Increasing milk supple - HOW?

Hi,
Was just wondering how you went, have you had any luck.

I stopped feeding my 3rd child Jaimee at about 5 1/2 weeks and now she is 7wks old I am feeling a little guilty and disappointed that I stopped. I still seem to have some milk and was wondering if you got any good suggestions on how to increase the flow as I am considering trying again and giving her breast and bottle.

Thanks
Nicola

Hi,

I was told that drinking a guinness a day helps to increase milk supply.... something in it apparently also boosts iron levels?? Not the most appealing drink but apparently it works!

Bel

Hi Nicola,
Yes, i did have sucess although Talana is now not interested in breastfeeding anymore and will only take the bottle, so after all that i cant breastfeed anyway which is a bit disappointing but as long as she is happy thats all that matters.
What i did was offer her the breast at the start of each feed and then top her up with the bottle. I also expressed after her feeds to make sure i was completley empty and after a couple of days, my supply had increaded to the point where i had to wear breastpads again to stop the leaking!
Ever since yesterday though Talana hasn't been interested in breastfeeding, so ive given up now and put away the breast pump!

Hope you manage to increase your supply because i know how wonderful it feels to hold your baby so close while feeding and how special that time together is...
Let me know how you go
Leanne

Hi Leanne

Thanks for your response. Have tried Jaimee back on the breast although she really is just playing around and she too seems more interested in the bottle, I guess it easier for her to get it from the bottle rather than me. I too think I might just give it away as she seems content on the bottle, the other thing is my husband doesn't seem to think its a great idea, he seems to think just leave her on the bottle. I'm sorry that Talana wasn't interested in the breast, but as you say as long as they are happy and putting on weight whats the problem.

Hope this finds you well and happy.

Best wishes
Nicola

Hello again!
Things are going really well. We have just changed to Karicare, although most people tell you not to change the formula on them, we felt that it might be better for her wind problems and she is sleeping al ot better now and i no longer need to use infants friend!

I think that Talana is also happier on the bottle because it isn't as hard for her to get the milk as it was on the breast.
She is learning so fast now, it hard to believe that she is almost 2 months old, they grow too quick!

Hope everything is well for you!

Hello again

Glad to hear that all is going well for you and Talana. Jaimee is also progressing really well. She is on the Nan formula although I have considered changing her to a heavy formula when she wasn't sleeping too well, although she has slept through the night for the last 2 nights, so lets hope she is into a routing.

I agree with you with the thought that because it is easier for them to get it from the bottle. I have found that since Jaimee has been on the bottle and her 2 big sisters can feed her she is bonding better with them and her dad rather than just me, and they are all loving the fact that they can help out. Jaimee too is now 2 months old and it has flown by, she is going for her first injections today, so heres hoping she isn't too grumpy and it doesn't break her routine of sleeping through the night, as I am really enjoying a full nights sleep.

Thanks again for your replys I have really enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you and your ideas have been greatly appreciated.

Thanks again
Nicola

Hello,

How did Jaimee go after the needles?
Talana had her needles today (it was so horrible!) and she is sleeping at the moment after some help from our friend mr infant panadol!
I hopw her feeding pattern wont be disturbed because she has settled down a lot lately!

We went to get her weighed today as well and she is a helthy 4.5kgs (she was 3.4kg at 5 weeks) so the formula is working really well with her.

We have just changed her over to Karicare, even though you aren't supposed to change them too much it seems to have helped a lot with her wind and she is much happier!

I cant believe how lucky you are that Jaimee sleeps through! Talana still wakes up every 4 - 5 hours for a feed during the night, the doctor suggested i try to lengthen the feeds in the night but im not sure how im going to do this, any thoughts???

Anyway, i hope this finds you and your family well!
Take care,
Leanne

Hey Leanne

Jaimee wasn't too bad after her needles, although she was a little clingly last night. Mr Panadol really is a great guy. I was a little worried how Jaimee would react as my eldest child had a major reaction to her shots, although it was 13 years ago. Although Jaimee was a little clingy we still got some lovely smiles. She sort of slept through the night waking only once and the dummy seemed to work until about 4am this morning when she really wanted a feed.

Jaimee has only slept through the night for the last couple of nights. I decided that I was going to try to get her into a pattern with a bath around 8pm then a feed then I would wake her around 10 - 10.30pm for a last feed and then bed. Seems to be working so far. I too tried to give her last bottle instead of being 120mls making it 150mls so that she felt fuller, although she would only take 120mls or a little less anyway. I hope that Talana is sleeping better of a night for you soon as broken sleep really is the worst. The only other thing I could suggest is maybe keeping her awake between the last two feeds of a night.

Hope that you can use some of the suggestions and it helps with settling Talana of a night for you. Once again hope this finds you all well and sleeping!!!!

Nicola

The best way is by letting the baby suck. If the baby is on formula then the sucking isn't happening, even though you are expressing. Allowing the baby to suck every 2-3 hours (not 4 hourly) is the best way to build up supply. And by feeding more often during the day, the chances of the waking at night are less. Try to let the baby have the breast whenever hungry. Also, have a good stout, that always helps smile

Hey Jade,
Yeah, i tried to do that and my supply increased enough to fed her fully again although one day she just wouldn't take the breast anymore, so ive resigned to full bottle feeding.
She seems a lot happier on the bottle anyway so i have told myself that its for th best!
Thankyou for your reply!
Leanne

Hello Nicola,

Talana seems to be really clingy today, im not sure if its because of the needles but she wont let me put her down at all!

I thnk i might try that sleeping routine too, it would be nice to get a full nights sleep someday soon!
Although i love her to bits its hard not getting enough sleep, i get cranky really easy!

I hope it improves soon!

I'll let you know!

Leanne