My Milk Is Running Out! Help!

Drink lots of fluids and pump more if you can! I had the same problem and drinking more water and pumping more helped! I do sometimes have to add formula to the breastmilk. He is up to 8 oz. so I do 6 oz. breastmilk and 2 oz of formula and water. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

When you are home try doing a lot skin on skin contact with her to stimulate milk production. Buy a carrier or wrap and carry her around with her in front. That is the best advice I can personally offer. hth

J. please contact me I am a mother to a 2 and a half year old son and have had very sililar problems. please give me a call at ###-###-#### I have a lot of information but it is easer to speep to you then spend my precious non baby time wrhghting you a long script.

The more you supplement the less your body will produce. If you can, try pumping more at work. I know... hard. And when you are home on the weekend, have marathon feeding sessions/pumping sessions. Drink LOTS of water. You can also try fenugreek or Mother's Milk Tea. Good luck. :)

The best way to stimulate milk production is to nurse/pump more often. If this can't be done at work, then try increasing your production over the weekend-as soon as you get home on Friday nurse every 1 - 1 1/2 hours until bedtime. Then start again on Saturday am, if your baby sleeps through the night, and do the same again on Sunday. By Monday, you should notice a difference. You will need to try to pump at least one more time while at work, or nurse alot when you get home. Nursing more often is a better production stimulant than nursing for longer periods.

For more advice, try calling your local hospital and speak with a lactation consultant. I know that at Christ they have a lactation department that deals with every possible nursing issue. You can even make an appointment to go in and get assistance.

Good luck!

You should contact La Leche League. They will usually even come to your home if necessary.Hope this helps.

It's all supply and demand. If you pump or breastfeed more often and for longer, your production will increase. It's all on a 24-48 hour cycle, so give your body a day or two to respond before you notice a difference. You may also try pumping once more at work or for at least 15-20 minutes each time. Keep up the good work!

Dear J., I sucessfully breast fed my two children. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Milk is produced based on the demand for it. When you are home, offer the breast more often then your daughter asks for it. Let her start nursing, if she isn't really hungry, take her off and then pump some out. You may be able to increase your stored milk that way. Another way is when she is on one side, collect milk off the other breast, this works great when you are engorged. If she is still hungry, offer the second breast and she will get more out. When you are at work, it is important that you relax when you pump. If you are anxious, the milk let down doesn't work too well. Try looking at a picture of your daughter while pumping. Don't forget to take in plenty of water, which is also needed for a good supply. I would not mix breast milk with formula, however, If you need to suppliment with formula while you are at work, do it. Just try to have her feedings timed so that she will be hungry for you when you get home. Congrats to you and your daughter, you have already given her immune system and her body a wonderful, healthy start, Keep up the good work!

I had to go back to work full time when my son was 7 weeks old and my milk decreased a lot. It was a very big struggle to make it to six months. If I had to do it over again I would have pumped a lot more. I was pumping twice at work and that was it for the hole day. I think I would have pumped at home too. Maybe after a feeding or before bed. I also got in the habbit of giving him formula or extra cereal. I would say try and pump more. Stick with it. It will come back if you work hard at it. And if you have to give her formula I would just give it to her after. Hope I could help a little. It will probably seem like that is all you are doing but it is worth it if that is what you want. And don't stress yourself. I think we all know what is right and good for our own situation. You feed her how you feel you should.

J.:

you may need to switch to a hospital grade pump...

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
www.breastfeedingandparentingsolutions.com

I would also suggest:

- Pump more! You can buy car adapters and pump while in the car, before or after work?

-Make sure you're hydrated - drink more water

-Nursing is the best stimulant, so nurse whenever you can when you're not at work

-Fenugreek is an herbal sup that you can get at GNC. I used it to help up my supply (successfully).

-Relax! Easier said than done but you can increase your supply. I personally was unable to pump or nurse for three days after surgery last year. My milk supply was zero and I was able to re-lactate within a few days with tons of pumping and then additional nursing.

-If you need to supplement with formula, don't beat yourself up. You can continue to nurse as much as possible. The goal is that your baby is getting nutrients. When I was wigging out about my milk slowing down I kept reminding myeslf that it was ME and not the baby that was bothered by the situation...again, easier said than done.

I'm sure you'll get lots of excellent advice on this. The nursing q's are always big respnses...it's a hot topic with lots of women supporting you.

