I have been breastfeeding my son (turned 5 months today). Last weekend I had a stomach bug, throwing up all day...I became dehydrated and my milk flow was slowing down. I want to get it flowing again!
Does anyone have advice on a food or drink that helps??
I pump often to drive my older child to school, after school events, playdates...etc and need to have enough milk for storage.
And fyi, he does eat solids.but since I pump often it shoydnt affect milk production.
Thanks in advance. This is very stressful to me!! My husband has tons of allergies...I want to bf as long as I can (my daughter was 2 yrs when I stopped)!
well, i did everything suggested! i have been nursing on demand and pumping before and after to build up storage. i've been drinking lots including mothers milk tea (whole foods had it) but i dont drink alcohol so i didnt test out the beer advice. in fact i found out that its the yeast in the beer so if i feel up to it i can bake something with brewers yeast.
other big helps to increase milk are clams (clam chowder...etc) and oats (oatmeal) both of which ive been consuming daily! its building up....still i used to pump much more than i do now. but im not giving up!!
thanks everyone for your lovely support!! somehow family just said, "so stop".....etc which i didnt need to hear!
Through Healthy nursing tea I managed to increase my breast milk production.
I agree with the other posters who said to just breastfeed as much as possible. Pumping actually will not help- it's not as efficient and strong as the baby's sucking and will not really stimulate your production very much. Go to the website http://www.kellymom.com for more help. And as for solid feedings- they should not be replacing the breastfeeding. Solids at this age are optional and should be like dessert- given after a breastfeeding and only a tablespoon or two once a day.
My advice usually is fenugreek in capsule or tea form. I got to pick up for myself since I am nursing and feeding solids to a 7 month old plus I have him drink goat's milk. Also, blessed thistle and domperidone are good. Finally, pumping before or after nursing.
1. Stop stressing! Seriously! it's really bad for the milk supply.
2. Have a beer, or two. It did wonders for me when my breastmilk supply was low. you don't need to drink tons, just one beer at night after the baby is asleep (so by the time you have to feed again, there is no trace of alcohol).
3. Drink a lot of water, keeping yourself hydrating increases the milk prod.
and continue to do what you are doing, pump a lot and breastfeed as much as you can. the whole supply and demand thing really works.
Good luck!
try a protein drink once or twice a day for the next couple of days. it's the only thing that has ever worked for me.
If possible, spend this weekend nursing a ton! That's the best way to increase your supply. Just nurse nurse nurse. But drinking a ton of water, along with a good nursing tea, should help too. My midwife told me to eat alfalfa sprouts, cornmeal products (mmmmmmm cornbread and tortilla chips!), oatmeal and granola bars.
Yummy foods!
hi, i had the same problem after a stomach bug when my daughter was 6 mos. i called LaLeche League (breastfeeding experts, they list consultants in your area you can find them online), and their advice was to give the baby total access to your breasts for a couple of days so the nipples are being stimulated a lot (to instruct your breasts to make more milk) (pumping often also helps this). and drink lots and lots of fluids to replenish your supply.
i have been told by my midwife, doula and LaLeche consultant that there is no proof of particular foods or drinks that increase supply, the only thing that does it is lots of fluids and lots of nipple stimulation.
hope this helps!
Relax! just drink plenty of water & fluids and nurse frequently. Geting worried about it doesn't help so just relax.
Eat lots of oatmeal! Drink lots of water. Also I love mother's milk tea by traditionalmedicines.com
I also have used fenugreek & Blessed Thistle, it is more concentrated than the tea. You can take them both together 3 capsules, 3 times a day.. You will know the fenugreek is working when you smell like maple syrup -- these are just to boost your supply, can cause hyperglycemia.
Boy! This is a hard one. My boy was RAVENOUS from the day he was born and I was not making nearly enough milk for him so I supplemented with formula right from the onset. What did seem to help (a little) was Mama's Milk Tea - Not sure if its exactly called that from any healthfood store. Taken as instructed for at least a week, really made me produce more. I only breastfed till 12 weeks and my son is a strapping 7 month old now.
Good luck F....
Go to your local herbal store, and get fenugreek. I had a simalar problem and it helps quickly.
I hope you're feeling much better. Always terrible to be sick when you have little ones to take care of.
Just as everyone else said make sure you drink a ton of fluids and eat protein for every meal. Your milk suppy will come back with more nursing plus good food.
I had a very similar experience, and I sympathize! My husband and I ended up with food poisoning (awful, awful). I nursed a lot, cried some, and took an over-the-counter herb my lactation consultant recommended called fenugreek. For me, I was able to get my supply back up to normal again. Best of luck to you!
Hello, I know this may sound unorthadox but, I would drink 1 botle of dark bear and it helped. Guinness has some tasty ones. All my friends used the same teqnique and swore it helped. Drink a bottle of water after each pumping session. This is something I did too and it worked. I always had enough milk even when my son chosse not to nurse, I would get 8 oz on each side pumping. Make sure too to stay on a schedule with the pumping. The breast will fill more easily if you are consisitant with the times you pump. It worked for me. O, try not to stress, this decreases milk flow for sure. Good luck.
