Can I get my milk to increase?

[Rachiebabes11]

I decided to combi feed my 7 wk old son a few weeks ago to give myself a bit of a break, but it seems that whenever I BF him now he never gets enough. My breasts feel empty most of the day and never seem to fill. I try to express and usually manage about 60ml or so but then when DS latches on I'm completely empty... then he gets a bottle and I go around in circles!
My question is, is there anyway I can get my body to produce more milk to satisfy my son, and how do I do it? I really don't want him exclusively FF but keep giving him formula when I think I've not had enough milk!

You need to see a bfing counsellor in rl.

Your breasts are never empty, they make milk as you feed. The only way to increase supply is to feed more. Every time you give a formula feed, you're not telling your body to make milk and your supply reduces further. But your ds is reliant on ff atm so you need to reduce the feeds slowly and with guidance.

Why are you expressing? Getting the baby to latch on and transfer milk is the best way of increasing supply and as often as possible.

What SOH said.

Fenugreek (herb) is supposed to help too.

Im expressing because my health visitor told me that it will increase milk supply... though its evidently not working.

ShowOfHands, does that mean that there will always be milk when my DS goes to nurse? And if so then why is he not satisfied after a feed? Could that be because he has been given too much formula?

Rachiebabes, as Show has said, formula interferes with milk production.

To build up and maintain milk, the baby needs to feed often - if you have given formula, then the body does not make sufficient breastmilk and it dwindles, and the baby complains. As Show says, you need a plan to reduce the formula, and to increase the times your baby feeds on the breast.

Expressing is fine, but it should be done in addition to frequent , effective feeding.

You clearly still have some milk, but this will go if you continue doing what you are doing - a rescue plan for your milk supply is urgent :)

Fenugreek or anything else is only going to help if the basics are tackled - and the basics are feed often - to rescue a milk supply you need to aim to feed many, many times day and night (at least 10-12) and on at least both breasts each time.

Hope this helps.

To express to build supply, you should pump after LO has fed, not before. And bfing LO more often would be better as a healthy 7 wo will be far more efficient at getting milk than a pump. It's not like you have a weak newborn who physically can't do it.

Get the baby to the breast as much as possible and give as little formula as possible.

Not satisfied after a bfeed could be any number of things. Yes, insufficient milk for his requirements is one of them, but if he's still hungry then it's good habit to swap him to the other breast, then back and repeat ad nauseam to tell your body that he is asking for more. He is likely to be more fussy during a bf atm as it's a harder route to milk for him, the flow might not be as fast or as easy as with formula. Sometimes they do just root to go straight back on again even if you have an abundant supply. Because they like to suckle and that's just fine.

I'd be on the phone to a breastfeeding counsellor. You have milk and you can increase it with regular feeding but you need to make sure he's getting enough milk and for now I think he'll have to have some formula as he's become reliant upon it. A good bfc will help you to reduce the ff and increase the bf.

I was told by my HV that the best time to express is 45 mins after your DC has fed - is this true?

You can express at any time.

Personally, I think making rules about this just complicates things.

Don't know why she would suggest 45 mins - I suppose she was thinking replacement milk would have been made by then, but if she did think that she would be showing how little she knew about bf.

The speed at which milk is made depends on the degree of emptiness/fullness of the breast. A breast with a lot of milk (still) there will make milk slowly compared to a breast which has had a lot of its milk removed.

I found (anecdotally) that the best time to express is when you're feeling relaxed about expressing.

It depends if the primary goal of pumping is to get an ebm stash or increase supply. To increase supply, pumping straight after LO feeds even if you get very little out can still help as it's more stimulation and emptying of the breast.

That would make sense re: increasing supply Japh, thank you.

If you can manage juggling I've found expressing whilst feeding the most effective. I'm not sure if this is right or wrong (someone please speak up!), but it works for me. I also express twice a day, around the same time.

Dont forget, you cannot make fluids without drinking them! Good luck getting your supply up.

Yep, tarlia, expressing during feeding can be effective as well - there are really no rules about this :)

BTW, fluids are necessary for health and wellbeing, but breastfeeding mothers don't need to make a conscious effort to drink more...despite the myths about this.

hi rachiesbabes11, if i were you knock the nail on its head straight away, whem mt ds was 4 weeks old i started to combine as wasn't producing enough milk and was extreamly tired but unfortuantly my milk dried up extreamly quickly and was only expressing and oz or 2 at a time. get your baby to latch on as much as possible, if you feel he isn't satisfied with the breast offer formula after never before, always do and extra express just before you go to bed and first thing in the morning. i wasn't given this advice untill it was to late, if your milks still there you can increase it, also i heard just skin to skin contact can be enough to build it up again, hope this helps!

i've just gone through a 6week growth spurt and was tempted at times with a bottle when baby was feeding every 1 1/2-2hrs, i felt empty and was getting a bit sore with all the sucking! he was grizzly and unsettled but we don't have formula or any expressed milk in the house so i just kept on feeding him. after about 3 days he's now getting squirted in the face cause there's so much milk! at least once or twice in the day i would just prop him up on a feeding cushion and leave him latched on for as long as possible - over an hour of feeding on and off, dozing off, topping up. that's how it worked for me at 3 days to get my milk to come in as well.

Taking all your advice on board ladies. Set up home on the couch and sticking with it! Getting a lot of fussing and tantrums though. Wish me luck!

Good luck!

Seaweed soup is brilliant, and a good take away Indian Curry. They helped my wife!