How to increase your breast milk.

Y

YTV

Registered User
Hi,

I would like to share with all mom's who's wants to increase there breast milk supply.

A few months back I had engorge breast and very sore nipples. So my Doctor advised me to bump instead of breastfeeding. I was worried that my milk supply would run low if I wasn't directly feeding my baby from the breast, so I decided to pump then fed him on my breast. After 2 days I notice that I had increased my breast milk by 2oz I was amazed! now I can do 9oz from one breast and 5oz from the other. I feel a bit like a cow. I Now have 9liters in my freezer and looking to donate my milk.

what you need to do is:

1) You need to empty your breast, by pumping,
2) Then get your baby to feed from your breast.
3) Then feed your just pumped milk to your baby.

Take a not of the amount you pumped.

With in two days you will notice your breast milk has increase dramatically!
My friend tried and she too has a freezer full of milk.

Good luck!
 
Hi YTV - did you do this process at all the feeds during the day or only certain ones? And do you pump from both breasts each time? Thanks!
 
hi ytv,

do you mean i pump first, then feed baby directly and after he finished, i still give him the milk i got? why i don't keep the milk in the fridge for later use?

thanks for your post, really need ways how to improve my supply.
 
crystal88 - I think what ytv is saying is that you use baby to "stimulate" your breast to produce more milk but because you know you have just expressed you know bub isn't getting anything so you want to give bub what you have just expressed.

I also found that by expressing after every feed (and not before) also helped milk supply as you were also emptying for each feed.

I have heard that diet can also help increase supply. I recall drinking a tea (Weleda Nursing Tea for Breastfeeding Mothers) which had Anise, Fennel, Caraway, Fenugreek and leaves from Lemon Verbena (among other things). It tasted good, kept me hydrated and, while I can't be SURE it worked, I didn't have a supply issue until I stopped pumping (and stopped drinking the tea too).
 
Crystal:

"do you mean i pump first, then feed baby directly and after he finished?" that is correct.

"why i don't keep the milk in the fridge for later use? " because you just empty your breast and there want be enouth milk left in your breast to feed your baby.


you pump from both breast then feed your baby on your breast to stimulate it (Thanks Oze _Kid that is what I ment), this will also make sure your baby gets the back milk, then offering your baby the pumped milk so she/he can get some fore milk for hydration.Because you just empty your breast your baby will need more food that's why you need to feed him/her the bottle of breast milk.
You do this for every feed until your happy with the amount of milk your getting. Don't force your baby to finish all the bottle.
If your baby is sleeping through the night. pump once more during the night, this will help with growth spurts later on.
 
Hi Ytv,

thanks for your reply......i understand now, i haven't tried this method. I'm so desperate not getting more than 2 oz from pumping, i usually pump BEFORE feed so my breast is full, but still i only get 1 - 2 oz.

If i give that pump to him, it's only around 1 oz. or less as he already latch.

Will post here if i get lucky like you. Futurehkmom, let me know too if you try this method.
 
Hi Crystal88,

Make sure you drink a large glass of water before or while you're pumping. When you empty your breast, massage it until it's soft and you don't feel any lumps -- that's how you know it's empty.

How old is your baby? If he's only a few weeks then 2 oz is fine.

I've just PM'd you my phone number -- if you need any more help.
 
The way breastfeeding works

During the first six weeks the baby needs to have between eight and 14 feeds a day AND your body need to give between eight and 14 feeds a day. If the baby seems hungry feed him again - even if he only finished feeding 10 minutes before. During this time your milk supply will increase IF you feed the baby enough.

After six weeks your breasts will replace the milk taken out - if you take out (baby drinks or you pump) lots then your body will make lots. If you need to increase your milk then you need to get baby to feed or pump on an empty breast. If you do this after every feed then your supply usually takes around 48 hours to increase.

When you need to increase your supply the baby can be unsettled and want to feed "all the time" - this is a good thing - let him. The more he feeds on your empty breasts the more milk you will have in 48 hours.

The reason YVT's method works is because she is getting the baby to feed on her empty breasts.

But a word of caution. Doing this when it isn't required can easily lead to an over supply. The problems of over supply are actually harder to solve than the problems of under supply.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Hi LLL_Sarah,
"But a word of caution. Doing this when it isn't required can easily lead to an over supply. The problems of over supply are actually harder to solve than the problems of under supply."

What would the problem be for over supplying?
I've been trying to reduce my milk supply lately because I just have too much. So what I did was to pump less and just let my baby feed on my breast, by doing this I found when I do pump, my milk is a few oz less.

Ps my baby is a little bit chubby :)
seeing the Doctor next week to discuss about his weight.
 
I should have read this earlier. I was really under-supply... But I would try if I do plan for a 2nd child. Very good thread.
 
