What helped you increase breastmilk supply?

[Cheery145]

I’d be extremely grateful for advice from anyone who has successfully increased their breastmilk supply so I can try your suggestions. I had an emergency c section and DS who is now 3 weeks old spent a week in neonatal care with blood sugar level issues so they couldn’t wait for my milk to come in and although I’ve been expressing, not enough milk is forthcoming yet.

Has anyone managed to get a much better supply going? It’s my dream to be someone who can stockpile milk and avoid giving him as much formula as I currently have to!

For me, drinking LOTS of liquid (water, juice, non-caffeinated tea, if you're not peeing every hour it's not enough..) and expressing regularly helped a lot. But the most important (and potentially trickiest) thing was staying as calm and relaxed as possible. Which can be really hard to do when you're already worried/feeling under pressure. But being stressed inhibits/can inhibit the let-down mechanism and turn the whole process into a vicious cycle. Good luck, and remember there's nothing wrong with formula if that ends up working better for you.

I had to mixed feed my first due to similar issues. My advice would be to find a breastfeeding help session, children's centres have them. The lactation consultant got me fully breastfeeding in about 3 weeks. In the meantime when it is possible bring baby to breast every hour, even if they don't take any the contact helps. Overnight less often but while waiting for bottle to warm up do it then. 4 am is the magic time when hormones rush so try and have baby on breast around then, or snuggled up to you if asleep. Drink loads as pp says.

But the breastfeeding support will be able to give you all the help you need and "wean" you off bottles if that is what you would like.

Thanks @Mesmeri and @Ratbagratti I really appreciate your advice. Will go to the children’s centre and see if they can help. Started off breastfeeding but gave up after 2 weeks cause he was getting terrible nipple confusion and so stressed out - which was stressing me out! Would love to think we could try it again.

I think I must be dehydrated as I’m going hours between wees. I saw this as handy given sleeping baby on me often but can see where this isn’t helping now!

Sorry I meant @Ratbagratty

Enjoy all the skin to skin you can while they are tiny! After our rocky start I fed my DD until 14 months old when she decided she wanted to go play and never asked again. It is possible, it will need some determination and help. Let us know how you get on.

I remember getting the flu whilst breastfeeding (I was about 8 months in) and I got fenugreek drops, didn't really expect them to work - but they really did!
Best of luck and many congratulations

Skin to skin, tons of liquids, as crap as it is feeding as much as possible overnight (it’s when your body produces the hormone to tell your boobs to increase milk), fenugreek and oats.

Spend several days at home snuggled up, skin to skin, putting your baby to breast whenever they want even if they just suckle for a moment. This helped me build my supply and encouraged my first to breastfeed as it was just right there. Also plenty of night time breastfeeding, feed every wake up which you're probably already doing.

Find some boxsets and keep plenty of drinks and snacks in. Good luck

Thanks so much @TheRollingCrone @TeddyIsaHe @Jenala I really appreciate your advice. Have made flapjacks and bought fenugreek supplement so fingers crossed! Xx

Good luck!

Fennel tea worked really well for me.

Hi there. It was a couple of years ago but drinking a lot (at least a pint of water or squash) - especially before bed. Eating carbs, fenugreek supplements and pumping at every feed increased my supply. It was always a bit thin and sad looking though- so i did top him up with formula from time to time. I have PCOS and apparently that can cause issues with your milk.

I would really endorse what someone else said earlier about getting in touch with a BF expert for advice and support.

Oatmeal ice cream and rest

Making sure you are eating enough, I breastfed twins but was ravenous! I remember having 3 helping of dinner one night and lots of quality streets (Xmas babies!) to echo what the other posters have said lots of water! I also rested a lot, stayed in pj’s and put zero pressure on myself.
Good luck :)

Fenugreek, pumping as well as feeding, oats, lots of liquids.

Fenugreek worked like a charm. I was not producing any milk till day 5 in-spite of all the lactation consultant support and pumping. I was panicking and did not have time to get the capsules. So just bought the seeds from an Indian grocery store and swallowed them with water. It kickstarted the lactation and I had full supply and engorged breasts on day 6.

In the second pregnancy, I had the same experience. No milk and then suddenly just after a few doses of fenugreek I had an oversupply.

Neuner's Nursing Tea Bags!
Drinking loads of the stuff and I'm certain it's helping.

Fenugreek. Makes you smell weird but it works.

Oats. I ate soooo many flapjacks, it was awesome. And protein, chicken drumsticks were my other snack of choice.

Feeling your pain OP. I remember those days well. I always remember in the first few weeks one of the NCT mums telling the rest of us that her poor baby was choking at the volume of milk gushing out and how she had filled her freezer....I just wanted to run.....I was crying inside 😭
Anyway, I combination fed but I tried and tried to spend days just breastfeeding and pumping....it was exhausting! I carried on combination feeding and after a while made peace with myself and accepted what my body was capable of producing!
Even if you are breastfeeding some of the time, your baby is still benefiting.
Good luck!

Lots of skin to skin contact with baby. Putting to the breast as often as possible. If expressing the doing so every three hours and every six overnight and pumping for 20 mins each time. Drinking lots, eating oats and barley.

Fennel tea is used in my culture. And it's delicious!

Weleda make a breastfeeding tea, I drank 3 cups a day.

Fenugreek tablets helped no end. Also - if you can avoid vomiting at the name - google “lactation cookies”, they’re really easy to make and contain brewer’s yeast, oats and flaxseed meal, all of which are excellent for stimulating milk supply.

They actually taste delicious too!

I also have a three week old and had a section. I took fenugreek (can’t hurt, although always take it with food as it repeats on you horribly otherwise) and now have a good supply (my little premature DS is now gaining 60 g per day without additional formula) although I suspect time might have done that on its own.