Seeking Advice on Increasing Milk Supply While Pumping

Call the breastfeeding center at Methodist hospital. They give free advise over the phone.###-###-#### They are lactation specialists with all the right answers

The more you pump the more milk you will make! First of all, do you have a good quality breast pump? If you are using the Medela pump in style that is a good one. If you have larger breasts you should try the large breast shields that go with that pump. The regular shields tend to be too small for most women. You can purchase at babies-r-us. If you don't have a good pump, it is absolutely necessary!!! Go to milkmoms.com for a pump, she is local and bills your insurance company. Try pumping every 2 hours, you want to continue to pump for a couple minutes after the milk stops but probably no longer than 15 minutes. Make sure you are getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, etc. etc. I'm sure you know all that.

You aren't producing much milk so you should also start taking the herb Fenugreek, take 3 capsules 3 times a day. Talk to your docter first, it's the only thing that will increase your milk supply but if you are pregnant you should not take it. The fenugreek will make you smell like maple syrup as it is what is used to flavor artificial syrup. Talk to your lactation consultant at the hospital where you delivered, they will have great advice too. Good luck-and don't stress. Even 4 oz of breastmilk a day is better than nothing!

R.
1st time mom to 10 month old daughter. I had to work very hard at keeping my milk supply up when I went back to work.

When I wanted to increase my milk supply I took 2-3 pills of Fenugreek a day until I got more milk. Then I stopped and the supply would keep up. You can get it at GNC. Also drink plenty of water and I've also heard eating oatmeal helps increase supply. I hope that helps.

I would make sure that you are drinking enough water during the day. For me it meant drinking a glass of water every hour. If that does not help increase it you might want to consult a lactation specialist. Southdale Pediatrics has a great one. The other thing you might want to try is different settings on your pump to see if it is doing it's job correctly. Hang in there.

Hi there,

I am a mother of two and also pumped for both kids so I thought I could give some advice. With my first child I had to pump every 3 hours around the clock for 15-20 minutes total just to keep up. This was with a good Medela pump. I did not nurse at all. Obviously this became a pain in the butt waking up at night to pump when my daughter was still sleeping but it was worth it so hang in there. With my son (second child) somehow my milk supply was enormous. Perhaps because now my body knows what to do so I only pump 3 times a day and get about 36 oz. total.

One suggestion which I did not see below but works is to have a glass of wine or a beer. I didn't do this very much but my doctor said it was ok to have 1 glass and amazingly my supply would increase. Now I don't suggest going out and drinking like crazy because obviously this is not good for you or the baby (not sure how much gets to them through the breastmilk anyways). Just thought I would throw the additional info out there.

All the other advice, especially pumping more often, getting enough sleep, and drinking lots and lots of water is really the key! Good luck and hang in there!

Hi P.! First of all, congratulations on all the milk that you ARE giving your daughter. I know that it is a lot of work to make that happen and truly, any breast milk she is getting is an asset. I had some of the same struggles when I went back to work and these are some of the suggestions that were made to me. Drink as much water as you can possibly fit in, that should help your supply increase. Also, if you are at all able to pump right after you feed your daughter in the morning you might be able to get additional milk or help stimulate more supply. Same with on the weekends. Feed her and pump as often as you can. A pump will never be as productive as your little person so the more you can feed them the more milk you will produce. Fenugrek is an herb that I used for awhile that did help increase milk supply. You can get it practically anywhere but have to take it several times a day to help. See www.kellymom.com for specific recomemndations. I hope that helps and take care of yourself! You are moving mountains every day...

J.
SAHM of two boys (2 1/2 & 15 months)

I pumped for my daughter (breastfeeding wasn't working out) and I had some supply issues too. First make sure you have a good pump - I used a Medela Pump In Style. You may want to add a few minutes to each pumping session to signal more milk. I pumped about five minutes past flow for a few days and then I'd get more milk. The thing that made the biggest difference though was taking the herbal supplement fenugreek. The lactation consultant told me about it and it worked for me. I took 3 capsules 3 times each day. It makes you smell like maple syrup but doesn't affect your milk. Good luck!!

I was able to increas my supply by drinking plenty of fluids and pumping more often. The more you pump the more you will make it is a supply and demand rule. If you are not able to pump more often don't feel bad about it you are still giving her your milk, and she won't dehydrate because you are supplementing. I gave my baby breastmilk untill he was 10 months old but being 3months pregnant my supply had droped to just 2 oz each time I pumped. I really wanted to give him the good stuff for a year but I know I did my best. Hang in there and good luck with your supply.

Instead of pumping 12 minutes pump for 20 minutes. Also pump more often to increase milk supply (even pump after breastfeeding). You could also speak with a lactation consultant.

My experience has been to increase the amount of time you are pumping. 12 minutes isn't enough most likely. It will take a few times but you can get it to come in moreso. Fenugreek also helps hugely as well as increased liquids for you. HTH.

I think 12 min each session is too short. I usually took 20 minutes to pump out. I normally had about 4-6 oz from each breast per session. I think it may be better if you pump twice a day for 20-30 minutes each time. Plus when you're home, try to breastfeed her as much as possible, trying not to give her formula. Also let her just suck your breasts as much as possible. That really helps. Your milk supply will decrease over time, but as long as you let the baby suck your breasts at home, you will get as much as the baby needs. Good luck!

This may sound kinda silly, but it worked for me and I heard to use it other places, too. On top of making sure your breast pump is good quality (I found one for $50 that worked awesome, Advent), drinking lots and lots of water... Make sure you are very relaxed while pumping, have a picture of your daughter on hand while nursing. I'd have problems when I was away from baby of thinking of them and my milk dropping. I'd sometimes pump in the tub during a very warm bath. It made a difference for me. Good luck!
M.