Most successful way to increase Breast Milk Supply??

Hi there All

I had my DD on the 5th December and due to some health issues she was bottlefed at the hospital.

My milk has since come in but not a huge amount - I am expressing every 3-4 hours and popping her on the breast when she is hungry in between feeds - she will only attach to the left breast and won't even look at the right side - i have even tried nipple shields in the hope that this will help ovrcome some attachment issues on that side.

Ok long story short - when I am expressing I am struggling to get 100mls - it normally fluctuates between 60-100mls. Zahlia takes 90mls each feed therefore I am having to top her up with formula (unfortunately :()

So what is the best way to increase my supply - I have started drinking Activite - but how often do I need to be doing this per day - also I have heard of Fernugeek and Motilium but I'm not sure which avenue to go down - Ideally I'd like to avoid both but I would love to continue to provide my daughter with breast milk for as long as possible - so would love to hear your success stories on what worked for you and how long it took to see the changes.

TIA

Hi Dianna,
I had supply issues on two occasions, the second required me to top up with formula which meant DD worked out that bottle was easier and wouldn't attach anymore and so began 6 weeks of full time expressing.

I used aktavite but this only really works if your supply issue is due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Effectively the drink is just like milo with lots of good stuff in it.. I used Fenugreek and it worked really well. The lady at the chemist I spoke to raved about it and I gave it a go. I also took motillium so was taking all three at once with no issues. Fenugreek is a herb so that is all natural to use and you'd just need to get a script for motilium. I used it for my first supply issue and boy did my supply go up, dolly parton here I come!!! The aktavite I was taking 3 teaspoons with milk in the morning and then again at night. One serve gives you about 50% of some of the vitamins so I just doubled it (by taking it twice a day) to at least give myself a 100% serve of some of the vitamins IYKWIM.

Matter of trialling them and see what works best. I kept up all of them throughout BF'ing simply because my second supply issue I started them all up again and it took longer for them to have an effect. OB said that immediately after birth, within few weeks, these supply stimulant work really quick because of all the hormones in your body from the birth, but the longer after birth you try these they can tend to take longer to have an affect, hence why I just continued all three until I stopped BF'ing.

Hope that helps and good luck BF'ing..

Just a thought in relation to the side preference issue - was there anything unusual about the birth that could have caused neck or shoulder problems for your DD? The only reason I ask is that my friend had similar issues with her DD and found that due to a forceps delivery her DD had a shoulder injury so couldn't turn to feed on the right side without pain. After some oseopathy she is now feeding both sides fine.

I know people who swear by the Fenugreek and given that it is natural you might want to give that a try before motilium.

Hi!

Personally I found expressing a pain in the butt and soon gave it up. My milk wouldn't 'let-down' without my baby first sucking on the boob to get the milk flowing. I sat there pumping for ages and tried all the tricks- thinking of my baby, smelling baby's clothes, looking at a photo, meditating, etc etc. Unfortunately nothing worked and I gave up expressing and just breastfed instead. This was only an issue in the early stages when I had to leave him for a short period and couldn't leave any milk. Now I can leave water and food so its not not really an issue.

Anyway... when my milk supply started to diminish a little I found the following helped significantly:
*More Water (at least 1 tall glass before or after every breastfeed religiously)
*Alfalfa (Add it to your sandwiches, salads etc. Alfalfa can also be prescribed as a liquid tincture by a natural therapist).
*Nettle and/or Fennel tea. The Nettle tea has a milder flavour- the Fennel tastes like aniseed.
*Probiotics (ie Inner Health Plus or Metagenics) This will also increase the quality of your milk and the probiotics (good bacteria) will pass through the breastmilk and into your babies digestive tract, increasing their immune system and resistance to infection.
*In-Liven: a rather expensive but BRILLIANT supplement recommended here on bellybelly. It contains the full spectrum 13 strains of Lactobacillus (probiotic friendly bacteria) as well as 26 organic whole-foods. Not only did this help with my milk supply, it almost eliminated my bub's colic and made my nails strong, long and white!! It needs to be kept in the fridge after opening.
*Sleep! Easier said than done, of course.... but your body is better able to produce milk when you are getting more sleep. Getting my bub into a semi-flexible feeding routine helped me to establish better sleeping habits for us both (we did feed, wake-time, sleep, feed, wake-time, sleep- in that order. This gave him time to digest and eliminate wind before lying down. In the beginning he was awake no longer than an hour at a time including feeds. Then when he went down- so did I. Worked for us anyway!!

Hope this helps,

Best of luck and don't give up- it WILL get easier!!

X

I just realised that you already also have a toddler in the house- that will obviously make the sleeping part harder.... can't offer much advice there other than hang in there!! I'm sure that when bub is sleeping longer periods and you are too that your supply will boost naturally.

Dianna, 60-100 mLs in one expressing session is great! Your DD is still so young, it would be unusual for her to need much more per feed.

Have you had her neck/head checked out by an infant osteo or someone similar? If she won't take the RHS there must be a reason in a newborn.

The best thing for your bbs to make more milk is to feed, feed, feed. The stimulation from your bub's mouth is much better than a pump. And you will be exhausted constantly feeding, pumping, cleaning, etc. Stay in bed for 2 days and let someone else do all the work. If your partner is at home, they can entertain your toddler, otherwise, try to do this on the weekend. Have food and drinks to hand and don't get up. Plenty of skin-to-skin cuddles and bfs. Offer her the bb every time she looks in your direction, stay relaxed. Have books and movies there to entertain you, and SLEEP!

