I have a 6 month old son who I nursed exclusively for 5 month until we added some food to his diet. He is eating about 4 to 5 oz. of food a day. From around 3 months my milk supply seems like it has slowing been decreasing. I know everyone is going to say that it may seem like your milk is decreasing but its supply and demand and my baby is getting what he needs. But he has become increasingly irritable at feedings. And now he is just flat out upset until I feed him again and then it only lasts for about 20 minutes. Also at around 3 months he stopped waking at night to eat so that is a huge time frame that he doesn't eat, he usually sleeps from 8 to 5 and then goes back to bed for a few hours. At his 4 month check up he was in the 85% for weight so I didn't worry about it then, but at his 6 month check up 2 weeks ago he dropped to the 50%. The Doctor said he is doing fine it just looks like he is going to be tall and skinny, which may be the case but I just know he is hungry after I nurse him. When I pump I am only able to get about an ounce between both breasts, and yes I know that pumping doesn't stimulate the same as actually nursing your baby but seriously less than an ounce? Today I have started taking fenugreek and pumping like crazy, so my question is how long does it take of pumping and feeding more to see an increase in your milk supply? A couple days, a week?
Anything other advice on what I could be doing would be great! Thanks Moms!
I took a supplement called Lactate Support. It is expensive but well worth it. I purchased it at Whole Foods. The supplement costs around $20.
Good Luck!!
Get your OBGYN to write you an rx for Domperidone- he'll have to call it in to a compounding pharmacy. You should take about 20mg 3xday. I've been on it for 3 months, and have had no bad side effects, and it definately helped my supply.
Hi J.,
My understanding is that pumping will not "increase" your supply (I read that in a recent article). What increases your supply is your child nursing - sorry it's not an easier answer.
I've heard that eating hummus could be a natural method. There is also a prescription that can help (I can't remember the name, but your Dr. will know).
Harris hospital downtown (off Summit) has a nursing department filled with wonderful, knowledgeable women that will talk you through all of your nursing concerns. They were so good to me when I started nursing my son.
Good luck!
Here are some more answers I found: http://www.mamapedia.com/search?query=increasing+milk
Hi-
I pumped and nursed my twin boys. When I first started they suggested that I pump every 3 hours no matter what for 15 minutes. It took about a week and I was producing 6-10 ounces and freezing any excess for future feedings. You will feel like you are a slave to your machine, but it will happen if you stay determined. Something else I did was to get an old bra and cut small holes out of it to fit those plastic cups through so that then I could at least read a magazine or pay bills, rather than holding those cups to my boobs. I even talked to my girlfriends on the phone sometimes. They would laugh about hearing the pumping of the machine. Hope this helps. You are strong and you can do it for your baby.
I'm nursing a 6 month old right now as well and h ave been experiencing some of the same things you are. Our pediatrician said it is normal for breastfed babies to drop in percentile at or around 6 months because the mom's body "takes back" some of it's calories. He could also be growing taller and requiring more so nurse more frequently for a few days to get your supply up to his current demand. Also nurse him then feed him his babyfood to "top him off" at meal times. Be sure you are drinking a lot of water and plenty of calories too.
I believe it usually takes about a week to build your supply back up! You are doing all the right things so just hang in there! Your son may also be going through a growth spurt. My daughter cried at the breast at around 3 months and would only nurse from one side. I got so flusterred and almost quit but we worked things out within a couple of weeks. Keep up the great work - what a special gift you are sharing with your son!!!!
If you have been pumping and giving him a bottle, he might just be preferring the bottle. A bottle comes much quicker cause he doesn't have to wait for milk let-down. That very well could be the frustration you're seeing.
As far as the pumping goes, try just pumping from one side at a time and squeeze the breast as well. When one breast seems like it's empty, go to the other one. Then, when that one seems empty, go back to the other breast and most likely you'll get much more out. This back and forth pumping really works for me (along with looking a pics of my baby). This will get it going. Also, if you have a Medela pump-in-style pump, the beginning fast pump seems to work better for me. So, I just turn it off and start over again when the slow pump starts. Hope this helps! Hey, I think our kiddos are around the same age. My daughter was born on July 29th!
J.,
I don't have any answers about increasing the milk supply, but I want to reassure you about the weight. My son was long and skinny and always below the 50% level. He is 21 yo, and almost 6 foot tall now and very very skinny and smart as a whip. Don't worry too much.
Hope someone else is able to help regarding increasing the milk supply.
