Trouble Nursing

Hi J.,
I have had success with the mother's milk tea. I drank it for a couple of weeks and it seemed to give me a boost. I stopped drinking it and my son seems satisfied now. He's 6 months. Hope you find the right thing to help!

Try Fenugreek--its an herbal supplement that my lactation consultant recommended. She also said to try and eat oatmeal to help with milk production. I have seen an increase in my production since using the fenugreek. Good Luck

I had the same issue witm my son and used Fenugreek which seemed to help some, although it did not work miracles. One note of caution though, you will smell like maple syrup while taking it. Good luck.

Hi J.,
The same thing happened to me when I was breastfeeding. One explanation maybe because your milk supply is now regulated. Supply/demand. Your breasts have gotten use to the amount of milk your baby needs in one sitting. I experienced less engorgement and leakage. To increase your supply you can try pumping in between feedings. Increase the demand and stimulation. This link may help answer your question better.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction-faq.html
(click to read more as well)

Good Luck! Congrats on your little one!

I know that nursing during these early weeks can be very stressful. Some advice that I received with my girls is to just trust our bodies to do what they are supposed to do...and usually they do. My youngest would sometimes nurse for 1 1/2 hours at a time, take 1/2 hour off and then nurse again. I was convinced there was not enough milk. She is now almost 30 pounds and will be 2 in a couple of weeks and still nursing. Your body will make what your little needs and will adjust accordingly. They go through lots of growth spurts at that age and sometimes seem to nurse all day and all night. Just go with it because this is how your milk supply is adjusted to meet their increasing needs. With my first, I would get tons and tons of milk when I pumped. With my second, I have never been able to get any milk when I pumped yet she is much bigger at every stage than my first. When you do return to work and you are not nursing your little one during the day and just pumping, you will be able to pump the milk that your little one is no longer drinking (hopefully). GOod luck and stick with it. Nursing has been one of the most incredible things I have ever done in my life.

I wouldn't worry about being able to keep breastfeeding when you return to work. I used to get 6 oz at first too, but then it slowly decreased. When I went back to work I got 4 ounces, and I pumped until the baby was 10 months old. It really was not difficult to do either. You might have to supplement with formula, there was just no way that I could produce as much as he was eating and still work, but he still got at least 1 - 2 bottles of breastmilk a day.

Yes, the herbal teas work wonders. You really have nothing to worry about if you are nursing on demand because your body will produce as much as she attempts to express...this will take some time though. Also, each time she goes through a growth spurt you will notice these same issues occuring. Make sure you are not using bottles or pacifiers because this causes confusion since they learn to suck differently on each one (formula will decrease your production for sure). I never had any luck with pumping so I have no advice there, but I did read that the body is more cooperative when in sight of the baby and/or near objects that smell like the baby (blanket,toy...) Also, try pumping in the morning when your breasts are full and before feedings.

I share your pain. The same thing happened with me. For both of my girls, I was able to nurse for 3-4 months exclusively, then all of the sudden, my milk supply depleted. I did try Fenugreek supplements (recommended by the lactation consultant). Although it didn't seem to work for me, I have had friends who said that it seemed to have helped. I desperately wanted to nurse both of my girls for as long as possible but my body wasn't able to do it. Best of luck to you.

Fenugreek (available at places like GNC Vitamin Store) worked wonders for me. It brought the milk back in (this was suggested by the hospital's nurse) and I finally felt successful at producing milk!

The thing that always effected my milk supply was MY diet/liquids. If I wasn't drinking enough water and not eating enough in the course of a day, I wouldn't have enough milk to satisfy my babies. Really pay attention to what you are taking in. Lots of water and a healthy diet. Good luck.

It may just be that your daughter is going through a growth spurt and your milk supply is adjusting. Don't worry too much if your daughter seems to be gaining weight & growing.

B.

If you decide to try some supplements -- brewer's yeast is available at just about any drug store or walmart type place. Fenugreek is available at specialty vitamin stores. Beware if you take fenugreek, though -- you (and the baby) will start to smell like maple syrup (sweat and urine)! I had trouble producing enough milk for my son and used both -- I think they helped.

Hi there...

I had lots of issues with supply and nursing but got some help and managed to nurse until my daughter was 10.5months old. I first sought the help of a lactation consultant. I had one on one appointments with them at Lowell General. I am not sure where you live, but it is worth calling your local hospital to see who can help. Lots of people can and want to help.
They got me a Lactina pump. These are the same ones you get if you pump in the hospital. They are stronger than the Pump in Style most of us have. I rented mine and my insurance covered the rental cost.
They asked me to pump for 5-10 minutes after each feeding for a few days to increase my supply.
I was also asked to drink lots of water and to try to relax. Stress hurts your supply too. Lots of people want to help you nurse, but your baby will never go hungry. You could always introduce a little formula.

