Pumping and Inreasing Supply

First, congrats on your new angel and may he gain quickly and come home soon! What pump are you using? Handheld pumps are only about 20-30% effective at emptying the breast and electric pumps are around 50-60% effective. Only the baby is 100% effective, but that time will come soon! :)

First let me ramble off a few things that can help your supply, then we will discuss how to get more from your pump. Eat oatmeal. Buy brewer's yeast (at any health food store) and sprinkle it into your everyday foods...scrambled eggs, oatmeal, meatloaf, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc... Brewer's yeast (no subtitutions!) and oatmeal are natural lactation boosters. Now for herbs (and please check with your doctor before taking any of these...some cannot be used with certain other meds or if Mom has a pre-existing condition like diabetes or seizure disorders) You can try fenugreek, blessed thistle, or goat's rue. Goat's rue helps you make more glandular tissue and will boost an already lactating Mom's supply. Fenugreek and blessed thistle are used by lactating Mom's to boost and also by adoptive Moms or Mom's trying to regain a supply that has diminished. They work well! You can use them all in conjunction (as long as your health is ok for them). Motherlove herbal company makes a Goat's rue tincture and a supplement called "More Milk Plus" that contains fenugreek and blessed thistle. These come in a tincture or a capsule. Here is the link.
http://www.motherlove.com/products_extracts.php
Last but not least, you can always try medications. The first one is called Reglan and must be prescribed. The other is called Domperidone and isnt available in the US, but its success rates are huge and you can buy them online from in-house pharmacies in other countries. Thats only for desperate situations and yours sounds easily fixed, so I dont think you'll need to go that route!

Now for maximizing your pumping sessions. Massage your breasts before pumping, working downward toward the nipple. Have a picture of your baby nearby to help the milk ejection reflex (or let-down). Now pump. When it seems you are pumped dry, begin massaging your breasts again. Maybe take a warm compress to help your milk let down again. Now try pumping again, but this time while pumping, see if you can massage your breasts at the same time. This will be hard if you have a double pump, but you can either have your husband help you or make a "pumping bra" out of an old sports bra. Cut slits in them to hold the pump in place so you can pump hands free. Then your hands are availabe to massage! Once you feel you are "dry pumping" again, turn the pump off. Hold the breast cone and try to hand express your milk into it. You won't believe it, but you'll get a lot of milk this way! The pump can only stimulate so much before it stops working. But your hands can get much more! If you arent familiar with hand expressing please watch this video link I sent. Not only does it teach you how to hand express, but it explains why I am having you pump and express and how it will affect you supply, that was shown in several studies. It will help you so much and is one of the most valuable videos I have in my collection!
http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction....

And finally, here are some more links about making more milk and what can help. Notice the first KellyMom link has several more links to click on at the bottom of the page to read and learn more!
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal-rem_j.html
http://www.exclusivelypumping.com/2007/11/30/pumping-for-...

And let me quickly remind you that the breast makes milk only when the breast is being emptied. So the more you can empty your breasts, the more milk you will make. This is why exclusively pumping can be so difficult because the pump just can't effectively empty the breast.

I really hope this helps and I have no doubt you'll be off and nursing your little bambino in no time! If you need any help or have any questions, please let me know. Good Luck Momma!
~Tara Breastfeeding Counselor and Mom of 3 breastfed babies, Buffalo NY

*EDITED TO ADD*
I forgot to mention how to up the fat content in your milk. Eat high fat foods such as eggs, avacado, olives, coconut, nuts etc... All healthy fats. I used to eat 2 eggs a day, add sliced avacado to my turkey sandwiches and eat macaroons! Ben and Jerry's ice cream is also very high in fat which is great (and tastes soooo good) but if you are trying to avoid eating high sugar, won't be a good idea. If you dont mind the extra sugar for now, stock up on some! What a fun way to increase your fats! This will help "bulk" up your milk and add calories so your bambino will gain quicker and come home quicker! Hang in there Momma...every day brings him closer to home!

