HOW TO INCREASE SUPPLY

[gdiamante]

ALL NONPRESCRIPTION REMEDIES LISTED HERE ARE AT YOUR LOCAL HEALTH FOOD STORE!!!!!

First and foremost, nurse! On demand, no matter how long, no matter how often. BABY is the best supply booster you can have.

Be sure you have a real suppply problem rather than a perceived one. Pumping only two ounces at a session is normal and isn't a supply problem. Changing fewer than six diapers per day DOES indicate a real supply problem.

If you're already nursing around the clock and pumping frequently and are still changing fewer than six diapers per day, then you can look at different techniques to increase your supply.

1. Water. 64 ounces daily.

2. Oatmeal. For some reason this can increase supply. Bowl a day.

If those two don't work, and you are not diabetic (gestational diabetes doesn't count), then you can add the following items from the health food store:

3. Fenugreek. Two capsules, three times a day. WARNING: Fenugreek is not recommended for people with diabetes, thyroid problems, or people on blood thinners. It can cause internal bleeding and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

4. Mother's Milk Tea. As directed on the box. WARNING: Contains fenugreek

5. More Milk Tincture. As directed.

6. Blessed Thistle (someone please add the dosage?)

If you're still not seeing improvement, then you can see about calling in the big guns. By prescription only:

7. Reglan

8. Domperidone.

Whatever you do, NURSING is the most important component of your plan. No galactagogue will be effective if you're not giving your body the stimulation it needs. So put baby to breast as much as possible.

Please feel free to add to this post!

IF YOU HAVE  A QUESTION PLEASE POST IT SEPARATELY SO IT DOESN"T GET MISSED!

[Pandana]

Oh how I sympathize with the latching issue! If you haven't seen a lactation consultant, I encourage you to! I was skeptical at first, since it seemed that I had already tried everything, but it helped alot. The more people that can actually SEE what your baby is doing and hear your troubles, the more likely that one of them might notice something that the others didn't. The tiniest things can make a world of difference. Call La Leche League! They'll hook you up with GREAT people!

[SatyasMom]

I've been on an elimination diet for almost two weeks now for my daughter's eczema. The diet has helped clear her rash up but, I do think my milk supply is getting lower. Even the Mother's Milk tea doesn't seem to boost it up that much. Before if I drank one cup of that my breasts would fill up and start leaking. She seems frustrated with the decline in milk-- but she still seems to have as many wet diapers. I'm using cloth so, I have a pretty good idea of how much she's drinking. She's a BIG girl though and I wonder if I'm having trouble keeping up with her? She was 16 pounds at 3 months. She'll be four months old in another 9 days.

[Greeneyes80]

THANK YOU THANK YOU for this post..I was so worried recently when I became ill with a horrible stomach virus and was concerned about my milk supply going down.  I want to nurse my baby for at least 2 years...and that had me real concerned..I will eat some oatmeal today..I have a prescription of reglan too from when I was pregnant...I will try that next if the oatmeal doesn't seem to do the trick...THANK YOU AGAIN!!

[triciaterry]

The dosage for Blessed Thistle is the same as Fenugreek.  I saw the most benefit when taking those two together.  I didn't know even experience let-downs until i was on Blessed Thistle!  Another miracle milk booster is Alfafa Sprouts--it will increase your milk in hours!!  (i discovered it's not best to eat them at dinner--your breasts will feel like their bursting by morning) I have had many supply issues and have tried everything at some point in this process, I am now taking Reglan, just one tablet a day seems to be helping me keep up.

[terrible2]

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. I ALSO DRANK MILK AND ATE A LOT OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

[Brady91006]

Red Wine!!!

[JDM31707]

I had that problem, I found the only way he'd feed on my left side was at night in the dark. I usually feed him either across my chest or laying next to me. After a couple of days I decided to just feed him on the right side and pump the right so that my boobs would look even.

[Lalapula]

while the baby nurses on one side you could pump the other.

[blessed123]

Thank you so much. I needed to know that information.

[Lepradee]

The oatmeal helps because of the malt.  I HATE oatmeal, but I LOVE Ovaltine!