Help Breastfeeding

Nursing can be so discouraging at first! I agree with all these mamas- call a lactation consultant before you give up. If you can't nurse, your baby will be just fine. But it really can be a wonderful experience, if you get a little help. My first 8 weeks were MISERABLE! But I got help, and we worked it out.

If you can, try. If not, don't give in to guilt. Enjoy that fabulous little baby! :)

PS Spend this weekend in bed with your baby! Go topless, and tell your hubby he's in charge of all cooking and cleaning. He should bring you jugs of water, juice, and nursing tea. And you should just relax, nurse, watch tv, nurse, read a trashy novel, nurse....nurse constantly, and keep that baby right next to you and the milk supply. You may be surprised how much it helps! (That's what my lactation consultant had me do, and it worked like a charm!)

Good luck!

Hi G.,
Sorry you're experiencing this worry. Many moms fear they have low milk supply, but very few actually do. I am one of the ones who actually does--finally found out why in a medical journal article after two kids and a total of about a year's worth of stress over trying to breastfeed. But if you're getting 1.5-2.5 oz. each time you're pumping, you do NOT have low milk supply. If you're getting 1.5-2.5 oz. over a 24 or 48 hour period, then you can talk about POSSIBLY having low milk supply. Even then, it's not likely. PROBABLY, if you're experiencing periods of low supply, other factors are at work that are impacting.
So, I hope that informs you and gets you somewhat ENCOURAGED.

NOW, let's talk getting educated about the situation.
First, know that milk production is dependent upon MILK REMOVAL. This is why nursing frequently is so important. Be honest with yourself and assess whether you are indeed nursing every 2-3 hours. During these first few months, nursing every 2 hours during the day will not only help your supply production, it will also fill baby's tummy during the day and baby MAY sleep better at night (that's NOT a promise!).
Second, go to Dr. Jack Newman's site and read every article and watch every video that pertains to you. Here's the link:
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml
These is straight-talk, comprehensive help for breastfeeding. His videos are very useful for checking your latch, how to hold baby during this time, and learning a TON, including breast compression, which you may need to practice and do.
If you can't find the info you need there (although it's pretty darn comprehensive), consider emailing him. Link to email him is at the bottom of the page. I once emailed him and he personally responded and another time a nurse responded. Very helpful folks.
Third, definitely use the "Mother's Milk" type teas, because they definitely produce more milk. But there's one other herb you should be aware of. GOAT'S RUE is an herb that can be taken in tea or tincture form. It is the ONLY herb that actually increases breast TISSUE as well as milk. BUT whatever herbs or drugs you may take, remember that it's NOT about increasing milk supply--IT'S ABOUT MILK REMOVAL. That's why you have to be honest with yourself about how often you're breastfeeding.

Fourth and finally, if you do need to supplement, a handy, little-known product made by Medela is the "Supplemental Nursing System." Here's the link:
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastfeedi...
This is what I've ended up using, due to the fact that my breasts will NOT make enough milk to sustain my baby. Once I settled in to using it, we all relaxed and we're all thriving.

By the way, if you had some (almost any) pre- and post-natal breast size increase and if your breasts aren't ENORMOUSLY asymmetric, then you don't have a "diagnosable" low-milk-supply condition and can just work on breastfeeding more often (emptying the breasts) and doing what you can to increase your supply, too.

You may also want to look at lowmilksupply.com (she sells an herbal product she makes a case for) and lowmilksupply.org (informational in nature). These sites may be helpful to you.

I hope all of this information decreases your stress level (which will increase your milk supply!) and helps you enjoy your baby and your breastfeeding. One thing to remember: these mamas are right about not being hard-core about it if, for whatever reason, you need to supplement. The most important thing is that you're all thriving. On the other hand, though, don't give up too easily. Breastmilk is certainly best, and can't truly be reproduced. And this is coming from a mama who supplements.

Take care and blessings to you,
N.

Hi G.,

My name is M., and I'm a licensed labor massage therapist, doula, and health & wellness educator. I'm going to see if I can help you out with this situation.

