You can also eat oatmeal (I prefer mine in Oatmeal Raisin cookie form!). Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, but not too much. Drink "to thirst" - if you drink too much water, you can screw up your supply. Also, avoid caffeine and sodas. Avoid stress. Make sure you're getting as much rest as you can. Your body actually makes more milk while you sleep, so if you aren't sleeping enough, you can't make enough milk. Make sure you nap with baby.

I would get a second opinion before you supplement. Breast really is best.

Answer 3

I'm just curious, what is leading your Ped to believe that you have a low supply?

Your answer to this can greatly clarify *what* may need to be done, if anything at all.

The BEST measurement of an adequate milk supply is, "what goes in, must come out". Your baby's diapers hold all the information you need.

If your baby's poops are nice a yellow/seedy and at least once a day....that's great! The yellowness comes from receiving Hindmilk and that only comes with effective & adequate nursing.

As long as your baby is wetting 6-8 diapers a day, her fluids are fine as well....even if your Ped is trying to tell you her weight gain is "too slow". Most weight charts are based on the growth patterns of formula fed babies....way different then breastfed babies.

Because of our inability to actually *see* how much breastmilk a baby is getting, we tend to worry. We truly have to trust our body and our baby.

Just remember, ANYTHING that replaces a nursing will affect your milk supply....as a previous poster mentioned, it truly is Supply & Demand.

Watch out for overuse of:

-pacifiers
-bottles
-supplements
-please, please, please don't shcedule your breastfed baby! If we don't know how much baby is taking at every feed, who are we to dictate how often thery should eat! For all we know, their last feed was only a top-up, like maybe 2-3oz and they are understandibly hungry less then an hour later.....nurse your baby often, this is so vital. The only side-effect of frequent nursing is an abundant supply :)

Answer 4

Increase your food intake and pump with an electric pump between feedings. You'll make more milk if you need more milk.Set certain times every day to pump. Then you can give that milk in a bottle. If you start using formula her demand will go down and so will your supply.Also, you can use a little formula if you have to until you get your supply back up then go back onto just nursing. The electric breast pump will do it ! Good Luck !

Answer 5

The only way to increase your milk supply is for the baby to suck regularly, and you must drink plenty of milk and water yourself.
There are electric breast pumps, however, that would imitate the baby sucking. This would work too. The expressed milk could be stored in zip lock freezer bags, and kept in the freezer until the baby is ready for it, or just throw it down the drain. You can always produce more, and the more you do this, the more your milk supply is increased for the baby.

Answer 6

#1 Fire your Peditrician. Any doctor who says to suppliment before anything else is not supportive of breastfeeding and ever visit there will be some new reason that you need to use formula. Supplimenting will cause your supply to go down even more, until you dry up.

#2 See a lactation consultant. Most milk supply problems are really latch problems. La Leche League is free http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html (change the country at the top right if you aren't american.

#3 Read these:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

Answer 7

Firstly and most importantly, see a lactation consultant. They will help you identify any issues that need to be addressed. I have consulted one many times for various issues and have had my problems successfully resolved each time with their advice.
To increase my milk supply, I tried the following: Weleda brand nursing tea (it has fenugreek) , a big bowl of oatmeal (not the iinstant stuff...use the large flake oats) every morning, getting lots of rest, and letting my baby suckle more. I am not sure if one of these did the trick or if it was a combination of all of them...but my milk did seem to be more abundant.
A friend of mine tried Blessed Thistle capsules and she felt that they helped her.
A good nursing reference book is the one by Dr Jack Newman.
Best of luck to you!

Answer 8

Nursing and pumping more does really work, strange for your pediatrician to recommend formula?!! as soon as you do you may end up stopping nursing because the more bottles your baby gets the less breastmilk you will produce, unless its just one bottle a day, for example at bedtime. 4-5 feedings a day is the minimum to keep your supply up. unless your baby is underweight don´t give her formula! she will make up for any decrease in milk later. it may take a couple weeks for your supply to be where you want it to be, so be patient, keep that nipple balm handy, drink fennel tea at least 3x a day, try massaging your ducts (on the underside of nipples)on one breast while nursing,this encourages a stronger letdown. Stress is the main cause of a decrease in milk, and as your baby grows she needs more milk so this decrease may happen several times her first year while your body catches up.

Answer 9

Keep feeding the more you feed the more milk your body will make also to boost it up my feeding advisor suggested I chose one time after a feed to express this made my body think at that time my baby wanted feeding and so within a few days I was producing extra milk at this time. I wouldnt recommend supplementing her feeds I would keep on going with the breast feeding and if you can feed her more often.

Answer 10

Eat plenty of food and DO NOT eat a low fat diet to try to shed post pregnancy pounds! Drink plenty of fluids, and express milk as often as possible to trick your body into thinking there is a big demand.... and don't turn your husband down if he tries to nab some late at night .:-)