Having Trouble with Milk Volume

i know i shouldn't be saying this, but what helped me with sucha busy schedule at work is taht I pump and drive on my way to work. i can get 2 extra pumping session in a day which helped me increase my milk supply. I also always pumped for 20 minutes to get an extra or even third let down. I did this every 2-3 hours and got about 2-4 oz total each time i pumped depending if it was moenign or afternoon. i also nursed as much as he wanted when i was home. in addition i took 3 capsules of fenugreek 3 times a day to boost my milk supply. also took 3 capsules of blessd thistle 3 times a day. did this for a few months alsthough some people say you onlyneed to take the herbs long enough to increase your milk supply. i kept takingt hem beacsue i was paranoid and didn't want it to drop again. also stress can make you pump less. pumping is not an indication of how muhc milk you ahve, but to be more efficient at getting it out, you need to be relaxed and haev a good double electric pump. Good luck! i know it must be hard juggling work and pumping.

Hi C.!
Sounds like stress may be what's keeping you from pumping as much as you'd like at a time. With a work schedule like yours I applaud you for wanting to keep nursing. It's the best thing you can do for your son!

A couple of other things to keep in mind as well. About every 3 months kids go through a growth spurt. He's probably taking more the times he is nursing than you think. It's normal for your production to lag in the beginning of these times and that's why it's good to let him nurse as often and as long as he likes. Demand increases supply. If there's any way that you could squeeze (no pun intended) at least one more pumping in at work that will help as well. The other thing is to make sure that you are getting enough fluids. I don't know what you do for work but I'm betting it's tough to think about making sure you stay hydrated. If you don't take in enough fluid you're body's going to hang on to all it can to function properly. The best advice I got was to fix myself a big glass of water every time I sat down to nurse my children. It really did help.

Being relaxed and calm is another thing to remember. Maybe you can bring a portable music player of some sort to play soothing and relaxing music while you pump. Take that time to not think about work and just focus on your baby. Thinking of him while your pumping will help your milk let down and easier to pump.

I would also be a little hesitant to start him on cereal so early. I know that your pediatrition recommended it but it's a little early to me and it won't help increase your milk supply at all if he's filling up on cereal. Just a thought.

Good luck!

I had the exact problem. Fenugreek (herbal suppliment)worked for me for a little while. There is a nice tea called mothers milk. It has a lot of fennal seed it in so if you don't like the taste of black licorice just get the gell caps. Another herb is blessed thistle.Honestly though the one thing that got my milk to pour was smutty nose porter beer or smithwicks. Good luck once I started supplimenting my daughter wanted nothing to do with the breast so I kept pumping until it got to the point where I was attached to an outlet for what seemed to be for life and I coudn't keep my daughter entertained long enough to get through a pumping session. The freezer is stocked but I am a little sad not to be nursing anymore. I hope it works out!!
D

When I went back to work my milk volume went down also. I spoke with the lactation consultant at my hospital and she suggested that I take the herb Fenugreek. It worked really well! My supply was back up in no time! I would contact your hospital's lactation consultant to figure out what dose of the herb is right for you. Good luck!

C.,

RELAX! As you get more tense about it the less mild you'll draw off. Catch 22!

So be sure you are drinking 2 quarts a day of just water, add your other juices milk coffee on top of that in fact if you drink a lot of juice drink at least a glass of water with every juice you drink. The sugar in the juice captures your water in your body. Not clinical speech but make sure the water is good in your system if you are trying to put out more liquid for your son.

Brewer's yeast was used back when I was nursing to build milk supply. Pump more frequently while at work; bathroom every two hours to pull off even 1 ounce will help, it's all made on how much you are demanding!

Pump after every feeding you give him; again even if it is only 1 ounce. You may be able to get another let down if you are around him while pumping so if Dad can be there to change him and get him ready for nap or play or whatever just near you pump again to get the hind milk and stimulate just a bit more than what he already has.