hi S., congrats on your new baby, and great job on choosing to breastfeed him. you will love it. tara gave you wonderful advice, and some great links, too. i just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. first, a couple of things that may seem obvious but are sometimes overlooked.... drink lots of water! especially right before and during a pumping session. dont consume anything with caffiene or any meds that will dehydrate you. while you are pumping, relax. do what you need to do to relax, i used to drink some herbal tea beforehand, put warm compresses on my breasts, and watch seinfeld :) alone in a room. sometimes a heating pad on my back/shoulders while pumping. be aware of your own body, if you are sitting there and your shoulders are up, etc, realize you need to take a deep breath and physically relax yourself. it makes a huge difference.
also, be sure you are using a good electric pump and pump both breasts at the same time, at least every 3 hours. i know you are exhausted, but overnight pumping is essential to keeping your supply up. of course, eating well and sleeping are essential too, so go figure. do the best you can, if you can even get in just one pumping session overnight, it will really, really help. it can be challenging to keep your supply up while only pumping, the more you can do it, the better off you will be.
the oatmeal thing really helped me, be sure it is real oatmeal. and you can put maple syrup in it, the cheap fake kind, it has fenugreek in it.
massaging while pumping like tara said is very helpful, it is also helpful to turn the cone around on your breasts - you can kind of turn it and pull on your breasts in different positions, like if you think of your breast like the face of a clock, you want to "pull" at a few different hours around the clock, know what i mean? play around, you will see. there are many milk ducts in your breast, and if you watch closely you can see the milk coming out of different spots as the ducts empty in turn, its interesting, and it will give you a good idea of whats going on there and how to get the most out.
get your baby nursing as soon as possible. once he is on and has the hang of it, feed him as often as he wants, and always empty the first breast first, before switching. he needs that hind milk to grow and for brain development, and you need him to get it in order to increase your supply. wake him when he falls asleep nursing and keep going, at least until he empties one breast and starts on the other, empty both in a session if you can, at least in the beginning. switch the side you start on each session. if you nurse him as often as you/he want, he will take care of increasing your supply in an amazingly short time, you will be surprised! just stick with it :) ...
i dont know how the people in your life are in terms of support, you sound very determined so it might not matter to you, but i found it harder to stick to it when people try to tell you otherwise. surround yourself with positive, supportive people, and that includes your doc and the nurses too. my last baby was 9 lbs 4 oz at birth, then lost a lot of weight quickly, we couldnt get a good latch and he slept allll the time. he had some trouble gaining the first few weeks, and lots of people tried to get me to supplement. i stuck with it, i got some great advice about latching on, he had nothing but breastmilk, and after a couple of months i swear you could store loose change in the folds in his skin! he is a meatball, and doing wonderfully!! i am so thankful that i stuck with it, as i did with all 3 of my kids, and they each had one challenge or another in the beginning. you are going to do wonderfully, and you will be so glad you did it! best of luck to you. please feel free to email me if you need any help, or if you just need support. it can be challenging in the beginning, but remember that having a newborn is challenging regardless of how you feed, dont let anyone make you feel like its the nursing that is making it challenging. breastfeeding is what we were designed to do...(my mother in law looked at my little meatball recently and said "hmmmm, i guess that breastfeeding does work!" duh! very satisfying, i must say :) ....and as tough as it might be in the beginning, it is also so wonderful and amazing and short! enjoy him! good luck, D.

Try using a device called "LACT-AID" It looks a little like the liner of a platex nurser, but there is a fine tube that extends down to your nipple. You can fill the bag with your own breast milk, so when the baby is put to breast and begins to suck, he will get nutrition simply via gravity, as the milk drips from the tube with no effort on the baby's part. This does two things: first, it teaches the baby that food comes from the breast and second, it helps him learn to suck without wearing him out. This devise was specifically designed for situations just like yours where the baby can't afford to expend the energy to nurse and may have a reduced sucking reflex.

