Starting Moringa supplements. It looks good for me if nothing else. This also goes by the name Mullangaay. Now that we are BFing more as he gets stronger from his revision it is harder to tell though what's working
@dancegurl1118 I take the honest company lactation supplement that has fenugreek in it. It doesn't make my supply crazy. I pump 5 oz every 3-4 hours. My supply is the same it seems no matter what.
Yeah I definitely drink two beers or glasses of wine. And then feed. No change in LO. my BAC was .04 when I fed. Still hanging onto "ok to drive ok to feed".
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
so.. this may be a weird suggestion, but i remember way back in the day there was this big thing about a ring tone with a subliminal sound of a baby crying, it was making womens breasts bigger because something to do with milk production.. not saying it will work (it was just something on the internet) but it could be worth a shot to try? not like it could cause any negative effects.
I made my first batch of lactation cookies tonight. Eating those combined with the cinnamon banana smoothie every day hopefully will boost me up! Here's the recipe if anyone is interested.
I have an accupuncture appt Monday. She says she has had success with lactation issues. I figure I can have her stick some extra in me for stress as well while I'm there
Not a yeast infection but I've noticed my urine kind of smells like I'm diabetic. It's unpleasant.
This apparently means it is working.
I can't remember if I posted this earlier on this board, but for lactation cookies, I've just been making chocolate haystacks, and adding 3tbs of flax meal, and 2 tbs of brewer's yeast to the recipe. Because, chocolate.
Earth Mama Angel Baby Mothers Milk tea worked wonders for me. I stopped drinking it because it made my sweat smell like maple syrup. I read reviews and others said the same thing. I'm going to start drinking it again so I can start a freezer supply for when I go back to work. I'll just have to deal with smelling like a pancake for a while.
MotherLove More milk Plus. Game changer for me. Expensive but I've seen an incredible boost in production.
Pumped 9oz overnight. I used to struggle to get 2. BOOM.
Are you taking 4 a day? I've been trying it for several days, but no real improvement. Wondering if I'm missing something
I'm over 175 so I take 2, 3 times a day for 6 total. Are you following the directions not to drink 15 min before & after? I read online that makes a big difference. It took a few days to really amp up.
Mother Love stuff didn't work for me like that Tried the regular and the special blend. I'm not drinking right away either
Bummer. I wish there was something universal that works for everyone and we wouldn't have to try every thing in the book to see what our bodies respond to. That'd be too easy I suppose.
On the other threads, it seems like too many women are going hungry or not paying enough attention to all around nutrition and diet. @mellymar mentioned this early in the thread, but I've found if I'm not eating three square meals a day, I don't produce as much. I also really pay attention to which foods are good for breastfeeding mothers and which foods aren't (eg, garlic).
Our culture tends to think we can fix anything with pills and just ignore how we are treating our bodies. I find it insane how little the medical community pays attention to nutrition and diet.
So many good tips here. I like the Gatorade idea. I'm getting tired of water, but dehydration definitely effects my supply.
@virginiaunicorn11 totally agree. I really don't like meds and always try natural remedies first (ie: my DH and I used natural family planning for BC for 7 years). This supplement was kinda my last resort after covering all other bases. I drink tons and definitely eat plenty too and agree that's probably the best thing you can do for supply.
Most of the pills are natural. Usually a mixture of fenugreek, alfalfa, and other natural milk boosters so you aren't taking 30 pills a day. I personally eat six small meals a day. After changing my entire life, making everthimg chemical free, (that means no deodorant too) home making everything, and taking every herb and vitamin available it looks like I'm going to HAVE to try a prescription or give up. I make no milk.
Oh and I rented a hospital pump and I don't see any improvement with that.
Most of the pills are natural. Usually a mixture of fenugreek, alfalfa, and other natural milk boosters so you aren't taking 30 pills a day. I personally eat six small meals a day. After changing my entire life, making everthimg chemical free, (that means no deodorant too) home making everything, and taking every herb and vitamin available it looks like I'm going to HAVE to try a prescription or give up. I make no milk.
Oh and I rented a hospital pump and I don't see any improvement with that.
I'd do the same in that situation. No doubt. Wishing you the best!!
There is the issue of insufficient glandular tissue too. The consultants don't think this is the case with me but my breasts didn't get bigger til after the birth so makes me wonder. They just keep saying they have no idea as I have no red flags from diet, health etc. The tongue/lip tie caused problems originally but I'd hoped it would be picking up now. I've talked to DH and Doula and decided I won't be taking any medication. Going to work with what I have, along with food/herb/bodywork options. I think I am in a good place right now even if it's not my first choice.
