From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I didn’t know much about it, but I knew it was healthier and free (compared to formula that cost a lot of money that I didn’t have).

When my daughter was born and they told me I needed to feed her. I jumped when it pinched and the discomfort that came with this new experience.

The nurses told me she had a great latch, but it was very painful for me to nurse her. A day later, when the lactation consultant came in and asked if she could look at my breasts, I lifted my shirt and with a sympathetic face, she said, “Oh honey! My toes just curled. That looks so painful!”

They had me only nurse on one side while pumping on the one that looked terrible for a day until it looked better and I could nurse on both sides again.

When my milk came in for the first time, I cried. It was just too much.

I felt like I had jumped into the deep end of the pool with motherhood and I was overwhelmed.

Eventually, my daughter and I found a rhythm and it wasn’t painful. Praise God!

She proceeded to tell me that her weight was not where it should be and recommended I supplement.

We began feeding her formula every other feeding (nurse – formula – nurse – formula, etc.).

I was really bummed, and it took me weeks to emotionally feel okay giving her a bottle of formula.

I wasn’t against “formula”, but I was disappointment in myself. I felt like a terrible mom because I couldn’t provide the bare-necessity for my daughter. Thankfully, my sweet husband was quick to point out to me that it was not my fault and at the end of the day, we just wanted our sweet girl to be healthy.

She was so much happier with a full tummy, and I quickly decided that if formula kept her tummy full and happy, that’s all that mattered.

My pediatrician did not recommend I see a lactation consultant to try to figure out why my supply was low or if anything could be done about it.

She also did not recommend that I pump when she was getting formula. After a month, since I was breastfeeding half as often as before I started the formula , my supply was depleted even more.

I was now only able to feed her first thing in the morning. 30 days later, I nursed her for the last time at 6 months old.

Not knowing that with the decreased stimulation I would have an even lower supply, I believed my supply went away because I wasn’t taking care of myself. There were times when I would forget to eat and drink water.

Thinking this was the cause, I knew for my next baby I would take better care of myself to keep my supply up.

When baby #2 came, I felt better prepared and I was more determined to exclusively nurse for a year.

I was working full time this round though, so my plan was to pump at work so she would still get breastmilk.

Like my oldest, my second latched immediately and had no problems nursing – but it was incredibly painful.

For two weeks every latch made me bite my tongue because it hurt so bad. I bled a couple times and needed to pump in order to feed her.

6 weeks after her birth when I returned to work, we noticed that she would drink a full bottle while I was at work but snacked when I nursed her at night. This led us to become an exclusively pumping family.

Despite my efforts to build a freezer stash early on, my second daughter burned through our supply within weeks, and it became evident that my body could not keep up with her hunger.

So, we started supplementing. Again.

Although I was used to this method, I still felt defeated. This was my second time doing this. I had been eating and drinking lots of water. What was my problem?

“Remember, all that matters it that she is full. Because if she is full, she is happy and healthy!”

Still disappointed in myself, I walked by the can of formula and I heard God whisper “accept the blessing.” My mind raced with all kinds of realizations. I wasn’t a bad mom for not being able to fully provide for my daughter. He wasn’t disappointed in me and didn’t want me to beat myself up over this.

“Accept the blessing” also encouraged me to thank Him for creating formula so we had an alternative option. Thank Him that my daughter took it so well.

I was thankful that I could still give her breastmilk and we weren’t completely switching. So many little blessings that I ignored in my pity-party.

I am writing this today with an exclusively formula fed baby. My supply completely dried up when my second daughter was 5 months old despite my attempts to pump more. I feel like God was closing that door and banging on it was only wearing me out.

For the sake of my physical and mental health, I needed to be done. I do not feel defeated but loved. God knows the desire of my heart is to breastfeed my babies, but He also knows how much I can handle. I am thankful for other options like formula that has allowed my girls to stay full and happy.

Full, happy, healthy. That’s what my girls need to be.

My encouragement to mamas who had their hearts set on exclusively nursing but find they are need to consider other forms of nourishment is to “accept the blessing.”

I know what it’s like to feel guilty, disappointed, and frustrated when it looks like other moms are providing the perfect amount for their kiddos, but take heart knowing that you are not a failure because of this.

The fact that you are even exploring all options shows that you want what is best for your baby. You’re an amazing Mama, and don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise!

