Losing Breastmilk

Contact la leche league for some ideas, but I would just keep pumping with maybe those stronger pump machines you could rent....

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogu...

I used Domperidone to boost my supply when my little man was born early. I was just not producing enough for him. There is some info on the above site.

Good luck!

What helped me keep my milk for my baby is drink a beer (like fat tire or 90 shilling or any of those beers. I was concerned that the baby would get some of the beer but the baby doesn't get any of the beer and I was only pumping a couple oz a day, but by drinking a beer every other night I started producing more milk. My midwifes told me about this and it really works!! Hope this helps. It helped me a lot!

C.--

First, good luck with what you are about to experience. I wish you health!

Next, I had a miscarriage that messed with my hormones while I was still breastfeeding and began to lose my milk. One of the things that helped me, believe it or not, was acupuncture. You can try all the herbal supplements, but it depends on the reason you are losing your milk as to what will help. This is what I know:

1. Too much vitamin C (more than around 2500mg a day), or anything that acts as an anti-histamine, will lower your milk supply.
2. If it is stress causing the problem then your adrenal glands are out of balance. Things that help balance adrenals are vitamin C, b-complex vitamins, holy basil, and phosphatidyl serine, as well as homeopathics for stress. I like something called "calm drops" by a company called historical remedies. They have them at whole foods and vitamin cottage.
3. If it is your pituitary that is out of balance then chaste tree berry, also known as vitex, will help your milk supply.
4. Herbs to try include blessed thistle, milk thistle, alfalfa, red rasberry.
5. Omega 3 fatty acids will help your immune system and take the stress off your body which could help.
6. If you are open to alternative medicine I can recommend some practitioners that could not only help with the breastmilk, but with the cancer. I have a friend who uses a healing method called tong ren (it's based on chinese medicine, quantum physics, and anatomy) who has cured stage 4 cancer 4 times. If you are interested in speaking to him let me know and I will get you his information. He's in the Denver area.

Good luck with everything and good for you for looking for answers rather than giving up. You are a fantastic mother who obviously loves your baby. Please update us and let us know how things go. You'll be in my thoughts.

J.

Hi C.,

I am a mother of 4 beautiful daughters. I had my twin girls about 22 months ago and I made the decision to solely breastfeed them. I started to loose my milk because I had two cases of mastitis. I explained my worry to my doctor and she mentioned that if my milk supply doesn't increase with the "usual" fixes of mastitis, she will give me a shot (can't remember the name) that is used to help woman lactate or increase their milk supply. It's been a long time, but I vaguely remember that there may be a subsequent treatment given by prescription medication as well...but I'm not entirely certain anymore. Thankfully, my milk supply did come back and increase by following her instructions, so I didn't have to utilize the "shot." But, you might want to ask your doctor about it. Again, I'm not sure if it would interfere with the treatments they are providing for your other health situations or not, but it's worth asking your doctor about. Let me know how it goes.....and good luck!

Pump frequently. You are so busy with a lot going on, but it's all in the pumping and keep eating and drinking plenty. I had a lot of trouble getting started nursing from the beginning, and the doctor told me I was dried up and there was no hope. I then got a great rental pump and pumped every three hours after I fed my baby who had actually lost weight at one month old from the birth weight. The milk increased quickly, but feeding a baby and pumping every three hours (every three hours, even during the night) was hard work. It was worth it too! We nursed until the baby was 23 months. At 5 months I had an infection and needed antibiotics so again pumped for two weeks while throwing away the milk. Again, worth it!! Good luck.

Hi C.!
Hang in there--you are right not to give up on your milk yet. I had a lot of problems breastfeeding and the best advice I got was first, not to give up, and second, to enlist some help from a lactation specialist. Those male docs mean well, but it's not their body and they really can't understand. Only you know your body, and you may not have control over what is happening with the cancer, but this is one area where you can take some control. And you'll rest assured knowing you did everything you could. Will your surgery be outpatient or inpatient? If you have to stay in the hospital, ask to see a lactation specialist while you are there. If not, the gals at La Leche always have great ideas and advice, so it would be worth it to at least give them a call. I've also heard a beer every now and then is good for your milk--you could do a couple pump and dumps and see if it helps. Keep the faith, C., don't give up, and know that there will be many of us out here praying for your health and recovery!

Talk to your doctor about a medication called metoclopramide, also known as Reglan. It can be very beneficial in increasing milk production.

