how to increase milk production?

[ENMS]

Hi! DS is 18 days old and we've been doing mixed feedings, supplementing with a bottle at each feed, because we had bf issues due to tongue tie. Now things are better and he's latching on well but I feel like I need to increase my supply. What is the best way to do this? When I was bf DD the LC made me pump twice a day 10 minutes, then stop 10 minutes, etc. For an hour at a time, but that was because my milk came in late so not sure if it was only good to help me get the milk or if it would be good as well now? I'm assuming I am still early on and can get it back just by pumping but if I am wrong, I am not against using medication to help (Domperidone).

Thanks!!

[shivi]

Pumping straight after every feed, or as many as possible, for three days - daytime feeds only - always worked for me.

So I'd do 7am feed, then pump each side (if I was feeding both sides) or just the side I fed on if single side feeds (fed SS with DS and DS with DD) and keep pumping on empty for 2 mins after the last drop. I would do the same at 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm but not for DF or night feeds and by day three, I'd be bursting....

HTH....

Oh and anything I'd pump, I would use to top up DD after the next bf...meant she was totally satisified.

S x

[LarasMama]

First of all, Congrats on getting your son to latch on after supplementing with a bottle! My little Lara-Lynn took the easy way out and turns her nose up to my breast and prefers the bottle after supplementing with formula. I'm just as happy to comply and give her the bottle of EBM as it helps ease my own mind of "...is she getting enough?" She was jaundiced pretty bad (not bad enough for phototherapy but pretty gosh-darned-close) and that caused me to take a huge hit to my confidence of breast feeding.

Because I am feeding EBM and trying really hard not to supplement with formula, I've been doing some of my own research after 2 weeks of slacking of pumping (I wasn't given much information in Prenatal classes on pumping and I thought if I allowed myself to get engorged I'd be getting more. Sadly, that is not the case and now I'm almost constantly hooked up to my pump as I fear my LO is catching up with me! Good thing I don't plan on going back to work any time soon.).

The best tips I have read so far have been these (mainly for BF as trying to find stuff for exclusive EBM feeding is actually somewhat difficult. Most blogs are from like, 5 years ago): pump after letting your DS have his time on your breast, every time draining it. Its up to you what you do with the EBM. You can either save it for a bottle feeding (edit: instead of bottle if your afraid of breast refusal again, you can try a cup, syringe/eyedropper so as to avoid nipple confusion) (perhaps the dream feed?) or you can dump it. Do not have him on a time limit; let him determine how long he has. Feed on demand. Make sure you are eating (I believe breastfeeding women need 400-500Cal extra) AND drinking enough.

I've been researching a little bit for herbal helpers too. Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle are two extremely common herbs I've ran across. I've also read eating oatmeal (not the instant type) helps as well.

The drug you mention was on a website I had read as well.

[~Carly~]

I agree with pp.  My son was tongue tied, and we had all kinds of BF issues.  So I pumped, pumped, pumped after every feed. Ended up getting him to EBF for 13 months   I also had supply issues, so I took fenugreek capsules, as well as Mother's milk hot tea (find both at the health food store.)  Also ate oatmeal daily, as that helps boost production, too. 

[ENMS]

Thanks everyone - will pump after every feed!

But I am starting to wonder if I will ever have enough milk for him. He was born a large baby (8 lbs 11 oz) and now must be around 9.5 lbs (will get him weighed tomorrow at his doctor's appointment).  During the night, I have a lot of milk. My breasts are really hard and engorged.  Last night he fed really well... A good 40 minutes of active feeding, swallowing very often, both sides were pretty much empty.  But he was still not satisfied! Had to give him a bottle from which he drank 2 oz! I tried to re-introduce the pacifier (we had removed it after we started having issues with BF) thinking maybe he was not really hungry and just wanted to soothe himself, but really, that was not what he wanted, he was still really hungry. Either he's no an efficient drinker (but I would have sworn he had a really, really good feed), or he just needs big quantities. 

Heather-Lynn, you are amazing, feeding only EBM! Although I pump as much as I can, I can only get him EBM to supplement him during the days - at night I give him formula as I don't have enough EBM to supplement him!

With DD I had used Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle but it did not improve my milk production - but will try it I guess as I have nothing to lose!

[~Carly~]

My son was big, too- 9 lb 13 at birth, and I always felt like I didn't have enough for him.  Pumping helped, and I noticed that the fenugreek only helped if I took it in large quantities.  I don't remember how much, but I do remember that it made me smell like maple syrup!

[shivi]

Like I said on the other thread, Elise, it may be that the FF has stretched his little tummy and the EBM, even if you were to give HUGE quantities, would never be satiating as it never sits around like formula does in a little tummy...it runs straight through.

My kids are far from small but born very thin for their length at birth - both were 23 and 23.5 inches (58 and 59 cm) and only 7,11 and 8,1 born. It was actually Oscar, the longer and skinnier one,  who was the one to enjoy "sucking on empty" that coped well with GSs, due to the fact that he could and WOULD suck on an empty breast. He was on 97th centile for both weight and length by 4 mths (8kg and I don't remember the length, but very long). Emma was very impatient (due to her TT, temperament or both) and would never ever feed unless she got a letdown in the space of about a minute. Ever. It took her till 5 mths to "catch up" with her length. She did, however, become the better "eater" of the two once onto solids and still is today, if that's any consolation!

Fenugreek only helped me when I smelt of maple syrup too. I took 2 caps three times daily and it took up to a week for my armpits and pee (TMI) to stink of maple syrup!

S x

[bflorrie]

Interesting tips here. I am also looking of ways to up my production because I have started EBM but never get even an ounce after LO Feeds for 30  mins. Sadly in my country, I have not yet found a store/ pharmacy that has fenugreek in capsule, seed or the leaves and I am hesitant to use domperidone coz of the side effects

I am so gonna try the oatmeal n see how it goes.

Anything else I can use besides oatmeal?

Ps: I take Fennel tea to help LO with colic n I am told it also can aid to increase production, but its been over a week now and I don't see much change.

[LarasMama]

Thanks Elise. Its a rough ride, but totally worth every moment of it. The hardest thing to do is to pump at 2am... I wont lie, most nights I skip it, but I'm going to make my New Years to make sure I get at least 8 pumps a day. So far my 6-7 pumps a day has increased my yeild from 1 to 1 1/2oz to 2 oz consistantly. DD is now up to 3oz, so I have to keep it up.

As for the fenugreek, from what I read, once you do start smelling like maple syrup, that's when its most effective. I have yet to run out to a health food store to get some so I cannot give you an accurate account for this. Good ol' holidays

[~Carly~]

I am not breast feeding right now, but I practically lived on the KellyMom website when I was- it has a lot of great info about increasing your supply.