 Sarah Shaver is a 20-something wife and mom of two girls under two years old. Her blog, The Shaver Crew (www.shavercrew.com) is filled with her family and the lifestyle they’ve chosen. The Shaver Crew is a family of 4 obsessed with Jesus, fun, laughter, quality time and yummy food! Sarah’s heart is to share things that help you build your family, encourage you, make you laugh, and help strengthen your relationship with our Savior.

The post Mommy Stories – Sarah’s Story: Low Milk Supply appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Baby B was my third baby. I thought I knew what there was to know about breastfeeding. I’d done it before.

However, there I was. Sleep deprived, irritable and feeling like something wasn’t right. I hadn’t slept more than 2 hours a night in 5 days. Maybe more? That time is fuzzy, now.

Baby B was four months old, and he was the first of my children that I had not supplemented with formula. I was determined to breastfeed him until his 1st birthday. By four months, my older kids had already slipped into bedtime routines, sleeping through the night and eating at the same times each day.

When my infant wasn’t sleeping through the night anymore, I told myself that baby B was different. Since he was 100% breastfed, I thought this was probably normal. At his four-month check-up, we discovered that he hadn’t gained weight.

The doctor told me that he had a tongue tie and referred me to a specialist. I had no idea of how to look for tongue tie. It wasn’t even on my list of things that I should be checking for.

What is Tongue Tie and Why It Needs To Be Addressed

Tongue tie, or ankyloglossia (say that ten times fast), is when the frenulum (that band of tissue under your tongue that connects the tongue to the bottom of your mouth) is short and tight.

Tongue tie was constricting the movement of my baby boy’s tongue which impaired his ability to properly latch during nursing sessions.

Latch and Tongue Tie

Since baby B couldn’t use his tongue to latch correctly, he couldn’t get all the milk he needed from each nursing session. Often, he would fall asleep while nursing from the exhaustion of trying to get enough milk. I would put him down only to find him crying 15 minutes later and wanting to nurse again.

Because I wasn’t familiar with tongue tie, I initially thought he was cluster feeding and kept nursing on demand while hoping his growth spurt would end soon.

Where Did My Milk Go?

Because baby B wasn’t latching well, he also wasn’t emptying each breast during nursing sessions. My milk production quickly decreased.

In the first few months, B was sleeping in 6-hour stretches each night. After putting him to bed at 9:00 PM, I would stay up until midnight and pump 4-6 ounces while he slept. At four months, I was only able to pump 3 ounces during that midnight pumping session.

Milk supply should have been my first clue to realizing that we were having latch problems, but it never crossed my mind.

It wasn’t until his four-month well-check that I understood why my milk was decreasing, why he wasn’t sleeping and why it had felt like he had been in the same size onesies for a bit too long.

Why is that important? Because I wasn’t a new mom with zero experience breastfeeding.

Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or perhaps it was the fact that the lactation consultant didn’t spend as much time with me at the hospital because I was a “veteran mom.”

For four months, my son struggled with nursing, and we didn’t know. He slept well and acted like a happy, healthy baby until a week before his four-month birthday.

A frenecto-what?

We were the first ones in the specialist’s office that morning.

After a quick examination, he confirmed that the tongue tie was severe. He advised a frenectomy to correct the issue.

Sometimes performed by a dentist, or in our case, a pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist, a frenectomy is a quick outpatient procedure. Our doctor used surgical scissors to snip the frenulum and cauterized the ends.

Some doctors do the procedure with a laser, which will heal differently. However, the result is the same: the tongue is no longer constrained and held down.

The procedure is unnerving to watch as a parent, but I don’t believe that baby B felt much. He was upset that we were holding him down, but as soon as the procedure was over and I picked him up he stopped crying.

His tongue also had the full range of motion immediately after the procedure. We caught him playing with his tongue and giggling about it for several days after.

Recovery

Recovery from a procedure to correct tongue tie is relatively simple.

The specialist had us sweep under his tongue a few times a day with a clean finger. This was to prevent the frenulum from reattaching as it healed.

After a week, the area was completely healed, and there was no indication of tongue tie except for a small indentation under his tongue where the frenulum had been snipped.

Nursing

About 30 minutes after the procedure was completed, baby B was nursing.

The difference was noticeable right away. His latch was immediately stronger and deeper. He drained both breasts quickly. And, wanted more!

We tried to supplement with formula, but he wouldn’t take it. He only wanted breast milk. So, I needed to find a way to bring back my milk supply quickly.