You will probably feel like a cow and that your only purpose is to produce milk, which is kind of the truth. Make sure you are getting enough rest, but if you wake to go to the bathroom (because of all the water you'll be drinking) pump! Unless he is awake too, then nurse then pump!

I successfully nursed my youngest while working and had plenty of milk up until he was around 18 months. Both of my boys nursed that long and my daughter who was first I nursed until she was two. I wanted to become a lactation consultant through LaLeche but they refused me because I returned to work. Who would be better to counsel someone that is in your situation than someone that has been there?

If you have further ?????? write me and put milk in the subject ____@____.com

RoseH

C.,
You are working very hard. I don't know how you are pumping at all. You may be a little too worn out to make as much milk as you want. I suppose all you can do is stay well hydrated and get enough rest. I'm sure those are difficult things for you to do. I guess there are a few remedies out there, like homeopathic things, but I'm not up on what they are. I had the good fortune of being a SAHM when my 3 girls were little. It's nice that your baby has dad at home, though. It depends on how much it means to you to keep brestfeeding. It would be great if you could work less. The supply and demand is upset when you don't get to nurse much, even with pumping.

Hi Christine,

Your story sounds so simliar to mine! I also went back to work full time when my son was 3 months. Between the two-hour commute & long work days, I found it very difficult to breastfeed. Before this time, my son was exclusively breastfed.

I would like to offer you some advice: Go with the flow (pun intended!) You can try using pharmaceuticals to increase your milk flow, but please do weigh the consequences & side-effects carefully.

What's better than letting nature take its course? If your son goes onto formula now, would it really be a tragedy? He got 3 months of breastfeeding. That's more than many get.

Whatever you decide, please know that you are a loving mother who wants only the best for her baby. Don't be hard on yourself. Stress only makes it worse!

Good luck!

B

Hi C.,
do you have a double pump? What type of pump are you using? A double pump works better. It is faster(time wise) and can help to keep your supply up. It helps raise a certain hormone and then that helps with the volume of milk. Maybe an investment in this type of pump would help. It sounds like you are using a single pump. You could also rent a pump instead of purchasing another pump.
You could try increasing pumping as well. I know you are busy and will find it difficult to find the time. If you take a break, you can pump for five minutes. Or, pump for five minutes when you first get to work. Then a regular pumping session at lunch time. If you increase this pumping time, even by one or two five minute sessions, you should see an increase in your milk supply.
A good book to read is Nursing Mother Working Mother. It is by Gale Pryor. It is very helpful. You might be able to check out a copy at your local library.
I would also suggest having Dad drive in to your work, at your lunch time and then you can feed your baby. This will help. I know he might not be willing to do that, but if he does it will help alot. You also would not have to do it everyday. Try every 3 or 4 days. I'm not sure what you do for work, but you could meet him at the car, or sit in the grass.
It sounds like work is very busy for you. Not sure what you do, but, I am sure that isn't helping. You can only do so much in a day. Can you bring any work home and leave a little early? So, you don't have such a long day?
Also, some moms like to drink mother's milk tea and they find this helpful. Hope these things help. Email me privately if you have any questions.

Hello,
Congratulations on all the hard work! Have you spoken to a lactation consultant? They may be able to give you helpful advice in your situation and its often reiumbursable by your health insurance. I've had supply problems and have had to pump. I was supplied a medela double pump at the hospital that my insurance paid for. Perhaps your insurance will do the same? Good luck!

I know this sounds wacko- but have you tried looking at photos of your son and smelling a t-shirt of his while you pump? This is the only thing that worked for me. I would get next to nothing while pumping and then pick up my daughter's onesie- just the smell of her would make my milk let down. Then I could pump 6-8 oz! Odd, I know- but it worked.
That's a long time to go though without actually breastfeeding your little one. It must be terrible to have a job that keeps you away for so many hours. You should see if you could cut down or work from home. It would make everything easier for you.
Good luck,
S.

