milks not coming in !!

[momandpeanut]

Hi all ,

Im looking for some advise please , my milk has slowed right down to the point where im now only able to express 1 and a 1/2 feeds off every 4 hours !

Im starting to get really frustrated as i dont want Logan on formula but i think im going to have to start thinking about it in the next day or so.

Any ideas how to help increase the flow or a way of maintaining it !

Thanks all

 

[mommyof3co]

Do you actually nurse him too? Or only pump? A pump won't get as much as him actually nursing so if you can I'd do that, he will empty your breast better and as he wants to eat more often your body will produce more

 

[mommyof3co]

Also fenugreek helps up your supply too

 

[Samantha675]

Are you nursing and pumping? He will be able to nurse more milk out of you then pumping will. Also be sure to drink lots of water. It also takes a good 6 weeks for your supply to become established.

 

[momandpeanut]

Im doing both , he had problems sucking when he was first born and took a bottle easier.

He will feed off me for about 15 mins before he is to exhusted to feed anymore so he then has a bottle to finish the feed off and then i express.

 

[PeanutBean]

Can you just express more often to encourage a better supply? My sister says she found expressing more efficient if done whilst nursing. Not sure how she did it though! Think her DH helped.

 

[jenstar]

There were a few things I tried with varying success...

switch feeding (5 mins each side) or could do this with pump
empty the breast then pump 5 mins after the last drop
fennel tea
fenugreek
skin to skin contact
double pumping/ or feed one pump the other.

I got a hospital pump (Medela lactina) and found it to be better than my own medela mini electric. Possibly you can borrow or hire a better pump from the hospital/ lactation consultant?

 

[momandpeanut]

Thanks all,

I will try the fenugreek and the pumping whilst feeding ,

Extra pumping doesnt seem to be working on its own so ill try anything !!

 

[bex]

My daughter is tube fed and i expressed milk for her till she was about 4 wks old. I borrowed a hospital double electric pump, which was a god send. I also struggled to get my supply up. I was advised to take fenugreek and domperidone at the same time to increase my milk. You have to get domperidone from the doctors, its used for other things but a side effect is producing milk.
However you need to express 8 times in 24 hours and i couldn't keep it up so the tablets never had chance to work.
Hope things work out for you x

 

[vanessa]

This is what happened to me, I wasn't expressing but I could tell by my boobs and frantic baby that my supplies had gone really low...it was a nightmare and so upsetting to not be able to feed my baby...

So I started topping up with a bottle of formula at night (when I was lowest on milk) and when I saw how much more content May was, how we had all slept better and how everyone I know was formula fed as a baby....I gave up on the breast feeding and she is now totally formula fed.....she is MUCH happier and sleeps better so thus we are ALL happier.

Babies thrive on formula, you have given your baby tons of anti-bodies etc. as the first few weeks are the most important to BF. Make your own choice and dont feel guilty or like you've let anyone down xx