I hope this helps!!
S.

my daughter is 10 weeks old too, and i noticed her wanting more frequent nursing. The weather has been warmer -- so part of it is being more thirsty, i think. Whenever i have the feeling that her demand is more than my supply i nurse her more frequently. This causes my body to produce more, and we swing back into the slower frequency with enough milk. As she is growing this will happen over and over again, if t goes anything like with my son (2 years 3 month), who i nursed until he was 23 months old. For me "nursing on cue" has been super -- i always ended up having the right amount of milk after allowing for a little adjusting time (with more or less frequent nursings, depending on under- or oversupply). I totally trust my body to be able to produce as needed, as long as i eat and drink healthy/natural.

good luck.
D.

Hi J.,
Wow I hear you. It took me 6 weeks to successfully breastfeed and my problem was low milk supply and a bad latch. I took Yogi's Mother's Milk tea which helped and I also took a pill that my obgyn prescribed me to get my milk supply up. If it has not been going on for more than a few days, it will probably turn. It takes a few days for you body to respond to an increase demand and just the opposite is true. My 6 month old daughter has gone through spurts where she is eating a normal amount, then a growth spurt hits and she is constantly eating and acting hungry after she eats and frustrated and I feel a empty breast, but after a few days of having her just keep going at it, my body makes enough. I say empty but it is never empty. You always have something and an empty breast is one that is making more milk. Good luck, just keep staying positive! There is a great breastfeeding support group on Tuesdays from 1-3 at the Scarborough Campus Maine Med. I went for 4 months and it is great!!!

Dear J.,

I drank mother's milk tea available at whole foods. It helped me but I have heard other moms say it didn't make a difference. Speak to your OB, I know there is a prescription too but don't know much about it.
I can also recommend the breastfeeding consultants at Lactation Care in Newton. They helped me quite a bit.
http://www.lactationcare.com/

Good luck,
A.

Hi J.!
Right around 3 months children will hit a growth spurt and seem like they can't get enough to eat. Sounds like your daughter is starting to hit that milestone. Remember that supply equals demand so if you continue to let her nurse as often as she needs during this time and pump as well you should catch up. Also remember to drink LOTS of water yourself. The best advice I was given as a young nursing mother was to be sure to fix myself a huge drink of water to sip every time the kids were nursing. It really helped my supply. A couple of old remedies...brewer's yeast (you can get it in tablet form in most healthfood stores or GNC) and Mother's Milk Tea from Traditionals Medicines. Yogi also makes one called Nursing Mom's Tea but I haven't heard as good reports about that one.

i know you've gotten a lot of answers so far but one which i DEFINITLY don't agree with is using formula and bottles. Your baby is still young and bottles affect you baby's ability to latch on properly to your breast (the way they position their mouths for a bottle is "lazier")if you're already having a hard time with milk supply that definitly won't help.
i struggled tremendously for the first 3 months of nursing my son my supply was always off and he had a very hard time latching on. but i just kept trying which sometimes meant sitting for almost an hour trying to nurse. to keep up your supply you have to nurse til your breast is really empty. otherwise without even noticing your breast is getting the message that since there are leftovers you dont need that much. the fattiest part of teh feeding is the very end. if you let your baby nurse beyond what you think is that point your body will make more because it understands that you didnt have enough.
if the reason you think she's not getting enough is that she's fussy afterwards it could just be gas and you should try to nurse a little longer after burping her.
another thing: try to nurse "on demand" even if you think you have a schedule. if you're using a pacifier, try to nurse instead when you can.
nursing is a huge change for our bodies and obviously is something your body, you and your baby need to learn together if you just keep nursing as much as you can there is no way your body won't get the message.
the percentage of women who really dont "have milk" is about 2% of the population! what i've read repeatedly is that what most women think of as not being an adequate source of food is usually a misunderstanding for the breast because it is never emptied enough to know to make more. your baby is still very young so it's early to give up and still too early to know if there's something wrong.
i have also heard that the mini pill definitly CAN affect milk supply and two weeks later is probably too soon to fully recover if it was that.
my son was 8lbs 12oz at birth, 16 lbs at 3 months (despite the struggle nursing) and gained ten more pounds by 6 months just from breastmilk! he is about to turn 2 and has weighed about 40lbs for almost a year. If I had known what my milk could do I would've relaxed a lot!
hope that helps,
drink a glass of water everytime you nurse!

