Don't Want to Stop Breastfeeding, HELP Increase My Supply

Drink lots of water and pump at least 15 min after each feeding and pumping. That's 15 minafter you'd normally stop. This will tell your body demand has gone up so production must too. GL

I would just keep pumping and keep nursing. Maybe after he eats, pump more out. This will tell your body to make more. Good luck. I know they say you don't have to drink milk to make milk, but make sure you are hydrated as well.

So what worked for me was:
1.Rest
2.Fish Soup
3. Oatmeal
4. Barley
5. Hot Cocoa
6. Liquids...I had fruit shakes, water, milk shakes, water..it was like a liquid diet during the day, solids at night...lol...good luck!

Oh and what worked for my mom was beer...which has barley in it

Can you pump in between feedings when you're at home? That's what I've been doing to increase my supply. I'll nurse my daughter, and about half an hour later I will pump. I don't get much out, but after a week of doing that 3 or 4 times a day, I've noticed my supply go up and she's not so fussy anymore.

Your son may be going through a growth spurt and that's why he's being so fussy at feeding time. My daughter just had two spurts in a row over the last three weeks and keeping up with her eating was a challenge. Just keep doing what you're doing, stay hydrated and watch the caffeine until your supply evens out again. Good luck!

Eat oatmeal in the morning, take 3 fenugreek pills 3x a day (increase if needed - you will smell like maple syrup), and drink lots of water. I would also continue to feed on one side and wring out your breast to make sure that it is truly sucked dry, then switch. If you don't empty it, your body won't know that it needs to make more.

If I remember correctly 7.5 months was a really fussy time for my son in general. Try getting a nursing necklace or something else to entertain him. The crying may not be related to supply, but always good to keep that up. I find that I have the most supply in the morning, so I would feed in the morning and then pump.

Good luck!

I had milk supply issues as well (but still managed to nurse for a year!). I took the herb Fenugreek, ate a lot of oatmeal, and went on Molitium - it's a drug known to increase milk production. It's not FDA approved for this use, but both a lactation consultant an my OB gave me the go ahead. First I went to a compounding pharmacy, which was VERY expensive. Then I switched to a Canadian on-line pharmacy with no side effects.
If you IM me, I also have a cookie recipe with oatmeal and flax that can also help milk supply.

I am by no means an expert on breastfeeding, but From what I know with my daughter and from the breastfeeding websites, you don't want to skip any of his feedings and use formula. The more he is on the breast the better youe supply. Instead of pumping 3-4 times a week, I would try pumping at least twice a day in addition to him nursing. It truly is a supply and demand. If the demand is not there, neither will the supply.

Also try increasing your water intake.

Good luck!

I don't know this yet for sure, but our pediatrician suggested i try fenugreek. I just started it yesterday but she said even though its not proven to work she's had many moms tell her that it has doubled (or more) their milk supply even in a few days!

I figured there was no harm in trying! I have twins (preemies born in december - one came home sunday and one is in the hospital still) so their pediatrician and the lactation specialist at the hospital said that the stress is what's keeping my supply from going up (i'm not quite making enough to keep them both on exclusive breastmilk). So stressing about having a lower supply than you want actually hurts your supply! They all tell me just to try think happy that you can give them mostly breastmilk - a little formula won't hurt them.

Plus, try pumping more - that's the only definite way to increase supply (more stimulation!) The nicu nurses told me to pump just for 5-10 minutes right in the middle of feedings to stimulate more milk production. I also usually pump right after feeding to stimulate the supply more too. So maybe if you can pump even once or twice a day it would help?

Good luck!!

Try Fenugreek. It is an herbal supplement that can help increase your supply. You can find it at GNC for sure. It really helped me, and I felt better because our pediatrician recommended it. Remember, he may be going through a growth spurt, and that will naturally increase your supply.

Good luck.

To increase supply, sleep is the biggest factor. So, go to be earlier, take a nap in the afternoon.

If you are home with him, I would simply nurse him from the breast instead of a bottle.

Maybe rent a more powerful pump like they have in the hospital - those always got a ton more milk out of me than any other kind.

If you are getting stressed, you might not be letting down the milk - that happened to me. Literallly, I had to think happy thoughts, think how much I loved my baby, how wonderful it was to nurse her (sounds ridiculous - it felt silly but it worked).

If you nurse less, you will produce less milk.

That's all I know!