All the advise others have given you is good, like drinking and pumping - especially at night, etc. But there is nothing like the sucking of the infant! It helps both Mom and baby. Don't stress - like others have said, and don't surround yourself with anybody who is negative. I had never been pregnant when we adopted our oldest daughter - I now have 5 girls - and I was able to successfully nurse her for 14 months by starting out with the lact-aid device. I jsut didn't tell people I thought wouldn't belive I could do it. Please consider giving it a try. I loved mine and used it for our second daughter as well. After 25 years of marriage, and at close to 50 years old, I got pregnant - thought it was menopause!!! So I have had experience nursing both adopted and natural children.

I would talk to your doctor about starting to use it right away. I am a labor and delivery nurse and I have suggested this device to many other moms who have also had great success. If you want more information, just respond to me and I will get you the numbers where you can order the Lact-Aid. They will overnight it to you, so you could start using it on Tuesday.

It is a passion of mine to help moms with breastfeeding, so I would be more than happy to speak with you about this if you want. Just let me know and if there is anything I can do to help, I will be there for you.

~~S.

The best thing you can do to increase supply is to increase the frequency of pumping. I had a preemie and this made all the difference. I pumped A LOT and ended up having a good supply for when he was ready to nurse and we nursed until he was 18 months (gestational). I pumped at least every 3-4 hours (no less than 8 times a day, including middle of the night pumpings). Of course this was a pretty hard schedule (and I actually ended up with too much supply for a while) but I, like you, really wanted to be able to nurse when he was ready. Also, it was hard having my baby in the hospital and so pumping gave me a way to feel like I was doing something for him. All that said, it was exhausting to pump this much so if you don't end up being able/wanting to do it this frequently don't beat yourself up. If you can just do it as much as you can it will definitely help. (And I found that frequency mattered as much as duration of pumping sessions.) I hope this advice helps. I really feel for you and hope your baby is doing great and that he'll soon get to be with his loving mama.

Best,
P.

Hi S.:
Congratulations of the birth of your baby and your decision to breastfeed him. I have four grown children and BF was so beneficial-I can't say enough. I am also a postpartum doula and a La Leche League leader.
Be sure that you are pumping at least every 2-3 hours, round the clock,as that is when he would be feeding. Are you using an electric hospital type pump? they are more efficient. You can rent them. Are you resting as much as possible? If you were home with him you would be laying down a lot, as you are a postpartum Mom. Are you drinking a lot of water and eating enough? Do you have someone at home taking care of you? These are all very important for you to increase your milk supply. Also, make sure that he is not given any artificial nipples as that will make it difficult for him to learn to breastfeed. They can feed him with a syringe if he's not being tube fed. Also, keep asking the doctor for the opportunity to try feeding him. Contact the hospital lactation consultant to be there when you start. Contact La Leche League in your area-LLL.org and you can ask to speak to someone who has Breastfed a premie. Keep at it-you can do it and you will be so glad that you did.
Cathy
B

First of all, good for you for making this a priority. I had a 28-weeker and felt totally helpless at first. Pumping is the best thing that you can do for your son! Sean and I never got the hang of breastfeeding, but I continued to pump for a year. Through that year, there were lots of ebbs and flows to my milk. The lactation consultant was shocked when I'd make extra milk right before he had a surgery -- usually under great stress, it'll go down, but my body must've taken over and gone into production mode. Don't be alarmed if it goes down -- it'll come back up. I bought a pumping strap that allows you to pump "hand's free". That really helped. I'd get uncomfortable sitting there holding the bottles and would stress myself out looking down and seeing if I was making enough! If you have the hand's free thing, you can sit and read or do crossword puzzles and it'll become automatic. The other thing I would suggest is to guzzle water. When you think you've had a lot, drink MORE! Also, I would put 100-calorie snack packs in my bag. I'd sit with Sean for hours and forget to eat, so I could conveniently have a snack in our pumping room. I tried that Mother's Milk tea and saw no real results. Also try to massage yourself while you're pumping -- you can feel the milk ducts in the back and sides.

