Boosting milk supply

[Clothbum]

I’m not sure if this is the best place to ask this but I couldn’t find a better fit.

When I had my first little boy he had a bad tongue tie so he couldn’t feed very well. I tried pumping using an Ardo pump from the hospital but being a FTM and unsure of things I don't think I pumped often enough to make up for my LB not feeding well so my supply quickly diminished and was pretty much gone by week 5-6. I also have PCOS and was advised while pregnant the first time around that I was likely to struggle to produce a good supply.

My question is whether there is anything I can do or take which is safe for during pregnancy (currently 16 weeks) which can help prep my body and boost my supply?

Fenugreek is what I took :) I bought it from holland & Barrett, it worked well :)

Thank you, I think I’ll be taking a trip into town to get some ☺️ Willing to give anything a try to help boost them when the time comes. Did you take it throughout your pregnancy?

I would advise against fenugreek. It may work, but there is also a chance it can suppress your supply.

The only way to increase milk supply is to remove more milk from the breasts. This is most efficient by baby, but pumping can help too. Obviously this doesn't help during pregnancy early pregnancy, but once baby is here then it is the only way to get a good supply.

Perhaps start hand expressing colostrum after 37 weeks to give yourself a head start and build up a stash that you can give baby if weight gain is a problem at first.

I recommend the kelly mom website for evidence based info on breastfeeding.

Agree with Pp that removing more milk from breast, by either pumping or feeding more frequently, is the way to get a stronger supply. It’s a demand supply system!

I would also go to breastfeeding support groups now, so that you can get informed and organised before you are sleep deprived with a newborn. Perhaps also consider getting a lactation consultant if you feel you need extra support due to your medical history.

And do research into your local tongue tie clinic and push for baby to be examined even if feeding and latch seem to go well.

Fenugreek worked for me. I never had leaky boobs tili started taking it.
You also need lots of healthy fats to make milk too.

Make sure you are eating and drinking enough too.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I’ve been doing some research online and it seems the more I pump and the earlier in from birth I start, the better.

I’m planning to buy an Ardo pump this time around (had a tommee tippee one last time around and it just wasn’t as good as the Ardo one I borrowed) so hopefully with a better pump right from the start I should be in with a better chance of success this time around 🤞🏼

A friend sent me this when I first started breastfeeding. I mainly used it as an excuse to eat lots of flapjacks! 🤣🤣

Honestly, the top thing that influences your supply is how much milk you are removing from your breasts. In most cases where people think they have low supply, one of two things is going on:

1. the baby is struggling to remove milk efficiently, perhaps due to tongue tie/low birth weight/pain from forceps delivery/low blood sugar
2. the woman's supply is actually fine, but baby is feeding more frequently than "expected"/people are undermining her confidence about her supply.

The more milk you remove the more milk you make. Most women have oversupply when the milk first comes in, hence the famous huge rockboobs. There is no evidence that diet makes any difference. You should eat reasonably well and drink plenty of water because it'll help you recover from the birth and cope with the demands of milk production, though.

A baby that latches and sucks efficiently is all most people need to make enough milk. If there are latching problems then pumping helps to maintain supply until they're sorted.

I have to say fenugreek really seemed to help me too. With both my dc, I also fed loads, so maybe it was just that.