Try to pump first thing in the morning, your supply is at its highest at that point. The other thing that I did, besides drink lots of water was to eat oatmeal, even oatmeal cookies. It really does help with supply.

I'd also be a little hesitant about the solids, your baby is so young and may not be ready yet for that.

Good luck!

Hi Christine,

If you are not able to pump frequently (when your baby would normally eat), your supply is going to taper off. Your body adjusts according to demand. Also, when I was nursing, I needed a lot of water and a lot of calories. Make sure you are taking care of yourself in order to make enough milk.

good luck

Hi,

Dates, milk, and fennel tea help increase your milk productivity. I think there are also Nursing teas for sale with a combination of fennel, anise and fenugeek. Drinking liquids in general should help you but these are the best that I know of. And just try to relax - stress can reduce the milk flow.

I've also heard that grape juice and peppermint tea reduce milk production.

Good luck. I hope it works out for your and your baby. I know weening is not easy.

Don't let it FRUSTRATE or DISAPPOINT you. I was in the same boat. I tried changing my diet and drink supplements but they did not work. My Pediatrician said that is was okay to mix breast milk and formula together.
Due to the time constraints I was under to pump and the lack of my daughter to regulate my supply, I was in the same boat.

Emotionally, it was traumatizing for ME not her. She gets all she need by bottle and from me directly when I can. She really enjoys the time we have alone before bed and when and if she wakes up before I leave for work @ 4AM.

I think this is very common for full time working moms. I have really felt what it sounds like you are feeling and take it from a NEW mom, you can only supply as much as you can supply. They may come in handy for others things one day. MAYBE DOOR NOBS LOL>

Good Luck Mom,
Your doing GREAT,
G.

can dad bring your son in for "real" nursing? this worked better than pumping for a friend of mine who was working hard as a doctor in the emergency room. Of course it only works if the commute allows for multiple trips of dad & son during your working hours.

good luck!
D.

Pumping is hard. I couldnt do it - I stressed myself out so much that I could not pump at all - so be careful. Also, 3 oz in one sitting is still pretty good. You must have a lot going on if you are working all those hours.

Have you tried herbal supplements like fungreek for yourself?
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html

C.,
I did not read through all the posts, so I don't know if anyone suggested taking the herbal supplement of Fenugreek. I had to take this to help my supply because my daughter was nursing long enough for a long time, so when she decided to start nursing the milk wasn't there. I took it in combination with Blessed Thistle, another supplement. This was suggested to me by my lactation consultant. She also suggested pumping for 5 min after each feeding (which you could do when you are home). It was A LOT of work. It did help a bit for me. I took 3 of each supplement 3 times a day. It was a lot to swallow, but it was worth it. You can find both at an herbal store or the Fenugreek at GNC. I wish you the best of luck. I know this can be very frustrating. Best wishes.
C.

I have a similar commute (45 min. to work) and I leave early so that I can pump in the car prior to going in. I also pump before going home at the end of the day. let everyone in your workplace know that you need to pump every three hours!

I usually pump less during the day than my baby eats at daycare. the way we get around that is for me to simultaneously pump and feed during the first nursing in the morning. I am usually completely engorged when I wake up, and if I weren't to do this pump/feed, milk would leak from the other side and be wasted anyway. I have between 3 and 5 oz in each breast in the morning, so baby gets a full tummy full from one side and I get a bottle from the other. At work, I pump every 3-4 hours.

As for baby's end of the job stimulating you to produce milk, their having too much formula or cereal in their diet could be undermining your production... (I'm not speaking from experience because we only do breast milk, but it's what I've read.) Hang in there and Good luck!

Christine,

Although I don't have an answer for you, I would suggest contacting La Leche League - www.llli.org - in your area. They will certainly be able to help.

