Poor milk supply - any help welcomed

[goddess25]

I have a 9 week old and pretty much from day 1 i have had a rubbish milk supply. He is a big boy and needs to feed alot and I am having to supplement him with formula.. I am breast pumping and taking prescribed drugs (domperidine) to increase it but its not really doing that much. I have tried fennel tea but just couldnt stomach it.. does anyone else have any suggestions that they might have heard of or tried?

 

[Wombat]

Have you been trying to pump every time AFTER you finished breastfeeding?
And try porridge oats in the morning, Fenugreek (it is a herb, which you can get in capsules from your local health food shop).

 

[Incubator]

Make sure you are eating and drinking enough. I drink at least a pint of water with every feed and she feeds at least 10 times a day!

Porridge really seems to help some people too.

Good luck.

x

 

[Incubator]

and...loads of skin to skin time. I carry my daughter round in a moby sling all wrapped up close. It's perfect for lots of skin time as you can both be topless and no one will know! After she's been in it for a while I can actually feel my boobs filling up.

 

[Incubator]

P.S my daughter was a big girl too....almost 10 pounds when she was born. To up my supply I kept putting her on my breast even when she wasn't hungry and this seemed to really help. Sorry for so many incomplete replies....trying to feed and type at the same time and I'm useless at multi-tasking!

 

[goddess25]

thanks for the advice will try the porridge trick, i was pumping after every feed for a few weeks it didnt make much difference still doing it every day but not as much, i also want to stop the domperidone but not sure how much the supply will drop if i do.

 

[Logiebear]

I am still struggling to fulfill my daughters needs and she isn't a big baby. I take domperidone, Fenugreek and express twice a day. I also do 2 big top ups a day which are usually half ebm and half formula. I can spend 4-7 hrs just sitting and feeding so I never get a chance to express after a feed. My boobs do get very full when she doesn't feed for 2-3 hrs but I can't express more than 3oz ever! I wish there was a miracle solution hun but good luck xxx

 

[mrs shine]

As Goddess says water/fluids, make sure you're getting plenty. For me it makes a real difference to my supply.

 

[Jelly Bean]

First-off, you should be praised for the hard work! I have a baby boy with a bottomless pit appetite so I understand you, believe me.

I would say consider taking baby off the boob after 20 minutes or so (babies usually get all they need after the first 5 minutes) and express with a good electric pump, at least for a couple of days to see how it goes. Pumps have much better suction than babies, and if you do it often enough you'll probably see an increase in milk. Drinking industrial amounts of water is also key.