Not Producing Enough Milk

Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle supplements work wonders! I had a lot of problems with my milk supply when my 14 month old was about a month old b/c we both had thrush. The fenugreek will make you smell like maple syrup though. Start out taking 4-5 pills 3-4x a day until your milk supply picks up. Then take 3 pills 3x a day for a week or so more just to help keep it up. It will work wonders!

Try mother's milk (a combination of Fenugreek and blessed thistle among others), you can get it at natural stores. My lactation consultant from the hospital told me I can take 3 pills 3 times today. Also, you have to really drink a lot of water (or juice, gatorade). Also, if you still have problems call the lactation consultant at your local hospital.

I thought the same thing with my first daughter. I thought I would never produce enough milk to satisfy her appetite. I was often reassured by her pediatrician that as long as she was gaining weight she was getting the milk that she needed. Pumping helps, but don't get discouraged if you don't get a lot out of a pumping session, I was only able to get about 2-4 oz at a time. Just try to eat a little extra to keep up your caloric intake and keep taking your vitamins, your baby will do the rest:)

My LC told me to take 4 Fenugreek 3x a day along with 2 Alfalfa 3x a day. It works for alot of women, but it did not work for me. I had some severe complications from my c-section that probably hindered my ability to produce. I ordered mine from puritanspride.com and they have some pretty good deals where you get some free with purchase. Good luck!

Any of these questions are best awnsered by the La Leach Group
Supportgroup for Breastfeeding.
But usually you will produce as much as your child needs.
Sometimes it looks little. Also you switched to pump. Just give the La Leache a call

there is an Natural Herb out called FENUGREEK. It's been used since all the way back in Bible times to help keep milk from drying up, helps build supply basically! You could find it at any health food store, possibly even walmart. With my last child, I started drying up at 3 weeks....I was pumping like crazy too, nothing worked! I didn't find out about this medicine until later. But I have a couple frined sthat have used it & have gotten great results. You could Google it & find allot more information...

The best thing I can tell you to do is just continually pump. Pump Pump Pump!!! That will help to build up your milk supply. Also, when she feeds, let her go for about 15-20 minutes on EACH side. Or just let her suck until she feels satisfied. That is the only thing that worked for me and my newest baby. She is now 8 months old and has no problem at all with my milk supply!!! Good luck to you and please let me know if I can help you anymore!!!

Someone else might have suggested this, but have you tried Fenugreek or Mother's Milk tea? Those seemed to help me. Also, a beer a day helps boost milk production and according to our pediatrician, is perfectly healthy and won't hurt the baby. (My son will be three next week, I did all of those things and nursed for almost 1.5 years.)

I feel that your milk supply is fine. I nursed all ten of my children and pumped and you never recieve as much milk in the pump as the baby does from suckling. The babies suck is much better than that of even the commercial grade breast pumps. As long as the baby is gaining and is happy and healthy I wouldn't even worry about it. You are doing wonderfully!

Talk to your Dr. or Lactition. There is a drug they can give you that will increase your milk supply (there is also supposed to be an over the counter vitamin/herb that was recommended to me by my lactition, but I can't remember the name) also they can weigh your baby to see if she is still gaining weight, the best way to tell if she is getting enough to eat. \

How much milk are you getting when you pump? A 3.5 week baby is probably only eating 2-4 ounces at each feeding.

Some of this is fact and some my opinion. It is shared only to help and to hopefully guide anyone who needs it.

Using formula, although needed if a baby is losing weight and not wetting enough diapers, is a sure way to LOOSE milk supply. Do NOT supplement if baby is gaining weight and wetting enough diapers in a day (check with LLL or a lactation consultant on this).

In some instances women cannot produce enough milk. This is NOT common. What is more common an issue is that the mother needs more rest (not just sleep but rest) & More water as well as time to sit and relax.

The more you nurse the more milk you make. Certain teas can help and are a great option, mothers milk tea did help increase for me with my second child. Nurse, Nurse, Nurse. Do NOT try to schedule feed!! God made a perfect system of supply and demand... trust your body & trust your baby on this one.

Pumps do NOT show what a baby will get and should only be used after a feeding to stimulate or if your breast is engorged. Please do not waste your milk by pumping unless you are past the 4 or 5 week mark and need to start storing.

