I have been successfully nursing my son for 11 months. Up until a 10 days ago, I was nursing 3 times a day (when he wakes, mid-afternoon, and bedtime). Within the last few weeks I have noticed a decrease in milk production (when I pump I am only getting about 7 ounces). With the decrease in milk production I have dropped the afternoon feeding. This means he is approximately getting only 14 - 16 ounces per day. As a result, I have noticed a marked increase in food consumption during lunch and dinner, but an increase in fussiness during the afternoon (I think he needs more milk). Here's my question. Should I reintroduce an afternoon feeding with a bottle of formula (he's never had formula) or should I add milk to the afternoon and evening feeding (I pump for his nighttime feeding so I can split those 7 ounces and mix with milk for both of the afternoon and nighttime feeding)? If someone can suggest a fast and fool-proof way to increase milk production I would be more than happy to continue to exclusively nurse.
Hi D.,
I pumped for my baby--and found Mother's Milk Tea, 1-3x/day, really helpful for optimizing milk production. Are you getting enough fluids and rest? Massaging?
Good luck!
Jean
I was told no cow's milk til they're O., so you may just want to use formula til then--no too much longer! You might want to mix breast & formula so he gets used to the taste of formula gradually.
I started weening my children off of formula at 11 months, I would say double check with the pediatrician but I would say skip the formula and go to milk.
Hi D.,
I'm sorry to hear about your decrease in production. Does your son nurse or do you exclusively pump? If he nurses, then the best way to increase your supply is to let him nurse directly on your breasts as many times as he would like and perhaps even offer the breast a few additional times. Your baby is the most efficient at getting milk out - much more efficient than a pump - so the more he nurses the better. If you are mostly pumping, then I wrote an article which may help you to increase your production. It is designed for moms who are pumping and working, but has great tips for getting more milk via pumping for anyone - even if you aren't working. Here is a link to the article: <http://www.pumpingtips.com/>
Some other things you can try to increase your production are taking a supplement like fenugreek or eating oatmeal (you need to eat the steel cut oats - not the instant ones).
If you do end up supplementing, you should probably give your son formula or rice milk. His little body isn't quite ready for cows milk. And the best way to get him to drink it is to mix it with your breastmilk. Start out by mixing it 25% in then gradually increase the percentage of rice milk or formula and decrease the amount of breast milk.
Good luck! And please let me know if you have any questions after reading my article.
J.
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Nothing is full proof. However, if you want to increase milk production (a problem I am fully informed about and have done both successfully and unsuccessfully), increase the number of times you are pumping. Pump after you breast feed in the morning and at during the times you would normally breastfeed him. Also, you can offer the breast more often (if that is an option). Additionally, there is a tea called Mother's Milk that has herbs that are supposed to help increase your milk supply. The herb Fenugreek is also supposed to help. Additionally, there are a couple of medications (one that is legal in the US and one that is not), that have the side effects of increasing milk supply. You would need to talk to your doctor about that, though.
If you are interested in forgoing all of the inconvenience of attempting to increase your milk supply, here are a couple of things to keep in mind. The needs for a child who is 11 months old and exclusively formula fed, would be approximately 16-24 ounces of formula a day, not much more than your little one is already getting in breastmilk. Also, a child breastfeeding is much more efficient than a breastpump. So if you are getting out 7 ounces at a pumping, he is probably getting at least 8 at a feeding.
As for the milk or formula, while I say to double check with your pediatrician, I would go ahead and try whole milk NOT formula. Usually they want you to switch to whole milk around a year old but I've heard recently from several mothers of their pediatricians giving them the go ahead to start switching them to whole milk after only 9 months. I would also do a 50/50 ratio between the milk and your breastmilk until he gets used to the whole milk.
Personally, I support you continuing to breastfeed as long as it works for both you and your child. I encourage you to do so but know that in our world where so many households need both parents to work, breastfeeding doesn't always fit into the schedule. Even being home with mine, my third child decided after needing to be supplemented that he wanted nothing to do with the breast. I have to say that it was very depressing to continue to attempt to get him to latch on and have him refuse for over 6 weeks before finally giving up and just giving him the bottle.
Having been through many problems with breastfeeding and overcoming them with one child but not with the other two, I have to say, do what works best for your child AND you. Only you can say what that is.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
Skip the formula and the bottle. He's 11mos old now and can use a sippy cup, if you plan to continue nursing him for a bit yet then let him get his comfort from you not a bottle. Using a bottle after breastfeeding means that it's one more thing to wean them from. I made this mistake with my oldest two. My younger two never had to use a bottle and were quite content after I weaned them. Why spend the extra money on formula and bottles when it's really not necessary. But as I reread your post are you pumping and then bottle feeding exclusively? I'm assuming there must be a reason for this but if you can get him on a sippy cup for regular milk and water that I think would be best.
Hi, D.!
First, let me congratulate you on a job VERY well done! Nursing your child for a year or more will provide both of you with life-long bennefits!
Now, it is perfectly normal for a baby to hit around 11 or 12 mos & all of a sudden seem less interested in nursing. They are so active at this age & are so busy discovering things that they don't always want to stop & nurse. Not only that, but they are INCREDIBLY efficient at it by that age, so even if they only nurse for 5 min, they may get a whole feeding's worth!
It's also not abnormal for a baby to be just a little over 1 & suddenly get a resugence of interest in nursing & want to nurse all the time again.--It's like they remember how great it is & don't want to give it up yet. (However, most babies will self-wean around 18 mos or so. Of course, the longer the child nurses, the greater the bennefits to you both).