I hope this helps -- please feel free to email directly for anything else. I know how tough it is to be a "NICU Mom".

Hugs,
R.

A newborn usually only eats 1-3 oz a feeding and a feeding should be every 2-3 hours. As long as you are pumping when the baby should be eating you will produce enough milk. Both of my children were/are breastfed for a year and never drank more than 4 oz bottle at a feeding. 20 oz is plenty of milk for a baby eating 2 oz a feeding 8 times a day or every three hours. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating too. You burn about 500 calories a day nursing so make sure you are taking care of yourself too. Don't stress either, stress is the worse thing for your body. It sounds like you have just gotten out of the real engorgement stage too. You may have just been getting more because of the initial start of nursing. Stick with it. It will all work out.

Hi S.,

I also had preemies - twins - who were in the NICU for 4 weeks. I pumped every 3 hours for about 15-20 minutes. Pumping often sends the message to your body that it needs to produce more milk. You might also try Fenugreek Seed in capsules to increase your supply. The liquid tastes awful :) Hope this helps.

Best,
R.

I had some issues with my daughter gaining weight so I was pumping so I could monitor how much she was eating and supplementing with formula when I couldn't produce enough. My supply started to diminish and I called the lactation consultant at my doctor's office. She told me about an herbal remedy called Fenugreek you can get at health food stores. PLEASE ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THIS - I am asthmatic and therefore COULD NOT take this herb because it can cause an attack - she also said it can cause hypoglycemia in diabetics. I AM NOT A DOCTOR so please, speak with your doctor or nurse practitioner before taking this. She also told me it wasn't guaranteed to work, but could help.

There is a tea you can drink called Mother's milk. Follow the directions and steep the tea bag for 20 mins or so before you drink it. It's herbal and it does work. Also you can drink a non-alcoholic beer. I forget if it's the hops or barley but that also increases your milk supply.

Congratulations on becoming a mother. I remember how hard it was to try to do what is "right". Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience for both the mom & the child. I breast feed both my kids (they are now 28 & 31). I had trouble with supply at first both times. (I didn't get much support with my first, but learned what to do about it with my second. So I nursed my daughter for a year!) I needed to supplement them at first, but then my milk supply increased as I fed them more often. I believe that the way it works, if you pump more often, your supply should increase.
assume you are giving the NICU your milk. So your child is already benefitting from this precious fluid. It is known that the composition of breast milk changes as the child's needs change. keep up it up. I am sure all will be well.
M. B.

Keep up the great work, I too had a preemie and I pumped every hour and a half to two hours until she was able to nurse. The thing that helped my supply was plenty of fluids. I also noticed (and other people have said the same) that drinking some hot tea helped their supply (decaf of course). Also, milk. Know that your baby will benefit greatly and that your supply will be there when he is ready! Plus, you have all of that milk stored away for those times you will need it :-) Just do not store it on the door of the freezer, it doesn't last as long. The best is a deep freezer, as they will keep for up to 6 months!
Best wishes,
S.
Mom to 3 - 2 NICU babies... :-)

There is a tea that you can drink. It helped increase my supply a little, but then again I wasn't drinking nearly as much as the directions suggested. You can get it at a vitamin store. I went to the Vitamin Shop, but I am shore that you can get it at other vitamin shops. I'm not sure the name of it.

Have you tried Fenugreek? I was always a low producer...just enough for baby. When she was about 8 months I experienced a diminishing of my supply (don't know why...stress, changing nap schedule, who knows). I only needed to take the Fenugreek for like 3 days and my supply was back up. It was pretty incredible. Ask your doc, but its pretty universally used.