Hope it helps.

http://store.birthboutique.com/1819.html
motherlove, more milk plus. it helped me with breast feeding my son, in terms of increasing my milk supply - that and increasing frequency and drinking lots of water and fluids helps increase milk output. good luck to you

There are herbs that increase your breast milk supply - Fenugreek; either that or eat more throughout the day.

I've been told fenugreek, available in natural stores helps increase supply http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html. As for myself I needed to start adding cereal to the breast milk to satiate. (use a pin to open the hole on the nipple) At 3 months my little guy was taking 8oz + each feeding and my supply kept up, he was always hungry. He always ate more than the nurses recommended and I learned that's OK. I stopped breast feeding shortly after so we could start working on baby #2. My son is 2.5 now and still 98% on the growth charts. I also started solids at 4 months. Some babies are big eaters, especially during growth spurts.

The only scientifically proven way to increase your breast milk supply is by stimulation of the breast (best approach is by having him nurse more frequently). Pumping does an OK job of stimulating but not as good as actual nursing.

I'd recommend increasing the number of pumping sessions/day as well. When I was producing the most breast milk, I was pumping ~ 5-6 times/day (working mom).

Although people discuss Fenugreek, I'm not able to find scientific studies that really substantiate it's abilities to affect breast milk production. You may also want your doctor (OB/GYN) to check your prolactin levels - it is the hormone that signals your body to produce breast milk. It may be low for some reason hence inhibiting your production.

Looks like you got some good ideas from others. There is a natural supplement called "More Milk Plus" -- my lac consultant said it works very quickly to increase supply. You can get it at most health food stores. Also, drink plenty of liquids, as others have said, and try not to stress, get some rest. You should be fine, good luck!

there is a natural tea you can drink. I think its called nursing mother. Not sure though. I used to get it at whole foods. Worked great! In a day or so the milk was really flowing

I was having to pump 6 times a day and feed my son 5 times off my breast to keep up with him, we also would alternate back and forth between the formula and breastmilk during the day while my son was at daycare, but he was also eatting baby solids at 4 mos old too. there is also a natural drug at GNC that you can try too, while making sure you drink plenty of water and whole milk. sorry I don't remember the name of the med from GNC but they will know what you are looking for. Good Luck,

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html#supply

http://www.lowmilksupply.org/pumping.shtml

Here are a couple of websites that I found to have helpful (and reassuring!) info. It can be done!! With my first son I always felt like my supply was low and he wasn't getting enough. Fenugreek did help a little. It was also nice to learn that it's "normal" to need 2 pumping sessions to get a full serving of milk - I always stressed about that (which probably makes it worse since we all know we need to be relaxed for our best milk production). Good luck!

Water usually did the trick for me. I drink about 8 glasses of water a day and that helped a great deal. Stress is also a factor and I noticed that by the time my second one arrived, I was under far more stress than just having one child. My milk diminished a little earlier with my second child so I had to supplement sooner than expected (my daughter was weaned at 9.5 months and my son was weaned at 8 months). Frequent pumping each day helped as well. Hope you find your solution soon!

Take some nourishing herbs.

Blends of nettles, mullein, red rasberry leaf, clover always helped me. You can also do blessed thistle tho it's not so tasty.

Most folks go to the store and buy a tincture but I don't recommend. Maybe for the blessed thistle, but for the other herbs, it's much much better to buy dry herbs and brew a big pot, let steep a few hours or overnight if possible, and then sip a cup or 2 each day (as much as you like).

When I did this, my breasts would fill up again. Get a book called "Herbs for the Childbearing Year" by Susan Weed. Very helpful. Her style is a little out there but the knowledge is solid.

bliss be

S.

I actually am in the middle of the reverse problem. I am breastfeeding number 2 with no difficulty, but with my first son, it became so difficult.
Number 2 is all about cuddles and being held and comforted and lives to eat, so I am not surprised that he latched on right away after birth and is still going strong.
Number 1 is busy busy busy, totally curious, gets bored easily and eats to live. He had significant problems gaining weight in the first few weeks, so we started supplementing with formula early. Luckily we were able to get him off the formula a couple weeks later when he gained enough weight. He was a great nurser when I was home on maternity leave. But with all those early bottles, when I went back to work he just liked the bottle better. The milk flowed faster and didn't stop like at the breast. He was an early teether and that made it painful for him and for me when he bit me until bleeding.
By the time number 1 was 4 months old he was screaming just like yours, and by the time he was 5 months old, he wouldn't latch at all. I pumped 7-8 times a day for the next 2.5 months. I was ready to throw the pump onto the subway tracks by the time it was all done. by 8 month we switched over to formula and he was fine.
The reason I tell you all this is that maybe there is something in the story that you'll recognize? Maybe his issue is unrelated to your supply? Maybe not...
As far as increasing milk supply, i really liked fenugreek. This time around I really like the Yogi nursing mom tea.
Good Luck! There are some really awesome things about being a FT working mom. But then again there are some things that get really difficult if they don't work according to plan.

