how to increase breast milk supply

[Dhano21]

hi all I wanted to know how to increase my breastmilk supply ?

Feed the baby more, if you can't do that pump.
I BFd two babys and the supply was measurably related to the previous day's demand.
If baby fed more than usual one day I was awash with milk the next.

Feed on demand, as often and as long as you can-it’s a full time job if this is the early days. Rest, calm, lots to drink. Fenugreek supplement or possibly domperidone from the GP.

Co-sleeping always worked for me. The baby ends up on the boob for half the night, and you have loads of milk in the morning.

Feed more.

That’s it. Almost constantly at first.

My midwife told me to eat lots of oats and (when I was pumping) to look at a photo of the baby. Sounds bonkers but it worked!

Yes feed more but also look after yourself. Eat well, drink plenty (not alcohol) and rest when you can.

Hi all thank you so much My baby is nine weeks old in the beginning I had really good milk supply but I don't know how to breastfeed so I gave up now I know how to breastfeed my milk supply has gone down I feel so bad because now the baby is formula-fed and why everytime I try and offer the breast baby keeps on throwing up there breastmilk I feel like such a terrible mother I really want to press sweet baby and I really want to increase my breast milk supply I've brought the pump so I can express but today when I expressed I only saw lesson 10 mils of milk

The key will be to feed more and drop the formula. If baby is throwing up after breastfeeding be it not formula then I'd get a tongue tie assessment. What formula do you use?

Throwing up sounds like a latch issue - the latch for bf is totally different to bottle feeding. Could baby be swallowing lots of air and then doing huge burp pukes?

Don't assume that what you can express is your supply: I've ebf 3 DC (all with good weight gain) and only been able to express more than an ounce twice.

It's hard to explain how much you really need to feed to help your supply but it's the only really effective way to do it.
Feed all the time;
baby cries =feed,
Baby starts smiling at you = feed
Baby opens mouth = feed
Gets fidgety = feed
Looks tired = feed
Touches breasts/hair = feed
Looks at you while being held by DH = feed

Your baby might feed only for a few minutes at a time (DS3 sometimes does for only 30seconds at 8m) but it's still important for your supply.

Bf is harder work for babies than a bottle (need more mouth muscle) so baby might get tired after relatively short feeds. Top up after if you need to but always offer breast first and try and avoid giving bottles if you can.

This website has excellent advice - kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/relactation/

From my experience, with a rubbish supply that i had to work really hard to increase:

• Invest in a hospital grade pump. My DD was under the infant feeding team for 3 months and they told me that home pumps are generally no good for increasing supply. I hired the medela symphony for £47 a month and used it for 3 months, including a 20mins pump every 3am. Knackering, but did wonders for my supply.

• When pumping, don't look at the output. Weird but if you do, you will affect what you get out. Cover the bottles with socks to hide them filling up and look at a photo of baby or hold something of theirs you can smell. I only ever get 30mls at a time so don't worry about the amount - babies are much effective at getting out milk than the pump.

• Eat lots of oats, take fenugreek capsules and most importantly drink an absolute tonne of water. I think i am drinking nearly 3.5l a day at the moment.

• As your baby is under 12 weeks, ask your HV to refer you to the hospital infant feeding team. They can discuss other options such as domperidone (a reflux drug that is used off-licence to increase breastmilk supply but results are variable, evidence is mixed and it's usually a bit of a last resort) and do regular weight checks. Mine spent an hour watching me feed, helping my technique, giving advice etc.

• Finally, there is no shame in mix feeding. At each feed, my baby has 30mins on the breast and then i top her up with 2-3oz of formula. She gets the good stuff from me and what i can't give her, she gets from the formula. You are doing your best and that's all that matters!