Need help increasing milk supply!

Lollypop0630 · July 2017

ive been exclusively pumping for about 3 weeks now. Baby is a little over 4 weeks old. My milk supply has been low. I didn't pump overnight last night (almost 12hrs since I last pumped) and when I pumped again this morning I only got a little over 2oz in one breast and 1oz in the other.

any tips on how I can increase my supply?
I am currently taking lactation supplements (it's been one week) and haven't seen a changed.

glitterfish-2 · July 2017

Have you had your thyroid checked? I have hashimotos and my endocrinologist warned me that if my thyroid levels were too low, I wouldn't make enough.

doodleoodle · July 2017

I would continue to pump for a few minutes after you stop getting milk to signal to your body to make more milk, drink a ton of water, make sure you're eating enough, and if you're taking fenugreek- take enough so that you begin to smell like maple syrup.

kswiger06 · July 2017

Lollypop0630 said:

ive been exclusively pumping for about 3 weeks now. Baby is a little over 4 weeks old. My milk supply has been low. I didn't pump overnight last night (almost 12hrs since I last pumped) and when I pumped again this morning I only got a little over 2oz in one breast and 1oz in the other.

any tips on how I can increase my supply?
I am currently taking lactation supplements (it's been one week) and haven't seen a changed.

**lurking**--- but I exclusively pump and my LO is 5 months old.

How often do you typically pump? 12 hours is an extremely long time to go without pumping, especially this early, while you're still trying to get your supply established. While your supply is so low, try to do "power pumps". Basically after you do a normal session (20 minutes), wait 10-20 minutes and pump again for a 10 minute stretch. If you can, wait 10-20 minutes and pump again for 10 minutes. I had a great supply with my second child and exclusively pumped without any problems, but with my current baby, I've been struggling to keep my supply up the entire time. It has really helped me a lot to do those power pumps. I actually pumped earlier today and only had 2 ounces after a 20 minute session so I waited 15 minutes and pumped again for 12 minutes and ended up getting almost 4 ounces during that time. I have no clue why my body wouldn't release the milk the first time, but it is a common occurrence for me. I aim for pumping 20 minutes every 3 hours, (I struggle with it though lol) but any time I pump and can't get at least 4 ounces (my baby is eating 5 ounces every 3ish hours so I need that much or I have to get into my freezer stash) I take a 10 minute break, and pump again for 10 minutes. I combine the two sessions and always have 5+ ounces. If your supply is consistently low, try to do as many power pumping sessions you can. It takes my body almost 2 weeks to respond and make more milk. Some people get a response after only a couple days, but don't get discouraged if it takes you longer. I've also heard oatmeal is amazing for supply. I don't like oatmeal so I don't eat it and can't give a personal opinion. Here's a great resource with endless info on pumping along with a ton of other useful information. I hope you're able to get your supply up, and I didn't barge in here inappropriately. Good luck!

https://kellymom.com

gabadoo · July 2017

Agree with power pumping, but also maintaining a good frequency of pumping sessions (you should be pumping at least every 3hrs this early on) in order to establish a good supply. What pump do you use? Is it possible to play around with the settings in order to help maximize your letdown and/or expression? Other things that can help (or at least can't hurt!): 1) drink TONS of water; 2) Oatmeal; 3) Flax seed; 4) Raspberry leaf (teas or pills); 5) Fenugreek; 6) Dark beer (there's a reason why it's called milk stout)
If I can think of other galactagogues, will respond again.

MrsCaliRN · July 2017

Sounds like you need to increase your pumping frequency and length of pumping; as a PP posted, pump 5 minutes longer once the last drop comes out to stimulate more production. Also, I'm assuming you've checked that your pump parts are all in working order and the phalanges are a good fit for your breast size? You could also try some galactogogues like Brewer's yeast (can bake into cookies or find in really hoppy beers) or fenugreek (supplements and teas). Good luck and great job for continuing to exclusively pump for as long as you have! My hat is off to you!

doodleoodle · July 2017

PP's have suggested oatmeal, which in my experience is great for increasing supply! It's my understanding that steel cut oats are best.

Stankonia2014 · July 2017

I definitely agree with all suggested above, you most definitely need to be pumping more frequently, every 2-3 hours, I basically pump anytime my LO eats. I would try to power pump as suggested above. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Ensure that your flanges are the right fit.

Galactagogues that have worked for me:
lactation cookies (recipe: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/02/lactation-cookies/)
Fenugreek
Blue Gatorade
Mother's Milk Tea

Stankonia2014 · July 2017

I have heard from other women that Fenugreek has actually lessened their supply, heads up.

lovesclimbing · July 2017

Everyone else has pretty much covered it. At this age, I think you definitely need to get up at least once in the middle of the night to pump, and during the day, every 2-3 hours. At this age, you physically shouldn't be able to go 12 hours without nursing.

Waiting4Fred · July 2017

lovesclimbing said:

Everyone else has pretty much covered it. At this age, I think you definitely need to get up at least once in the middle of the night to pump, and during the day, every 2-3 hours. At this age, you physically shouldn't be able to go 12 hours without nursing.

This. If LO sleeps more than 4 hours, I'm dying and my boobs are leaking all over the place and hard. You'll have to start setting an alarm and pump everytime LO eats.

Titi+L · September 2017

I have used Mrs. Patel products. Namely the lactation treats and tea. They work great and taste much better than other lactation treats I have tried. You can find their products at mrsmilk.com. I also happen to have written about it and reviewed their products on my blog. Hope this helps and good luck

daisytaylor1 · October 2017

I've been drinking "healthy nursing tea" a lactation tonic by secrets of tea dot com, found it on amazon which works for me, hang in there you are gonna find something for you good luck,

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