Nurse as often as possible. Don't suppliment with formula, if you can help it. If you do suppliment, pump during that feeding so your breast still gets the stimulas. I don't have experience with the surgeries that you are dealing with, but nursing often is the key for increasing your milk supply. Also call your lactation consultant at your hospital and ask their advise.

I lost my milk with my last child and while I was trying to relactate the things that made the biggest difference were drinking lots of water and taking fenugreek supplements. I believe that fenugreek is what mother's milk tea is made of, but the tea is not potent enough to do much good. You really need to take the herb as a supplement. I took a lot of it (I think about 6-9 capsules a day) so I smelled like licorice all of the time. It really helped with milk production. Nurse as often as you can and pump often to make sure you breasts are really stimulated. Make sure you have a really good pump. You may want to rent one from the hospital. Hopefully once the surgery is over the stress will decrease and that may help as well.

Something that really helped me was the nursing tincture from herblore.com. Pam Caldwell is very helpful and will be happy to chat with you about what is going on and how you can help your supply and even potentially your recovery from surgery since she specializes in women's health issues.

The other thing is to come to terms with the fact that despite what lots of people say, formula, if you have to use it isn't poison, junk food, etc. I have a 9 month old and it has only been in the last month or so that I've come to terms with it so it isn't easy. The important thing is that your baby gets the nutrients she needs...if it must come from an external source, it's much better than her starving. In addition to that, always remember that any amount of breastmilk provides antibodies and such...so don't give up!

I wish you the best with your surgery, recovery and breastfeeding.

My own baby must have breast milk, but will not nurse. So I pump and feed. At first I pumped every 3 hours with a break at night. Then it was every 4 hours with a break at night. Now I Pump 4 times a day for about 30 min. And I have plenty for my hungry little guy. For a while, I was losing my supply. It was suggested that I pump for the 20 min. and then take a 5 min. break and then pump for another 5 min. This worked great at building my supply back up. I also keep a VERY large mug of water and my rule of thumb is before I'm done pumping, the mug must be empty. I also keep it there while I feed my little guy even if I'm not pumping and try to drink while he eats.

Sometimes we are stressed and don't realize it. My little guy has had 11 surgeries. This is very stressful to watch him go through what he has to go through. The stress can lower my milk supply without my even realizing I'm stressed. Your milk supply is an indicator of your stress without your admitting your stressed. Try some relaxing techniques and mentally tell your self that everything is ok and just breath deep and take some relaxing time for your self.

My little guy is now 11 months old and we are both working out great with the milk supply. He has another 3 or so surgeries to go through this year alone(that are planned) and he is in one Dr. or the other's weekly. It has taken me more than half this last year to realize that, for me right now the most important thing is the emotional support of my little guy. With 3 other kids, they also have learned to step in and they love him. This is the first time that I haven't had any jealousy from the other siblings. But everything (dishes and cleaning) take a back burner.

Good luck!

C. -

Have you tried pumping one side while you baby is nursing on the other? This always helped me get a little more milk since it was more apt to flow when baby was at the other breast already helping with let down, etc. Also, you might consider renting a big pump from either a hospital or a place like Bosom Buddies (http://www.bosombuddies.com/)since those pumps can be a little more efficient. I think you are on the right track with the tea, and keeping your fluid up. Try to relax when you are pumping... maybe pump while in a hot shower or warm bath?
Don't Give up!!

I had this problem with my 2nd child. I had tried everything also. My mother-in-law told me to increase my dairy so I had milkshakes or ice cream everyday and it worked. I did gain 10 pounds though. But, I made it to a year w/breastfeeding! I have never heard of this before but since I love ice cream it did'nt hurt to try it.

This is a hard one C.,
I have nursed all of my children and suffered many of these things, I went through a c-section and they told me to use Fenugreek, and keep hydrated I Loved it and my twins thrived even though I didn't think they were getting enough.
I would look into anything homiopathic to help when you are going through such a difficult thing as this. nature seems to be less dangerous and be more in sync with the human body.
I Hope you find your answer. your courage is amazing.

C.~

First, my heart goes to you with so much going on in your life. I truly wish you only the best outcome for your situation. There's something about being in control of your breastmilk. Being in the middle of breastfeeding my third, and always dwindling at the same time for each gives me such determination to decide when I'm done, not let my body decide. For me, none of the herbal stuff worked. What does work is drinking so much water you think you'll never want to see a drop again, and pumping all the time. That is, after you nurse, pump a little longer and then one time in between feedings. Even if nothing comes out, keep it going for 5-10 minutes on each side. This stimualtes your body to believe that the baby needs more milk and should stimulate more within a week. This has worked wonders for me. Now, I'm not gushing, but at least I have more than I had. Good luck with everything. In the end, your baby will be fine if you are fine. So, take care of yourself first.

