Breastfeeding Help - Indianapolis,IN

just a thought. It maybe the state of mind. When you feed the baby your mind is in feeding him. when your feeding the machine your mind has to be the same your feeding him. When you do this you should close your eyes and think you are feeding him . it's all about stimulatetion. So i'm saying it maybe your state of mind. You maybe trying to rush a natural process. just a thought.

Ok, I have tried everything under the sun to help increase milk supply. Nurse as often as you can... you want to empty your breast as much as possible b/c your body will then know to produce more. Pump for 10-15 after she/he nurses. Take fenugreek and blessed thistle 3 capsules each 3 times a day. You should see results within 72 hours. If you don't see a difference within a week, it won't work. Drink LOTS of water. There are also prescription medications that can help--check with you OB or general physician. One is called Reglan but it has a lot of side effects--you only take it for about 12 days. It is very successful, however, I was on it twice and after each round my milk production just dropped all over again. Anyway, hang in there...

P.S. You can also get the "Mother's Milk" tea at Riverview Hospital in the women's botique. OH--and one more idea, try eating lots of protein--eggs eggs eggs!!!

I also give my daughter formula--we've tried Similac advance, Enfamil Lipil and she loved them both. However, since she has gas issues--I give her Enfamil Lipil Gentlease--to help with fussiness and gas.

Hi K.!

Good for you for wanting to continue. Breastfeeding works as a supply and demand. The more your baby eats or the more you pump (or both), the more milk your body will produce. Theoretically anyway. Oatmeal is supposed to work, I never had luck with fenugreek because I couldn't stand the smell (after a while you smell like maple syrup - yuk) but it works well for some women. A good pump is also key. Stress will decrease your supply too. If you can take a photo of your son with you and study it and relax while you pump you will find that your body will be stimulated to make more milk. Every two hours is best - or as often as you baby eats - for pumping and nursing to bump up your supply.

As far as formula goes, it doesn't really matter as they all have to have a base of the same vitamins and minerals etc. You can get the generic - I'd stay away from soy unless you are positive that your son is lactose intolerant - and stick with whatever kind you start with. Don't start with similac and change to enfamil because it's on sale then go to Target Brand etc etc. It's not the devil's drink, so if you have to supplement and that reduces your stress level, do it. If you are determined to keep nursing go for it. So long as your baby is fed, you're doing great!!!

I have that problem by the end of the week. What saves me though, is my child sleeps through the night and so I wake up about 3 hours before she does, pump all the way down and then feed her when we wake up. That gives me another 1.5 feedings. By saving those pumpings from the weekends and the days I'm home with my duaghter I end up having what I need by the end of the week.

Water is key, too.

Hi K.!

I have been breatfeeding for 4 months & am back to work. I have found the best time to get in an extra good pumping is in the morning. One other thing I have heard is malt helps. So treat yourself to an occassional malt while your pumping. That will help you relax! Otherwise try everything everyone else has mentioned.

Make sure to eat a healthy diet, cut out alcohol, smoking, and bad foods. Make sure to get enough good calories too. You can try pumping a couple oz. before he eats, your nerves respond to your child and milk can be produced instantly. If you think he isn't getting enough, crys while nursing, not enough full diapers then you may want to try formula, but Breast is Best!

K.,

When most mommies go back to work, they forget to drink, drink, drink. If you don't keep it up your supply will diminish drastically. At least 64 oz of water is preferable.

Keep it up.

i havent had this issue yet, but ive heard fenugreek 3x a day can help and also 2 bowls of oatmeal, or oatmeal in other forms can help too.remember to drink LOTS of water too. hope you can keep pumping and avoiding formula.
T.

I pumped for 18 months for my youngest son, who was born with a cleft palate and could not nurse. The key things with pumping are to get a really good hospital grade pump (I rented a Medela Lactina, and I've heard good reports on the Medela Symphony) and to pump often. You need to pump at least as often as your baby would feed -- definitely no less and preferably more as a pump just doesn't stimulate your body as a baby would. Good nutrition and plenty of fluids are important. Supplements like fenugreek can help some women, but nothing can substitute for a good pump and a regular schedule. After several months your supply should be well regulated, and you could start using a less powerful pump (the Medela Pump in Style is fairly good).

I have to admit that pumping was hard work. I gave it up when Nick was 18 months and used formula. I applaud your decision to do it, and I hope it works out for you. If it doesn't, you can be proud that you've given your son the best possible nutritional start in life.

If you do end up using formula, get a version with DHA. In every other industrialised country but the US, DHA is a required ingredient due to its benefits for brain development. Apart from that, all formulas are pretty much equal, as their nutritional content is mandated by the FDA, so it comes down to individual preference. Similac made my son's poop smell disgusting :-) but Enfamil Lipil was okay.

I haven't breastfed for over 8 years, but I can tell you that I went back to work a little over a month after my daughter was born, and I worked 2 jobs. It was very important to me to breastfeed for at least 6 months. I did breastfeed for 6 months, however I had the same problem with milk production AND finding a place to store my milk after I pumped. So, at the babysitters we had to give my daughter formula often, and I would just breastfeed when I got home. My girl is now 9 yrs old and has never missed a day of school (she is in 4th grade)and appears to be an incredibly healty girl. I think the combination of breastfeeding and being in daycare at such a young age has boosted her immune system. I think it is wonderful to breastfeed as much as you can, and it is OK to give your child formula when it just isn't possible to give the other. Keep up the good work, your baby will benifit from the breastmilk long after you finish giving it to him.

Hi K.! I breastfead my baby for nine months and I found that drinking a lot of water really helped with my supply! Also try to pump as much as possible (when you're not able to breastfeed); the more your body needs the more it will produce. If you have to change to formula they have formula out now that is supposed to be really close to breast milk. I'm pretty sure it's in a yellow container. The only reason you would have to give him formula is if you thought he wasn't getting enough breastmilk.