Breastmilk Supply Increase

I.,

Breastfeeding is about supply and demand. To increase your supply, you've got to increase the demand. Which means you need to start pumping consistently. I went back to work when both of my kids were 6 weeks old. I pumped at work for both of them until they were over a year. Neither of them needed formula. It takes a lot of committment and it is some work to do it, but it is very possible.

The biggest problem with giving any formula when you are breastfeeding is that it typically starts you down a very slippery slope toward weaning. You start demanding less milk so you start producing less milk and then your supply dwindles so you nurse less so your supply dwindles....

My favorite nursing/pumping site is www.kellymom.com That site has lots of info on breastfeeding, pumping, milk supply and milk storage. Good luck!

T.

Lots of things can help. First and foremost - pump more often. Breastmilk is a supply and demand thing; the more you nurse and pump the more your body will make. Make sure you drink AT LEAST 8 cups of water a day. Whole grains, particularly oatmeal, can be very helpful. I don't like oatmeal plain, so I make oatmeal cookies out of it to give myself a nice treat that also helps my supply.

Fenugreek is a popular herb, available in most health food stores, that helps a lot of women with supply. Blessed Thistle, Anise, and Marshmallow Root have also been shown to help. A lot of health food stores stock Mothers Milk Tea which has a lot of those ingredients. I don't like the taste (very licoricey) so I haven't tried it, but a lot of friends have had great results. I, personally, used Lactate Support capsules by Gaia Herbs with amazing results. I had to stop taking it because I was producing too much milk. I you go to http://www.gaiaherbs.com and type in your zip code, it will show you stores in your area that stock their products.

IMO, I would save supplementing with formula for a last resort. I don't think there's anything wrong with formula, but the more formula you feed, the less milk you're likely to produce. That whole supply/demand thing again. Good luck.

My mom was telling me recently that Garbanzo is great for stimulating milk production. She says that she had a lot of it while nursing my younger brother and it would actually "spill over" all the time. According to her my brother was the chunkiest/healthiest out of all 6 of us.

Another mom recently asked this question (Shanti G on 1/25...One boob is out of milk!) so I passed on my mom's info. I don't know if she's tried anything yet since she never posted any results and it's probably too soon to tell.

I figure it couldn't hurt to give it a try. Hope it helps you.

One thing to make sure is that you have a good pump. I had an old pump with my 3rd and I never could pump as much as I could with the 1st 2. I realized that the motor was going. You can contact a lactation consultant for the best pump. With my 1st, I pumped everyday at work. With my 2nd, I wasn't working, but I pumped for a milk bank and would wake up before my son woke up and pumped 1st thing in the morning. There was always enough milk for him an hour or so later.

My baby girl is almost 6 months and I still breastfeed her regularly. She has been in daycare since she was 7weeks and I would give formula when I wasn't around and pumped at work and I still do. I tested the formula prior to leaving her (so I knew she would take to it). She prefers breastmilk, but will take formula when she is hungry. Good luck, it does take patience. Don't get discouraged if you don't get much at first when pumping.

I also had a breast milk supply problem with both of my children. My OB that delivered my kids offered a free lactation consultant and she advised to make sure you are eating a lot and getting plenty of fluids, don't try to loose too much weight while breastfeeding. She also had me try a herb called fenugreek (sp?) I didn't notice a change with that, but, some people do. I have heard of other mommys using it. She then had to prescribe something, and for the life of me, I can't remember what it was, and it did help, however, it knocked me out the whole time I was on it. So you may ask you ob if she knows a lactation consultant. I've just moved here from KY and don't know if they have lacation consultants here or not. Good luck..it's worth it to do your best to try to breast feed.

I had difficulty increasing my supply this early in the game also, it seems by a couple of months I could pump a small supply of excess. When I went back to work at 4 months, I provided formula during the day, pumping for each "scheduled" feeding to provide the most stored milk as possible.

As a scientist working in the pharmaceutical industry, I personally stayed away from all of the mentioned supplements/herbs/teas/etc. Vitamins & herbs are not regulated by any organization, and not only can I not trust that they are safe/effective, there is no regulation that what the label states is in the bottle is really in there. Not worth the risk to my baby for me.

I returned to work when my son was 12 weeks old and pumped for him. However, I was unable to pump enough to feed him or to build up a good supply. I fed him whenever I was with him and left whatever breastmilk I had produced for him to take during the day while I worked. If he required more, he took formula. We were able to maintain this for the entire 10 months I breastfed him. I was careful to continue pumping at work even though I also used formula because I didn't want a drop in my supply. On the weekends, at most he would have one formula bottle, but mostly my supply was adequate for him. I've heard that fenugreek is good for increasing supply.

Hi I.,
I can't remember when I started getting engorged in the mornings, which meant I had an excess supply of milk that I could pump off. You may not experience that for another few weeks.

Please see a lactation consultant. They are a wonderful help to any breastfeeding mom.

My consultant had me pump after every feeding to start building up a supply. At first I only pumped a half ounce or so, but it gradually built up to where I was able to stop pumping after every feeding and I only pumped once in the morning for 5 minutes, and I got 3-4 ounces that I froze. When I went back to work when my daughter was 3 months old, I had a freezer full of milk. I pumped every three hours while working, and I pretty much kept pace with her until she was 9 months old or so. At that point, I was glad I had the freezer stash because we started using it up. My daughter is 15 months old and drinks whole milk during the day at the sitters, but I've cut down to only pumping twice a day to donate breastmilk to other moms and to have an emergency stash for when she's sick.

Please see a lactation consultant. If you can't or don't, try drinking Mother's Milk Tea to increase your supply, take Fenugreek for the same reason, and pump after your feedings.

Yes, of course you can nurse her when she's with you and give formula when she's not. Just realize that nursing is a supply and demand relationship, so the less you nurse the lower your supply will get. If you start to skip the morning and evening feedings, your supply may dry up. If you want to go out to dinner and you'll miss the vening feeding, pump when you get home to maintain your supply. One of my friends went back to work and didn't pump during the day. She breastfeeds at night and in the morning, and her daughter is 14 months old. You can do whatever works best for you.

Good luck!