Firstly, just know that you are not alone and you are doing the best thing for your baby by feeding her breastmilk. There are tons of support groups out there to help you through this (as I know it can be depressing), but you are a devoted mom and you're being the best you can be. That's clear. La Leche League is a good group. There is one in Lawrenceville and another one in Plaisboro.

There are a few things that can cause low milk production. If you are on birth control, under a lot of stress/illness, or if your nipples are sore, milk supply or downflow reflexes will slow down or stop. A sleepy, ill or jaundiced baby may not nurse vigorously enough to empty your breasts adequately. Even a baby who nurses often may not give you the stimulation you need if she is sucking weakly or ineffectively.

Additionally, you should know that breasts follow the "supply and demand" rules when producing milk. When your baby suckles, she will release pheromones, which tell the breast that it needs to produce more milk. Even though you are stimulating your breasts with the pump, it's not the same as the baby's mouth. Here are some things you can do to increase milk production:

Nursing more often is the best way to increase your milk supply. Usually babies need to spend from 20-45 minutes nursing during the newborn period in order to get enough milk.

Offer both breasts at a feeding during the early weeks in order to receive adequate stimulation.

(It sounds like you're doing this, but, just in case)Monitor your baby’s weight often. In general, the longer your supply has been low, the longer it will take to build it back up.

Take care of yourself. Try to eat well and drink enough fluids. You don’t need to force fluids – if you are drinking enough to keep your urine clear, and you aren’t constipated, then you’re probably getting enough. Drink to thirst, usually 6-8 glasses a day. Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect, but you do need to eat enough to keep yourself from being tired all the time. It is easy to get so overwhelmed with baby care that you forget to eat and drink enough. Don’t try to diet while you are nursing, especially in the beginning while you are establishing your supply. You need a minimum of 1800 calories each day while you are lactating, and if you eat high quality foods and limit fats and sweets, you will usually lose weight more easily than a mother who is formula feeding, even without depriving yourself.

Nurse frequently for as long as your baby will nurse. Try to get in a minimum of 8 feedings in 24 hours, and more if possible. If your baby is sleepy, you'll need to look into waking your baby.

Try massaging the breast gently as you nurse. This can help the rich, higher calorie hindmilk let down more efficiently.

Make sure that you are using proper breastfeeding techniques. Check your positioning to make sure that he is latching on properly. If the areola is not far enough back in her mouth, she may not be able to compress the milk sinuses effectively in order to release the milk.

Try drinking Guiness (I know what you're thinking)... Brewer's yeast is very good for breastmilk production. Some other herbal suppliments good for this are Raspberry tea, Blessed Thistle, and Fenugreek (best if you take these together).

Hope this helps! Good luck!
~M.

If your child is nursing and LOST weight, please do not listen to the suggestion to stop supplementing with formula. If your body cannot keep up with your child's demand: If you are a SAHM, You may want to try nursing more often, maybe when she has already had a little in her tummy (and try to relax when you do-for letdown to occur). Also make sure you eat and drink plenty, talk to a naturopath or lactation consultant about supplements for you, but do not starve your child to appease others who think that BF'ing is the only way to go. With my first child, I was only able to nurse for the first few months. After trying everything, my supply just was not enough, pumping did not work at all and I had to formula feed. With my now 6 month old, I was able to nurse exclusively for much longer then pump while working much better than with my first. You are not a bad mommy if your body just can't do it-there is a reason that formula was invented!

PS-just read hannah's response below...good idea if you can do it!

Like everyone said. Don't trust the pump to see how much milk your body makes. I can never pump enough milk, but on the weekend my baby is fine, and I don't supplement at all. I don't believe that formula is safe, especially with all the melamime and other talk.

I would follow the advice of the other moms who suggested to nurse more if you stay at home.