Throw away the nipple shields if you don't have a major problem with her attaching. They will reduce the stimulation to your bb and cause more harm than good. Get a hold of a good lactation consultant to come to you and watch you feed. The lovely Barb will probably be able to recommend someone in your area, send her a PM and ask.

Stop worrying about the amount she is having every feed and put her on the bb as much as possible. Increase the number of bfs she is having. Pay more attention to her wet/dirty nappies than the mLs. She should be bfing every 2-3 hrs around the clock, any less will affect your supply with where you're currently at.

All the best, you are doing a great job caring for your DD and your DS.

I second Jennifer's wonderful advice! Frequent feeding is the best way to increase your supply. And believe me, most mums will be really jealous that you are able to get so much milk in one sitting. That is great work hun.

I hope it gets easier for you soon hun. It sounds like you've had a rough start. :hug:

Hi,

It seems like your early days of being a mum have been a rocky road. You are doing a great job. It's not a very exact science working out how much a young baby should have. In the early days we usually go with the calculation of 150mls per kilo of bodyweight per 24hrs. So, say your baby was 3.5kg, you would be looking at her getting a total of 525 mls in 24hrs. If she feeds every 3 hours (8 times in 24hrs) you would be looking at around 65 mls per feed. This builds up so by 4 weeks most babies would take 700-800 mls. So, it sounds like you really do have plenty of milk. The fabulous thing about breastfeeding is you don't have to worry about the calculator - she just feeds and you make enough milk. And the other thing is, breastfeeding is not all about the milk - the breast becomes relatively emptier, but they are still able to satisfy their need for comfort and closeness at the breast.
I suggest that you finish a feed by putting Zahlia on the breast when she has had her EBM to finish off. Keep it relaxed. Jennifer has given you some good advice - I am happy to recommend you an LC in your area. There's no reason why, very very soon, your little Zahlia wouldn't be solely breastfed. And you? You are doing a brilliant job with that little one - good on you. Your workload will be easier when you have your little one on the breast.

THANKS SO MUCH LADIES!! - you've given me a world of advice - think I'll go off and get some of the Ferngreek tomorrow - I currently offer her the breast anytime she wants it along with her normal feeds - she normally pops on 3-4 x a day currently along with taking 90mls with each feed - which normally contains about 60-70mls of breast and the rest formula - I've got the clinic nurse coming tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how her progress is going.

I think I'll look into an infant osteo also - i have a lovely gentleman that I saw during pregnancy who may very well be able to do the trick

Again thanks for all the words of wisdom - I really don't want to give up on the breast just yet :pray:

One of my girlfriends used the tea and calcium supplements to great effect.:thumbsup:

I never had huge supply issues, but I had to express off one side for a week back at about week 3. I hated expressing and I never ever got up to 60 mls, so it sounds like you're doing okay. But after I expressed for that week, that side was a little 'under the weather' for several weeks. I could never get as much out of it, well, bub was never as satisfied with that side. I decided to favour that side as much as possible and put bub to that breast for comfort as much as I could and that did the trick in increasing my supply from that side.

hey DiannaQ,

I agree with what's already been said, but wanted to throw my 2 cents worth in... I had supply issues with my first (born Sep), and was doing the same thing... feeding with a nipple shield and top-ups of both EBM and formula. I couldn't get anywhere near what you're getting, so I think you're doing great!

I've since gone to expressing full-time, as unfortunately our BF'ing got worse not better... but after 2 months of not having quite enough, as of this month I have finally started to not only match what he needs, but to store a bit of extra away!!! I did take Fenugreek (just to be pedantic, I noticed you'd spelled this Ferngreek, which may give you grief trying to find it!) - I got the Nature's Own brand from my pharmacy (it's just a vitamin-y supplement). I found I needed to take one caps with every meal before I saw a difference (one caps a day didn't do anything observable).

I also guzzled Milo (not Aktivite) just because I liked it and felt like it in the wee small hours - dunno if that helped! And finally - what you're already doing - made sure I expressed at least 3 hourly during the day for a few days and that seemed to bump it up too. I also agree that attaching bubba does more for supply than anything else too!

I think I had trouble getting more than 30mls at the same stage as you, so well done & hang in there, you're doing wonderfully! :clap:

Oh and I also saw an osteo (forceps birth & ALSO had trouble attaching RHS) and it seemed to help my very snuffly/snorty/mouth-breathing young fellow! Couldn't recommend seeing one enough!!!

Put her on the breast when she is hungry :) Her sucking and drinking, even if it IS every hour to begin with, will build up your supply :)

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Have you had her neck/head checked out by an infant osteo or someone similar? If she won't take the RHS there must be a reason in a newborn.

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When bean had his heel pr1ck they had him on my left boob while doing it. It really distressed him, and he chomped hard and hurt me. I rested that boob for a day or so and after that he wouldn't have a bar of it. I spoke to a LC and she said it was no wonder he didn't want the left side. She suggested after a few days the milk could also taste different, and i should always offer the non fave side first.

After a while he forgot all about it, and the supply came back up again too.

Tish

I am currently on fenugreek, motilium and take my pregnancy/ breast feeding vits as well.

All up about 12 tabs a day to keep my supply boosted!

It does work and i dont top up with formula.

Hope it all goes well with you