Hi S.,

Some simple things that I recommend as a doula (not a lactation consultant or midwife!) are to look to see if you have been sleeping, drinking, and eating regularly. Life can be stressful when you have a baby in the hospital, and taking care of yourself helps your body take care of your milk supply. Often moms with a baby in the hospital experience changes in milk supply based on the baby's health, so if you have been more worried lately that could also be a factor. This is normal, and you should continue to pump as much as before so that your milk supply can return.

You could also see if anything about your pump or pumping schedule has changed recently, which could also be affecting the stimulation your breasts are getting. Talking with the hospital's lactation consultant could help you be a detective to figure out what may be behind this, but in the meantime just try to take care of yourself and continue your pumping so that your breasts are stimulated to produce what they were making before - you are absolutely doing something wonderful for your baby to give him the best start possible!

Take care,
R.

Drink water and pump every 2 hours, even if you don't feel full. Also, don't think this a permanent solution, obviously, but I did freeze tons of breast milk, for when my husband and I went on vacation. I don't know the shelf life, but I froze it for a couple months and it seemed fine. At least you could have a supplemental supply for your baby. Also, even if you can't supply all the milk he needs, you can do half formula and he will still reap the benefits of breast milk. Good luck!

Hi, this is a mother of 3 boys. A 3 yr old, 2 yr old and 4 month old. I know exactly what you're talking about!!! My 3 yr old was a preemie when he was born and no one told me anything and unfortunately by the time he was stucking the bottle, I lost my milk. I still have trouble producing milk after 2 to 3 months of breastfeeding and they start to diminish. A midwife told me to take this herbal supplement, Fenugreek. There is a tea you can get and will help with producing breastmilk. Take the herbal supplement, drink the tea and you'll be amazed at how much milk you get. Also, know this...fennel seed, garlic and nuts help with producing milk besides drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day!!! You'll haveto know whether your baby will be picky about what you eat when he starts nursing. Many pediatricians don't recommend nuts because of the peanut allergy, but I don't listen to them. I have some nut allergy and I was not nursed. I ate nuts while nursing my second son and he has not shown any allergy to it. Keep the milk you're pumping stored in the freezer and you will have extras in the future however you want to use it for. In the baby cereal when you start introducing him to cereal. Only I have known in the past. I am taking the herbal supplement and occasionally drink the tea and still producing milk for my baby. All this stuff I am telling you are healthy, don't take something that is man-made, take what is God-given gifts to us mothers!!! Congratulations on your baby!!

PLEASE contact your hospital's lactation consultant! I pumped exclusively with my 1st baby and am pumping at work for my 2nd.

My first - I pumped every 4 hours around the clock in the beginning for about 15-30 mins, including overnight. Then after awhile, I stopped the overnights.

Even if your baby is preemie, you may want to ask if your baby can at least suckle at your breasts - it stimulates the hormones to produce more milk.

Try the La Leche League website too...

Hang in there!

I sympathize with your situation, first you must make sure that you are drinking and eating enough. Many mothers suffer from a decrease in the quantity of their milk supply simply by not taking in enough calories; you need an extra 500 calories per day! If this is not the case for you, try having pictures of your son on hand while pumping, the visual stimulation could be a wonderful help, maybe even something from the hospital that smells like him. Another thing you can try is to establish a schedule for pumping like one you would have if you were nursing (like every 2-3 hours); you should aim for ten to twelve sessions per day. If all else fails there is an herb called fenugreek which supposedly increases milk supply. I've never tried it, but there is information about it on the breastfeeding.com website.