I work full time, and my son gets whatever milk I pump the day before, since he can eat some solids now. While I was on maternity leave I pump about 130 oz, and had that stashed away. He only received 2 oz in a bottle for practice, and the rest was frozen for 3 months. I finally went back to work and now the stash is gone, but he is now 9 months old. He is gaining weight beautifully, and crawling.

This is my 2nd child, I learned all my mistakes with the first one! LOL! My first child breastfed for 3 1/2 years, and I worked full time. Again, the pump never gave me enough, but he never seem disastified.

The key thing is to trust the process of breastfeeding, and nurse frequently. You cannot watch the clock, it may be every 30 minutes at first, but than it become 45, than 60, than 90 minutes...you have to follow the baby.

Also there are the days that they have growth spurts. The growth spurts are days where they get super demanding, and the only way to meet that demand is to nurse them 24/7, sleep in with them during the day, relax, drink a DARK beer, drink mother's milk tea, and eat a nice meal.

Hi G.,
I recommend trying several things. There are herbs which can be taken to increase lactation. One of those herbs is Fenugreek and it can be found in some artificial maple syrups. You can also try Mothers Milk tea ( can purchase online or at Motherhood Maternity Stores). Personally dark beer does wonders for my milk supply, I drink one beer, the darker the better, when ever my supply is down. Drink a lot of water and try to pump between 1-6 am as this is the time your milk supply is at its highest ( it lowest in the evenings). If none of that helps, I recommend seeking Chiropractic care, skilled chiropractors with experience in increasing lactation and working with nursing children, can do wonders for your milk production.

Best of Luck!

hi, G., and congrats on the little one! im sure im repeating, but if you really do want to continue breastfeeding, you need to get your baby back on the breast, and as soon and as often as possible. its supply and demand. she is probably frustrated because your supply dropped when you started supplementing. also, it is easier for her to suck from a bottle than from your breast. pumping simply wont increase your supply, the best you can hope for is to maintain what you have, and even that would take a lot at this point. the good news is that it really is early enough for you to change things, this should be absolutely fixable if it is what you really want. have a nurse-in, stay in bed with her for a couple of days and just eat drink sleep relax and nurse her. if you dont want to nurse her directly, i would do this anyway and then once your supply is back up, you can wean back to pumping in a couple of months. 2 mos old is a very pivotal time, and i think solely pumping at this point will just lead to lower and lower supply. lots of people sucessfully pump with supplementing, and im sure you can too, but i just think she is a little young for your supply to stay up doing that. also, eat oatmeal (the real kind) with maple syrup (the fake kind - it has fenugreek) and drink lots of water. if you absolutely cannot or dont want to put her back to the breast, make sure you are using a good double electric pump, pump both breasts at once, and as often as you can, at least every 3 hours for now. an overnight pumping will help a lot, too. best of luck, D.

I am sorry that you are having issues with breastfeeding. Don't give up! I would say to stop feeding her formula altogether and just focus on breastmilk - then you are sure to produce enough milk. Why do you think she isn't getting enough milk from your breast? How many wet diapers/poopie diapers does she have in a day? I would strongly suggest that you talk with a lactation consultant, La Leche leader, or go to a breastfeeding support group. This helped me tremendously. Do you have some good breastfeeding books - The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding(LaLeche), The Ultimate Book of Breastfeeding with Answers(Newman). I do not want to tell you to stop listening to your pediatrician, but when is comes to breastfeeding, sometimes they are NOT the expert. I almost gave up bf when my daughter was born and I am so glad I toughed it out - she still nurses a little at 2 1/2. It's been an amazing journey. Keep up the good work and stay strong!

Have you met with a lactation consultant or someone from La Leche to make sure your baby's latch is good?

The best way to increase your milk is to nurse directly as much as possible--spend a day in bed with no shirt and the baby attached to one or the other nipple. Make sure you are getting enough high nutrient calories and good fat as well. The more you supplement the less milk you will produce.

Some things will make a baby fuss at the breast that are totally unrelated to your milk production: gas, need to pee (seriously, babies get fussy when they have to pee and with newborns often the need to pee comes really quickly when they start to nurse), poor latch, discomfort, nipple confusion, and allergens or irritants in your milk.