I think everybody who has responded has given you good advice! I just want to remind you to try to be good to yourself! You are dealing with a LOT so I think it might help if you took a deep breath every now and then and reminded yourself that you are doing a great job!
As others have noted, water intake is SO important. So is giving yourself time to relax and let down. Fenugreek is a good idea, so is alfalfa and any extra greens you can put into your diet.
Best wishes,
C.

Hi C.,

It might be time to let go of either the home-based business or take the job down the part time, if possible. I know finances or insurance can be a difficulty especially with the job. But what you need to do is take some stress factors out. If you can be home more, you can nurse your baby which is more effective at increasing your milk supply than pumping and is more relaxing.

That said, you cannot let yourself think that losing your milk will make you any less of a mother. Especially under the circumstances. You've already done a LOT. And now that your child is 7 months old and you have introduced other foods, the benefits of breastmilk are not as strong as they were when your little one was newborn.

And further, the best for your child is far less a matter of your biological abilities than it is your nurturing; your loving interaction and play with your child.

ok that is not true. i started losing my milk and called my ob they along with my 4 month old sons doctor told me to get the supply back to drink TONS of water and to nurse or pump every 2 hours only for a few days. it might take a minute to work but it does! best of luck!! oh i also called La Leche league of utah(i think that is how it is spelled) and they told me the same thing.

I am not sure how to increase your milk, but when my youngest was breastfeeding the doctor put me on Reglan to help increase the milk. However, it made me VERY depressed (that is one side effect) so if they recommend that, I would say no. I had trouble at first with pumping etc. I just kept pumping while I was away from him, I pumped about every hour, that helped too. Also, when I was home with him, I breastfed about every hour. He cried all the time because he was premie, so he lived on my breast most of the time anyway. I did end up breastfeeding him until he was 14 months old, so there is hope, don't give up.
I hope you are cancer free. I will say a prayer for you. Good luck and God Bless.
T.

Hi C., First things first - you are a greater mother than you probably think trying to make sure your milk supply stays up after surgery and any other time..

I drink the tea and it helps but you need to have 2-3 cups of it daily. Put it in a travel mug to sit for about ten minutes then you will have 8 oz os tea instead of just a cup. It also makes the tea bags last longer. I also eat a lot of carrots and I can't bring myself to do it but Tuna fish is supposed to be really good for it too.

Good luck to you today and my prayers are with you. K.

My heart goes out to you, I hope you can continue breastfeeding! I hope you are drinking lots of water and also I know of a place in Nampa that you may be interested in. It is called Mountain Family Wellness Clinic and their # is ###-###-#### if anyone can help you get your milk back it would be these kind people they answer ?s without havign to pay for a visit and have helped with various serious health problems in with my siblings and parents and have answered numerous questions for me...also the lady there has had personal experiance with breast cancer... wishing you the best!!!

Hi C.!

I hope everything with your surgery went well. In talking with a rep. from Motherlove Herbal, she said that a tincture is more effective, more quickly than tea for increasing milk. You can go to www.motherlove.com to see their More Milk Tinctures. And let me know if you are interested in trying them, but can't find them as I plan on selling them with my business (but can place my order sooner rather than later, if need be). Good luck! Your commitment to breastfeeding your daughter through these challenges is admirable!
H. Gaitten
www.naturalchoices4baby.com

Hello C.,
When I was breast feeding my mother had me drink A&W root beer. A&W root beer has active yeast in it and can bring on a let down. I may be wrong on the brand of rootbeer but I do know that it was rootbeer that she had me drink. I hope this works for you, just make sure you look on the ingrediants listing.