I've heard that adding formula is not a good idea. My milk did the same thing when my daughter was 2 months old (she's 4 months now). My lactation consultant told me not to add formula because it doesn't force your body to make more milk, but just to cluster feed her as much as I could for a day (every two hours or so), or if you can't do that. There's an herbal capsule called Mother's Milk, I forget what the herb is, but it also comes in a tea. This worked like a charm for me.

good luck!

Ok first DON'T STRESS aboit how much you pump. I know it's easy to start obsessing over - even while you're pumping you stare at the bottles filling up and think "hmm... this isn't very much!" This is NOT productive! You actually have plenty of milk. Have you ever had trouble nursing your girl? I thought not... how much you can pump has no bearing on how much milk you make, just how much you can PUMP.

Ok so what can you do to pump more?
1. Stop watching the bottles fill up. I would put a cardigan over my front partly to keep myself warm and partly to avoid looking. Then read a book, look at a picture of your baby, smell a baby blanket, close your eyes and imagine the milk flowing out of your breasts with every exhale, relax. Seriously, all of these things will REALLY help. And the warm thing really makes a difference - if the room you're pumping in is cool this can really hinder your let-down.

2. Drink and eat plenty. Did you just start an exercise program or a diet? Back off a bit if you did. Oatmeal is supposed to be good for the supply too.

3. You can pump some extra on your days off if you're worried about having enough. Try pumping one breast while you nurse her on the other. You'll get more in the morning than later in the day. More on a Monday than on a Friday (b/c you have the weekend of exclusive nursing to "recharge").

4. When you start solids, ALWAYS nurse before you feed her solids.

Good luck! You are making PLENTY to feed your girl. Have confidence in your ability to do this!! Your body works perfectly.

Hi, I had just brought home my newborn and he started to lose a good amount of weight. The pediatrician thought I wasn't making enough milk so I saw a lactation consultant. She informed me that I could call my OB and ask for a prescription for Reglan (metoclopramide). Although it is usually used to treat nausea, an unlabeled use is to stimulate milk production. You might want to call your OB and see if he'd be willing to prescribe it for you. I noticed a significant increase in milk in just a few days. Good luck.

I don't know where you live but my La Leche League meetings are great. There are a lot of pumping/working moms there that can help you. I go to the Oak Park/River Forest meeting in Oak Park. It's on Tuesday night if you need some help. But as the other posters said, you need to nurse on demand as much as possible. Avoid bottles except when you are at work. pumping while nursing really does work too. Trust your body to know what your daughter needs. You have plenty of milk even if you can't seem to pump plenty.

Hi J.,

I recommend a herbal supplement, More Milk Plus. It comes in both capsules and tinctures. I used the capsules and my milk supply increased within 24-36 hours. You can purchase it at Whole Foods and you can also buy it on-line.
Also eating protein with each meal is important. Eggs are great. I boil 6 eggs at one time and then store them in the refrigerator. I am still nursing my 11.5 month old. She nurses 6-7 times/day. I try to nurse her as much as possible, before naps/after naps.
I would also consult with the lactation consultants at your hospital.
Best wishes,
D.

I found that working can be stressful without you realizing it. The hectic schedule can affect your milk supply. Make sure you have a picture of your baby when pumping at work and try to relax. You must drink plenty of liquids too this is a big part of your milk supply. You can also try food that have water content such as watermelon or cantaloupe. I found that these things helped me. If all else fails you can use Carnation Good Start to help stretch the breast milk. It is sweet just like breast milk and your baby will take to that quicker than formula that is bitter and thick. My son wouldn't take anything else. When she gets older (9-12months) you can try Soy milk. It is more expensive, due to it only coming in quarts and not gallons, and it is the same price as a gallon of milk but if you're still pumping then you will only be using it as a filler. Good Luck!

I had to supplement early on because both of my kids ate more than the usual amount and I could not keep up (6-8 oz. at two months), nurse first and then use formula. My oldest is six and the yougest 13 mos.(knock on wood has not been sick once:). My doctor actually reccommended this.