Before you totally give up, see if you can meet with someone experienced in breastfeeding support (very few doctors are experienced in breastfeeding support).

Water, water, water! Sleep too. Ask your Dr. to check your thyroid etc. Your hormones might be off/low. I can tell when I havent had enough water, when I havent slept enough (at night) and when my thyroid is off because I have/had a rough time producing milk.
Good Luck. Breast feeding is NOT easy. You have a lot on your plate as a new mom, maybe your baby just needs to be bottle fed.

Hi G.,
I would suggest that you pump more than 3 times a day. If you want to produce more milk you have to pump more often and for at least 20 minutes. My son was preemie and after getting the bottle during the night at the NICU when I wasn't there he got really used to the easy flow of the bottle and would not breast feed. I pumped every time he ate which was every 2-3 hours. It was exhausting but I really wanted to give my son as much breast milk as possible. We also supplemented with formula. I hope that helps, good luck!

S.

Hi G.!

Congrats on the new baby! I agree with Katie Z...don't trust the pump to indicate how much milk you are producing. I breastfed for 14mths. I would get really, really full and not have a lot come out when I used the pump. I would have to have my daughter "top me off" so that I was empty. lol

Here's a suggestion....Go to the healthfood store and buy a tea called "Mother's Milk Tea". It taste kind of like licorice but it works! Just another suggestion if you are really concerned that you are not producing enough milk. Its totally natural and really work...almost too good. The recommended amount is 5 cups of tea a day...I had to do 2 because I was getting too full and leaking everywhere. lol

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

**K.**

My advice is to stop giving her formula and bottles all together. You can produce enough milk for her. Even though she lost 6 oz, she maybe more active and burning more calories. Nursing her directly from you breast is the best possible thing you can do for her. She is getting fussy when you nurse because it is more work for her to nurse than to take a bottle. Nursing is important for the development of her mouth and it’s good to switch side, which reduces ear infections.

Pumping is great if you must do that, but direct mouth to nipple contact is preferred for health reason. I do not have time to go into all right now, but Google it and you will see.

Doctors mean well and I understand that concern for weight loss, but only under extreme situations can your body not produce enough for a milk for your child.

Contact your local la leche league leader.

G.,

Oh my goodness, don't give up the ship bc a sail is flapping! Congratulations on feeding your baby the best there is. Ditch the formula - the more she nurses the more you will have for her. Do it now, while your body is still adjusting more easily to her needs.

The more you breastfeed, the more milk you produce. The more you nurse her at the breast, the more your baby gives your body signals to make more milk.

If she is aggravated, simply switch sides more often. Drink water WHILE you nurse - and a little before hand too. Also - space out your vitamins if you aren't already. (IE: full dose is 4 tabs - take one every couple of hours instead of all at once. I take mine Morning/noon/evening/bedtime) It makes a difference in how your body absorbs them and uses them for milk too.

Keep pumping in addition to added feeding times. You can give her that or freeze it if she is no longer hungry.

Don't forget your water - not just when you nurse, but throughout the day. If you have a dry mouth at any point, you are not getting enough.

Do all this BEFORE you try Fenugreek and blessed thistle (combined they work better).

http://breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml

This is a great site.

Good luck, and I hope you have time to let me know how it goes. I've been in your boat - baby losing weight, fussy when not enough milk is available, yep. Been there. (Don't be surprised if she creates her own curve. Breastfed babies don't fit on the CDC FORMULA charts. Most pediatricians don't have the new charts. Formula companies are too pervasive and push their stuff. )

M.

drink a beer at night after baby goes to sleep. it really helps. and relax, the more you stress about it, the worse.

My pediatricians suggested the same thing, but when you supplement then your milk production will go down. I didn't do it and my son got bigger anyway. My son lost more than the recommened 10% too. A friend of mine suggested I visit kellymoms.com and it was very helpful. Plus she gets more when directly nurses, when you pump(since its not natural) less will come out. Good luck.