Keep in mind that some pediatricians are not as knowledgeable about breastfeeding as they seem to be. They do not the training and knowledge that a lactation consultant does. Their job is too look for problems, measure growth, vaccinate (don't even go there!!) and treat illnesses. I'm not saying do not work with your Pedi, just that there are better sources for help with breastfeeding.

Most of all Love that precious gift and do what you know is best for both of you!

Blessings,
R.

You should talk to an expert about this. Why are you pumping? Are you trying to save up to go back to work? It may be too soon to start pumping, I think they say 4 weeks is when you should start, when you are sure about your supply. So you may need to stop for awhile. At this point your baby needs all the milk you produce.

M.. You might talk to a lactation consultant (are you in Charleston?). I went back to work when my daughter was about 8 weeks old and had a similar problem. There is a drug called Reglan that will increase your milk production and is safe for the baby. It worked very well for my production, but has side effects (i.e. depression) in a few people (me). There is another drug that is not available in the U.S. but is recommended by the american pediatriac association called Motilium (generic name = domperidone) that has similar side effects. It is safe and if your doctor wants, he/she can write a perscription for it and you can get it from Canada. IT didn't work as well as the reglan, but had no ill side effects for me. Alfalfa also can increase your production (not as effectively as the perscriptions) and you can get it at Wal Mart (or a lot of other places). It's very cheap, but I never found out the recommended dose of that. I took about 10 pills a day. It makes your milk greenish but can increase production. There are also some herbal supplements (that work for many but didn't work for me). Fenugreek is one of them. Also Blessed Thissle, and "mother's milk tea(gross....it has fennel and tastes like licorice, but worked to some extent for me). They also sell an extract at the health food store (I cant remember the name, but if you ask, they can tell you). Stressing out about your production can also decrease it. Also, if your baby is not latching on correctly or is not feeding often enough, you can have some problems with production. Hang in there. I had every problem in the book and managed to get through it and breast feed my daughter for 13 months.

Hey M.,

I went through a very similar thing when my daughter was a few weeks old, and then again when she went through a growth spurt. Basically when I was pregnant I didn't gain much weight because I couldn't eat. I'm not very big and she was right on top of my stomach so my stomach ended up shrinking. So, when I began breastfeeding I still wasn't eating a whole lot, and as a result my milk wasn't the best quality so she wanted more of it. When I increased my caloric intake that did the trick.

Also, milk is supply and demand, when she started taking 6 oz bottles at daycare instead of 4 I went through a rough patch, but I read up on it and here is what I discovered. I use an electric pump while I'm at work and at home, so if I'm running a little low on milk, I will pump and then feed her. Basically because there is such a difference in the suctions from the pump and your baby, she can still get milk even when you can't if you're pumping. I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and not only has it increased my supply, but she doesn't ever seem hungry. The other things I read were that you need to make sure you offer both breasts at every feeding, that if you only offer one that is a good way to decrease supply. Also, if you are using a manual pump I would recommend the Medela Electric Pump in Style advanced. I know it may seem a little expensive, but my only regret with it is that I didn't get it sooner. I got it when my daughter was approximately 12 weeks old and before that was using a manual and I can't tell you the difference not only in production, but in the time it saves you and how much more efficient it is. I would have to say it is more than worth the money!

Just remember to keep up your fluid intake and your calories and you should be fine. It's supply and demand so if she is demanding more your supply will grow, it may not be overnight, but it will happen. Your body was built for it!

Good luck and if you need anything please feel free to send me a message and I will do whatever I can to help! Keep up the good work, you sound like you have her best interest at heart and that's all that matters!

A.

I had a premature baby. While he was in the nicu I had to pump every 2 hrs. Only got minimal milk when pumping. When he was strong enough to feed at the breast he ate about every 1hr and a half to two hours and would nurse for 2 hrs at a time it seemed. I prayed alot to god ecspecially since he was a preemie for my milk supply to come in strong. It did. Some things that also helped was drinking plenty of whole milk every day. Also my doctors told me to eat like I was still pregnant and don't worry about the weight gain until your done breastfeeding. Take your multivitamin also. Drink plenty of water as well. Important cut out caffeine from your diet as it saps the milk supply and makes it low. Their favorite phrase was " liquid needs liquid to survive." When I had to pump we rented a hospital grade pump called the classic pump and it worked beautifully. They don't recommend the ones in the store b/c their suction isnt as good. Yes I tried those first and they were right the ones in the store suck. All of these things combined helped me, hopefully they will help you to.