Good Luck,
A.

besides the brewer's yeast, fenugreek and blessed thistle(all herbal remedies), there is also a prescription called reglan that can be prescribed . it increases the release of prolactin in the brain which helps with milk production. you take it 2x a day for 10 day and then tapper off after that(if i remember it correctly, so you don't have to be on it forever also, go to kellymom.com they have soem other helpful tips. best of luck
p.s. with the herbal rememdies you actually have to take 3 capsules 3 times per day for it to work, if you take the dosage on the bottle it is not enough.
i just remembered also that since the whole system is supply and demand start nursing or pumping both sides every 2-3 hrs for 15min. i will be alot of work but in a couple weeks you will know if you will be able to get your supply up or not

I am so sorry that is happening to you. It is so hard when you want to breastfeed so badly. I had major problems with my baby and he only got breatmilk for three months. I was really upset and felt really guilty. I had several nurses and Primary Childrens assure me that formula is very good these days. It was still hard.
My doctor told me to pump every two hours for 3 days to try and get my milk supply up...and it looks like you have tried the other things.
If it helps any, my 11 month old is very healthy.. he's only had one cold and one fever his whole life....even being on formula after 3 months.
I hope that it all works out for you!

Wow! I really hope your surgery went well!
As for the breastfeeding, I recommend using brewers yeast flakes. I never had any problems breastfeeding my first 2 kids, but with this last one...It seamed like I never had enough milk...at least for the first 4 months. Then my mother-in-law stayed with us for a week and recommended taking brewers yeast. I went to a nutrition store down the road and they were out of the powder, but they had the brewers yeast flakes. The man said the flakes were more popular than the powder, because they tasted better, they didn't have a bitter taste to them. Anyway he said it was, not only great for helping increase the milk supply, but it provided great nutritional value. I always mix it with yogurt...it tastes better. Anyway long story short, after taking it for only one day I noticed a HUGE difference & I've had no problems breast feeding since. Not only that, but I feel much better as well. I used to feel so tired and drained all the time, but it drastically improved my energy level. Anyway I hope that helps. I wish you the best of luck :).

Hi C.,
I am so sorry to hear of all you are going through. Mother's milk tea is good, but drinking a strong infusion of a tea is better. I first would want to ask if your cancer is of a estrogenic kind? If it is you may want to switch some of these herbs around. If not, use fenugreek, fennel, hops and nettles can help. I would boil the fenugreek for a 10 minutes then pour the water over the other hers and let steep for a at least 30 minutes. It may get bitter, but the bitter taste is good for you. Also are you getting enough rest, healthy food and drinking enough water? Are you taking vitamins and if so, are they high grade vitamins? I hope this helps.
T. Sobel, Dipl.O.M.
Acupuncture, Nutrition & Herbs.
###-###-####

C. -
I wish you luck with the results from your lumpectomy. That is surely very stressful. I have had no such stress as that, but also have had a hard time keeping my milk production up.
I drink the tea, eat oatmeal and take the Wish Garden herbal tincture. The more hydrated I am, the more milk I have, but beyond that, I would be interested in hearing the feedback that you get.

Good luck,
A. [38 y.o. mom of an 8mo old]

First of all, know that breastfeeding doesn't work for everyone and IT'S OKAY!!!! It doesn't work great for me and I'm sick of being made to feel like it's because I'm doing something wrong, it's not!
That said, when it does work for me, I overproduce. I have 140 oz of frozen breastmilk (about) that I can't use because of my son's milk allergy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, it just was from while I was eating dairy before we found out about his allergy. You are welcome to it! I don't know how this site works, I'm new, but you can send me a message through here or at ____@____.com

Hi,

REGLAN aka metoclopramide. This is a drug that your doc can perscribe to increase your production. I was on it for 2 years. My milk in complete OVERABUNDANCE... dried up when my bb was 2 months old. I did the fenugreek, brewers yeast etc... not much help. But the reglan gave me abt 2 oz more per feeding after it brought my milk back. GOOD luck.

P.S. your not smoking are you? That can really dry the milk up too.

God Bless you and your baby girl.

I was never able to provide enough milk for my daughter, I tried medication, herbs, and all that. She was premature and could not nurse right a way so I pumped every 3 hours including waking up in the middle of the night to pump. When she could nurse I had to give her a bottle after each nursing because she was not getting enough from me. After 5 months of nursing and bottle I couldn't do both anymore. I had to realize I was not a bad mom for giving my daughter formula, and she I knew she was getting what she needed. My daughter is just turning 1yr and she never been sick beyond a runny nose, and she is strong, healthy and happy.
I pray your milk supply comes back but realize you are not less of a mom if you need to switch to formula

sorry to hear hopfully all is ok but i defently recomend trying not to stress or it will cause breast milk to not come out i stressed and had to stop when my daughter was berely 1yr and i wasent ready though but when it was too late i was actually told about a really good vitamine that is at the vitamine cottage made just to help keep and produce breast milk i do appoligize i dont remeber the name but if you go to a vitamin cottage and ask for a vitame that helps milk im sure they can find it agian try not to stress and good luck and hope all is ok!

