Tablets to increase supply...

[Whisper]

I have been wondering about these tablets can you buy them over the counter or do they have to be prescribed?

Just recently when nursing about halfway through she starts crying and fussing and pulling off the breast, but she seems to still be hungry but won't stay on to feed any longer.....i offer the other breast but she does the same on that one after a couple of minutes.

She gets herself so worked up that i have to take her off and give her the dummy.

I am going to start expressing every 2hours on the breast she doesn't have to try up my supply....do you think this will work?

At the moment during the day she would happily go 4/5hours between feeds, but i try and wake her and feed her every 3, 4 at the most if she is sleeping.
Night times she sleeps for 1 stretch of 7hours (wakes about 6ish then sleeps 2hours and has another feed).

Has anyone else gone through this or have LO's of a similar age totally breastfed..how often do they feed and what duration?

 

[Serene123]

I wondered about these tablets too!

 

[Margerle]

Whisper, does baby have to burp?

I know to this day, my LO just will not eat anymore if she has a burp stuck. She acts just as you describe.

As far as the pills, I know there is a supplement 'fenugreek' that is an over the counter supplement that can be used to increase your milk supply. You can google it to get more information. And you should be able to get it in any health food store. You can also get it in nursing mother's tea if you prefer it that way. Just check the ingredients of the tea.

 

[Whisper]

Well i do burp her when she starts fussing (i probably should have said that), she doesn't get a lot of wind she does 1 or 2 burps and then i put her back on and she sucks for a few seconds and starts fussing, arching her back and crying. She searches for the nipple latches on and cries, wriggles around etc etc and this goes on and on.....

It could be wind but i really don't think so, i give her infacol before each feed.

Thanks for the info on Fenugreek, i will have a search x

 

[ava_adore77]

Have you tried nursing tea? I use one on a daily basis, and it keeps my supply up. If I go two days without, it plunges, and baby is less satisfied... Have been drinking it since the birth, and it also helps to keep stomach in balance.

 

[creamcakes]

Whisper,

Like other posters said, you can take fenugreek to increase supply. But I wonder if you were thinking of domperidone (brand name Motilium 10)? It is actually intended for nausea, vomiting and bloatedness, but as a side effect it raises prolactin levels and therefore can increase milk supply. You can buy it over the counter but... it is quite expensive at around £4 a packet for 10 tabs (you would take 4 a day probably). Some GPs will prescribe it off-license but you have to find a sympathetic one...!

having said all that.... re the pulling off: I thought of a couple of other reasons why your daughter could be doing this. Is she a sucky baby? If so, she might be sucking for comfort after she's finished feeding, but getting annoyed because there's milk coming out when she doesn't want it. Is she happy with the dummy when you give it to her when she's getting frustrated? Does she then go a reasonable amount of time until the next feed? Feeding times quite often do reduce after a while as the baby gets more efficient at getting the milk out. My LO used to do this (fussing, pulling off etc) and now she is older and smarter, she clamps her gums down on my nipple (ow, ow, ow!) to try and stop the milk coming out when she is full but wants to suck......

Second thought (probably not, but....) does your daughter suffer from excessive vomiting after feeds or at other times? back arching, squirming, fussing, and pulling on/ off can be a sign of reflux (eg where acid and milk come back up the gullet and cause some discomfort). If so, ask your GP for some gaviscon infant, as that might sort out the problem.

Lucy

 

[Carolyn]

the lactation consultant i'm seeing, about the same probs your lo has re pulling off etc, asked my gp to prescribe a 'stomach liner' tablet, which has a side effect of increasing your lactation.

it's called domperidone, some drs will prescribe, others won't, as it is not licenced to increase lactation but to help with sickness and indigestion.

i can only have a five week supply, they started working right away! the lactation consultant said i'd need to express the excess and get oh to bottle feed her it, during her two hour niggly evening period! so far i haven't pumped any of with the electric pump she's loaned me, because madam has been feeding ALL the time!!

she went to these lengths cos baby wasn't gaining enough weight...how's the weight of your lo? abigail is 9 weeks old...how old is yours whisper?

 

[Whisper]

Carolyn - Glad to hear your little one is doing better after your concerns
Amelia is 8weeks old but she hasn't been weighed for about 3weeks, prior to this though she was gaining massively....a lb sometimes 2lb's a week!

I am planning on going to the health clinic on monday to get her weighed so fingers crossed she is still doing well, otherwise i guess it is a sign she is not getting enough.

I've also noticed that she has started being a little sicky she doesn't cry or anything before it just sorta comes out of her like she is overfull....surely that wouldn't be possible?

Creamcakes, yes she is a very sucky baby, she always has to have the dummy to fall asleep. I am concerned with giving her the dummy after the feed though, the midwife once said to me its ok to give the dummy as long as it doesn't replace a feed, which is my concern that she wants the dummy but is hungry? oh i don't know....do i even make sense...

Maybe i am being a hypocondriac(sp?) mother she still has wet and dirty nappies.

 

[Carolyn]

whisper - your bubs sounds fine!!!!

 

[creamcakes]

I am concerned with giving her the dummy after the feed though, the midwife once said to me its ok to give the dummy as long as it doesn't replace a feed, which is my concern that she wants the dummy but is hungry? oh i don't know....do i even make sense...
.

Hi again. I would say don't worry about the dummy replacing feeds - if she is really hungry, a dummy simply won't cut it: it will just pop out after about 2 mins max in my experience! this might be a concern in very, very little babies who will often suck and go to sleep because they are tired, even if (or perhaps because) they are not getting enough milk. Older ones will let you know all right!

Lucy

 

[HatterasSarah]

fenugreek--OTC and I've heard it works really well! Good Luck!