I NURSED MY 2 CHILDREN FOR ABOUT A YEAR EACH (DAUGHTER 4 YRS. & SON 2 YRS.OLD). It is important to remember that nursing is a supply and demand thing. The times you feed her need to be somewhat relaxed. Your frustration could leading to her aggravation as she picks up on your every emotion. Supplimenting her diet with formula may give her the amount she needs and she will not look to nurse--this creates a problem with supply and demand as she will not demand the milk and your supply will become decreased. I found you need to nourish your body more now than when pregnant as you are doing more physically to care for her and internally suppling the nourishment she needs. It was the most demanding time physically and emotionally for me especially after the birth thinking things would become easier when it is just the beginning for me to accept major changes in my life. Looking back, I would not have given up the nursing experience for anything. It is so special to bond with your child and I firmly feel when times seem to get trying or problems arise you must keep with it. I joined my local La Leche League and found a wealth of support there. Basically good health, a positive attitude, and others around you for support(your spouse is most important) go a long way. I'm not sure if this helped any but don't give up. I hope when your time nursing is done you can feel as rewarded as I do knowing you gave your daughter the very best you could as only a mother can. Good Luck!! -

I think that you don't have anything to be concerned about. I just read Natalie's post and I totally agree with her! When you pump, you will NEVER get as much milk as the baby can suck out because no pump is as strong as a baby's sucking. You can't go by the amount you are able to pump. In addition, around 2 months is when your supply regulates, so your breasts don't have that heavy, full feeling that they do in the begininng. So it may feel like there is less milk, but you are actually fine. You just have to have faith in yourself and your body.
But, I would suggest that you stop the formula feedings and just breastfeed her because pumping alone will decrease your supply. But the good thing about breastfeeding is that it's a supply and demand situation. The more you breastfeed, the more milk you will make. So if you increase the amount that you are breastfeeding, you will start making more milk within a few days.
It is too bad that your doctor suggested to supplement. My doctor suggested it too when my son lost more weight at his first appointment. I supplemented about 1 or 2 feedings a day for about a month before I decided that I could do without it. Plus, the cow's milk in the formula did not agree with my son at all. When I stopped the formula, my supply increased and my son was so much happier and today is so healthy and smart. So many doctors get worried when babies don't immediately get back to their birth weight and the suggest supplementing when they really should be telling you to keep breastfeeding because supplementing and missing feeding sessions are the causes of low supply. So then it becomes a vicious cycle.
I would suggest that you get The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears and also go to http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html
The Kelly Mom website contains a wealth of breastfeeding knowledge that has never steered me wrong.

Another thing I highly suggest is to call your pediatrician or your OB and ask them to recommend a lactation consultant. You can also go through you local chapter of La Leche League to contact someone for help.
Often the price of a lactation consultant (between $100 an $200 for a home visit) is covered by insurance, but even if it's not, it is completely worth every penny! My lactation consultant helped me out so much in the beginning and really gave me the confidence to keep going.

My son is 13 months and still breastfeeds a few times a day. I had a hard time in the beginning, but with some support, good information and encouragement, we stuck with it, and you can too!

I absolutely agree with Rhannie....talk to a professional before you throw in the towel. There are some very easy solutions to your problem. You can call the La Leche League leader and she will give you advice over the phone or she can recommend a lactation consultant - I know there is one who does home visits and is great. Don't give up...in the long run, it is the best for your baby, and it will get easier!

Hi G.,

I understand exactly what you're going through! the same happened to me and I ended up having to supplement for several weeks before my supply was good enough for my little girl. Like you, I could never pump more than 2-3 ounces each time.
First of all, stress can decrease your milk supply, i know its hard not to stress when your baby is fussing every time you feed her, but try to relax (take a shower beforehand, nurse in a calming environment) What I did was continue to feed her at every feeding, and pump in between to increase my milk supply. Also, if i found she wasn't getting enough after i nursed her, and if she continued to fuss, I would supplement her after I nursed. It is very time consuming, you will feel like you're always feeding or pumping, and its exhausting. Also, I drank Mothers Milk tea every day to help with my supply. Some people also recommend dark beer like Guiness to increase your milk supply, i hear it really does work but i never tried it. Hope I was able to help, good luck!

