BF questions

[IRefuse_2_PayFullPrice]

My baby boy is 3 months today...pumping exclusively. He's now drinking 6oz every 4 hours, and I can only pump 5oz. I've been taking Fenugreek in the past 3 days, but supply hasn't been increased yet...what should I do to get more supply? Any advice will be much appreciated.

[gilligan34]

Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle (NOT milk thistle!!! Be very careful!!!), Oatmeal, drink a beer, a tea called "Mothers Milk" tea...
LOTS of water...
Try to rest as much as possible (I know - HAHA - but try!)
Pump more often, even if you're not getting anything. More demand should cause your body to produce more.
Research foods that can decrease supply and make sure you aren't accidentally eating them.

[corbinx]

I did fine with solely breastfeeding my daughter but when my son came along no matter how often I breastfeed (or tried to pump) to increase my supply, he was still ravenous. He was a really big baby though. I ended up having to supplement once a day with formula...despite REALLY not wanting to. His blood sugar was low when he was first born so I didn't have a choice, plus he would empty my milk and scream for more. If the doctor says that all is well with development, and your baby is peeing lots and seems happy in between you shouldn't be worried as he is likely getting enough.

[marstec]

I was under the impression that the more baby breast fed, the more you would produce. I never had problems with supply, it was almost too much...I leaked like crazy and had to use those milk cups to catch the excess.

Are you getting enough rest and watching your nutrition? Personal question that you don't have to answer, but is there a reason you are pumping and not actually breast feeding? I never pumped, perhaps there is a connection between normal feeding and production.

[RSAS]

try feeding him 2-3 oz every 2-3 hours instead of 4 hours. It might seem like more work, but remember that if he was nursing at the breast, at 3 months he would be nursing every 2-3 hours. Super cute kiddos

[Craiger]

Here are some things that first popped up in my head based upon my own experience with low bm supply...
-Are you drinking enough water and intaking enough calories each day?
- Are you experiencing pain when you have a "let down", this could indicate a block milk duct which also could affect your milk supply.
- Is your baby boy going through a growth spurt right now that you just can't keep up to (if so your milk supply should level out to accomodate the growth spurt)

Congrats to you for being able to keep up to pumping for 3 months straight...it takes a lot of commitement. Hope it works out for you.
Since you also live in Ontario I would recommend you checking out Dr. Jack Newman's website. He is amazing and helped me with my first daughter. Well worth the 2 hour drive to see him....I believe his office is out of Toronto (although for us we saw him in Alliston)

[Zonny]

I don't have advice since I only pumped for the few times I was going out or to mix with DS's cereal in the early days, but want to offer my support. Breastfeeding is HARD! For me it was about the first month; although everyone says it's not supposed to hurt, for me it sure did, and I don't believe I was doing anything wrong. When my DS cried for food, I did too!

You're pumping which is good if you're not nursing directly, because if you were, formula feeding would bite you in the butt eventually since your body would produce less in response to replacing a feeding with formula. As someone else said, perhaps baby is having a growth spurt. Just listen to these other wise ladies who said eat/drink lots, pump lots, increase that if you can to stimulate production.

Good luck!

[deceptika]

Midwives had me taking blessed thistle and fenugreek. I had really low supply so I actually ended up getting prescription from Doctor for Domperidone to take for...think it was 2 months? There are lots of recipes online for cookies and such you can make that will help

[mdutka]

i had major problems with supply too, even with round the clock bf and pumping in between. there is a really great breastfeeding clinic in brampton at the corner of steeles and rutherford rd where the safety superstore and baby proofing plus is. there is a docter and a lactation consultant there and they were a huge help with both my breastfeeding adventures. there number to book an appt is 905-456-2396 http://www.birthexperience.com/

[IMLN]

Pumping for me did decreas my milk supply. Stimulation from pump is not as good as a baby. Are you using the double pump? I had trouble with DD when she took the bottle (when she started to bite me) i pumped and took fenugrek, with in 3 months i hade to do formula 2x a day. DS was a boob boy never had anny issue with milk!

[poppleton]

I definitely agree with the others - maybe check to make sure that you're getting enough calories and water during the day! Are pumping both sides? Have you tried pumping past when you're dry? When breastfed babies go through growth spurts, they eat more often and will also keep sucking even when there's no milk there....it's their natural way of increasing milk supply. Have you tried pumping more regularly than normal (say every 3 hours instead if 4)? Good for you for pumping for your little guy - you're doing great!

[Tweetybird999]

I had difficulty pumping enough and gave up after 3 mo with both children. I tried Domperidone, but still didn't work well. My sister had the same problems, but she pumped every 3 hours around the clock and so DS was bottle fed. That was the only way she had enough to give him. She did this for 8 months even when he started eating some solids. I think both of us lost weight too fast (not on purpose, it just fell off). I know, not a common problem, but make sure you keep your weight up while you are breast feeding/pumping.

[mellyskater]

mothers milk tea worked well for me

[mastersaver]

If u really can't get enough after trying everything you can try donated breast milk. There are Facebook groups, "eats on feets" and "human milk 4 human babies" help to connect mom and donors. My wife has donated well over 3000 oz to differents babies over the past 3 months. Its not for everyone but do your research, its much better than formula (yuck!).