Work with a lactation consultant

Three days after baby B’s frenectomy, I met with a lactation consultant for a one on one session. She confirmed that baby B’s latch was perfect and the procedure had corrected the issues.

However, since my milk supply had decreased, he was still having trouble feeling full. He was only getting about 2 ounces per breast before becoming frustrated.

To stimulate milk production, the lactation consultant recommended pumping 4-6 times a day.

Yes, you can get your milk back

Being the overachiever that I am, I decided I was not only going to get my milk back, but I wanted to build a freezer stash as well.

I continued to nurse on demand and pumped for 15 minutes using a double electric pump after every nursing session.

Baby B started to sleep for 6-hour stretches, so after he had been asleep for three hours, I would do a power pump session.

A power pump session is when you pump for 20 minutes, take a 10-minute break, pump for 10 minutes, take another 10-minute break and pump one more time for 10 minutes.

By doing that I was able to freeze 4-8 ounces per day in addition to bottle feeding him 3 ounces of breastmilk after each nursing session.

After about three days of doing this, my milk increased enough that I didn’t have to supplement with pumped milk anymore.

I continued to pump on this schedule until baby B was eating solids at six months. At my most productive sessions, I was able to pump 10 ounces in a power pump session and 3-4 ounces after nursing sessions.

A word on supplements

I was feeling desperate to increase my milk supply, so I took pretty much every milk boosting product on the market.

While I do believe that my milk increased when I took Brewer’s Yeast, it could also be because I was eating more calories (baking the yeast into banana bread). I also drank a gallon of water per day.

Hydration and creating round the clock demand are more likely to have been the keys to my success over the endless supplements.

Your baby will be just fine

When I first received the tongue tie diagnosis, I cried my eyes out.

Feelings of guilt (why hadn’t I known that he was not latching properly), fear (how would this affect him in the future) and anxiety (was this the end of my breastfeeding goals) overcame me. After making the appointment with the specialist, I sat in my car sobbing.

I read every blog post that I could find on tongue tie and recovery. I studied how to bring back a dwindling milk supply and cried some more at the lactation consultant’s office. However, in the end, baby B is just fine, and your baby will be just fine, too.

He is now a happy and healthy toddler. He has since weaned from breastfeeding to whole milk and can out eat his 3-year-old brother at nearly every meal.

Hearing that your infant can’t eat is terrifying. However, tongue tie is a relatively common and easily corrected issue.

It is possible to have a long and happy nursing journey with your little one after a tongue tie diagnosis.

Jenny Welsh lives in Southern California with her three children, husband and one neurotic dog. She helps moms manage their homes, time and finances at  Home After Three and in her Facebook group, www.facebook.com/groups/momstimewellspent. Have you struggled with tongue-tie? If so, when did you find out your baby was tongue-tied?   

Related Post:

Answering All Your Questions About Tongue-tie and Lip Ties -How They Can Affect Breastfeeding

The post Jenny’s Mommy Story appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

There are many things you do that encourage a good milk supply. There are also things you can eat that can decrease your milk supply.

Eating peppermint has a powerful effect on milk supply. In fact, this is one of the suggestions I make to moms who have too much milk and that is causing a problem. 

For moms who have a low milk supply, a history of low milk supply or who are trying to build their milk supply should try to not ingest any peppermint.

I have had moms ask me if gum is okay. I honestly don’t know. I do know that as little as one cup of peppermint tea a day has helped moms I have worked with decrease their supply.

What have you tried to build a low milk supply? What other things have you been told to avoid? Share with me and my readers in the comments.

Related Posts

Essential Steps to Have a Good Milk Supply

3 Holiday Foods That Decrease Milk Supply While Breastfeeding

 

PLEASE SHARE THIS PIN

The post Protect Your Milk Supply by Avoiding This appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Breast is best, but breastmilk in a bottle is pretty awesome too

If you’re a brand new breastfeeder, you may be asking when you can or should introduce a bottle. Full disclosure, I’m a lactation lady who believes that it’s a good thing for a breastfed baby to take a bottle.

I have a few memories in my lactation career journey that stand out. One enduring memory was visiting a mama up on the surgical floor in the hospital who had just had emergency gallbladder surgery. She was the mama of an exclusively breastfed three-month-old baby girl. To make all this even more interesting, dramatic and heart wrenching, she had just taken her first trip alone with her baby to visit her mom.

