Increasing your milk supply

[macey]

What was the best way you found to increase it, is it best to pump right after she feeds, or wait a little while, I have a ton of milk at night whileshe sleeps, but during the day if she goes only 2 hours I feel like I am  not as full.Thanks Bridget

[murkywaters]

Eat oatmeal every day.  Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle (without thyme) is somthing you can take too.  I've not tried this though.  I tried to pump after baby ate but found it too time consuming. I tried to leave her on for longer then just the feed. You know how eventually they are just sucking and not really eatting well just let them suck for a while and it will up it really quick.  By the end of the day she was finally getting enough and not needing a bottle (she was sick for a week and didn't really eat much and you only produce as much as they are eatting so when her appatite came back I didn't have enough for her.)

[RachelC]

Hi Macey and welcome to the boards!  How old is your lo?  Why do you think your supply is decreased?  The "full" feeling is not an indication of supply.  Rather than watching you, watch your lo.  Is she producing 6+ wet diapers in 24 hours?  Is she content after feeds?  Gaining weight?

Depending on your lo's age, pumping may not be the route right now.

I found the best time to pump is first thing in the morning when your supply is at it's greatest.  If you are single side feeding (and talented) you can feed from one side while you pump the other.  The other best time to pump would be about an hour after a feed.

[lisi's mum]

How old is your LO? Could be that your milk supply has regulated itself - after about 6 weeks I wasn't so full in the day. Do you have the impression that your dd is hungry and not getting enough milk? Is she lethargic? Does she seem like she's out of sorts? Remember that the majority of milk is made during let down, not stored in your boobs. If you are feeding your LO every 3 or 4 hours it is unlikely that you actually do have too little milk, it works to supply and demand.

However, if you really think you need to increase your supply try pumping in between feeds or just feeding more often (not the bw way I know, but I had limited success pumping).

You can also try taking blessed thistle and fenugreek capsules 3 x 3 per day for a few days at a time - using them all the time stops them working so well.

HTH

[macey]

Hi
She will be six weeks on thursday, maybe you are right i am used to the feeling FUll, she has gained weight, she is a big girl born at 10-8, and she has gained weight great, sometimes during her feeding after a little bits she moves her mouth all around and gets all worked up, like maybe there is no milk left or not as full as she likes, I will put her onthe other and she is ok, she does not do this often only sometimes, I guess I am used to that full feeling,Thanks for the advice

[lisi's mum]

I bet she's just fine!

[RachelC]

I agree with Katie... she sounds fine!  Keep up the great work!