another option would be to take animal placenta in herb/vitamini form.

here is one website I came acrohttp://www.dragonherbs.com/products.asp?dept=32ss- I am sure there are others.

you could also consult with an herbalist. I am not affiliated with the website above- I am a placenta encapsulation specialist, and have leared about the benefits of placenta on lactation.

Good luck!

each child works differently so dont compare. try supplement ing with formula but dont be surprised if your milk continues to decrease. It may just be time to stop BF. There is nothing to feel guilty about. He knows what he want sa nd he is letting you know! You have done a fantastic job and if supplementing doesnt work, dont worry! Its okay to stop!

I had problems with keeping milk supply up (no matter how much sleep I got, drank so much water and did this and that and nothing worked) so I have tried Funegreek which kept the milk supply up for a longer time and I was pleased. It's the possibility that having another child/ren too (stress) decreases the milk supply and I didn't think I had any stress, but it's the possibility. Also, check all those things like are you drinking a lot of milk, getting adequate amount of sleep and relaxing to get a letdown with your milk. I know that pedicatricians say you are not supposed to eat peanuts because of allergies, well, I am allergic to raw peanuts and those junky peanut butter (Jiffy, etc) but not with nuts that were cooked, roasted and I am not allergic to the natural peanut butter like Nature's Place, Teddy Bear and the new Smuckers that are natural. Ate the roasted nuts and garlic and nothing happened. I also found out if you eat parsley, that will decrease your milk supply and that's for weaning a baby off. Talk to your OB but make sure that your OB is into natural things too as one of my OBs was and it was great getting information from her how to do things natural. I loved it.

Along with the other ideas, I'd try to stay nursing on each side only once, stay on each side longer. Switching back and forth 4 times may be confusing your body.

Sounds like you're only pumping 3 or 4 times a week... so most of the demand is coming from the nursing. Your body will likely catch up.

Try pumping an extra session during your longest break between nursing sessions, put some extra demand on your body.

Breastfeed more often and pumping will help to increase milk supply. But check also the other food you are giving him. I assume for his age, 7.5 months, that you have started giving him some pureed food such as cereal and fruit. Maybe what your son needs is to increase th amount of other foods he eats. If he only has "solid" food once a day, you can make it two, and breastfeed after the meal.

Good job sticking with it! If your son is not eating solids yet, then maybe start to introduce them, or increase their amount. It could be that he's ready for more. There are teas that can help increase supply, as well as fenugreek. If you have a local La Leche League, the leader may be able to help with more ideas and local resources/products to try.

Hi,

If you're not against using a supplement to increase your milk supply, domperidone works great. It is not usually available by prescription in the US, but I have taken it for about 2 years now with great results and no side effects. I t is considered safe for mom and baby. You can purchase it at www.inhousepharmacy.com. You can find out more about it at http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogu....

I'd be happy to tell you more about my experience with it if you want to email me.

Good luck - I know how stressful it can be when you feel like you don't have enough milk for your little one!

R.

Plenty of water, healthy diet and healthy nursing tea was the great help maintaining my breast milk supply.

Sounds like he gets cranked out when the let down slows up!!! If you want to up your supply, you can try taking fenugreek, drinking mothers milk tea, increase your own fluid intake and sleep a bit more. Another thing is in regards to pumping. Using a high quality double pump for a short time after EVERY feeding will increase your supply within a couple of days. This may help him not be so frustrated during a feeding and also help you to ultimately be able to pump a greater volume for bottle feeding. It is a tedious process but should help you acheive your goal. Remember that breast milk works on the simple principle of supply and demand. Your son could also be going through a growth spurt. When this happens, it takes a couple of days for the milk supply to catch up with his demands.