It's good to look at her diapers and weight gain, and how she is behaving/reacting. I just caution you about believing that the amount you pump is the amount your daughter is getting. This is not always the case. I could never get more than 2 oz during a pumping session and both my children were rollie pollie:) Good luck in resolving this.

E.

Jenn,
Your daughter is getting ready to go through a growth spirt. She is nursing more to stimulate your milk product. It is normal for your supply to fluctuate with her needs. If you are concerned you can try adding oatmeal into your diet, which helps milk products, as does other products like mother's milk tea. Hang in there!! You can continue to nurse!!!!!! And remember pumping isn't the same as nursing, you may not be getting what she is getting! It can get frustrating - hang in there - it is worth it!!!

I tried the herbs (Fenugreek, I think) with my first when I was pumping at work and it seemed to help. Make sure you're eating enough and drinking water...maybe increase your water intake. Another thing that I did and I think it helped is oatmeal. Best of luck - you're doing great.

Fenugreek works really well. My lactation specialist suggested it when I was having difficulty after a blocked milk duct as well. You can read about it more on the internet, but it really helped me.

Drink tons of water. Even if you think you drink enough water throughout the day, drink more. Double your intake. Most adults don't feel thirsty until they are already a little dehydrated. Even if you aren't eating food your body will make breastmilk as long as you are drinking enough fluids. I used to drink mothers milk tea but I came to the conclusion that the only reason it works is because it forces you to drink several glasses of water (in the form of tea) per day.

I too used Fenugreek. If you have trouble finding it, they do sell it at the "It's Only Natural" store on Main St in Middletown, CT. I had to call around a few places to find it.

Also, if you're concerned that she's not getting enough, ask to have her weight checked more often. Since you recently went for a 2 month appt, most drs will not have another scheduled appt until 4 mo. You may be able to get a nurse only appt for a weight check, if you ask. My daughter lost 3 oz between weeks 4 and 6 and the only way I knew that is because of the weight check. I was attending the Breastfeeding Support Group on Tuesday mornings at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, CT and the lactation consultant decided to monitor us with help/support and weight checks. I was able to take that information (weight loss) to my pediatrician, check her weight again there, and move forward with a plan to meet her nutritional needs. I ended up nursing every 3 hours (during the day...just let her sleep as long as she wants to at night...) and offering a bottle of pumped milk or formula after each feeding. She would take about 2 oz from the bottle at each feeding. So, she was able to get about half to 2/3 from me and half from the bottle. We did this until she was 6 months and weaned to formula/bottle only. I was not on the minipill or any hormone birth control. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

i found that the minipill affected my milk too, even though they swore it wouldnt. Try to nurse her more often and let her nurse until she lets go, not when you feel she needs to switch breasts. ABout a 1/2 hour after nursing try to pump, for at least 15 mins even if you dont get alot expressed, your breast with get that "signal" to produce more...Good lck!

Hi there,

Yes, there are herbal supplements that help, and a "Mother's Milk" tea which is good. I found this tea in the Natural Section at my local grocery store, and also at natural health stores. Fenugreek (in capsules, tincture, or tea) is helpful at stimulating and increasing milk flow, as are fennel, blessed thistle, and hops. Yup, that's the same hops they use to make beer; in fact, women used to be "prescribed" beer to help with let-down and milk production!? Luckily, you can just take the hops without the beer to get the same effect. It is a very relaxing herb! These herbs - or the Mother's Milk tea - need to be taken at least three times a day in order to be effective. As an additional benefit, I found that drinking the tea also really helped reduce my baby's colic.

You should also be aware that there are certain herbs (foods) that can decrease milk flow, which are traditionally used for weaning. Be very careful NOT to have these unless your intent is to wean. They are parsley and sage. Avoid them entirely while nursing, until you are ready to wean. It's worthwhile to check on any other medications that you are taking, to see if any of them might be decreasing your milk.

Good luck!

J.,

I would suggest contacting La Leche League - there website is llli.org. You can then contact the group in your area. When I went to a meeting they told another women that the amount of milk you pump has nothing to do with the amount you are giving to your baby. Generally there are phone numbers on women you can contact inbetween monthly meetings.
I would also suggest eating more protein and drinking more water. Good luck.
L. M

First - relax (I mean this nicely) ... if you stress about it you can reduce your milk.

