December 2018 Moms

The Feeding Thread

The place for all questions/concerns/advice about breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding!









BabyFruit Ticker


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Re: The Feeding Thread

  • Does anyone know good supplements or recipes to help increase milk supply. I desperately tried to bf ds but by the 1 month mark I had to stop because i couldn't come close to making what he needed. He was eating 6 ounces by 3 weeks evey 4 hours and I just couldn't keep up. I'd like to breast feed this baby for at least a year. Any tips on increasing milk supply. 
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  • Ok @katy0990 ill def be trying that.
  • @hkom I never had them, but I know other people did.  If it doesn't go away, I've heard that you can use a sterile needle to puncture it.  I think people said it would spray so you might want to do it in the shower.

    @lavenderlisa As for increasing supply, I've heard that some foods like oatmeal help, but I never found them helpful.  Sometimes the supplements that say they increase supply can also decrease supply.  Just try to eat enough food and hydrate a lot. 
  • @lavenderlisa I never took supplements because most milk banks (from my research) will not accept milk from mamas who are taking them. I did eat lots of oatmeal in the beginning, and of course drank tons of water like others have said.
    And I'm sure you know or have read it, but trying to pump more. I can't remember for how long (4-6 weeks??), but from the day she came out, I pumped every two hours (basically, after every nursing session) for 15 minutes. I probably lessened to 10 minutes after the first couple of weeks. And I always pumped both side at the same time (brain thinks: twins! need more milk!).

    Obviously I'm not an LC but this is from my personal experience to share. :blush:
  • My advice would pretty much echo @katy0990!!  
  • Earlier in the day I was able to pump more than later- I think this is pretty normal. I tried eating oatmeal, taking fenugreek (under dosed myself, but there are side effects to taking too much) and drinking beer (the hops). I don’t know if it made a bit of difference. I struggled more with ds2. I think stress level definitely makes things harder. My real advice would be to stay hydrated (like really hydrated) and eat when you are hungry. I also didn’t lose weigh while breastfeeding ... for the entire year. 
  • @lavenderlisa I made no bake lactation cookies that had coconut oil, oats, and flax seed in them (along with other ingredients of course...). It was my way of enjoying cookies while also upping my supply lol. I took fenugreek, too. I also noticed if I didn't drink enough water that I'd produce less, so definitely make sure you're drinking plenty of water!! 
    DS1 born 2/28/16
    DS2 due 12/12/18

  • mommythlegendmommythlegend member
    edited September 2018
    I tried the tea & Fenugreek. Didn't help me.

    What helped me was drinking a ton of water, lactation cookies (with flaxseed meal, brewer's yeast & oatmeal) and power- pumping sessions (1. Pump for 20 minutes, rest for 10 minutes 2. Pump for 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes 3. Pump for 10 minutes) once a day in addition to regular feeding or pumping sessions.
  • Here is the recipe I used. I don't know how to do spoiler links, sorry!
  • Favorite bottles? Favorite materials (glass/silicone/plastic)? Do the special anti colic/gas bottles with million pieces (like Dr. Brown) really work better than simple ones? 

    Thanks in advance!!
  • @hannelorre bottles I think bottles are so individual to each baby. But definitely pay attention to the flow of the nipple and use slower flow ones at first. When I was a FTM, I had no idea this existed. 

    DD had reflux and vomited. A lot. So we tried all the bottles. Dr. Brown’s actually worked really well for her (way less spitting up) when she was younger. And then later, the Tommee Tippee ones worked better (5-6+ months). But I imagine different babies might love different ones.   
  • To help with supply, try pumping for longer amounts of time and see if that makes a difference. I would usually pump for 30 minutes straight.

    My son wasn't picky at all about bottles. We had a variety and he took them all. I preferred the glass dr brown because I dont really like plastic stuff. 

    It's also interesting that with breastmilk it's not always about quantity.  My son was exclusively breastfed and never drank more than 5oz per feeding and he was always in the 90th percentile for weight and height. We never even needed those large bottles. This can be quite different than the amounts for formula or even other moms breastmilk.
  • @hannelorre Totally dependent on your baby, but we are Dr. Brown's devotees in our household. DD never had huge spit up issues, but she had some, and she did SO much better with Dr. Brown's bottles than any other brand (we tried a million because I had a ton of free samples.) I got over all the parts and cleaning stuff pretty quickly and it just became normal.
  • Oh man I was hoping ya'll would tell me not to get the million piece bottles but I guess Dr. Brown is popular for a reason!! @katy0990 thanks for the info from OT. That's good to know. 

    @ScootsMcG I would hire you as my LC  :)
  • Hi moms! 
    I’m currently pregnant with our second child and due December 28th. While I have plenty of time, I am already set on trying to breastfeed. With my first child, I was unsuccessful. My supply was too low and he was not producing wet diapers. I’m hoping for some reason it’s of wisdom or advice from any mamas that have experienced this and were successful the second time around.  Thanks so much ladies!
  • @hannelorre
    we just used the regular medela bottles.  We never had issues so we didn't need to figure anything else out.  I think it depends on baby.
  • Is anyone planning on going straight to formula feeding? I am leaning towards this but have not decided.
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • @bls217 Have you read the posts in this thread? Lots of good advice above.
  • @ebk20 yes about differences! I exclusively pumped from 4-13 months. At maybe 5 months old (don't recall exactly) my son started drinking 8oz at a time! Other moms told me that was too much for a breastmilk baby, but I fed him 4oz at a time. He drank the first & cried for more! Told them I wasn't going to deny him! He was never over 50th percentile for weight.
  • @echo-charlietango Where did you get the samples from?
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • I shall google!  My hospital is pro breastfeeding but they also have a wide assortment of formula you can choose from!
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • So much good advice!  We have 2 different bottle types to try, hopefully one works for baby, but I guess that's up to her!  Breastfeeding sounds like a lot of stress, but I'm crossing everything we can make it work. 
  • @lexidawg enfamil & similac will usually send out samples! There is also a coupon for a free pre-mixed Similac in the Target baby bag you get free for making a registry there.
  • @lexidawg Similac will send you tons of samples, if you register online and oftentimes, your pediatrician will have some, too. Also, good for you for considering your mental health and making the right call for your family.

    @mommythlegend I am impressed you were able to produce so much! I had to pump 5-6 times each day to produce the 10 oz I needed.
  • @katy0990 at first I had to supplement with my freezer stash, when that ran out, I had to supplement with formula for about 6 weeks. Then I was finally able to catch my supply up to his demand with tons of water, lactation cookies, and power pumping sessions! 
  • @lexidawg I think I'm going to at least try breastfeeding knowing that it absolutely doesnt have to be exclusive and that formula works. Fed is best and happy momma = happy baby! Good luck to you with this decision!
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