I'm so glad there is medicine for any woman it may be right for! I'm so sorry if my comment about nutrition implied otherwise. The women on this thread are obviously so committed and informed in their BF journeys. It's really inspiring and shows what good, caring mothers you all are.
@hoodoll82 after your comment, I realize I need to switch deodorants. Have you found one you like?
@virginiaunicorn11 I wasn't sure if you realized the pills were actually supplements and not prescriptions. I also think most of us actually concerned about a low supply are doing what we can to stay healthy. It's frustrating. All I can do is think about my supply and how my body is failing to feed LO. His poor belly doesn't handle formula well. I didn't mean to sound snappy. BFing can be a different level of difficult of your battling a low supply.
I just stopped wearing deodorant. The aluminum zirconium can be absorbed into your babies skin. I'm not sure it's really a problem but with his arm in my armpit all the time I wasn't comfortable with it. I'm sure they make a natural deodorant but I'm too cheap to pay for it when I'm not having any issues with smell.
I'm so glad there is medicine for any woman it may be right for! I'm so sorry if my comment about nutrition implied otherwise. The women on this thread are obviously so committed and informed in their BF journeys. It's really inspiring and shows what good, caring mothers you all are.
@hoodoll82 after your comment, I realize I need to switch deodorants. Have you found one you like?
Ugh I just drank my first cup of mother milk tea and oomph I am having trouble with the taste! Yikes! I love tea but this was like no other. It tastes too much like black licorice. I read adding honey helps so I'm going to give it a try. I'll suffer through if it helps!
I haven't worn deodorant for 2 years. You get a little extra gross at first and then it levels out and is kind of Awesome.
@teather5 were you pumping too in order to increase? How much? There are a lot of factors
@virginiaunicorn11 No worries here. There are plenty of people that don't get how important nutrition is
After starting the supplement, I now have to pump in the morning after feeding LO. If I feel like LO didn't empty me at another point in the day, I try to pump, but that's rare. The only other times I pump are when its for a meal (like I just don't want to nurse and want DH to give LO a bottle- this momma needs an occasional break!)
I just switched to Toms natural deodorant. I randomly read about the aluminum being linked to breast cancer and then started thinking that all those chemicals could be getting into my milk since it's so close to all the glands. No idea if that happens but my anxious and paranoid/ obsessed with all things milk self has those thoughts.
@devyns2nd Hugs. Since I also had to supplement with formula to make sure my guy was getting enough nutrition I know exactly how you feel. It can definitely be a downer when I think about it that way. I still have to supplement with formula, but something that I think helped me was about a week ago he had a growth spurt (or just a super fussy weekend) and I kept giving him boob on demand for 3 days straight (it was actually almost a 5 day event, but the 1st day was a ramp up and the last day a taper down from the peak 3 days in the middle). He was on there probably every 30-45 minutes. I still gave him formula at 2-3 hour intervals, but those days I just gave him boob when he cried. I think that really helped to increase my supply from what it was to more. I feel like I am able to get by with less formula now, tho I worry about if he is gaining enough. He seems satisfied.
I've also been told that pumping, whether you get anything or not, helps supply. But I never got anything (I don't count 5ml per breast as anything. Add it together and you have little more than a tablespoon, sarcastic hooray). And pumping for what seemed like nothing actually really depressed me, so I stopped. I haven't noticed any adverse effects of NOT pumping, and we all know mental state of mind makes a difference, so I'm happy with the change.
I wish I could get to the point where I EBF but I've come to accept I probably will not make it. It may still happen, and if so, great. But all I am doing at this point is trying to eat healthy, drink a low abv beer with dinner or while he nurses (that's more for me. Its a bonus it helps with milk. However if it didn't help with milk I probably would hold off), drink a lot of water, and try to rest as well I can. That, and let him nurse on demand, even comfort nurse. I did have hubs make some lactation cookies, and they are good, I eat them during my 3am feeding cause I am usually starving at that time. I'll probably keep doing that because I have to eat something, and they are pretty healthy, for cookies, and very filling. I find the Gatorade comment interesting, I'll try that, too.
But, I'm done trying all this other stuff. My lactation supplements gave me bad cases of the poops, so I stopped those. The tea does taste like licorice, which I hate, so no tea. I still want more milk, but I'm not stressing about it anymore. And I think that alone helped overall.
Rambling post, sorry. TL;DR - just read the last paragraph
MotherLove More milk Plus. Game changer for me. Expensive but I've seen an incredible boost in production.