Okay, let’s add these challenges up.

• Stress number one – Traveling on a plane by yourself with your three-month-oldWe all know “those” looks you get when you board a plane with an infant.
  • We probably gave “those” looks before we had our own baby.
• #2 – Being in a different environment where you don’t have all the baby comforts of home
  • It just isn’t humanly possible to take all the “stuff” you have for your baby.
  • Most of that “stuff” isn’t necessary, but it sure makes life more comfortable and convenient.
• #3 – The pain of a gallbladder attack
  • I’ve never had one but I’ve heard they are pretty awful.
• #4 – Needing surgery for said gallbladder attack
  • Enough said
• #5 – Your baby will be in the sole care of a loving grandma, who she has never seen before two days ago.
• #6- Your baby will have to get formula, which she has never had before because you weren’t planning on being separated from her.
• #7 – Your baby is going to have to get a bottle, which she has never had before.

I’m super stressed just writing all that!

The mom was fine. The baby was fine. The baby took the bottle of formula just fine. I brought the mama a pump so she could supply her baby with her own milk.

But some babies don’t take bottles just fine. Some babies will not take a bottle even if you swing from the ceiling and spit wooden nickels.

Most babies will eventually take a bottle with repeated offers. Some need some coaxing and tricks. Best to find out which one yours is before you need her to take a bottle.

All this was a long way of saying that a breastfed baby who is willing to take a bottle allows not only for flexibility (date night, anyone?) but for emergencies.

I recommend offering a bottle when breastfeeding is well established.

I don’t give a specific age. I don’t believe that if you don’t do it by a specific time the door to that option is shut forever. The reality is some babies will refuse a bottle from very early on, and others will start taking them at an older age.

Can I just say, if your baby is an older age, just skip bottles altogether and use a cup. One less thing to wean from.

Breastfeeding takes a minimum of two weeks to get established. I say it is established when you have stopped thinking about all the details. You don’t have any pain in your nipples or breasts. Your baby is swallowing all the time and gaining tons of weight and having more diapers than you can count. Her feeding cues are second nature for you to recognize. You can latch easily without paying attention.

That is how I define breastfeeding as being well established.

Hint: Milk should not dribble out of a baby’s mouth like this.

Hint: Milk should not dribble out of a baby’s mouth like it is in this picture.

The first time you offer a bottle, just make it an appetizer. Offer 1/2-1 ounce, then finish the feeding at the breast. The reason for this is that is if your little one takes one look at that bottle, clamps his mouth shut and looks at you like you’ve maybe lost your mind, then you won’t be throwing away large amounts of your precious breastmilk.

If this was your baby’s response, continue to offer small amounts. If he happily took the bottle, next time you can do a full feeding in a bottle.

I often get asked which bottle is the best for a breastfed baby. I honestly don’t think there is one bottle that is best for all babies. That said, I do like this one, and it was also recommended to me by a speech therapist.

Good luck mamas! Let me know if there is a bottle you like. I would also love to hear about your experience of introducing a bottle. Leave it in the comments section.

Join me in my Facebook group for more tips on all things breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Confidential Facebook Group

The post Milky Minutes – Bottles and Breastfeeding appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Eating peppermint has a powerful effect on milk supply. In fact, this is one of the suggestions I make to moms who have too much milk and that is causing a problem.

For moms who have a low milk supply, a history of low milk supply or who are trying to build their milk supply should try to not ingest any peppermint.

I have had moms ask me if gum is okay. I honestly don’t know. I do know that as little as one cup of peppermint tea a day has helped moms I have worked with decrease their supply.

If you are having trouble with a low milk supply, I wrote an in-depth article about it: https://breastfeedingconfidential.com/increase-milk-supply

This is a book that is a great resource with many recommendations by The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk: Foreword by Martha Sears, RN

What have you tried to build a low milk supply? What other things have you been told to avoid? Share with me and my readers in the comments.

The post Milky Minutes-Avoid This and Protect Your Milk Supply appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

What year is it? Because when I looked it was 2018. Can I just say that I don’t understand why we are even talking about breastfeeding in public being a thing?  I had my first baby in 1986. (Don’t do the math, ok? I’m old, enough said). I breastfed in public al three of my babies and never had anyone say anything or look at me sideways.  I feel like we have gone backwards! It is 32 years later and women are being harassed worse today than ever. They are being harassed about feeding their hungry babies! How ridiculous is that?  They are being told that what they are doing is disgusting. Disgusting! I. Am. OVER. It! People need to get their mind out of the gutter! Anyone who makes a comment along these lines is sexually harassing a woman and is a pervert. If anyone says anything to you, that is how you should respond…”Get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert!” Okay. Rant over. Here is a beautiful picture of a baby eating.