I'd suggest cutting back on the solids and nursing more. Food the first year is just an experiment. He should be getting his nutrition from you and, calorie for calorie, breast milk is more nutritious than solids so don't feel like you're somehow depriving him. Also, never rely on your pumping output as being a measure of what you're producing. I speak from personal experience on that one. ;) Babies are much much more efficient when they nurse. Pumping is often not an accurate representation of your actual supply and sometimes can just make you more stressed (and negatively effect your supply).
You can try eating various foods such as oatmeal or taking fenugreek suppliments. Kellymom has some great info too: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html.
Different products work for different moms. I never saw an increase from fenugreek alone. I have really bad low milk supply. My LC told me to try an herbal tea called Breastea. After the first day I went from pumping 1/2 ounce to 3 ounces. I'm now up to 5 ounces a pumping. You have to order it from their website at breastea.com but boy has it made a big difference. Just make sure you are breastfeeding or pumping alot.
You may want to rent a baby scale for a couple of days. Weigh him before you BF and after...and you should see how much he takes in.
Reading someone else's response made me think of more...
Make sure you are pumping for as long as you can until you are dry. I ended up pumping exclusively for my twins - I had to pump for an hour. That is not normal, but I would end up with 6 ounces or so (that I can remember). If I had stopped at 15 minutes...then I probably wouldn't have only gotten 1 ounce.
Get on a schedule and stick with it. I would at least give it a week. You could also ask your OB about it...or even call Plano Presby and talk to the Lactation Consultants...they are free over the phone.
Hi J.-
I had to increase supply with both my kids. I think it took about a month of taking fenugreek and pumping after a couple of feedings each day to get to a point where I didn't have to supplement with pumped milk or formula. I only had to use an extra 2-4oz of the pumped milk or formula per day. I nursed both my kids until 13 months.
On another note, my son fluctuates between the 25th and 50th percentile for weight every other check up. You might just be had a check up right before or after a growth spurt.
Good luck and hang in there.
I tried Fenugreek But didn`t help me....now I`m drinking Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea...without preservatives and natural tea;) work with great result... I LOVE IT...
i used fenugreek too for 2 months then i found out that it can cause a false positve preg blood test and liver damage to mother and infant it is mainly used for adopting mothers of infants who want to breastfeed. my suggestion would be nurse more often, dont smoke(that reduces is FAST) and drink as much water if not more than when pregnant. this is from experience.. i was scheduled to get tubes tied and doc said i was pregnant again two months after having my 3 month old- did a secondary blood test it was negative the false pos was because fenugreek is made from a phytoestrogen ( female plant sex hormone) be careful and drinks lots of water. good luck mama
Start taking an herb called fenugreek. I just had to do that when my daughter was 3 mos old. It will make your urine smell like maple syrup, so don't be alarmed. You'll see results immediately!
mom of 4 here...youngest is 4 months....i have learned from experience to make sure to nurse long enough on each side in order to get the hind milk....usually this takes more than 30 minutes....i always start on the side he finished on too. then move to the other...your child is most likely going through a growth spurt...he will nurse more often then....if you nurse each side completely before changing sides your production will increase....
also I have found that after nursing a baby that acts hungry often just needs to burp....just hold him upright for a while...pat gently and talk to him...usually as soon as they relax a bit they will burp...then they can settle in and eat more...
Hi J.,
Hang in there!! Your supply will correct itself. I was able to get mine back up by just adding one pumping per day and drinking tons of water. It only took about 3-4 days. I was very worried because I only had 3 bottles left in the freezer and my Mom was having to take at least one from the freezer everyday to meet his demand while I was at work. Although I was pumping 3 times a day while I was away he was taking more than I was able to pump everyday. I had several bottles in the freezer that I had stored before I went back to work. I was beside myself for a few days thinking my son was going to be hungry because my supply was so low, but that never happened. I added an extra pumping for about 2 weeks to replenish my freezer supply and now I have 21 bottles in there. I didn't use any supplements, just extra pump time and plenty of water.
I was told one time that 3, 6 and 9 months seem to be growth spurt ages. I never did investigate why, but have noticed with all of my children that this is true. It is those times that I second guess my milk supply each time. My youngest is almost three months old. My suggestion is to be sure and eat healthy, drink lots of water, and continue the Fenugreek. Time that it takes is dependent on you, but I would guess no more than a couple weeks. I do not remember how long it took when I used it. Sorry. I am praying for your peace of mind.