Right now my baby girls is 18 weeks and I'm trying to breastfeed her till one year , I had a period that I hardly got milk when I pumped. You need to relax that's point one. What I do is I keep kind off track from how many hours she eat. let's say she goes on the breast at 6 AM then on the job between 9 and 10 I pump a bottle and from there of on I would wait another 3 - 4 hours to pump that really helps me plus try to drink a hot cup off coco or milk walk around when you drink and after 5 min. you should be able to pump. Also take fenugreek capsules. In the evening I only put her on the breast. Good Luck

Adding another pumping session if you can would be best. I pumped 3x (one at each break and during lunch) when my son was that age and I was working. You also can try taking the supplement fenugreek to increase the amount you are getting....and drink lots of water, eat oatmeal (whole grain). It is possible to mix formula but it would be more advisable to try to increase your supply. Any time you subsitute something for breast milk it is like a self fufilling prophecy....the more you supplement, the less you make. And you wouldn't want to waste any BM if you made a bottle with BM and formula and she didn't end up taking it all. Make sure you are ALWAYS nursing her when you are home and available. Try to take a little "nursing vacation" where you just lay in bed with her skin to skin and nurse any time she seems the slightest bit interested. It is all supply and demand so if your supply is dropping you need to increase the demand.

i assume you are tense and in a hurry when you are pumping. you have to relax or your milk will not let down. imagine the pump is your infant suckling. i will almost garantee you'll have better production. hope this works.

About a month into BF-ing I had to consider supplements. I talked to my gyne and he prescribed Reglan for me. This made a huge difference! I was told about taking Fenugreek but was also told that she would smell like maple syrup from it, I am not sure if that is true or not but I did not want to smell that all the time! The Reglan did wonders and after 6 months when my supply decreased again I just started supplements and eventually (around 8 months)gave it up knowing I did great for the first 6 months even though my goal was one year.

Also, with this heat and humidity make sure you are drinking plenty of water and as few as possible of caffiene drinks.... that was my hardest to cut down on, I couldnt give it up though!

If you do add formula make sure you are mixing it seperately since you want to make sure it is measured properly.... I am blushing here... I mixed the formula in what I was pumping and did not add water for several supplement feedings and paid for it later! Not sure if I am the only dope to do this but just in case... thought I would tell ya! lol

Good luck to you! Give your Dr a call and get the Reglan, it is so easy to use and it also helped me! Many blessings to you and your daughter!

Check out www.kellymom.com They can really help with up to date information you can trust.

While pumping (and working) I took Fenugreek an herb from a health food store to help boost and build my supply. It did help, but you need to take it consistently and pump consistently.

Be aware that it makes your urine and "sweat" smell like Maple Syrup. I smelled it, but my husband said he couldn't. I was a little self-conscious about it.

Working and pumping can be stressful... and I went hours without pumping at times due to meeting schedules and so on which affected my supply. Try hard to be on a schedule, it keeps your body on track.

Also make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating healthy balanced meals. I snacked a lot at work which also affected my supply.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

I had the same problem. I made plenty at night (my son co-slept and nursed most of the night, so I knew that he was getting good milk) but I could not pump even 3 oz out at work during the day. I am sure it was stress-related as I was stressed trying to pump at lunch which was about 20 minutes. (I was teaching.) I would be totally engorged by afternoon and when I got home with him he would nurse.

I took fennugreek which is an herb sold at GNC, and that helped a lot with production overall, but not so much with the pumping. I did supplement with formula and mostly did it half and half; I found he took the bottle much better with half breastmilk in there. If I didn't have enough then he got formula at the sitters.

Also, he did not eat very much during the day since he was "reverse nursing" which is a "phenomenon found in working moms." So he was eating at night and then during the day he wasn't as much; sort of like having his days and nights mixed up but only with food.

Good luck and keep up the nursing, even if it's only at home. Try to stay relaxed and think about your daughter while you nurse, maybe take a picture, to help your milk drop.

And don't let anyone make you feel bad for adding formula to her diet. You're giving her a wonderful start with the breastmilk that she is getting, and formula is not poison. :)

You can definetly mix the breast milk and the formula, I did this when I had the same dry up problem and needed to switch my boys over to formula.
Pumping more is a good stimulation to produce more I have heard of several people doing this. Also I would ask what kind of pump or you using. I used just a cheap Walmart hand pump when I nursed my boys but when I had my surrogate son and pumped for him I used a Medela Hosp. grade pump and I lasted on pumping much longer and got a lot better supply too. GOOD LUCK!!!

I would make sure that you are drinking a TON of water and perhaps trying some mother's milk tea or fenugreek capsules to try to boost your supply. Maybe also pump one more time at work and that should help. I would wait until you had enough milk for a bottle and then give it to her and give her formula for feedings when you don't have enough (and of course pump then too). My daughter was able to have formula sometimes when we were in a pinch and then breast milk other times. However, my personal experience was that if she had milk and formula together it made her VERY gassy and uncomfortable so I wouldn't recommend it... but I don't know if that response is typical. Good luck!!