Hi G.,

Don't trust the pump with how much breast milk you are actually producing. I could NEVER pump a lot of breast milk when I was nursing my son. I was like you - I would get maybe 2-3 ounces from each side. But my son seemed to get enough breast milk from me and he continued to pack on the pounds. Babies are much better at letting down breast milk than the pump.

However, I did supplement with formula from the time he was about four days old. My son lost a lot of weight because he was born fairly big (nearly nine pounds) and my milk didn't fully come in until nearly a week after he was born (I had a very traumatic birth with him and my body took a beating). My pediatrician recommended I supplement to bring up his weight, and I never stopped giving him a little formula before he went to bed at night. That's when I noticed my milk supply was always at its lowest, so I would nurse and then my husband would give him a small bottle of formula before bed. That routine continued until after he weaned from me and then ultimately gave up the bottle for good. Plus it was nice to have him used to the bottle for when I went back to work and he got bottles of either breast milk or formula at daycare.

Some other suggestions for perhaps boosting your milk supply is taking fenugreek tablets and drinking Mother's Milk tea. You could also contact a lactation consultant or someone from La Leche League to make sure your daughter is latching on properly.

With all of this said, if you are getting frustrated with nursing and you don't feel your daughter is doing well, don't feel guilty for giving up. You have given her two months of your breast milk and that is an amazing gift! You can still continue to pump and give her your milk from the bottle, or stick to formula. She won't love you any less if you stop nursing her.

My best to you!

Hi G.. Number one, so many doctors recommend formula if they lose some weight. When I took my second child for his 1 week checkup (he is now 3 months old) my son had lost a few ounces. The doctor did not recommend formula straight away. They said for 48 hours, feed the baby every two hours round the clock. Set your alarm in the middle of the night. It was hard but this is what I did and when I went back two days later, he was gaining again. That said, I recommend:

1. contacting a lactation consultant in your area
2. feeding your baby FROM YOUR BREAST every two hours.....the way the baby suckles stimulates the breast more than a pump can. When the baby is done feeding, then pump to empty your breast completely in case there is any more milk.
3. take the vitamin Fenugreek (can buy at whole foods or GNC..i like the whole foods one)...I took 4 tablets 3 times a day. of course, check with the lactation consultant and/or your doctor before starting this.

Supply and demand is key.

Like you, once I started pumping my milk production slowed down. I tried 'motherlove, more milk plus' which helped a lot. You can get it online or in Wholefoods.
Also, try eating more greens such as kelp (which is packed with minerals and vitamins)... incorporate spirulina into your diet it is another green food reputed to increase milk supply and increase the fat content of milk in some lactating mothers. (I put it in my own freshly squeezed O.J. or in Smoothies, which helped!)
Eating Oatmeal: Have a big bowl of oats each morning or snack on it in the afternoon. Many women report a modest increase in their lactation production as a result.

(stay away from asparagus[also garlic and onions] as this causes gas for baby.
And most importantly - Don't Stress - Relax!

And if baby really doesn't want the breast milk anymore... don't despair and go easy on yourself.... you're baby is still thriving and had the best of breast when she needed it the most.
Good Luck Lady.

I had a similar problem. For one I introduced the bottle first mistake it is easier to drink from bottle than the breast and two I was stressed because my mother was dieing and it was hard to let down. I took an herb called fenugreek and absolutely incredible herb that helps produce milk. Look it up online no side effects and it will make your sweat smell like maple syrup (so Weird). Just try to relax and produce as much as you can. I pupped a few ounces a day and felt well at least he (my son) is getting that. Mother's milk is so amazing how it makes children immune to diseases. I strongly urge you to try for as long as you can before making yourself nuts over it. Send your child and you as much love as possible and you will be great.-L.