When breastfeeding what is a supplementary feeding device?

Question

how do I increase milk supply? if I am still getting a small amount of milk is it possible to increase milk supply or is my milk about to be gone for good?

katiebug: my baby is now 4 weeks old? FOR THE PAST WEEJ SHE HAS HAD THE BOTTLE MORE BECAYSE FOR THE LAST FOUR WEEKS I HAVE BEEN LATCHING HER ON WRONG AND MY NIPPLES WERE HURTING SO BAD I COULDN'T FEED HER. THE DR. GIVE ME CREAM TO HELP MY NIPPLES AND AFTER TWO DAYS MY NIPPLES WERE GOOD AGAIN BUT NOW WHEN I PUMP FOR 15 TO 20 MINS I ONLY GET ABOUT AN OUNCE FROM EACH SIDE.

Answer 1

I was just talking to a nurse in the neo-natal unit at a hospital where I live. She said (and this may sound strange) beer helps a lot with increasing milk supply. Obviously you wouldn't want to over do it, but something about the yeast causes milk to increase. Another way is to pump more to trick your body into thinking your baby is eating more.
How long have you been breastfeeding? Is there a reason why your supply may have diminished? Are you sure it has diminished?
An EXCELLENT book on the subject is a book called "Breastfeeding made simple" go get it ASAP, and you will learn everything you ever needed to know about it.

Answer 2

There are two devices on the market. One is made by Medela and is called an SNS. The other is a Lact-aid. They both work the same way, in that they have a bottle that is filled with either formula or pumped breastmilk. The bottle hangs around your neck, and the supplement is fed through tubes that you tape on to your nipples. That way you can nurse the baby and provide any supplementation he/she needs without using a bottle and potentially causing nipple confusion. It also stimulates your breasts to produce more milk at the same time. The difference between the SNS and the Lact-aid is that the SNS uses a hard bottle and the Lact-aid uses flexible bags.

The best way to increase milk supply is to empty your breasts regularly. Nurse your baby every two hours and pump after nursing. This will give your breasts the signal to make more milk. There are also herbs that you can take to help increase milk, such as Fenugreek and some others. Motherlove makes a good blend called More Milk Plus, you can find it at www.motherlove.com

You might also want to see a lactation consultant, you can find one in your area at www.ilca.org.

And, despite what some people will tell you, low milk supply DOES exist and it IS a problem. Some women just aren't able to produce a full supply, and most the time no one knows for sure why. You can get more suggestions on increasing your milk at http://www.mobimotherhood.org.

Follow these suggestions faithfully, and see if your milk supply increases. If it does not, then you may be one of these women. Just remember, any breastmilk you give your baby is a wonderful thing, some is always better than none, and it does not have to be an "all or nothing" proposition, you can combine breast and formula feeding.

Good luck, and I hope I've been some help!

Answer 3

I don't think so. My son couldn't nurse, so the nurses in the hospital told me to rent a hospital-grade breast pump to start a milk supply. He still doesn't nurse, but when he starts eating more than I'm producing, I pump more often and after a week or so, I have more milk to keep up with him. That has worked great for me. Just pump for 15-20 minutes each time. I would contact your OBGYN or a lactation consultant to find a place the rents out these breast pumps. They cost around $50 a month. I still have it and use it for every pumping.

A supplementary feeding device is a syringe with a tube on the end used with a nipple shield. It never worked for me, but my son has had rare problems. It does work for a lot of people. You can get the nipple shield from Babies R Us or any store that sells breastfeeding/pumping acessories. As far as the syringe with a tube on the end, I'm not sure. I would contact your pediatrician or a lactation consultant.

You put breastmilk or formula in the syringe, and then you put the tube against your nipple behind the nipple shield. Then you can slowly push a flow of formula or milk and the baby can suck it through the holes in the nipple shield. The point is so your baby will learn to suck at the breast while still stimulating a milk supply.

By the way, if your baby is very, very new, than you should know that you don't make that much milk at first, and your baby doesn't need that much at first. Good luck.

Answer 4

You dont wan to go that route yet, only use a supplimentary feeding device when you have exhausted all other avenaues. It is a short-term fix for a long term problem. It uses pumped breast milk or formula fed through a tube taped to your nipple or something similer. It does not help increase your breast milk, only helps avoid nippe confusion. I used it because my daughter ws a premie and not nursing well. I would go see your DR asap and ask him for Oxytocian Nose Spray. it does work. I used it for 3 weeks when my daughter was in the hospital and it helped he to continue breastfeeding when I thought I had already dried up. It was amazing how well it worked. But you have to push for it, I did. Read up on it and Tell your Dr you want a prescription for it ASAP.

Answer 5

My mother actually was told the beer thing as well! She drank one a day and that helped with her milk supply. To increase your supply you want to offer the child the breast as often as you can, massage and try to manually pump to get lactation up. Try Mother's Milk Tea (you can find it at stores like GNC )and Fenugeek ( http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html )

An SNS machine is used to try and stimulate your milk supply as well. The SNS is filled with formula and worn suspended from a necklace device. Thin silicone feeding tubes are taped to the nipple, and the baby drinks formula while breastfeeding. This device provides sucking stimulation for the breasts while ensuring that the baby gets enough to eat. That is in case your supple isn't enough to fill your baby up, but it prevents nipple confusion.

Answer 6

U HAVE TO FEDD HIM EVERY HOUR O SO