Good Luck.

I personally hated pumping. It was really uncomfortable for me. With nursing you can kind of drift away and it's sort of relaxing...with the pump you are very conscious because you are manually pumpming the thing. Even if it is automatic it's still annoying. The breast is so much easier...it's always the right temp..sanitized...plus you really bond...it's the best.

Healthy nursing tea worked wonders with me;)

M.,

DONT WORRY..YOUR BODY WILL PRODUCE AS MUCH MILK AS YOUR LITTLE ONE NEEDS. THE TRICK WITH PUMPING IS REMEMBER ITS SUPPLY AND DEMAND..SO YOU HAVE TO PUMP EVERYDAY OR ELSE THE NEXT DAY YOU WILL HAVE LESS... YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD YOUR SUPPLY AS YOU NEED/USE IT.. JUST MAKE SURE YOU ARE DRINKING LOTS OF FLUIDS, AND NOT STRESSED/ANXIOUS WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO PUMP... FIND A TIME WHEN YOUR LITTLE ONE SLEEP FOR A SHORT STRETCH 2-3 HOURS AND PUMP IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT..SO YOU HAVENT JUST FINISHED FEEDING OR NEED TO FEED SOON.. :) GOOD LUCK.. I LOVED NURSING MY DAUGHTER WE DID SO FOR 14 MONTHS..AND NUMBER 2 IS ON THE WAY...

Hello, I just wanted to tell you I felt the same way 9 months ago I was breast feeding twins and when I pumped I couldn't get hardly any but the dr. said that the babies were gaining weight and when you pump you never get as much as the baby does their suction is alot different and better than the pumps. but also I agree with it is to earlier to try to pump yet. Also drink lots of water if you don't like that then anything really is ok. Just don't give up you can do it Breast feeding is so wonderful. I have 7 children and only breast feed the last 3 and wish I would have known how great it was before. Congrats on the new baby enjoy every minute they grow up so fast.

I know how you feel. I had to stop because I wasnt producing enough milk to feed my son. Its something that runs in my family. I did everything by the book. Breast feed every two hours and if he wasnt hungry I would pump so I wouldnt skip the two hour production. I tried everything...drinking water while I fed, ate while I fed, hot washcloths, massaging...didnt work. His Ped. told me that its common that I cant produce and to put him on formula. Enfimil is my favorite. Dont worry, I found a lot of people say the formula fed babies are bigger and not as smart...NOT TRUE. My son is average and VERY smart, scary smart and he was only breast fed for 3 weeks.
As for the bonding...try laying with your little girl with your shirt off and her shirt off. I did that with my son. I wish you luck.

If you want to build up your milk supply, it might be beneficial to pump more often during the day. This will stimulate the body into producing more milk. What you don't immediately give to your baby can be freezed for up to 3 months.

Are you exclusively pumping? Pumping is absolutely no indication of supply. Having plenty of wet diapers is.

As for boosting your supply, try oatmeal or fenugreek. Keep the baby at the breast as much as possible. Avoid artificial nipples as much as possible. That includes pacifiers. If she needs to suck on something, offer your breast. The stimulation will encourage more milk production.

Contact your local LLL. They're a wonderful resource and always willing to help.

If your baby is still hungry and wants to eat feed her. I had the same problem with my son so I just fed him again and that made my milk supply a lot better after a week of doing that. Now he don't eat as often anymore and I have plenty of milk. Also keep pumping don't give up on it like the other mom's said you don't get as much from pumping as the baby's sucking gets. Also you can try pumping one side while feeding on the other that worked for me as well.

When my daughter was born I started pumping when she was a week old. I pumped one hour before she ate and one hour after she ate for 15 minutes. It took a few weeks but I was making alot of milk. I started storing it in the freezer and she is 8 months old now and I am still using it. I ate really healthy (veggies, salads etc) I drank 8 to 10 glasses of water everyday and some sort of juice.
She weaned herself at 6 1/2 months and I sometimes feel like it was my fault but I am still able to give her breast milk in a bottle. They say they know what they want and she was ready to stop nursing.