The post Milky Minutes – Breastfeeding in Public appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

If you are experiencing bottle refusal with your baby, chances are you have asked everyone for advice. Trust me, this is one of those things where everyone will have an opinion about what will cure your problem.

The most useful trick I have seen work is to have the baby facing away from the person who is giving the bottle.

Walking, swaying or even gently dancing while you do it helps cure bottle refusal as well.

Singing will often earn you bonus points with the baby. Your success with adding singing may depend on how well you can carry a tune, so sometimes just humming is better.

I would recommend trying this trick for bottle refusal before going out an buying a bunch of bottles. You not only may put an end to the bottle refusal but save some money in the process!

Do you have a baby that has refused bottles? What did you try? Was it successful? Let me know in the comments section and please share this post!

The post Milky Minutes – Bottle Refusal appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Photo credit: lechuckster via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

I am introducing a new feature to my blog, Milky Minutes. This will be a brief post to answer questions that many moms have about breastfeeding. It won’t be so much about challenges, or questions that require an in-depth post, but a quick answer to a common question.

Today’s topic is, what is an appropriate amount to feed my baby when bottle-feeding?

Like many answers to most questions about feeding a baby, the answer to this question is, it depends. How much does your baby weigh? How old is your baby? Is the bottle in place of a breastfeeding, or to supplement breastfeeding? If the answer is the latter, how much milk is your baby getting at your breast? Also, how often does your baby eat?

If the bottle is in place of a breastfeeding, the answer is going to be somewhere between 2 and 5 ounces. You’re probably thinking, well, that’s a huge range! That’s because of all the other variables I mentioned.

It is just as important not to overfeed, as it is to underfeed. And it is possible to overfeed. A pediatrician recently told a mom who I was working with that if a baby is overfed, he would just spit it back up. While this is the most common reason for spitting up, it is not always what happens from overfeeding. Can you overeat? Yes, we all can. With a baby, if he eats more than his little tummy can comfortably hold, it can teach him that is what it should feel like when he eats. He won’t feel satisfied unless he feels stuffed. A baby’s body can also push the food through their duodenum, and it doesn’t get the time it should have in the stomach.

A baby’s ability to continue to eat after he is full is the same reason that being able to take a bottle after breastfeeding is not an accurate way to see if he is “getting enough” when he breastfeeds.

Just because your baby can eat a ridiculous amount of milk from a bottle, doesn’t mean that he should. Think about how you feel when you eat a huge meal, like Thanksgiving dinner. You’re kind of uncomfortable for awhile, aren’t you? I know I am. Imagine if you felt like that every time you ate. That’s how your baby feels if you are overfeeding him every time you give a bottle.

A 7-8# baby, who is 6 weeks or younger, probably will eat 2.5-3 oz. As a baby gets older and larger, he will eat a little more. Most breastfed babies top out at 4-5 oz. when they get a full feeding from a bottle. This may be much less than a formula fed baby. Remember though, breastmilk changes according to a baby’s needs, as they get older. Also, breastfeeding is normal, and should be the reference point.

I hope this helps answer the original question.

As a final thought, or maybe I should call it a confession, I know from personal experience that babies, even very young ones, can overeat without spitting up. When I was a nurses aide, many, many years ago, I was sent to work in the nursery. I didn’t know anything about how much babies were supposed to eat. I was told to feed a baby who was 2 or 3 days old. I got a bottle of formula, and I fed him. He took the whole bottle. He just kept sucking the formula down until there was no more. He didn’t spit anything up either.

Back then, the ready to feed bottles of formula contained 4 oz. Four! That brand new baby ate it all. When I told the nurse, she looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “Uh, they don’t usually eat that much,” she said. Knowing what I know now, I feel terrible for that baby.  He probably had quite a tummy ache!

Here’s an illustration of how much is appropriate for new babies to eat.

The post Milky Minutes – How much milk should I put in a bottle? appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Too Much Breast Milk

Last time we talked about increasing your milk supply. I want to emphasize that most women, if they are not over-pumping, will have as much milk as their baby needs. Some women however, will have more milk than their baby needs. Much more. This can present its own set of challenges.