Problems of over supply

The problems of over supply are mainly because the milk comes out too fast for the baby to cope with. (This is a problem that time solves because as the baby gets bigger he can cope.) This can cause the baby to cough and splutter at the breast. Mothers often describe this as choking. But it isn't the sort of choking that happens when someone gets something stuck in their throat, more like something going down the wrong tube. In these cases the baby is usually happier with a more upright position -the best position is usually the mother lying reclined on her back and the baby lying on top of her. In fact these laid back positions are generally the best position for all breastfeeding problems - it is now thought to be the most natural way to feed.

Sometimes the babies will only feed for a few minutes and then pull off. Then they want to go back again shortly afterwards. This behaviour can make the mothers think they don't have enough milk when in fact the problem is the opposite - too much milk.

Another problem of over supply, although much rarer, is that the baby can find he gets a lot of lactose when feeding. This can result in a lot of wind and some times the stools are green. If this doesn't upset the baby then it isn't a problem. If it does then block feeding can be a solution. With block feeding the mother feeds the baby on one side (no matter how many times the baby asks to nurse) for a set number of hours. Then swaps for the next block of hours to the other side. This works in the opposite way to switch nursing and helps to reduce the supply until it is more in line with what the baby wants.

Another problem of over supply is that the mother is much more likely to get plugged ducts and mastitis. As the ducts are kept full of milk for too long.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
I had oversupply. My baby pulled off all the time, spat up a lot, was gassy and fussy. And my boobs hurt all the time.

Oversupply is not fun at all. I would be very careful when pumping to increase your milk supply.
 
LLL Sarah and YTV,

I wonder how is it possible to feed a baby on an empty breast? My baby gets grumpy as soon as the milk supply drops. With an empty breast maybe he will pull off 5 seconds after he attempt to suck. Or are other babies different?

He will turn 1 month old this Friday, and my pump best record is only 1.5 oz in total. I top up with formula and now it's like I can never catch up with his need cos on a formula only session he drinks 4 oz. Will there be a way to increase the supply?
 
Dear Little Bird,

You don't mention it but I'm guessing that your baby has had bottles. Babies get used to the fast flow from the bottle and often won't continue sucking at the breast when the flow begins to slow. If they have never had a bottle they think it is normal that the flow slows and are usually willing to work harder to get more milk from the breast.

I find that using a lactation aid is the best way to overcome the problem. With a lactation aid the baby gets the supplemented milk but at the breast. This retrains him to suck longer at the breast and your body is stimulated more and so the speed of your flow increases.

To see how to use a lactation aid look at the video under the heading of At-Breast Supplementer on the web site Breastfeeding Articles by Dr. Jack Newman - Breastfeeding Online.
Or from the video with the heading Inserting a Lactation Aid at Newman Breastfeeding Clinic Videos

This method has the advantage that the baby is sucking at your breast and increasing your supply without the need for you to pump (or not to pump as much). But it tends to be a bit fiddly. It is helpful to get someone with experience to show you how to use it. I can help with this if you can visit me. I live in Mid-levels but I'm leaving for London on Thursday night - so call me as soon as you can - 2548-7636.

You can also buy a device from Medela called a Supplemental Nursing System from CELKI Medical Company
which does the same thing but costs more!

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
I actually have a question on night feed. My baby sleeps about 7 hours then feed and then sleeps another 4 hours during the night. But he only takes one breast during the night feed before he goes back to sleep. I always have to pump the other breast which wakes me up completely after all these are done and can't go back to sleep for another hour. I pump because 1. it's uncomfortable after 7hours and I know I have to wait for another 4 hours before the next fee. 2. I am afraid if I don't pump, my milk supply will go down during the day.
Am I right about the supply? Is there a easier way for the night feed? ie no pumping?
 
Dear Cutebear,

You don't mention how old your baby is. If he is under six weeks then you will need to be more careful about your supply as your body still needs a lot of prolactin. But if your baby is over six weeks then you don't need to worry about your supply because you are in the demand and supply section of breastfeeding - i.e. your body replaces the milk taken out. The baby takes more out in the day so you replace more in the day and he takes less out at night so you replace less at night.

The problem you need to worry about is the fact that by pumping you have told your body that you need more milk than you actually do. Care needs to be taken as you reduce this supply as plugged ducts and mastitis are a possibility. Generally we suggest expressing until you feel comfortable. I usually suggest hand expressing rather than pumping. It is easy to continue and take too much milk out with a pump but because hand expressing is a chore I find mothers usually stop as soon as they are comfortable.

You are aiming to leave your breast full of milk as this will signal your body to stop making the milk but be comfortable at the same time.

There are instructions about hand expression at How to Manually Express Breastmilk - The Marmet Technique - Medela

It will take longer to reduce your supply than it would to increase your supply. So it could take around a week before you notice an improvement but you may be lucky and notice one earlier.

Best wishes
SARAH
 
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