Increasing Milk Supply

What do you do / use when you need to boost your milk supply?  My doctor had me on Reglan for a month when Bella was 4 weeks old (I had almost completely lost my milk) and that did work for me, but I didn't care for the side effects.

In the past I've tried pumping on one side while she feeds on the other and I've tried pumping for 10 minutes on each side after she's finished a feeding, but since she still feeds every 30 minutes - 2 hours (she never really spaced her feedings out like they said she would), I found that pumping so frequently was stressful & ultimately exhausting.  She's 11 weeks old now and I find that my supply is less than adequate again, especially from about 7pm-midnight.

Right now I'm alternating oatmeal and barley in my diet.  I'll have oatmeal for breakfast one day, cooked barley with my lunch the next, but I have yet to notice a dramatic difference in my supply.

Are there any other natural remedies I can try?  I know there are some supplements you can take, but with her food allergies (lactose, soy & nuts) I'm too nervous to start taking something that might make her sick.


Thanks ladies.  ;)

I would seriously encourage you to go over to the message boards at breastfeeding.com or nursingmom.net.  There are lots of lovely, helpful women at both those sites, many who have extensive experience with food allergies.

I can suggest that you get plenty of water and nurse on demand (don't try and schedule feedings).  Beyond that, I turned to fenugreek, but I'm 99% sure that's a no-no for those with nut allergies.

Good luck.

Natural Remedies include, Fennel, Mothers Milk Tea, and Fenugreek. 

In general you want to take Fenugreek until you yourself smells like Fenugreek. Mother's milk tea is also good. 

Contact your local La Leche League. They can also recommend somethings to help increase milk supply.

Also, its VERY normal for milk supplies to drop in the evening. What ever you do don't supplement with anything during those hours. Your body needs to learn, and it shouldn't take long (a week or so) that you need milk at those hours.  Its also normal for your daughter to cluster feed at this time and it may appear that you don't have a lot of milk.  Your breast may seem deflated and not "Full", but I can assure you that you are making milk!!!

The other thing that is VERY important. Every baby is different the medical community is very used to women using formula.  My DS for example nursed ever 1.5 hours for 45 minutes unti he was nearly 4 months old.  He suddenly started nursing every 2.5 hours for 30 minutes.  What your baby is doing is normal for your baby. 11 weeks is still very young for the breast feeding relationship.  It takes 12 weeks to establish the basics of nursing and another 12 weeks to have it down pat up to par with your babies needs. 

Denise

Wow thank you ladies! 

I will look into the La Leche League and I'll talk to her pediatrician about the fenugreek and mother's milk tea.

Until then I'm just encouraging her to nurse as much as possible, for as long as possible.

Thanks for the suggestions and, of course, your expertise.  ;)

Just a caution about fenugreek: I took it with my son and he had horrible diarrhea during and for a week after I stopped taking the pills. He ended up getting the worst diaper rash ever which took about a month to clear up. Oh, and fenugreek can cause smelly gas for the mom too! However, my friend took fenugreek and she and her daughter had none of the unpleasant side-effects. Good luck!

 

 

I had a bit of a problem with my milk supply as well.  I did the whole pumping while she nursed, pumping a bit after she was done, fed her on demand,  and drank the nasty mother's milk tea.  It worked for me and increased my supply.  It was tedious.  My daughter nursed constantly.  But we got through it.

Good luck.  It sounds like you are doing everything you need to. 

Its sounds like she is hitting her first growth spurt.  Just keep nursing and nurse whenever she makes any indication.  Try skin to skin to keep her interested as well.  Watch for active sucking 3 long sucks then swallowing.  Once she flutter sucks she is not taking any milk.  Another thing you can do is only nurse one breast per side to avoid fore and hind milk imbalance.

Spend a couple of days in bed with babe and only tend to her needs and your own.  Tell hubby he needs to pick up the slack

Hope this hels

Mother's Milk - can get it at Whole Foods - saved my life.  It's just a little bottle and you put just a few drops in your water or drink.  I drank it with tea and that helped.  The taste is kind of like licorice, which I don't enjoy.  But man - that stuff was liquid gold to me.  Got my milk working well!  Oatmeal didn't work for me much.  But I did a combo of that and the fenugreek pills and it got me all the way to 10 months!  :-)    Good luck!

Someone already mentioned this, Fenugreek.  I have never used it myself, but I hear that it works :)

Eat lots, Drink TONS of water!!! Every time you feed and/or pump Have a glass of water with you... Also, Another good way, is, AFTER you feed the baby.. Pump for an Additional 20 minutes off Each side... Your brains thinks the baby is needing that much, and after 2 or 3 days will increase your supply dramatically! Wish you the best =) Keep us posted!

For me the best way was pumping and lots and lots of water, but more important is to RELAX.....Keep pumping but really focus on relaxing, once I really started to relax about my supply I seemed to almost double it.  Don't give up, you'll do great!