This situation is referred to by different terms, such as over-abundant milk supply, or hyperlactation. It all means the same thing. You have more milk than your baby needs, and it causes a problem.

“Causes a problem” is the key phrase there. Some women have tons of milk and it doesn’t present any kind of problem. Their baby is happy, they aren’t uncomfortable, and everyone lives happily. If this is you, you really don’t have to read this whole article. Just jump down to see what I’ll be writing about next time, and come back and read that article.

Symptoms of Too Much Breast Milk

If you are wondering if the problems you are having might be caused by too much breast milk, keep reading. Over-supply is typically associated with these indications:

• Your baby is fussy and gassy 
• Your baby arches or pushes off the breast, especially with let-down
• Your baby chokes and sputters during the feeding
• Your baby clamps down on the breast (this slows the flow down)
• Your baby clicks when breastfeeding (baby is releasing suction to slow the flow down, and is not a problem if it is the only symptom)
• Your baby spits up very large amounts of milk
• Your baby cries right after feeding
• Your baby has green stools, that may be foamy looking
• Your baby may have poor weight gain
• Your baby may develop breast aversion
• You feel uncomfortably full or engorged often, or possibly all of the time
• You have frequent plugged ducts
• Possibly repeated cases of mastitis

For the list of symptoms in your baby, it is only a problem if your baby is unhappy. If a baby has green stools, is happy and gaining weight, and that is the only symptom, there is no problem, .

Confirming Too Much Breast Milk

If you think you have too much breast milk, it is best to see a lactation consultant to verify it. I know this is a repeated chorus for me, but I have seen people try to diagnose themselves and it has been the opposite problem, or another problem altogether. I have also seen lactation consultants try to diagnose this type of thing over the phone and it has been something else entirely. It’s not unusual for over-supply and reflux to be confused with each other. I’ve also seen a lactation consultant speak briefly with a mom and say, “try block feeding,” and because they didn’t have the whole picture, the recommendation for block feeding wasn’t specific enough, and it didn’t work. I worked with one mom who did block feeding and when she started she had to keep giving the baby the same side every time the baby wanted to eat for 8 hours. This is an extreme case, but I knew the whole story, and after some experimentation, we came to the conclusion that this was how long she needed to go. I needed to get her whole history, watch a feeding, and have her pump, to come up with an accurate diagnosis. The I had to work closely with her for several weeks to see what happened, and adjust her treatment plan when it was needed. It was a difficult time while she down-regulated her supply, but then she and her daughter went on to have a very long and happy nursing relationship.

How To Deal With Too Much Breast Milk

Many moms who have an oversupply, pump a lot to deal with the extra milk. As I discussed in my last post, this can exacerbate the problem. Some moms have a mild oversupply, and don’t mind pumping once or twice a day to deal with it. They may want to get a big stash of milk in their freezer in preparation for going back to work, or just because they are reassured by having that stash. Possibly, they may want to pump and donate to a Milk Bank. We are thankful to all those moms who do!

If an oversupply is bothering you, read on for some ways to decrease your milk supply:

How to Decrease Milk Supply

• The first thing I recommend is to decrease frequent pumping
  • If you start leaving enough milk in your breasts, it will tell your body to stop making so much
  • If you are pumping until your breasts are throughly drained, you are actually telling your breasts to make more milk
  • If you leave a little bit of milk in your breasts, they will make the same amount
  • If you leave more than a little milk in your breasts, they will decrease how much milk they are making
  • You may be slightly uncomfortable as this happens. Ice packs can help
  • If you have been pumping a lot, you may feel very uncomfortable and need to continue pumping, but not removing as much milk when you do pump will probably work best for you. I recommend pumping 1-2 oz. less milk than you have been. Put a piece of tape on the bottles so you can see when to stop. After your body adjusts to that amount, then decrease by 1-2 oz. again, and repeat this routine until you don’t need to pump anymore
• Peppermint is very effective to reduce milk supply. Start with one cup of plain peppermint tea a day. Wait for about a week, and then increase by a cup each week as needed. Peppermint candies work also
• Sage, either as a tea, in food or in a smoothie, or taken as a supplement, also will decrease milk supply
• Pseudoephedrine can decrease milk supply
• Birth control pills can decrease milk supply

Those last two should only be attempted with professional supervision

If You End Up With Not Enough Breast Milk

A common question I get is, what if I decrease it too much, and then don’t have enough? This is one reason I don’t recommend trying any of these things until your milk supply is established. It takes about 4-6 weeks to establish a milk supply. After that, your breasts will increase and decrease according to what you tell them to do. They do this by how much milk you are removing or leaving in your breasts. Therefore, if you start telling them to make more milk by more frequent stimulation, or more thorough draining, your breasts will respond by making more milk.

