how to have more breast milk?

Question

i have a 3 month old who seems to never get enough, please help! He breast feeds on both breasts about 2 1/2 hours apart.

Answer 1

That is the average time span between feeds. As long as the baby is gaining weight, then she's getting enough.

Answer 2

Breastmilk digests in 90 minutes or less, it is completely normal for a breastfed baby to eat that often. So 2 1/2 hours is pretty good. The every 3-4 hour rule is for formula fed babies, and even then I hear it doesn't really hold true.

Increasing your supply if you do not have a low supply will make you uncomfortable and may cause problems for the baby. The milk may come to fast causing him to be upset, it can cause extra gas. It can cause the poop to become green and frothy and sometimes causes intestinal pain.

To see if you have low supply please read this:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

You should also read this:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html

There are links in the first article to how to increase your supply.

The most important thing is this though: You need to find a group of breastfeeding moms to spend time with. You need a support group and you also just need to see what breastfeeding babies are really like. It is a sad state of affairs when most women grow up having never seen a baby breastfeed, let alone spent enough time with a breastfed baby to know how they behave.

La Leche League is great, but there are probably tonnes of other parenting groups as well. La Leche League isn't for everyone, and every group is different. Some are very aggressive about breastfeeding, most are a pretty good mix of women.

To find your local La Leche League meeting:
http://llli.org/WebUS.html (Change the country in the upper right if you are not American.

You can also find local parenting groups through Yahoo Groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com

And through public health, WIC, churches, etc.

Answer 3

Nurse more often, the more the baby nurses, the more milk you will produce. Make sure you drink plenty of water, and above all make sure you are eating enough. You need extra calories when you're nursing. Dieting will cut down on your milk production. Just eat a balanced diet.

Answer 4

Between feedings try to pump milk out. This wiil do two things. First feed it to the baby once they are done nursing to see if he or she is still hungry and it will fill her up. Then the baby won't feed as often so you can have time to make more. Also it will help you to produce more milk because your body will notice that it needs it.

Answer 5

Two herbal supplements that really work:

Fenugreek (pills)
Mother's Milk (tea)

These are at most any vitamin store (like GNC or Nutrition Depot). Takes about a day or two to work, continue taking for another few days, then stop taking (it's only for initially stimulating milk production).

Answer 6

Your breast milk should regulate to compensate how much your baby is eating. If he eats more you will produce more milk, if he eats less you will produce less milk. If you don't think he is getting enough milk then breast feed him more often, this will produce more milk.

Answer 7

Does he fall asleep while feeding? If he does, rub the bottom of his feet to wake him and he should keep feeding. Your milk production should keep up with him if you're feeding him regularly and you have a good diet with lots of fluid intake yourself.

Answer 8

Almost all mothers go through a period of questioning whether their milk supply is adequate, especially when they begin breastfeeding. In some cases a mother isn't able to produce enough milk to meet the needs of her baby. But according to many experts, true milk insufficiencies are rare.

Many women think their milk supply is low when it isn't. This can happen if you lose the feeling of fullness in your breasts, or if milk stops leaking from your nipples — but these are actually natural, common signs that your body has adjusted to your baby's feeding requirements. A baby going through a growth spurt may also want more milk than usual, and his more frequent feedings may leave your breasts less full than usual.

Others, however, including Marianne Neifert, a pediatrician, lactation specialist, and author of Dr. Mom's Guide to Breastfeeding, believe that low milk supply is a real phenomenon for some women and that to ignore it may put babies at risk for malnutrition. For the vast majority of these women, better breastfeeding management can correct the problem, but 2 to 5 percent are physically incapable of producing enough milk.

What causes it?
A mother's milk supply may diminish temporarily if she's not feeding her baby often enough because of nipple pain, a lethargic nurser, or a poor latch-on technique. Estrogen-containing birth control pills or an illness can also affect milk production. For a few women, a biological or physical condition such as a hormonal disorder or breast surgery causes their milk supply to be low.

For most women, though, the real problem is delivery, not production. They produce plenty of milk, but for some reason, such as an incorrect latch-on technique, their baby isn't getting enough.

What should I do?
First, rule out false alarms about your milk supply. Here's how to tell whether your baby's getting enough — and therefore you're producing enough — breast milk:

• Your baby gains an ounce a day in the first three months of life and half an ounce a day from age 3 to 6 months. (Newborns will typically lose between 5 and 10 percent of their birth weight in the first few days before gaining it back.) Your baby should be back to his birth weight by ten to 14 days after birth. Weight gain is the best way to make sure your baby's getting enough milk.
• In the first month, your baby has at least three stools a day and they lighten to a yellowy-mustard color by the fifth day after birth. After the first month, the stools become less frequent. Some babies will even go a day or two between stools.
• He nurses frequently — every two to three hours, for a total of at least eight to 12 feedings a day.
• You hear him swallow and you sometimes notice milk in the corners of his mouth.
• He appears healthy and active.
• He wets seven or eight cloth diapers a day, or five to six disposables. Disposable diapers are more absorbent, making it hard to tell when one is wet. If you're not sure, take one off and compare its weight to a dry disposable. A wet one should feel slightly heavier. (Note: Wet diapers alone are not enough to determine whether your baby's getting enough milk: A dehydrated baby can still wet a diaper. Stools and weight gain are the best ways to tell how your baby's doing.)

If you're not producing as much milk as you (and your baby) would like, try the following:
• See a lactation professional. She can weigh your baby and give you tips on how to boost your milk supply.

• Feed your baby often. Frequent nursing sessions stimulate your body to produce more milk.

• Get the best latch-on possible. Check for proper positioning at the breast.

• When your baby's sucking and swallowing pattern slows down, use breast compression to increase milk flow to your baby and to completely drain the breast.

• When your milk flow with compression seems to be slowing, switch sides and repeat. Keep switching back and forth between breasts until your baby is satisfied or stops swallowing. A more effective measure may be to nurse your baby for ten to 15 minutes per breast, then use a fully automatic electric breast pump with a double collection kit to completely drain your breasts and increase milk production. To make sure your baby's getting enough, you may have to supplement the milk you've collected with formula.

• A sleepy baby may need to be awakened and encouraged to nurse more vigorously (thus stimulating your glands to produce more milk). To arouse him, try switching sides frequently, alternating positions, or even undressing him. Some mothers play with their baby's feet during feedings to keep him awake.

• Mothers who determine that their milk output is actually low may want to have their thyroid level checked. A low thyroid level is known to reduce milk supply.

• If you're not sure your baby is sucking well, or are still concerned about your milk supply, don't hesitate to call on a lactation consultant for help.