Looking for breastfeeding advice. Baby born Dec 5th. One breast is giving out an ounce while the other 2-3 ounces. She, the baby does favor the breast that produces more but I always put her to the lesser first to make sure she’s still feeding on that side. What are some ways to up milk production that have worked for you? I do lots of skin to skin and have tried mother milk tea once a day for the past couple days.
Answers ( 10 )
Pump and pump… The more you empty your breast, the more milk you will make & drink lots of water. I had the exact same problem for all 7 of my children. They all favored my left breast. So naturally it was emptied more often, and supply was great. My lactation consultant told me to pump the right side every hour during the day to encourage production. It worked well. I do agree with checking for tongue ties as well as poor latch as well.
My one-month-old had a lip tie that we had corrected when she was six days old. Her latch became much better immediately after. As I’ve learned in the last month, breastfeeding is a slow and steady process, trust your body!
Also, working with an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) may be helpful if you aren’t already. Maybe pumping too much at this point may not be helpful. It could be that your baby isn’t latching well on the one side, and an IBCLC can help with this, as can a good ole fashioned chiropractic adjustment on the baby.
What you pump is not indicative of what your breast is making. One will always have a slower flow and both will generally respond differently to a pump. Are you exclusively breastfeeding (EBF) from breast or pumping to bottle feed? I would literally just breastfeed on demand if possible. Fenugreek works well as do oats but my baby is allergic to both sadly. Babies will usually have a breast preference, my left side is a full cup size smaller!
Guinness beer! I know in some countries women are given beer at the hospital – not only does it relax you, but it also helps with milk production. Trust me, I tried it and it definitely works.
Do you recon Redds Apple Ale may work? I can’t stand the taste of beer!
Sure as long as there is beer in there! It’s the barley that stimulates milk production.
Pumping before 6 weeks can cause an oversupply which can be equally as bad as an undersupply. A newborn needs much less milk than you may think so 3-4oz is normal. But that all depends on if your baby is exclusively breastfed or if you’re exclusively pumping.
I think it might be too soon to start pumping, could increase your chances of mastitis. Just keep breastfeeding, drink plenty of water, or if you’re still worried, meet with a lactation consultant in your area.
Mothers Tea did not work for me. What did was feeding baby on demand, not wearing a bra as much as possible (can restrict the blood flow to your breasts), taking brewers yeast and moringa capsules.
It sounds like you’re making more than enough. She’s Only a little over a week old. Put down the pump and the boosters. Nurse your baby and relax, pumping too soon can lead to an oversupply and possibly mastitis.
I just recently got over it and it is no joke. Also, I wouldn’t recommend using boosters, they can have adverse effects and aren’t proven to work. You have to move milk to make milk, no special cookie, drink, or extra water will make you produce more.
Check out Galactagogues – these are things that increase your supply and there is a large list of them. Some work differently for different women. For me, black licorice and hibiscus tea worked the best.
Make sure you are taking a good all natural prenatal vitamin! You should be taking it for several months even after you are done nursing. The baby takes lots of nutrients away from you. You have to make sure you are eating healthy but still getting enough calories! Stress and lack of sleep can also contribute to a lessening milk supply!
If not prenatal, then start taking 3,000 mg of clean chlorella from natural news store x 2 a day. Found this in a Japanese clinical study for reducing swelling. They found the only side effect to be a dramatic increase in breast milk. Also, Vitamin C should be taken – recommended by Dr. Suzanne Humphries i.e. 2,000 mg x 2 a day minimum until breastfeeding is done.
This is very common, I produced more on the right (and am right handed so maybe more activity and blood flow on that side). I worried the same! Keep your hydration high, eat galactagogue foods, for the mother’s milk tea a standard starting dose is 4 cups a day, then adjust as needed (according to my lactation consultant).
Nurse on demand 24/7, probably every 1-2 hrs. And continue to start her on the bad side when possible. When she’s sleepy/sleeping on the breast, sometimes you can do a quick switcheroo to the other side. Any demand helps your supply. It will increase in both sides (dramatically) in the next 3 months if you keep this up!
How do you know how much milk each breast is producing? If your baby is nursing well and has unrestricted access to the breast 24 hours a day and is having enough wet and soiled diapers per day, you should not be pumping. It takes 3 or 4 months for breastfeeding to be established. It’s only been 11 days!