Keeping up Milk Supply While Decreasing Breastfeeding

I took fenugreek to increase my milk supply and it worked. I didn't have an overabundance, just more than before. It may work well for you. There is also a tea you can buy called Mother's Milk Tea made by Traditional Medicinals. I have found it at Kroger in the health food section. It helps also.

With my first child I had no problems keeping up with supply until we weaned at 11 months. My second child has been another matter. It's been a challenge to make enough for him from the beginning. (Big baby, extended hospital stay in an incubator, sister is 19 mos. older than him and needs attention too, he loves the full feeling from formula...) Anyway, my son also drinks formula during the day, but we both enjoy nursing before bedtime and in the morning. He's now 7 months old. I've been taking a supplement called More Milk Plus from Motherlove - It's a combination of Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, Nettle Leaf and Fennel, you can also take it with another supplement called Goat's Rue. You can find both online. I hope this helps. It has helped us.

CONGRATULATIONS for you!! Nursing those twins past 12 months is just awesome :)

Don't worry about your supply. You should make just enough for those 2 nursing sessions just fine. Even if you don't feel "full" or sense a 'let down' your supply should decrease just to the level that they demand. I nursed my second only once a day for nearly a year (during her toddlerhood), and she was still getting milk. If you're really concerned, just try adding old fashioned oatmeal to your diet. I know some ladies who said that a bowl of that a day really helped.

I used Fenugreek and it helped me keep it going, but it didn't give me a huge supply because my daughter was a weak 'sucker'.

I would try Fenugreek first because it's very inexpensive and if that doesn't work, I'd switch to Blessed Thistle. That is more expensive, but can actually make adoptive parents begin to lactate.

If you are taking care of yourself (water, good diet, etc.) then you're body should respond just fine and provide milk for the feedings that your girls need, even if only once or twice a day. The key is consistency. If they nurse at the same times each day, then your body knows to produce milk at only those times. I've heard a lot of people say they "dried up" once they decreased feedings, but I suspect that it's just that there is no longer a dramatic let-down or really full breasts because of the decreased demand. If the girls seem to be satisfied at their 2 feedings, then they are getting enough. I nursed my son until 17 months and the last couple of months were only once a day at bedtime. It does "feel" different because you don't need to produce as much milk, but it doesn't mean there isn't milk there when it's demanded/needed.

Fenugreek didn't help much when I had milk supply issues, but it's very inexpensive and harmless, so give it a go. If you really want to increase the supply, I think you may have to increase the nursing. Are your babies complaining during or after nursing? If you think it's more milk that they want, you can follow up a nursing session with a little cow's milk in a cup or sippy. But please consider allowing them to continue nursing even if you feel like you are "drying up," because there is sooo much more to nursing that just the milk, especially as they grow into toddlers.

Maybe your babes aren't even really missing the milk much.
You know, even with very little milk, many babies enjoy the snuggly comfort, the routine, the closeness and security, hearing your heartbeat while you stroke their hair or kiss their faces. It calms them when they are stressed out, lowers their cortisol levels (the "stress hormone"), and even regulates their heartbeat. The psychological needs that are fulfilled with nursing are just as important as the milk, maybe even more at this age.

I know some mothers wean their babies when they feel they are "nursing for comfort, not for milk," but it seems misguided to me. Perhaps you have heard the expression "I stopped nursing because she was using me as a pacifier." To which I have found this wonderful response:

"You are not a pacifier; you are a Mom. You are the sun, the moon, the earth, you are liquid love, you are warmth, you are security, you are comfort in the very deepest aspect of the meaning of comfort.... but you are not a pacifier!" -- Paula Yount

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Here's what the kellymom website says about comfort nursing

"Comfort nursing is normal. If baby were not comfort nursing he would need to be sucking on his hands or on a pacifier. The breast was the first pacifier and the one that all others are modeled after, so don't be afraid to allow baby to use it in this way. There are studies that show that comfort nursing is healthy for your child, too. All babies need to suck - some more than others. It ensures that they survive. If your baby seems to be comfort nursing *all the time* and this is more than you can handle, keep in mind that this will probably ease some as time goes by. In the meantime, you may find that carrying baby in a sling or a carrier on your body will lessen his need to comfort nurse so much. He may just need to be close to you at times and seeks out nursing as a way to do that.

"Comfort nursing serves a purpose, too. Studies seem to indicate that this type of sucking overall decreases a baby's heart rate and lets him relax. It seems to have a very positive effect on his whole physical and emotional well-being. Don't be afraid to allow this type of nursing. Breastfeeding is more than just imparting fluids and nourishment. It's a way to nurture your child as well."

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/comfortnursing.ht...

Hi F.! You can't keep up your milk supply if you aren't willing to increase your breastfeeding. There are a lot of natural remedies that people use to try to increase supply, but along with that you have to be willing to nurse frequently.

In your post you mentioned that your babies are "really partially weaned". I think that it is normal to want to continue breastfeeding as long as possible, but there does come a point in time where the breastfeeding relationship ends. So, I wonder if this isn't an emotional issue with you....realizing that your girls are growing up. It was an issue for me too....I felt like weaning meant that they didn't 'need' me anymore. Does that make sense? Both of my girls self weaned at 13 months and 10 months. It was extremely difficult especially when my 2nd quit so early...it was very upsetting to me.

Good Luck!
A.

Hello F., same thing happened to me when my son was 16 months; I was pumping morning and evening at that time, didn’t want to increase the number of pumps and my milk production reduced drastically. Took fenugreek but that didn’t help at all. Our lactationist at Wellstar told me the only thing that will work is to increase the amount of pumping or feedings. The more you feed the more milk you make.

Hope this helps.
www.yummyspoonfuls.com

Fenugreek and use a pump. I would pump once during the 6 hour work day. I heard that after 7 hours, hormones go back to normal after the last nursing session, so that should break it up nicely.

That said, my sweet girl still gets milk when she nurses and I quite pumping during my 8 hour day about 4 weeks ago. She's not complained to me either about her supply. I no longer get that "full" feeling or feel much of a letdown anymore.

Yes, fenugreek should keep your supply up but it works better with more frequent stimulation either by pumping or extra nursing. I think it's great that you've chosen to allow your girls to nurse this long! Please give the fenugreek a shot and good luck!

S. Pruitt, formerly an expert pumper for Fallon and now a successful nursing mom of 12 week old Phoebe