Boosting Milk Supply... Any tips/ideas???

[dannii]

hi, i just wanted to know if there is anything i can do, to boost my milk supply?

i have heard it does settle in the few feeks after birth etc.. (DD is 3 weeks old) and i have also heard that u never actually run out or "empty" but it really does seem like i don't have enough!
DD seems to have to work alot more to get any and seems to make her cranky. and she constantly wants to feed.

i have been feeding at least every 2 hours, hoping to build a supply, but nothing seems to have changed :confused:

i watch the sucks per swallow and thats why i think there isnt much there.

i also tried expressing and even thats a mission to get!

Anyone have any tips at all, would be greatly appreciated!

[AM]

It is completely normal for you to feel 'less full' a few weeks after birth, as supply is adjusting to demand.
The very best thing you can do is simply keep feeding on demand, as it is the nipple stimulation which is guaranteeing supply.
Expressing is a very poor indicator of milk supply, so don't worry yourself about that, I could never express much, and am still happily feeding my 21 month old son.
There are a couple of things which I have heard help, one is having a good sleep with baby during the day, helps hormone levels rise apparently and the other thing I have heard is eating oats.
There are mothers milk teas or nursing mums teas you can buy at a health shop, but personally I would wait a little while before trying this, you may end up with an oversupply, especially if what you are coping with right now is a growth spurt, which sounds very likely.
Having your baby working at the breast is not a bad thing, and at 3 weeks, she is still working everything out, in no time at all, she will be a champion nurser.
If you continue to feed on demand, and allow unrestricted night feeds as well, it is extremely unlikely you are running out of milk, keep doing what you are doing, it all sounds fine!

All the best! :)

[Lunar]

I can only suggest that you try to feed more often.
Can you hear baby swallowing? and is she having enough wet nappies per day?
And have you been on the Australian Breastfeeding Association's website?
They have chat like this site and I have found it very useful. They will give you lots of ideas and support there too.
www.breastfeeding.asn.au/

[xkwzit]

The natural way to boost your supply is to feed more frequently - so you are doing the right thing. Try to make sure that you are not feeding baby by the clock, let her lead (I know that's really hard to do - I also had to feed DD1 every 1.5 to 2 hours during the day - and it drove me NUTS - but its really for only such a short time, when you look back it seems like no time at all :) ).

Plenty of wet nappies and regular weight gain will also confirm that she's doing well (but don't be concerned about the "average" weight gains - my paed was happy with > 90 g per week). Don't judge by what you can express.

She may also be having a growth spurt and it can take a few days for your supply to catch up. Also in hot weather, she may want to feed more often to keep hydrated (in these feeds she may want to feed little and often - she is getting more watery fore milk that way, and so she's "drinking" rather than "eating"). DD1 was a summer baby (which is perhaps why she drove me a bit bonkers with feeding).

Cheers

[dannii]

thanks heaps for the advice!
i will continue to let her be "boss" and see how things go :)

[JanetF]

Cue feeding is the only way breastfeeding works, Danni and how clever is it that your baby has all that innate knowledge of how to make enough food for herself?! She's following her biological needs and now you just need to support her in it :)

[dannii]

yeah, pretty scary to know that someone so tiny knows more about this than i do!! :D

[jonesso]

hey dannii

keep doing what you're doing, but if after 6-8 weeks bub isn't putting on much weight or your supply seems to be dropping, you could try something like FENUGREEK tablets. They are a herb that boosts milk supply. Speak to a naturapath or your CHN about it, or maybe a lactation consultant if you are concerned. The tabs worked really well for me when my supply dropped (@ 4 months).

enjoy your bub!

[dannii]

oh thanks for that jonesso. i thought there was something i could take. However i will try everything first and get her weighed. im due to take her to the CHN and see how much she has put on.

[Nathans mun]

I found that raspberry leaf tablets also help boost supply, I took them for the last trimester and found that I had plenty of everything when Nathan was born. A few days of tablets has helped when I needed extra to xpress

[JanetF]

yeah, pretty scary to know that someone so tiny knows more about this than i do!!
LOL but it's excellent coz it takes all the guesswork out. It's your job to hold her, love her and supply the boobs. It's her job to regulate supply, feed as much as she needs, tell you when she needs more, all that. Weight gain alone is not a good indicator of baby health or growth. Babies can gain weight all differently and be perfectly healthy. The charts at the MCHN are based on formula fed babies from the 1970s and ff babies are fatter than bf babies so they're irrelevant to your baby anyway. While you don't want babies to lose weight, slow growth is perfectly normal in bf babies so DON'T WORRY AT ALL if bubs is stacking on the weight. She's doing far more important things like growing her brain to perfection on your perfect milk! :)