The few things I've been told about keeping up milk supply is eat more protein, make sure you are taking a prenatal vitamin with iron (I've also heard vitamin B helps), and drink water - don't over drink but make sure you are hydrated. I know some people have had luck with fenugreek and nursing tea.

Good luck,
L. M

Hi C. - I'm going to paste the answer I offered to someone else not too long ago. The good news is that in her "so what happened" section, she said that the Reglan worked! Good luck.

Please ask your doctor or nurse/infant warm line about using Reglan. Reglan is a drug given to cancer patients and sometimes to pregnant women suffering from morning sickeness as an anti-nausea drug, and has the unrelated, unexplained side effect of drastically increasing milk supply.
When my kids were about 6 months old my supply dropped. With my daughter (my first) I had been exclusively pumping (we just never got the breast feeding thing down right) and so I could easily see how much I was getting. I went from pumping about 64 ounces a day to about 20 a day for no apparent reason. MY OB prescribed the Reglan and I started on a pretty high dose - a couple of pills a day (can't remember exactly). Within about 3 days I was back up to 64 ounces and more with way less effort than I had ever had.
It was such a pleasure! I was even able to actually breastfeed her some, because I guess it was so easy for her to get the milk too. After just a few days I cut back on the quantity of Reglan and got to the point where I was just taking one pill every few days. I would take a pill, it would be smooth sailing and then when I saw that I was slowing down (usually after a couple days) I would just take another pill.
I can't recommend this enough! Also, in all fairness, there is a trace amount of the drug which is detectable in the milk, but the benefits of that clearly outweighed the negatives - not to mention that the drug is safe for kids anyway. And my kids are older now and perfectly healthy!
So good luck.

Hi C.,

Hang in there! It sounds like things are really challenging for you.
What helped for me when I went back to work was to drink as much water as possible, and to take fenugreek capsules (from what I've read, you need to take at least 3500 mg/day for it to help). Those helped. Some people also swear by Mother's Milk tea, which contains fenugreek and some other things.

Counterintuitively, giving the baby a bottle of formula when I was really tired rather than trying to just nurse when I wasn't up for it ended up making the most difference. It let my body catch up and I think I ended up making more milk as a result. I can't emphasize how important adequate rest is! You are trying to do a lot, so take it easy whenever you can!

That said, I think it is really challenging to sustain a 17 pound infant on breastmilk alone, let alone when you are trying to do it with pumped milk. Good for you for making that a goal, but don't be too hard on yourself! Good luck.

My son stopped breast feeding on his own at 2 1/2 months. I tried to keep up with pumping so that he would get at least breast milk or go back to nursing but he never wanted to. But between being sleep deprived and bottle feeding I never seemed to have enough time to pump (it was also a manual pump). After about a week of trying to pump I was only getting 1-3 oz at a time! I just could not do anything to get my supply back and I also let him nurse but he would only nurse occasionally when he felt like it. I hear the automatic double breasts pumps work better as far as getting more milk though. So I hate to say this but I feel you are not going to be able to get your supply back enough. You produce more the more they nurse and the more you pump and it seems you work way too many hours a day and a week to keep up.
Also I would not listen to your pedi and give your son any kind of cereal until he is 6 months old! I don't know why he told you to do that either. The American board of pediatrics changed it from 4-6 months to strictly 6 months due to causing diabetes in young children or causing type II (cannot remember which). So I would really question your pedi especially where your son is so big for his age (my son was the same way....18 lbs at 3 mos only on breast milk or Good Start). Good luck! I hope someone else can give you better advice on getting your supply back.

C.,
I have a 4 month old little boy and am fearing the same thing when I go back to work. I am currently trying to create a stash of milk that I could use in case my milk supply gets too low. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning and it seems to be helping. Also, could you pump after the baby goes to bed at night. I usually try to pump about an hour after he goes to bed. I've also heard that this tea called "Mother's Milk" is good for increasing milk supply, but I've never tried it. You can find it at health food stores. Whole Foods might even have it. Good luck,
Magie