S.,
First and foremost CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of you baby, secondly it's great that you want to breastfeed. I nursed both of my children. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go it very long with them but I did as long as my body would allow me to. What advice I can lend is to not stress over anything especially not being able to nurse right away. The other thing is POWER PUMP meaning pump every 1 hour for at least 15-20 minutes each breast to help stimulate yourself. The other thing that you can do is the suppliment route for yourself you can take certain things to help increase your supply. There is a tincture called MORE MILK PLUS, there is a tea you can drink called MOTHERS MILK TEA you can take FENUGREEK either capsule or liquid. Eating REAL oatmeal the kind that needS to be cooked not the instant one also helps to porduce more breast milk. Have a beer it will do you a world of good but it must be imported and they say the darker the beer the better, belive it or not it helps promote breast milk as well. These are just a few things that I know that I had done and found to be helpful. The things that I mention to you can be found at Mrs. Greens health food stores. I don't know where you are located and if there are any in your area but I'm sure if you can find an all natural health food store you'll be in luck.

Well I hope that these were helpful to you and and that it all works out just remember to make sure that you power pump and even get up in the middle of the night to pump as well that seems to make a difference as well. I wish you well and good luck with everything.

L. L. - NY
34 yr old mom of 2 wonderful girls 2 1/2 and 9 mths.

My son was also a preemie. I had him at 32 wks. I was could not breastfeed because he was in the nicu for a week. I also started decreasing so the mintue he was out I started breastfeeding. I only breatfeed him for 3 mons because I didn't have enough breastmilk. I also mix breastmilk with formular. Try putting warm pad on your breast and a shower before feeding. Yes I know it hard you can't shower every time your going to feed but it worked for a little bit for me. Good luck!

Hi,
I also pumped b/c I worked part time while my children were little. And I know that after a while our body just doesn't respond to the pump anymore.
But there have been some tips that I have held onto.
First, drink a ton of fluids - more than you think is necessary. Keep your protein up and just eat hearty in general.
Second, get pictures of your baby and this might sound dumb - but think "mommy thoughts" while you're nursing. Just like cuddling your NB would make your milk let down... you can encourage the same hormonal reaction by reminding yourself of him the best you can. Perhaps pump right after a visit with him. I know it's hard. A friend of mine had premie twins and she pumped for 4 months - it was hard on her to do it around the clock with so little payoff (no cuddle time).

But you won't regret the effort. ALSO!!! Please be encouraged. Because a mother's milk supply can diminish and increase for different reasons. It can go down now - but when you bring him hom, his presence will encourage your supply. I've battled illnesses during my daughter's 1st year. At least 3 times this year I had fever so bad that my milk dried up completely for 2-3 days at a time. Each time I allowed my daughter to nurse as much as she wanted and drank fluids. And each time my milk came back.
I hope this helps and
I wish you the best!
-H.

Good for you for pumping!!! Make sure you pump regularly, drink lots of water/fluids and get rest. You can also bump up your supply by eating oatmeal - really - and taking the herb Fenugreek. You can get Fenugreek at most stores, healthfood stores for sure - Wegman's even carries it in the natural foods section. Take 1-3 capsuls 2 times a day. Less to just add to your supply, more to really increase it! I use the oatmeal & Fenugreek myself and have had wonderful results. Good luck, I hope your little one continues to do well!

S. I'm not an expert, but I have an 11yrs old and a 3yrs old whom I've tried to breastfeed when they were born. I found that whenever I ate fruits and drank lots of liquids the supply increased. I had to pump it because my children wouldn't latch on. I also found that whenever I got in the shower the milk would run like a faucet so I would jump out of the shower and start pumping before I did anything else. Hope it works for you.

Hi S., congratulations on your new baby and your hard work to provide your baby's milk. Remember that any breastmilk he receives is a benefit to him.

What type of pump are you using? Often when you must pump exclusively, it's worth the cost to rent a hospital grade pump. You may even be able to get the cost covered by your health insurance. I would also suggest visiting with a lactation consultant so that she can go over the specifics of your own circumstances with you and give you plenty of pointers for exclusively pumping for your baby.

I know it can be overwhelming to pump exclusively and take care of your baby at the hospital and recover from childbirth but when your baby is still a newborn, I would pump for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours during the night. I know this schedule is exhausting but it will keep your supply up.