C. A. I am sorry you are having to be poked and prodded. It is surely no fun for you. I am a 64 year old former La Leche League leader who breastfed two boys. Taking Brewers Yeast will rebuild your mild supply. It can be taken in pill form if the actual yeast smell is offensive to you. It can be taken in powder form sprinkled on your oatmeal or put into a smoothie drink. It worked well as recently as five years ago when my special older mom friend took it in pill form and had her milk supply increase dramatically. Nursing on demand increases supply, too. actual sucking rebuilds supply. I'll put you and your beautiful baby into my prayers. V.

HI, I am a mother of four breastfed children and a grandmother of four. You circumstance is very unique and i know that calling La Leche League international directly i the Chicago area will connect you with a counselor who can always be in rouch quickly wit the medical liason of the 50 year old international and very professional organization. Ther may be leaders in your area who can counsel you on management and all the details, but the best is that they have people to ask about the medical aspects. Breast milk can be brought back. there are may ways. You sound very motivated. You health of course is the most important thing. but I know how we mothers are always thinking of our children. If they tell you that it is OK to nurse because of the type of cancer you have, then you can gets lots of help.
go to the horses mouth. they have lots of doctors at thier finger tips and also many trained leaders and supportive mothers. You might find a group of mothers in your area, if possible. the have mohnthly meetings and you'll find good friends and support.

Look up LL on the website for a main number. You can then go to your state and then find someone closest to you Because of the urgency of this I would just call the main number. It is free. ###-###-#### Sorry not a 800 number. this organization has been started and run by mothers. Not a big budget.

The very best wishes, C. Friesen Denver CO

Hi C. - I'd strongly encourage you to contact a La Leche League leader in your area. They are extremely knowledgeable and have great tips for increasing milk supply as well has just plain emotional support that is so important for you right now. Kuddos to you for being so devoted to breastfeeding your beautiful little girl. I'm traveling right now and don't have my resource books close by (I have several La Leche League reference books at home) but just wanted to give you a tip on good resources. Flame Dineen, a midwife in Boulder, is also a wonderful resource! Good luck and hang in there!

The Motherlove company produces many things to help. Mother's Milk Plus is usually their first recommendation. Goat's Rue is very powerful and also helps produce more mammory glands but it also has some unique side effects. Best advice, give your precious little one all the milk you can and try to be personally happy with your efforts. The stress is definetly going to make it worse. I personally had to give up the pumping because I never produced anymore and I felt like it stole my valuable moments that I had left feeding my babies. Good luck!

If you don't want to drink beer, you could also just drink tea made out of hops. This is supposed to be incredible for milk production. Earth Mama Angel Baby also makes a (somewhat pricey) milk tea that works great. You may want to think about drinking chamomile tea for the stress, too.
Good luck and many prayers.

nurse baby more often, they are really great little milk machines, pumping may slowly deplete you over time anyway, but nursing baby directly at the breast more often, even offering when baby isn't necessarily "scheduled" to nurse, will help bring your milk supply back up. . . . . wanting to give your baby the best thing possible will make you successful no matter what!

My DR put me on a prescription medication called Reglan, and it definitely increased my breastmilk when I started to dry up at about 6 months with both of my children, I would take the Reglan and it increased my milk substantially. I would however like to warn you that it makes you a little sleepy!

Healthy nursing tea helped me boosting my breast milk supply that was extremely low.

C.,
YOu've been given some awsome advice, the only other thing I would suggest is to drink at least a gallon of water a day. I remember when I was nursing, My milk supply went down if I wasn't taking care of me. Good luck with the surgery.

C., Good for you for hanging in there and having the desire to continue breastfeeding. I suggest you talk to your physician about the following: Reglan (metaclopramide) and Domperidone are two medications by prescription used to increase milk supply. The herb Fenugreek is the one herb that has scientific studies behind it to evaluate its effectiveness. The book 'Medications and Mothers' Milk' by Hale states the dose used in the study. Perhaps you can see if your health care provider has access to this book and can prescribe accordingly. You have the right as mom and patient to exhaust your options before stopping. If by chance your supply does decrease drastically, consider using a Supplemental Nursing System to feed your baby formula at the breast. This way you can continue your breastfeeding relationship even if she needs a supplement.
Good luck.