I need to increase my milk supply. Can any one tell me how. My daughter is nearly 5 months and she isn't putting on weight. I have been told by the midwifes to express after every feed and give her what I have left over at the end of the day but I don't seem to be getting much maybe 10-15 mls all day. Ive been doing this for a week. Does any one have any ideas that I could try? I wanted to try brewers yeast but its over $100 a kilo.
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Drink lots of water, fenugreek tablets from pharmacy, and eat the good fats to make the fatty hindmilk.
Ask for motilium I think it's called via a script it helps with milk supply I took it the whole 12 months I breast fed. Also check out The Healthy Mummy page to make sure you are eating enough calories to sustain a good supply. If you are not eating enough calories you won't make the milk. Hope that makes sense :)
http://www.babycenter.com/0_breastfeeding-and-underdeveloped-hypoplastic...
I bought Lotus Brewers yeast powder from a health shop. Was about $20 for 500g. I used it to put in lactation biscuits and you don't actually use very much so it goes a long way.
I just wanted to say though, as a mummy that had milk supply issues from the get go, please don't put to much pressure on yourself. Breast feeding and expressing is exhausting. Trust me, I know! There is absolutely nothing wrong with topping up with formula. I would breastfeed first and then give a bottle afterwards (or just do it for the end of the day meal if that's when your milk supply is low). I mixed fed for 9 months before I completely dried up and I have a healthy, bright baby girl that turns 1 shortly. It also made for a much happier, less tired, less stressed mummy xx
I completely agree. I refused to pump. Mix fed very happily and stress free for ten months.
I hope breastfeeding works out, but keep your sanity x
Breastfeed as often as your little obe requires, and pump right after.
Do not use how much you pump as a guide to how much milk you have. A baby's mouth will always be able to get more milk, and some women are just unable to pump even with a full supply of milk.
Do not freak out because your LO is 'underweight'. Take her to a doctor to be sure there is nothing wrong, but also remember that breastfed baby's will be smaller than formula fed.
Your baby also might just be on the slim side. My son was classed as underweight (3rd percentile) andI freaked myself out, just to be told that he was just taking after mummy (I'm a slim build). And after discovering hot chips, he now takes after daddy and is a solid little man, haha.
Is she reaching all of her milestones? Is she sleeping well? Does she always seem hungry? Is she losing weight, staying the same, or gaining small amounts?
On a side note -
There is nothing wrong with formula, but it can decrease your milk supply even further. I mixed fed for a bit and ended up with a blocked milk duct, which ended up lowering my milk supply because it was so painful to feed for a while.
Boobie biscuits, have tried them and my supply went up so much, google them or look them up on Facebook they are actually quite yummy but seriously one or two biscuits and you will notice a big difference
She seems hungry all the time she doesn't get a full meal. I was up all night last night trying to feed her. I want to keep feeding so bad. It's getting me so low. Ive wanted to breast feed my baby for as long as i can remember. I cryed all night.
I'm in VIC can any one tell me where i can get cheap brewers yeast from down here?
Oh you poor mum. I know how you feel, I really do. I'm the one that wrote in the post above about having breastfeeding problems from the start. Can I ask do you have any problems with her feeding? My daughter has a tongue and lip tie which affected her latching which is what caused all of the problems in the first place (she wasn't latching properly so wasn't effectively getting milk out so my ducts weren't stimulated enough to make more milk). No one tells you how hard breastfeeding is.
I truly understand your desire to breastfeed. I did to - I did so much research on boosting milk supply, I made lactation cookies, I took tablets prescribed by the doctor that's supposed to increase supply (sorry, can't remember what it was called), I tried so many nipple shields, I expressed after every feed and even though my daughter slept through I got up every 4 hours and expressed.
In the end my husband put a stop to it, I was tired and constantly upset and wasn't enjoying being a mum. So I stopped expressing, I breastfed my baby whenever she was hungry and then topped her up with formula from a bottle. She started sleeping better because she was full, I relaxed (which I actually think helped me produce more milk) and we were both a lot happier.
