Help!! Suggestions to increase breastmilk supply?

shelbs02 · September 2015

Baby girl is 1 month old. I am only producing 1.5 ounces when I pump. She is eating constantly because I don't think she is getting all she needs.ive combined pumped bottles and I think she would like 2.5-3 ounces. If anything worked for you mamas to bring in more milk please share!! I Really don't want to use formula she has spit up the few bottles that we did try.

bfstacy · September 2015

Gatorade
Oatmeal
Lactation cookies
Lots and lots of water
Eat (don't diet, your body needs calories)
Add flax seed and/or Brewers yeast to anything you can
How often do you pump?
Try power pumping

keniialise · September 2015

Literally everything she said! ^ -- Gatorade and lactation cookies made my milk supply go crazy! But you really need to trust your body, and feed on demand... What you pump out isn't going to be the same that baby is getting.

chrisaw · September 2015

I am having the same problem, with only being able to pump about 1.5 oz. (2 at the most) and our LO also wants to eat constantly. I've been to the lactation consultants 3 times and they said he is getting enough because he's gaining plenty of weight and I'm on demand feeding. Hubby started giving him a bottle of formula before bed just so I am able to pump and save it for my supply when I go back to work. At my last lactation appt., they said he has a weak suck so they aren't sure if I have a slow flow because he has a weak suck or if he has a weak suck because I have a slow flow (kind of like the chicken and egg theory-which one came first). I drink a lot of water, eat oatmeal and just started to take fenugreek. Haven't seen much of a difference. I tried power pumping, but didn't see a difference with that either. Haven't made the lactation cookies, but I may have to try since I feel like I've tried everything else!!

katdesear · September 2015

Hydrate and pump following feedings

nmfranklin00 · September 2015

I take fenugreek pills...it was $6.00 at GNC- it seems to help!

tibi5 · September 2015

@chrisaw Did your lactation consultant say anything more about the weak suck "chicken / egg" scenario? I'm facing the same thing, annoyingly just on one side.....not sure how to make him suck harder on the left, haha!

shelbs02 · September 2015

Tried the lactation cookies, oatmeal. I feeling like I'm drinking all the time! Please share if the funugreek works!! I'm not big on taking supplements

chrisaw · September 2015

@tibi5 that was the only thing she said about that the last time I was there. She did tell me (and gave me info) about my "supply compartment". She said some people can hold a lot and others a little. So I may be only able to hold 2 oz at a time but since he feeds so frequently, he's able to get enough. He also favors one side over the other, so a lot of the time I'll start on the side he doesn't like so he's so hungry he doesn't care lol. Seems to work!

The LC also recommended pumping after each feeding for a few days, which I also tried. The problem with me is that since he has a weak suck and likes to fall asleep, it takes him awhile to eat, usually 45 minutes to an hour. So if I feed for an hour, then pump for 10-15 minutes, I only have roughly 45 minutes before he wants to eat again and sometimes I'm not sure if my supply will fill back up in time to feed him again! So when he did take awhile to eat, I ended up skipping some pumping sessions. It seemed like a lot of work to do that when it wouldn't pump out a lot. I still was only able to get 1.5 oz for a whole day.

ashleytiff · September 2015

I did oatmeal and added flaxseed to it. Drank mothers milk tea. Coconut water.

NewMumzy25 · September 2015

The fenugreek has helped me personally and It makes you smell like maple syrup lmao so working out I smell like a pancake when sweating haha

onefineday102 · September 2015

I had the same problem when LO was a couple weeks old and was afraid I wasn't going to produce enough milk. I started drinking Mother's Milk Tea, eating oatmeal, and LOTS of water. I breastfeed as well as pump...mostly pump every 3 to 4 hours due to some complications early on. LO is almost two months old and I've almost doubled milk production.