Second - 2-4 oz is really good.... try pumping first thing in the morning when your supply is greater. To increase your supply when pumping - pump more if you can. If you have trouble with this, I had to mix formula and breastmilk when my dd started daycare because I felt I wasnt pumping enough and then eventually stopped. Pump one side while your daughter nurses on the other... it will help let down faster and make it easier to pump. I never had the time to pump b/c when dd was awake I was too busy holding her and when she was asleep I was showering or cleaning. So pumping while she nursed was easier, plus I used an electric pump - too much work for handheld (save that for when you go back to work).

Third - try fungreek. Thats an herb that a lot of women use while nursing to increase their supply. Check this out :
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/index.html
I have herard great things about mothers milk tea.

Fourth - at ten weeks she should be going through a growth spurt (usually around 3 mos). My daughter went through a growth spurt at 2 mos and then at 4 1/2 mos.

Good luck & congrats!

Hi J.,
I too started out with problems nursing. It was very stressful, but I just kept up with it. My son nursed all the time. When I would pump, I would get just a little bit (3-4 ounces) and was nervous about going back to work to pump. But, when he was 16 weeks old, I went back to work and pumped breast milk for him and it magically worked! I also drank lots of Mother's Milk Tea and swear it works! Traditional Medicinals makes a great one. I got a hands free pumping bra and started pumping twice to three times at work. My son is now 8 months old and he is doing great! Don't give up on nursing. Just keep at it. Your body will make the right amount of milk for him. If you can avoid it, don't supplement with formula. Your daughter will get the right amount that she needs. You can do it! Keep up the good work!

Hang in there. I nursed my son for 8 months and I found all of the hassles to be totally worth it by three months. It was awesome! I never had a huge supply (never leaked, couldn't pump more than 3 oz, etc.) and my son was always plenty fat (the good baby fat)! Somehow it all worked out. His pediatrician did recommend beer for mommy (it really does work, the darker the better). I also tried to eat a lot of oatmeal, but I didn't do it consistently enough to "test" to see if it worked. The beer (just one a night) made such a difference for me, that when I stopped nursing I had to cut out beer for six weeks after so I would STOP producing milk! Good luck, and I hope you find a way to make it work. If it doesn't work out, there are many great formulas on the market. Do what helps you keep your stress manageable. Being a new mom, especially a nursing one, IS difficult. Give yourself a lot of credit. You'll be so proud.

fenugreek really works.

nursing more often will help bring in more milk

Whole foods market in Hingham has a natural product called Mother's Milk that increases milk production. I used it when I was nursing my son, who was a little piggy when it came to nursing. It worked great. I got that advice straight from my pediatrician who had used it herself, so I felt comfortable doing it as well. Good luck.

Hi,
I recommend calling your local La Leche League. They can definitely give you some advice.

For great technique help, go here: http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html
I had the same problem but waited too long to ask for help and this would have helped me greatly!
I got some great advise from these moms though, so read my other posts. I tried all the herbs and teas and, sadly, they didn't work for me at all.

My son is almost 8 months and I take Domperidone instead of Reglan. You have to order it online but it seems to work for me. Reglan crosses the blood/brain barrier and has potential side effects I was not comfortable with. Domperidone gives the same benifit without crossing the blood/brain barrier and is a acid /nausea drug too and so is safe if any passes into the breast milk. http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidonewhere.shtml

Ask your doctor or lactation consultant about Reglan.
It's an anti nauseau pill that has the unexplained side effect of majorly increasing your milk supply. I started taking it when my milk supply dropped and it saved us! I started with 2 pills a day but was able to cut down to 1 pill every few days. Every time I would see the milk supply dropping I would take one (I pumped a lot) and it would make the whole process effortless and enjoyable. I was able to continue giving my kids breastmilk for 8 more months. Good luck!

Hi. This is my first time using Mamasource. I don't have any good advice for you unfortunately, but I also have a 10 week old daughter and am nursing her. I pump once a day in the morning if I can in order to store up milk in the freezer for when I return to work. Do you pump in the morning? I find that I get a lot more milk in the morning than I do later in the day. I will often pump before she wakes up in the morning (so I haven't fed her in about 8-10 hrs) and I can pump about 9-12 oz at that time.
Unfortunately, we are having a very hard time getting her to take a bottle. She has only ever breastfed and does not like the bottle or pacifier. Any suggestions? What type of bottle do you use? I am returning to work part time in a few weeks and am getting nervous about the whole bottle thing.
How does your daughter sleep? Mine sleeps great at night, but she doesn't nap well during the day unless we are in the car or out for a walk.
Happy First Mothers Day!