Breastfeeding - Low Milk Supply Last Preg.

Hi C.,
You poor thing! Wow, that is rough. It sounds to me like you did everything right. You are a good mom. I have had two little ones and breast fed both. My daughter is almost one and I know I have more milk at this point then I did with my son. Breast milk can be tricky but it is amazing to me how it can balance out. At one point (after pumping for two days to be in a wedding) my milk went south for almost a month. I was supplementing like crazy and then finally decided to stop cold turkey and see if my milk would come back. It did. The best resource I have found for breast feeding support is THE PUMP STATION on Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica. They have a great support group and counselors on staff. Check out their website or go in. They also have a really cute upscale boutique. Good luck to you and know that your baby will be great however you end up feeding.
C.

I really feel for you. I too am a breastfeeding Mom, and believe in that. However, don't beat yourself up over it. Every case is different, each birth is different. Just try again. Stress can sometimes affect our abilities.
I have heard that some herbal teas can increase milk production.
Here is a link:
http://www.google.com/search?q=teas+to+increase+breastmil...

If you are unable to breastfeed this time around, please don't feel bad. Remember, while we want to breastfeed, you need to provide adequate intake for your newborn. Even if this means supplementing with formula. If a baby does not get enough intake (whether from breast or formula), in terms of caloric intake and nutrients, the baby will not grow/develop properly, and may even go into "failure to thrive" percentiles. I've seen this happen. Remember that. Wouldn't you rather have your baby well fed, instead of starving? That should be the bottom line concern, either way.

With my second baby, although I was breastfeeding, he had a voracious appetite and although I had milk, I could not keep up with his intake demands. Thus, I had to supplement with formula. This did not affect his breastfeeding or my milk production. After breastfeeding me dry at each session (which I used both breasts each time), I would give him a little bottle of formula. He did fine with that and his growth percentiles are in the upper 90's. He never went hungry that way, once I started supplementing.

Just wanted to share my experience... everyone has a different experience... the main thing is that our baby gets fed adequately. Lack of intake, means a baby who is always hungry and potentially fussy and not developing properly.
Take care, good luck,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

I got hit with 2 really bad bouts of mastitis before my baby was 3 months old and the 2nd time really did a number on my supply. When I returned back to work full-time on Jan. 28th (9 days after my baby turned 3 months), my supply only got worse and I was never a big producer to begin with. I started taking Fenugreek pills (3 pills, 3 times a day, at 610 mg per pill), since the day I returned back to work. I have taken the pills daily and still continue to take them. They have been a tremendous help on my supply and I have suffered no ill side effects or other negative reactions with the dosage. Unfortunately since returning to work I have also had to supplement with formula, but if not for Fenugreek I would have already dried up and my baby would solely be on formula. I am just glad that I am still able to provide her with breast milk at least 50% of the time, if not a little more.

First of all, you tried and it wasn't right for you or your baby. There is nothing to feel bad about. Try again and if it doesn't work out, do not let anyone make you feel bad about it.

My situation was a little different, but I was able to nurse my second baby and not my first. My first daughter was jaundice and at two days old I took her into the ER and she was admitted into Children's Hospital of Orange County. She was dehydrated and almost needed a blood transfusion. I gave her ONE bottle and she would not go back to the breast. I had one lactation consultant after another trying to help me, but nothing worked. I ended up pumping breast milk for three months. My second was totally different experience. She took to nursing like a champ, with no issues, my breast milk looked completely different when I pumped, and she easily switched between bottle and breast. You don't know what's going to happen, but I'd rather have a healthy formula fed baby than a dehydrated nursed baby. Just my opinion.

Congrats on your pregnancy!

Take Care,
N.

My milk came in late and I ended up in the ER the night we brought my son home. Only to be told I had to supplement with formula for the meantime. So after a night of no sleep we found an all night pharmacy and bought formula. I remember looking at all the different cans and thinking to myself.. why does my body betray my son? I don't want to give him this CRAP! I bought a can and took it home, gave him a bottle and while I was feeding him I felt a trickle down my shirt...it came in. However, I was still uncertain of my body so I went to the health food store and got some organic formula just in case. I'm glad I did because he now eats one bottle at night on top of my milk and he sleeps through the night. My suggestion:
1. Don't beat yourself up.. stress messes things up
2. Get some mother's milk tea
3. Eat or supplement lots of Omega-3's
4. Think good fats
5. Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily
6. DO let your little one nurse often - the colostrum is the first to come out and essential and it will stimulate your breast
My nipples never cracked or bled and he eats often.