My daughter is 8 months old and I just started to lose mine however called my OB as there is a medication called Reglan that can help boost your supply. I stretched the meds out that they prescribed b/c it works like a charm however only knew to do that as I did it with my other daughter. There is other mothers tea, fenugreek, etc... that can help but I am not a tea drinker nor did I want to smell like maple syrup so I went the Rx route. I only do formula out of convenience and I usually just add 1 scoop, 2 oz. of water to stretch it instead of thawing a while bag for 2 oz. My daughter however will take straight formula. They also told me to add an extra pump in there but I honestly didn't have time for that or what I have done that helps is pump out after she eats so your body thinks she needs more than what she is eating. Good luck. I hope one of these ideas helps!

Try taking Fenugreek Seed, you can get it at a healthfood store or drinking tea that is meant for nursing moms.

I also was pumping at work (I went back to work after 3 months). Although you don't produce as much milk when you pump, the key is to keep pumping, whenever you can, to keep up the supply. My daughter would get up once during the night to feed but she would only need one breast so then I would pump the other breast to get extra milk (since you are already up anyway!) I also would pump in the evening, after she nursed and went to bed, even if there wasn't much left. I was able to strictly breastfeed for 6 months, no formula, then we started her on solids. Then we continued to bf for another 3 1/2 months. It was toughest during her growthspurts but we made it through, no formula.

Here is a great website for suppport with pumping: www.workandpump.com. Eventhough you are supplementing with BM, it is still supplementing. Nursing is supply and demand. If your daughter is taking more bottles than you are pumping, then your supply will not be able to keep up with her. If you can, try to add another pumping session at work. If not, you can pump first thing in the morning before you feed her. Prolactin levels are highest in the morning and you will more than likely have enough to feed her after you are done pumping. You can also try to tandem pump, which is pumping on one side while feeding her on the other. If you do this enough, your body will make more. Also, pump fist thing in the morning, every morning to keep your freezer stash going. Are you using a good electric double pump (like Medela Pump in Style or Ameda Purely Yours?)? If not, this could also be not helping the situation. For that much pumping, you do need a heavy duty motorized machine. Also, consider massaging the breast before you start pumping and then continue to massage and compress the breast as you pump. If you tandem pump and nurse often when you feed the baby, your body will start to make more in time.

Good luck! I pumped for 1 year, so I know the stress you are feeling.

J., Hi there, been there, done this! So, dont feel left alone. The first question I have to ask it, have you recently gone back on birth control? With my third child the moment i went back on birth control within about 3 or 4 days, my supply dwindled right down. Secondly, you may have to pump more than you thought you might have to if you want to feed exclusively breast milk. Do you feel very full when you get the chance to pump, like the supply is there or not? A part of that might be. are you drinking enough? Sometimes we get busy and forget to drink like we were when baby's little head is there with us in our lap, so our supply falls off. I did use both formula and breastmilk myself. I had anyone watching baby give formula and then gave bm when the milkbar was available. I suggest using powdered formula, lasts a long time open (much longer than the formula companies want to admit (an FYI, it's actually about four to six months, some say a year opened in a dry place covered, I am a Peds RN, so have some interaction with formula reps). Costco, walmart and places like that usually sell a formula container in the baby section, it is round, has three? little places to put formula and you just turn the top to the one you want. If you are out you just take a room temp bottle of water or get some bottled water wherever and just drop the formula in and shake, instant food! It's very handy..I hope maybe some of this helps, let us know, will you? Good luck!

If you are stressed out it will slow the production of milk. Before pumping, try to relax a little (It could be hard at work), but also try to drink 1-2 glasses of water a 1/2 hour before it pumping.

J. T
IL

Pumping and nursing more is definitely a winning combo. You can also pump for an extra 10 minutes or so after your baby nurses. Not much will come out, but it is the pumping action that will stimulate more lactation. Good luck!

I wouldn't add formula directly to breastmilk, but adding in a supplementary bottle of formula here and there as needed is nothing to be worried about, assuming your daughter will take formula too. I ran into some snags with not having enough milk for my daughter and found that giving her small bottles of formula now and again to "top off" what I wasn't providing worked just fine. It helped us slowly work the milk supply back up to what she needed without stressing me out so much. I ended up cutting breastfeeding short with my son (we got through the first 8 weeks or so) but had been told not to supplement, so I ended up just quitting altogether when it didn't work. But supplementing with formula helped balance things out so I could keep going longer with my daughter - we made it to 18 months before she weaned.

