Not enough Breast Milk

R

ren1909

Registered User
I have now gone back to work for over one month - my volume of breast milk continues to fall. I think this is due to a number of reasons: stress, not enough sleep, irregular pumping time etc.. I can now only get around 12oz milk each day... is it worth continuing like this? This can only give my baby 2 -3 meals each day.... Not sure such quantity actually will help the baby or not... For the other meals she has formula (Meiji).
:thanks
 
I think every little bit helps even 12ozs, I know what you mean about a diminishing supply though. I expressed for both of my sons for 5-6 months and in the end I was like you just barely getting 1-2 feeds. I would only say give up if you want too. It's hard to make the final decision though, I beat myself up for along time afterwards with my first, but then with my second I found it a great relief.

HTH
 
Dear ren1909,
My daughter is now 2 and she received 'whole breastmilk' for totally 8 & a half months. The drastic fall on the supply of breastmilk happened when I started feeding formulas.
My tips: use a good pumping machine (usu. a big one) at regular times (say, lunch & after work, the more frequent the better); feed baby after work and before you sleep; don't feed formula as long as you (not your baby) can bear it.
Hope this helps.
 
Dear ren1909,
My daughter is now 2 and she received 'whole breastmilk' for totally 8 & a half months. The drastic fall on the supply of breastmilk happened when I started feeding formulas.
My tips: use a good pumping machine (usu. a big one) at regular times (say, lunch & after work, the more frequent the better); feed baby after work and before you sleep; don't feed formula as long as you (not your baby) can bear it.
Hope this helps.
 
express on a with a regular schedule. pump when your baby is having a feed. that's the only way you can let your body produce enuf milk for your baby. nurse baby before work, after work, & before you sleep. all the other times when your baby takes a bottle (say 12noon, 3pm) that's when you express. i personally find hand expresing most effective. if not the Avent hand-pump ISIS is wonderful too. drink lots of water, mother's milk tea (which really helps) & fish soup. of course, enough sleep & less stress also helps with milk production.

when i was nursing my baby, i used to go to sleep latest by 9.30pm after the 9pm feed, so that i can get up to nurse her again at 12 midnight, i get up to hand express again at 3am, wake up at 6.30am to nurse. if you go to work, you nurse her before you leave. then express again at around lunch time & 3-4pm. keep the milk in the fridge at the office or bring ice-packs to keep them cold.

to de-stress, listen to soothing spa music & lie in bed whenever you can.

good luck!
 
Mother's milk tea is a must... drink like it is water when at work!
Pump as often as you can.. I started with pumping three times at work, and slowing cutting down to nil.. when the supplies were overflowing up to the point where the office freezer was bursting at the seam with my breastmilk!
Fish soup or anything fish is good.. I had fish dishes on a daily basis for dinner.

I did not have enuff sleep as well then as I was nursing her at night (2 times a night at 2am and 5am) and after feeding her, I will still empty the breast by expressing the remaining milk out for her feed the next day when I am not around.

So regular pumping is a must... Good luck!
 
try a sauna

Hi There,

Try also having a Sauna or hot water bottle, warm helps with milk production...though it might be funny to explain to hubby why you are sitting there with a hotwater bottle on your chest every evening...just don't do it at work ;-)...

Good luck!
 
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