I think there is great hope that you will be successful at producing milk this time. You'll find that with experience, it'll be much less stressful, which may help your milk supply. I struggled with my milk supply with my firstborn. I breastfed him for 10 months, but it was a constant struggle to keep him adequately fed. I ended up reluctantly supplementing most of the time. I often see or hear from others that it's all supply / demand, which of course it is. That said, some women are more abundant flowers than others!

I went on to have twins who were born slightly premature at 35 weeks. They were in the NICU and unable to adequately nurse. Therefore, I was back to pumping. My supply was amazing compared to what it was with my first. I guess my point is that you may have a completely different experience this time. At 9 weeks, I switched to formula as a personal choice as to what was best for our family dynamics. It was a hard choice, but one which I've never regretted. I gave it my best. Putting two babies to the breast separately regularly, then bottle feeding them, then pumping for at least 20 minutes all while caring for a 20 month old was exhausting. The twins are equally as healthy as their brother and I'm as bonded with them as him. It would have been wonderful to exclusively breastfeed all my chidren for at least a year, but it wasn't in the plans for me. I too envy those mothers who are fortunate enough to breastfeed easily. You may end up finding out that this time around you will be one of those mothers. Had I had a full-term singleton again, I'm confident breastfeeding would have been a breeze the second time around.

Best of luck.

Have you gone to a breastfeeding support group? They welcome expecting mothers too. Just in the event you don't get answers here. I wish I had better knowledge to help you. One thing I can say is start with the right mindset... say to yourself that you can do this and that your boobs were given to you to nurse. The power of the mind is amazing, I'm a believer after delivering 2 babies nonmedicated, naturally. It is so good to hear how much you want to nurse and are looking into it early to circumvent any pitfalls. They say the 2nd one is easier when it comes to just about anything.

First of all, while I am a hardcore "yeah breast" person, you shouldn't feel bad- you tried for 3 weeks despite the pain! What makes me upset is the moms who try for 3 or 4 days and can't handle it. Secondly, it's like you read my mind. I was literally coming today to post almost the very same thing! Even though you did see three lactation specialists they may have missed something- my daughter appeared to have a good latch at birth, but after a day and a half of pain another lactation person looked and said that, while the latch was right, she wasn't sucking on the nipple she was CHEWING! By then, both of my nipples were, well, about like what you describe. So they had us feed her with a skinny little tube attached to a syringe- she HAD to suck really hard in order to get the milk out. However, if this were your problem and it were to happen again you would still have to find a lactation person to show you how to do it. Just have hope! I just hope that my next one doesn't have the same problem! I am going to post my own concerns seperately because they are just a hair different.

I am glad you posted your reply again because I didn't see it. I can help you. Your story was identical to my story. I m on my 3rd and nursing is going much better than my first 2. I have lots of good simple advice. My friends all come to me for lactation issues because I have been through so much. It's best if you email me though so we can exchange numbers and do it over the phone. Easier to talk with 3 little ones than type. I look forward to helping you.
____@____.com

I had an experience like yours with my first child. I now have a little boy. He will be 3 months old Saturday. Breastfeeding has went really well with him. My breast still squirt like crazy while I am feeding. I don't think you can trust a breast pump. My breast squirt alot but sometimes I can't even pump an ounce. My baby is still only breastfed. Don't stress over it. Good luck!!

Hi C.,
One thing that an OB told me to do was to eat fat and protein whenever my milk ran low. I tend to eat on the vegetarian end of things but sure enough, if I had a fast food burger or a steak, my milk supply would increase significantly. Protein bars and tofu didn't work. By doing this, I still lost alot of weight and actually went a size below my prepregnancy size in clothes because of all of the calories I was burning from breastfeeding. Also, when I would try to pump at work, I would often have trouble pumping and it all had to do with the hectic stress of a work day. I would have to calm myself down, shut out all distractions and then look at a picture of my baby adoringly before my milk would start to let down. It's crazy but it worked. There's something about hormones. This worked every time for every child.

yes, breatfeeding can be different with EVERY child. that also affects milk production. there are about 4% of women around the WORLD that have ACTUAL low milk production. the rest of the women have other factors that affect their milk production. there are things that you can take to increase your milk production as well--funegreek (herb), mother's milk tea, or prescription medications.

talk to a specialist now!!! so that you can prepare. if there isn't one in your area, try calling 909.558.MAMA. try and get in touch with Nancy and you can say I gave her your number. there might not be much she can do with you until you have the baby, though. but you do need to prepare before hand.

GOOD LUCK!

in the meantime, visit Dr. Jack Newman's website and look at the video clips

drjacknewman.com