I'm not saying you have to do it, I just wanted to share my story because I remember the guilt that I couldn't provide for my baby and the longing to just be able to breastfeed. You just have to find what works for you.
As for the Brewers yeast whereabouts do you live in Vic? I can see if I can find a shop that stocks it if you want. Otherwise you can buy it online.
If you would like to find me on Facebook and message then feel free. I'm more than happy to offer support x
She doesn't have any feeing problems I recently went to Canberra to a sleep and settle place and they said she was fine. My mum breast feed all her four kids to 2 years and my youngest sister was 2 and a half. I feel so bad in my sled that if she can do that while raising other kids why can't I.
The only thing that I can think of is stress. Ive been raising her completely on my own and I've been in and out of court with my ex for and avo and he has been horrible about it. And on top of it all my mum and I were fighting a lot so she asked me to leave. I moved to vic to be with my dad and his been amazing. But I though my milk would come back but I still have another court case so the stress hasn't gone. I feel so much less of a mum I always looked up to my mum feeidng the way she did and she did it like it was second nature no problems at all I started out that wah had so much milk and such a fast let down not nothing. I just want to feel the feeling I do when I feed her for as long as I can. I don't want to formula feed either if I don't have to as my lawyer has told me it will reduce his access to her if I'm breastfeeding.
My dad went out and bought me funagreek and brewers yeast this arvo I've already started to take it. Hoping it works for me. Thank you so much for sharing with me. It's nice to know that I'm not the only mother out there like this. You were so persistent such a strong mumma!
My mum breastfed 4 kids with no problems to. It's so devastating to be told you're not providing enough for your baby when everyone else seems to be able to do it no worries. My doctor thought I should give up on the idea of breastfeeding altogether so in the end I was happy with what I achieved. You just have to find what works for you.
Stress definitely sounds like it's the main cause. You have a lot on your plate! I'm so glad your dad is being supportive, it makes a world of difference having someone to help you. If you're stressed make sure you're still looking after yourself. Eat lots and drink heaps of water and get lots of rest. Easier said then done sometimes I know. Does your baby girl sleep at night for you?
With the expressing there's a few things I found that helped.. Not looking at how much you've pumped is number 1! I swear sitting there and looking at it makes you feel worse and you get less milk, I would watch tv to distract myself. Drink lots of water while you're sitting there (my Aunty sweared by drinking a beer when she fed at night, said it helped her milk come down. Not sure if it was that it helped her relax or the beer yeast had something to do with it). I also found putting a warm washer on your chest or having a shower while you expressed also helped. A hand pump also worked better for me than an electric one but that could all come down to brand or whatever. Lactation cookies I think worked for me to. This is the recipe I used - http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/lactation-cookies/ - I put choc chips in mine. Eating it raw is supposed to work better than cooked so I used to do a bit of both.
Good luck! Hooefully persistence will pay off eventually x
I just cooked that recipe then it's about to come out of the oven soon! Put plenty of yeast in them too.
She does sleep okay wakes every 2 to 3 hours. She's still chubby has all her rolls that I adore!
I never thought that breastfeeding was so hard after watching my mum. I'm feeling better today I expressed 60mls this morning. I'll try not to look at how much I am expressing any more. And just keep eating and drinking plenty x
60ml is awesome! Well done. Love babies and their rolls. Aww now I'm getting clucky.. They grow up way to fast. She can't be doing to badly in the food department if she has rolls though.
Hopefully she starts sleeping longer stretches for you. Everything seems so much tougher when you're lacking sleep.
Another thought I had was if she's 5 months you could start thinking about solids if you wanted to. Just a little something extra to fill her belly might help her x
Drink water, at least 2 liters a day. I hate drinking especially water but it works. And keep pumping I had the same issue with my first and it took me about 2 weeks to get much in a pumping. I also switched from a manual to an electric pump this time and they are much easier and more efficient.