Supply line anyone?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for information from people who have used a supply line while breastfeeding. I'd like to know why you used it, if you found it was easy and how long you used it for.

Basically the story is that I am one of the very few people who have insufficient breast tissue to produce enough breast milk and thus had a very low supply (we had already done everything to increase supply so I know all those things). Once this was figured out, we were breast feeding then bottle feeding and then I was expressing. However at 13 weeks DS wouldn't take the breast anymore (because most of his nutrition was coming with the bottle) :cry: And it all took me hours to do!

So with No 2, I was thinking maybe a supply line would be a good option. Thoughts?

Hi Ruth,
Have a read of this thread:
Long Term Comp Feeding - How do you prepare yourself

good luck
Kate

i have to go out.. but i'll get Janie to come in and chat with you as she has similar issues :hug:

I take my hat off to anyone who uses a supply line. I tried it and it wasn't for us. I really hated it, but that could have been because of the headspace that I was in with PND. Good luck with it Ruth. I can see the benefit of them. I just found it so fiddly and a real PITA to get to work. Just being honest. But plenty of people use them and they do work. It's definitely worth a go. I was in the same situation as you. With DD1, she was prem, so we weren't sure whether her lack of weight gain was due to that or whether it was my breast tissue. We tried everything, even the supply line, and that didn't work. With DD2 I managed to get to 6 weeks exclusively when she all of a sudden lost weight, so that confirmed that it was my bbs. Good luck with it all. Second time around is much easier, headspace wise :)

Hi Ruth, I'm on my phone right now so can't respond properly, but I'll come back soon and share my experience of using supply line :)

Hi Ruth,

I used a supply line with my second child. I have had breast reduction surgery and although my ducts are patent, I didn't have enough milk. I believe the supply line I used was a Medela?? I started using it when my DS was about 2 weeks old. I found it very tricky and fiddly to use. You have to tape the 'straws' to your breasts and it is really important that you get them exactly the right length - more difficult than it sounds! :doh: The straws are very narrow and I had some trouble getting them to flow well. If you don't sit bolt upright the straws kink. I couldn't contemplate using it in public as I was constantly fiddling with the bottle and the straws. But the hardest part was that my son hated the supply line and would simply spit the straw out! It was not the formula (he took that from a bottle with no problem) and he was quite happy to feed at the breast - he would suckle day and night! :) So the problem for him was definitely the straw. I persevered for about three weeks before getting rid of the supply line. I was fussing around with it for far longer than it took to comp feed with a bottle and my son was quite happy to take a bottle and still suckle at the breast as often as he possibly could.

I am pregnant now with my third and was cleaning out my cupboards the other day. The supply line went in the bin! (Shame... I would have happily posted it to you for you to try!!:() I would not bother messing around with it again. (I'm intending to try Chinese medicine and possibly Motilium this time - need to do some more research!)

Having said all of that - my DS is now 4.5 years old and I expect that the design of the supply line has improved in that time. I also think that success of the use of a supply line would be quite dependent on how accepting of it your baby is! My DS didn't like it, but I'm sure some other bub's would be quite happy with it. So, even though it didn't work for me, I would certainly encourage you to give it a try - and I hope your bub loves it!! :D

First up, I just want to say what a fantastic job you did breastfeeding your son for 13 weeks, well done! Especially given the obstacles you faced, that's a wonderful effort. Hopefully a supply line will make things easier second time around. I'm sure you will find second time easier in other ways, which is helpful too.

Okay, I am using a supply line because I also have insufficient glandular tissue. I had supply problems with my first baby, but didn't use a SL then, just bottles. He also rejected the breast, at 12 weeks (7 weeks corrected) and we battled that for two months before he decided that boobs were okay again. We were still supplementing with bottles though. This time around, with more supply problems, and another prem (and undersized) baby, my LC suggested trying a supply line. His attachment at the breast is definitely better when we use less bottles, and I feel alot better using the SL rather than bottles. As I don't get it sterilised between each and every feed, we still use some bottles. And I don't use it when we go out, as it's a little more fiddly position-wise, although it certainly wouldn't be impossible to do. At this stage I am planning on using it until he doesn't need to comp anymore (6 months? 12 months? who knows!).

I should clarify, what I am using is NOT the Medela Supplemental Nursing System. My LC and I have constructed an old fashioned supply line. She feels that the SNS is too fiddly (and too expensive!) so she tries to make something more like the way the supply lines used to be made. She buys the tubing from a pharmaceutical company in the west, and then I got some bottles to adapt. You need the ones with the little cap on them, and you simply burn two holes in the top of the cap (using a hot skewer etc). You put the tubing through one of the holes, so it reaches the bottom of the bottle. You place the bottle upright between your breasts in your bra, and using two bits of micropore tape, stick the tubing to your nipple. You need to use one small bit on your areola, and then a larger piece further along the tubing to hold it all in place. The baby then attaches to the breast (in the football hold is easiest) with the tube in the corner of his mouth, and needs to suck to draw the milk from the bottle (my tubing is not too fine, so it's not too difficult for him to access the milk). I hope all of that makes sense, it's hard to describe here!

I don't really find it any more difficult to use than a bottle. He probably has to wait 30 seconds longer to get his comp, but that's about all. I just use a syringe when washing it to flush out the tubing. All in all, I would say it's definitely helpful, I'm glad we're using it. As we're only 12 weeks into our breastfeeding journey, I can't comment on long term use! I hope all of that helps in some way though :)

I know you will be an expert in all things galactogogue ;), but I wonder if you've heard of Goat's Rue? You may have tried it, but I thought it's worth mentioning it, just in case you haven't.