Pumped 9oz overnight. I used to struggle to get 2. BOOM.
Are you taking 4 a day? I've been trying it for several days, but no real improvement. Wondering if I'm missing something
I'm over 175 so I take 2, 3 times a day for 6 total. Are you following the directions not to drink 15 min before & after? I read online that makes a big difference. It took a few days to really amp up.
Anyone heard of this or fenugreek decreasing supply? I feel like in the past week since I started More Milk Plus I'm producing less
Went to acupuncturist. She is a mom who had a tongue tie baby so she totally gets the struggle which is cool. She said it would take a couple of times to see results on the lactation but I feel more stress free already. DH said I was glowing when I got home. She also gave me some specific foods to eat based on her questionnaire I filled out and our talk.
MotherLove More milk Plus. Game changer for me. Expensive but I've seen an incredible boost in production.
Pumped 9oz overnight. I used to struggle to get 2. BOOM.
Are you taking 4 a day? I've been trying it for several days, but no real improvement. Wondering if I'm missing something
I'm over 175 so I take 2, 3 times a day for 6 total. Are you following the directions not to drink 15 min before & after? I read online that makes a big difference. It took a few days to really amp up.
Anyone heard of this or fenugreek decreasing supply? I feel like in the past week since I started More Milk Plus I'm producing less
My lc said this shouldn't be a problem. She gave me a lactation herbal book to borrow too, and it didn't suggest that it would interfere either.
She IS having me try a Colombian booster, panela. Basically, it's little pucks of hard pressed palm sugar. Take one, smash it up into bits and boil it in about 1.5 litres of water (it'll end up being a litre). Drink a litre daily (not if you're diabetic!). You can flavour it or whatever too. I've been making my lactation tea with it. Just started this, so I can't say if it works yet or not for me, but she said several people have had luck with it. I found the sugar in an Asian grocery store, from Thailand - it has different names from different cultures. She did say Colombian pure was better, lol. And, it's cheap - like $2.25 for 8 little pucks of it.
Re: Milk boosters
https://on3d4y.blogspot.com/2013/11/m-lactation-cookies-lactation-cookie.html?m=1
Pumped 9oz overnight. I used to struggle to get 2. BOOM.
Our culture tends to think we can fix anything with pills and just ignore how we are treating our bodies. I find it insane how little the medical community pays attention to nutrition and diet.
So many good tips here. I like the Gatorade idea. I'm getting tired of water, but dehydration definitely effects my supply.
Good luck, mamas!
Oh and I rented a hospital pump and I don't see any improvement with that.
@hoodoll82 after your comment, I realize I need to switch deodorants. Have you found one you like?
I just stopped wearing deodorant. The aluminum zirconium can be absorbed into your babies skin. I'm not sure it's really a problem but with his arm in my armpit all the time I wasn't comfortable with it. I'm sure they make a natural deodorant but I'm too cheap to pay for it when I'm not having any issues with smell.
@teather5 were you pumping too in order to increase? How much? There are a lot of factors
@virginiaunicorn11 No worries here. There are plenty of people that don't get how important nutrition is
I've also been told that pumping, whether you get anything or not, helps supply. But I never got anything (I don't count 5ml per breast as anything. Add it together and you have little more than a tablespoon, sarcastic hooray). And pumping for what seemed like nothing actually really depressed me, so I stopped. I haven't noticed any adverse effects of NOT pumping, and we all know mental state of mind makes a difference, so I'm happy with the change.
I wish I could get to the point where I EBF but I've come to accept I probably will not make it. It may still happen, and if so, great. But all I am doing at this point is trying to eat healthy, drink a low abv beer with dinner or while he nurses (that's more for me. Its a bonus it helps with milk. However if it didn't help with milk I probably would hold off), drink a lot of water, and try to rest as well I can. That, and let him nurse on demand, even comfort nurse. I did have hubs make some lactation cookies, and they are good, I eat them during my 3am feeding cause I am usually starving at that time. I'll probably keep doing that because I have to eat something, and they are pretty healthy, for cookies, and very filling. I find the Gatorade comment interesting, I'll try that, too.
But, I'm done trying all this other stuff. My lactation supplements gave me bad cases of the poops, so I stopped those. The tea does taste like licorice, which I hate, so no tea. I still want more milk, but I'm not stressing about it anymore. And I think that alone helped overall.
Rambling post, sorry.
TL;DR - just read the last paragraph
Apricots and black beans anyone??!?