Knowing the risks of formula, I, personally would NOT give your son any. I also, personally, would not give cows milk yet. If you REALLY feel that he needs more fluids (aside from water), I would maybe offer some rice milk or MAYBE some goats milk but that would be it. I really wouldn't worry too much though, especially if his diet is healthy & well-rounded. Just keep offering your breast & he'll probably come back around to it shortly.
There's more info on www.KellyMom.com about this stuff. I hope it helps some though!
D.,
Congratulations on making it this far nursing! It's a wonderful thing. My daughter is still nursing at 9.5 months and while it has it's ups and downs, it's been worth the effort.
The best way to increase your milk production is to get the baby on the breast as much as possible. If he's not on the breast, that means you'll need to add extra pumping sessions to demand more from your breasts. And as frustrating as it its to remember, he's way better than the pump at getting milk out of your breasts. Depeinding on which school of thought you're following, around 3/4 of his nutrition should still be from breastmilk at one year of age.
In the short term, staying hydrated, eating oatmeal, taking certain herbs like fengreek, or even going to prescription drugs like reglan or dompedrine can all help increase your milk supply. I've found www.kellymom.com to be a great resource for breastfeeding information. Here's a link to her page on galactagogues, for increasing milk supply - http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal_galactag....
At this stage of the game, I'd be hesitant to introduce formula unless it's really necessary. Likewise, I'd be hesitant to introduce cows milk before 12 months. If you're not already doing it, I'd suggest an early morning pumping session - most women will get more milk in the AM as milk productions slows a bit during the day. Maybe you could pump before feeding him in the AM or pump one side while he's nursing on the other.
Best wishes and good luck!
S.
Hi - Congrats on nursing so long! I would just re-introduce the nursing and your supply will regulate in a few days. I wouldn't introduce formula at this point because you're so close to being ready to introduce whole milk. why go through another transition and you don't know how his digestive system will handle it?
I've noticed that whenever I try to wean my son from the afternoon feeding he gets fussy. Besides being hungry/thirsty I think that nursing just relaxes him to get through the rest of the day.
If you don't want to add in another breastfeeding then you could just introduce whole milk. It took both of my kids a few months to embrace it.
Good luck!
My dear, your baby is almost a yr old, and now you can start introducing him to the sippy cup and get him off the breast. Giving him a ready made junior formula in the cup will be just fine. He should also be on some baby food by now which will cut down on his hunger and feeding times.
I would go with whole milk versus formula. He'll be fine as long as he is getting a good amount of iron and other important nutrients from solid foods you are feeding him.
I was in the same position when my son was about 11 months old. I tried Fenugreek to increase milk supply, but it really didn't do much other than make my sweat smell like maple syrup! Yum! I called myself pancake pits!
My son was on formula and a little before 11 months I started giving him formula in his morning bottle and bedtime bottle and milk the rest of the day. Then once he hit a year old I tried whole milk all day but he must not have been full cause he wasn't sleeping through the night. I started giving him formula at bedtime only for about a month and that worked great. I would ask his doctor though.
i was having a challenging time with milk production, and my lactation consultant recommended fenugreek and blessed thistle. i would recommend talking to a lactation consultant first to see what would be best for your situation.
good luck!
Pumping is never a good indication of milk production. I have never been able to get as much as 7 ounces! I have heard that the older your baby gets, the less your breasts are "fooled" by the pump and pumping can become less productive. There is no reason to assume that your milk production has decreased. Supplementing with milk or formula at this point will only cut down further on your production. Good luck!
I would check with your pediatrician first. My daughter stopped nursing on her own at 9 months and refused to take breast milk or formula in a bottle or a sippy cup. My pediatrician said it was ok to give whole milk a try. We don't have any food allergies, though, so that may be why. Anyway, I gave my daughter milk in a sippy cup and that was it. Now with my second daughter I just went ahead and started giving her milk in a sippy cup around 11 months (she'll be one this Sunday!) in addition to breastfeeding to get her used to it when I'm ready to ween. Hasn't given her a problem either. But like I said, I would definitely ask your pediatrician first if you're not sure. But if there's no history of food allergies in your family, it might be fine. Good luck.
I have had really good results getting my milk supply up at various points with Mother's Milk tea - Fenugreek worked well too, but with the tea I notice a difference right away. You can get the tea at Whole Foods and supermarkets with health foods sections - Wegmans usually has it. Increasing the amount of water I drink also helped, and nursing more frequently and switching sides a few times during each feeding. Good luck!!
If you really want to build your milk supply try using the herb Fenugreek. They sell it at GNC for about $6.00 a bottle. I used it in the begining and it really helped my milk come in!
Good Morning,
One to increase milk production you need to increase your water and food . Maybe you aren't getting enough sleep. Your body will decrease milk if it is being deprived in anyway. A quick fix to milk production is to stand in the shower with warm to hot (as hot as you can stand) water beating on your breast. This will loosen any blocked milk ducts. Two, because your son is still underone I would definetly give him formula. Cows milk may still be harsh for his stomach.
Hi! I nursed my son until he was 20 months (by the end, it was just once a day) but there comes a time when you no longer feel full. As long as he is on the breast, your body knows what to do. The pump is not a reliable indicator (for example, I would pump 4 oz but if I weighed him before and after feeding, he gained 7 oz!) So my suggestion is if he needs more milk, put him on the breast and let your body do it. They do increase their real food consumption but still need the calories from the breastmilk. So good luck and just do what feels right!