Photo credit: Alessandro via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA

Insurance Pumping – Good or Bad?

Sometimes in the very early days, I will recommend that a mom do some insurance pumping to help establish a good milk supply. An example of when I would do this is if she has a smaller baby, one under 6# 8oz is the cut-off I use. I recommend she pump after 4-6 feedings every 24 hours. Some moms are afraid if they pump then they will end of with too much milk. I tell them that there is also the risk that they might end up with not enough milk if they don’t pump, and too much milk is an easier problem to resolve. If a lactation consultant has told you to do some extra pumping, and someone else tells you to stop, you might go back to the first lactation consultant and ask why she gave the advice she did, if she still thinks it is appropriate and how long she thinks you should do it.

Reasons for Insurance Pumping When Baby is Feeding Well

• Small baby
• Late preterm baby
• History of breast surgery
• History of low supply
• Excessive blood loss
• Supplementing baby

One Last Thought

When I think about oversupply, I remember a mom I met at the gym I used to go to. She said she breastfed her first baby without problems, but had to stop early with her second, because she got mastitis and the milk made her baby sick. With some gently asked questions from me, I realized she had probably been overproducing, which may have been why she got mastitis and almost certainly was why her baby was so unhappy and spitting up so much. I explained this to her. It had been 15 years, but I could see the relief spread over her face, realizing that her milk hadn’t “made her baby sick.” She told me that it made her feel so much better to know that.

Don’t let someone tell you that you are lucky to have so much milk, if it is causing problems. There are things you can do to help your situation.

The post Too Much Breast Milk and Decreasing Your Milk Supply appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.

Do I have enough milk?

This is a common concern about breastfeeding. In fact, it is one of the most common reasons for a mom to stop breastfeeding because she is worried that she doesn’t have enough milk.

If you are asking yourself if you have enough milk, or you are worried that you don’t and are thinking you should switch to formula, please contact a lactation consultant. She can help you determine if you do have enough milk or truly do have a low supply.

There are several different reasons a woman might have a low milk supply, and she can help you determine what the reason might be. This, in turn, can affect the recommendations for treatment.

There is not one intervention that will help everyone.

Common Reasons a Mom Doubts her Milk Supply

• Your baby wants to breastfeed frequently.
• Your baby eats frequently and someone comments on it being too often.
  • My mother-in-law did this with all three of my babies, no matter how chubby they were. The ironic thing about this was, the two who ate the most frequently were the chubbiest, the one who ate less frequently was the one who had weight gain issues.
  • I was one of those moms who had plenty of milk, but I needed to feed my babies frequently
• You have read a book that recommends scheduled feedings, and the intervals are longer than your baby wants to go between feedings
• When your baby goes to daycare, the daycare provider says she needs more milk than what you are providing
• Your baby eats a greater amount from a bottle than what you can pump
• Your friends can pump large amounts of milk than you can, even after feeding.
• Your baby isn’t as chubby as some of the other breastfed babies that you see

There are ways to see if your milk supply is enough to meet your baby’s needs.

The most effective way is to see if he is gaining a normal amount of weight for his age. That is always the bottom line.

If you are exclusively breastfeeding and your baby is gaining enough weight, then you have enough milk.

Some moms still might be concerned. The might try ineffective ways to check their milk supply, such as:

• Breastfeeding and then offering their baby a bottle of their pumped milk, or formula. If he takes it, they think that means they don’t have enough milk to satisfy him
• Pumping instead of feeding to see how much milk they have
• Giving their baby a bottle and seeing how much he takes and comparing it to how much they can pump

There are some things that can increase your milk supply.

I will share the most effective ways, in my experience, to increase milk supply.

I always stress that you should work with a lactation consultant if you are not seeing the kind of weight gain that is expected, or if you just want the reassurance to know that everything is normal.

If you do meet with a lactation consultant, and she has confirmed that you have a low milk supply, she has also probably told you about ways to increase your milk supply. I may say the same things.