Also, be sure that you are drinking plenty of fluids and eating well, plenty of protein. There are nursing mom teas and herbal supplements that you can try as well. Also be sure that you are avoiding caffeine and antihistimines.

Good luck!

HI S.,

First of all, congratulations to you for making a wonderful decision to breastfeed, especially since the start of this experience hasn't been easy. Keep it up, you will not lose your production before the baby is ready to feed. You want to be making sure that you are drinking enough. If you are producing less milk than usual, that's the first thing you want to pay attention to. Every time you feed the baby, you should drink an 8 ounce glass of water. Since you are pumping and taking care of the issues of a premature baby, you are probably not drinking what you should be. So, start with that first. Also make sure that you are eating enough. It takes many extra calories a day to produce milk (if I remember right, about 1000 extra), so start with those things and I bet that you'll see your milk production go up again. Also, add an extra pumping session or two. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Congratulatons on the new baby! My second son was premature and I never was able to get him to latch on so I pumped for 11 months. It was always difficult to keep supply up but a couple of things that helped when I wasn't keeping up was pumping and extra 5 minutes for the first and last pumps of the day, doing one extra pump a day and using an herbal supplement called fenugreek. That being said, about every 3 or 4 weeks I had to give him one 5 ounce bottle of formula to catch up. Pump even when you give formula.

First of all - congratulations! Nothing is more wonderful than the arrival of a new baby - but nothing is harder than when they are born early and the 'typical' routine of a new birth is disrupted. I am the mother of two premature babies (two years apart) and know all too well about pumping. Both of my children could not begin nursing till between 8 and 12 weeks after birth. until then I pumped religously every 3 hours for 15 minutes. The hospital loaned me a hospital grade pump and this does make a difference. If you are not using one I would inquire with the lactation specialist. Most insurance companies will pay for the rental fee if the hospital does not openly offer one. Secondly, although it can be hard make sure you are drinking as much water as possible and lastly try and add an extra pump in each day (even if it is at 3:00 am). And hold your baby (kangaroo) as much as possible too as it will help. Even after so many weeks of pumping, my supply did begin to diminsh but I was able to nurse. Because of the prematurity they still needed to be supplemented with bottles (breast milk only though) but I was so blessed to be able to nurse as well. Good luck and remember too that breast milk is best, especially for premies, but should your supply slowly diminish over the weeks and not recover - the many ounces you were able to pump till then will be gold in your babies belly and formula is wonderful food too:)

i would try pumping 5-8 times a day to increase your supply, drink lots of water too. Try calling a lactation consulatant too, i am sure your hsopitalk has a few of them.

Hi~
Congratulations to you first of all :)

My 3rd baby nursed the longest of them all and I was concerned about "supply". I do not know where you live but there are 2 places in Morris County I went to for supplements and ideas. The Birth Boutique in Denville and the Lactation Resurce Center in Chatham. Both were helpful with ideas of foods to eat and vitamins to take. If you are not in the area, at least call them. Maria at the LRC and Shari is the wner of BBB. I hope that helps a little!!

congratulations on your baby boy! if your supply is going down, you just need to pump a little more. try pumping every 90 minutes, i know it seems like a lot but it will bring your milk supply right back up again. use warm compresses on your breasts. and just relax! thats the main thing! Im still nursing my 7 month old boy and relaxing while you nurse is key!! dont stress over it too much! your body will produce the milk for your son as much as he needs. in the meantime, just pump every 90 minutes and dont worry!! i use a hand help pump, Avent, its inexpensive and works great...good luck! D.

If you visit http://www.mypreciouskid.com I believe there is a link to the owner's adoption info site. She was able to nurse her daughter she adopted so I'd say she knows what she's talking about!

Best of luck!

Hugs,
L.

Make sure you are drinking tons of water and there is a tea called mother's milk. You can get it in health food stores. It worked for me....

Pump every 2 hours and it will increase the supply. Eat regularly too and stop stressing. Stress can lower your supply.

Please call a board certified lactation consultant. You will be glad you did.