I would say - don't stress over it. There are some great suggestions here already on increasing your milk supply, and that is worth trying too - so long as you aren't overstressing yourself in the process. If you aren't quite making enough, then get what you can, but don't be afraid to add in the occasional bottle of formula when you need to. I tended to keep the formula bottles small - 2 to 4 oz tops - so that I only gave her what she really needed, and generally only after I'd already giving her what breastmilk I could supply.

Good luck!

Hi J.! There are a few things you can do. First, eat oatmeal. That really helps. And also, you can get some Fenugeek or Mothers Milk tea and you can get both of those at a health food store. They work wonders. Also, when you pump, take a picture of your baby with you and look at it, and even a blanket or outfit and hold it. This really helps with letdown. Good luck.
S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Nina's post said pretty much everything I was going to say. You can also try reglan, which your doctor can prescribe. It's very safe (it's used for reflux in babies) and I found it helpful when I was pumping in helping with easier letdowns and more supply.

Also, if you have gone back to work, are you cutting out night feedings? If you can get even one nursing session in overnight, that will help keep your supply up. It's some hormonal effect, but it really does work. Along the same lines, if you use formula supplement (and I did too) don't give a formula bottle before bed if you can avoid it - supplement when your milk is at its lowest if you have to (which is in the early evening, usually.)

You should aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150lbs, you would need to drink 75oz of water! If you drink one cup of caffiene, then you must add two additional cups of water. Mother's Milk which can be found at whole foods is excellent, the tincture is what you'll want to buy. Some foods like oatmeal has been known to boost supply as well. Also, who ever is bottle feeding her, make sure that she is not milk "bonging" the bottle, babies can open up their throats and it will pour down instead of making her suck it down. My LC said to make sure our's was sitting upright, not laying down and we used the Medela bottles, so we turned the nipple upside down to control the flow, per her recommendation. She did give great advice and that was to make sure you treat the bottle like the breast, babies should not be rushed to drink their milk, hopefully some of those tips will help along with the other posts. www.kellymom.com is another great website! Good luck!!

J., I'm no lactation consultant but you may want to try pumping a few more times while you are at work to increase your supply (I know, how fun!). I also worked three days a week while nursing both my kids and did have to supplement with formula because I was too busy at work to really relax and pump enough.

My kids were very picky about their milk so I couldn't add the formula to the breastmilk, I had to make separate bottles, collecting enough breastmilk to make a feeding and then giving them formula-only bottles when I ran out. I had to make sure that the formula was pretty warm (almost hot) or else they wouldn't drink it because they were used to nursing. That said, I'm not sure the professionals would give that advice!:) Also, every kid is different so try everything you can until it works, the one thing I learned from reading all the books is that sometimes the books don't have the answers and you just have to find what works for you. It'll get easier soon, good luck!

Hi J.,
I started to wean my daughter to formula by doing 90/10 for couple of days...than 80/20 for about a week....than 70/30 and so on. It helped her get adjusted and we had no issues. The only issue is in the beginning...formula is gritty unlike breastmilk. Babies need to get adjusted to the grittiness. I guess there is a formula out there that is not as gritty, I cannot recall which one. I would do a search online or ask mamasource about this formula.

In regards to pumping...I know my milk supply started to reduce as soon as I started to lose weight. You need to keep eating the calories to keep the milk production. Icecream at night helped me stay at a stable weight and keep milk production. Also ...don't forget to drink lots of liquids. What does the doctor say ...or lactation consultants suggest?

Also....what helped me is to squeeze milk out of my breasts with my hands after pumping. It increased the supply and kept any ducts from plugging up. Note, if it appears you have no more milk after pumping for a bit...try again in about 3-8 min. It will be there.

Good luck.
A. and Avi

I don't have advice for you but I do know the lactation consultants at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights are wonderful and will do phone consultations. ###-###-####

Amy

I have a 3 month old as well. Have you recently started fgetting more caffiene? Or lowered your water intake? I also pump 2 times at work and I noticed last week that I am not getting as much. This week I am really paying attn to what I am drinking and starting to increase the milk. Hope this helps. You could also try talking with a lactation consultant at a hospital--maybe teh one the baby was born at. Oh, and when I had my first kids, we supplemented them with formula because I just didn't have enough to go around. They got a formula bottle and then a milk bottle.

I have a baby the same age and also work 3 days a week. When pumping at work, I look at his pictures or read my Pregnancy & Newborn magazine. Increase your water intake. Lastly, I pump every night after he goes to sleep. For instance, he goes down about 7:30 for the night, so by 10 pm I pump, then he nurses again between 12:30 and 2:30. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to pump. I have more milk then than during the day at work. Sleep would be great, but the breast milk for him is more important.