These may be additional things you can try.

Let your lactation consultant know about other things you want to do. She can help you determine if they make sense in your situation.

The Basics of Ensuring a Good Milk Supply

Some moms will never have a good milk supply, no matter what they do.

Other moms can do everything wrong and still have a great milk supply or even too much milk.

The vast majority of moms make enough milk for their babies if they are covering the basics to ensure a good milk supply.

• Frequency: the baby needs to eat, or you need to be pumping, enough times, especially in the early days of your baby’s life. This will be at least 8 times every 24 hours.
  • Keep in mind though that a baby who eats 10-12 times in a 24 hour period is still perfectly normal.
  • You should be feeding your baby whenever he shows feeding cues.
    • These are: opening and closing his mouth, sticking out his tongue, smacking his lips, rooting, sucking on his hands. Crying is a late feeding cue.
• Thorough draining of the breasts.
  • Every time milk is taken out of your breasts it sends a message to your body.
    • If you leave a little bit of milk in your breasts, it tells your breasts to make about the same amount as what was taken out.
    • If your drain your breasts as much as possible, then they will usually make more, over time.
    • If you leave a lot of milk in your breasts, it tells your body to make less milk.
    • It might take some time for your body to start to make more or less milk.
    • Remember that your breasts are always making milk, even when you are feeding, so you will probably always be able to express some drops, even when your baby has done a really good job of draining them.
• Good Latch: It is very important for effective draining that you have a good latch.
  • Usually, you will know if your latch is good if it doesn’t hurt when you breastfeed, and your nipple is round when your baby comes off.
  • Some discomfort in the early days can be ok but check with a lactation consultant just to be sure if you are having any discomfort.

Additional Stimulation Can Help Increase Milk Supply

• Getting your baby to eat more frequently
• Pumping after your baby breastfeeds
• Hands-on pumping is also very effective to help your breasts make more milk.

Herbs that can Increase Milk Supply

I live in a community where alternative medicine is very common. It is common for the moms I see to have heard about herbs that can increase milk supply and use them. There are many herbs that can help increase milk supply.

The most common herbs that increase milk supply are:

• Fenugreek – seems to be more effective when taken as a tincture. It should make you smell like maple syrup. If it causes GI upset, try decreasing how much you are taking. If you don’t take enough, it won’t be effective. If you take too much, you’ll probably have GI upset.
• Goat’s Rue – most commonly found as a tincture.
• Shatavari – not as common, but can be very effective. Most commonly found as capsules.

There are also some tinctures that are combinations of these herbs.

I think it is best to start with one single herb and see how your body reacts to it. If you take a combination and you have a bad reaction, you won’t know which herb caused it, especially if the herbs are not something you have ever consumed before.

If you have taken all the herbs in the combinations then they are good options for some.

A really great resource for low milk supply in general and specifically different herbs and dosages is the book,“Making More Milk” by Diane West and Lisa Marasco. They also have a website with thorough information on herbs, www.lowmilksupply.org.

Additional Things to Increase Milk Supply

• Another very effective treatment for increasing milk supply is acupuncture. The moms I have worked with have found it really helps
• Lactogenic foods. These are foods that are believed to help milk production.
• Medications
  • Reglan/Metoclopramide – this is a drug that has a black box warning due to the potential side effects and one of the side effects is depression, and being postpartum already puts you at risk for depression
  • Domperidone – while this drug is designated an orphan drug by the FDA, it is not currently FDA approved. Some moms can still get it, either at a compounding pharmacy, or online from countries where it is legal, and available without a prescription. I suggest you do research to understand the pros and cons of this drug, and you should definitely not take it without professional advice and supervision

Things that Probably Won’t Hurt, or Help Much

When Trying to Increase Milk Supply

• Teas, unless herbs are fresh and high quality. Get from a store that specializes in herbs
• Cookies
• Beer
• Brewer’s Yeast

Remember, the bottom line is always weight gain.

The older your baby gets, weight gain slows down, and weight gain can vary from week to week.

If you are concerned about, or are documented to have, low milk supply, it is always best to work with a lactation consultant to verify the issue, try to figure out why it is occurring and come up with a plan, and then assess whether the plan is working.

One Final Thought

Breastfeeding is not an all or nothing deal. If your milk supply is low, every bit of it that you can give to your baby is valuable. 

The post How to Increase Milk Supply appeared first on Breastfeeding Confidential.