HI S.,
I had preemie twins and was so committed to breastfeeding, but pumping was my only optionin the beginning as well. I almost gave it up every day in the beginning, and my support network encouraged me not to give up (I understand your frustration!) Stress impacts supply so that may be playing a part- stick with it. You can also try pumping more frequently b/c that too can help. Hang in there, it gets easier and better and will be worth it I promise

Drink lots of water, and eat lots of protein. Also you have to pump as much as if it were the baby breastfeeding. This means every 2 to 3 hrs of pumping. The combination of the three will really help your supply. Congatulations.

I was told that almonds help w/ milk production as well as certain safe herbal teas that can be found in health food stores in the baby care section. I still breast feed my 2 yr old at night and found that drinking teas like chamomile have helped w/ my milk production as well as almonds & almond milk. Good Luck and I hope you can feed him soon!

I remember realizing too late that I started to dry up after taking cold medicine. Also, there is an herbal tea called "Mothers Milk" that helps. Are you still drinking the same amount of water and laying off caffeine?

Hi S.,

I found that staying well hydrated was crucial to my milk production. So, drink lots of water. Also, to increase my production I would pump off totally each time I pumped and I pumped more frequently. This creates a demand that your body can't meet, so don't think the increase in production will be immediate, but if you are consistent, your milk production should increase to keep up with the demand.

Blessings,
C.

Hello-

The first question that comes to mind is are you stressed? Are you drinking enough water? If you child is hospitalized (I have been there),you may have much more stress and that can hurt your milk supply.

I pumped for 6 straight months for my 1st child because I coudln't breast feed him due to a congenital heart defect. I never had any problems with my supply. However when I had my 3rd child I had to stop breast feeding becasue she was biting and I was so stressed at this point that my supply just dropped and I couldn't get it back because my stress just kept increasing. Once I de-stressed it returned.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
My son was born at 33 weeks, and after the first week, we began introducing him to breastfeeding. He was too weak to get a full feeding from the breast, but a couple of minutes each feeding will get him used to the idea. Do not believe that he is too weak without giving him a chance. We contiued with the system of first letting him breastfeed for a few minutes, then switching to a bottle of pumped breastmilk for the rest, until the breatfeeding time grew as his strength did.
I hope this helps. Good Luck
N.

My 31 weeks and 4 days preemie is now 2 1/2. We were unable to b/f as well and I pumped every 3 hours for 10 1/2 months because my preemie never got the suck/swallow/breathe down pat. My goal was until he was a year old, but I was physically exhausted and couldn't continue. This is what worked for me: drink, drink, drink til the cows come home. Mostly water, of course. Eating many small meals. Lots of protein. My mother purchased a hospital pump for me which I think was key to my success. You can rent them as well thru your lactation nurse at your hospital. I stumbled upon a few "exclusively b/feeding" mom's websites that offered me endless support. There are herbal remedies that claim to boost your supply, but I never tried that. Just knowing there's others out there trying to accomplish this amazing feat is comforting. Unless you're attempting to be an exclusive pumper, you don't realize the enormous task it is. It's very difficult and stressful, but keep trying. It may sound crazy and senseless, but this was my #1 priority for me and my son. I was TOTALLY devoted and determined. I enlisted the support of family and friends to help with the rest of my life. The everyday stuff. Stay focused and as stress free as possible. Get a few sets of bottles and "bells" for pumping, and tubing too. My baby and feeding him was it! Even if you have to supplement a few formula bottles ( I know, taboo words, right?) it's OK. Any amount of b/milk you can give your miracle baby is going to benefit his development. Also, I needed to distance myself, temporarily, from ANYONE who didn't support my endeavor. Happy pumping. You can do it!

make sure you are hydrated...drink lots of water!!
Also, Traditional Medicinals makes a tea called Mothers Milk to promote lactation.
Fennel is also supposed to be helpful in increasing milk supply (fennel is in that tea too)