Advice for little to no milk supply

[berry987]

I also posted this is breastfeeding (general) but just noticed the challenged forum:

I am pregnant with my third baby (28 weeks currently) and starting to think about nursing again. It is a long story, but with my first I discovered I have practically no milk supply due to PCOS and "hypoplastic" breasts. It was devastating for me and I still nursed until he was 8 months old, but only for comfort/bonding (he literally drank a 28 oz. formula bottle after nursing for 30 minutes). I had hopes for my second birth, but my experience was the same - little to no milk supply...my milk just never "comes in." I pumped w/a hospital grade pump, used a supplemental feeder, took fenugreek and domperidone.

So to avoid feeling hopeless about my ability to nurse, I want to try anything and everything for number 3. I had a great lactation consultant who said I may produce more milk with each subsequent birth, so I am going with that idea.

Does anyone have experience with extremely low supply? Any new or different ideas I can try? My sister had a baby shortly after the birth of both of my children, so she pumped for me...but she isn't pregnant this time around.

Thanks!

[SundayCrepes]

try this website:

http://www.makingmoremilk.com/

[svmaine]

Order some goats rue ASAP!!! http://www.motherlove.com/product_goats_rue_veg.php

I also suffer from hypoplasia, took fenugreek, dom with DS's 1 and 2, and they didn't do much. I started on the goat's rue at about 30 weeks preg. with DS 3, and after he was born I actually felt my milk come in and leaked!! I did still have to supplement but produced twice as much before.

Good luck!!

[thepeach80]

Thanks, I just ordered the book since it looks like pre-orders go out faster than waiting for it to come out.

I've also done a lot of reading here and will hopefully get to start some of these herbs soon, we're in a $ crunch right now, who's not right, plus I want to talk to my bfing DR to see what she says. http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/portal-Nutrition.aspx

I think I make enough for the first few wks, at least for my 2 smaller kids, the older one was too hungry and wanted a lot of food at one time I think, but then after that I just don't produce more to meet their needs. I'm hoping to change that this time and I would give anything for my breasts to change w/ this baby. Everyone always told me that didn't matter, but the more I read that seems to be the biggest sign of a problem ahead of time, no breast changes in pgcy or at birth. Hugs and best wishes, I know how hard it is!

[MaryJaneLouise]

Be sure to check out the "low milk supply" stickie in the BF challenges forum.

Some PCOS women benefit from taking metformin after birth.

[berry987]

Thank you so much! I will read the sticky on low milk supply and will order goats rue. It's great to hear from someone who has a similar problem!

[Cory]

I know just how you feel!!! Having "hypoplastic" breasts is rough! I did not know that I had that until ds was born. I was totally devastated to find out. I was able to nurse him for 7 months, as you said with your ds it was mostly for comfort. I would nurse him for 30-60 minutes and after that he would take a full bottle of supplement (he ate the same amount of supplement as a baby would who was exclusively bottle fed). I too have heard that with every pregnancy milk could increase. When I was pregnant with dd I was really looking for a big increase. I started taking Goat's Rue at around 34 weeks (starting with a low dose and working up to what is a normal dose for me). I'm not sure how much that had to do with things but even though dd was a c-section I did have more milk with her (at feedings she actually had milk on the corners of her mouth! : ) I havd no idea how much I made with either of my kiddos. With ds I do know that I once went several hours without feeding and got "engorged" (for me-I was so full that my breasts were tingling) so I pumped, just to fee how much I could get out. After about 45 minutes or so (?) I had just about 1/4 ounce! That was a bummer.
With dd I can tell that I had a significant amount more milk, but I don't know how much more. She was taking a bottle after nursing and had just a little less than an exclusively bottle-fed baby. Besides the Goat's Rue, one thing that I did that I think helped was that for the first few weeks instead of supplementing with bottles I used a syringe. Again, I'm not sure how much that helped but it may have helped some.

And now I am pregnant again (24 weeks-due mid-feb.) I'll share with you what I'm planning to do this time and hopefully that will be helpful.

*Sometime in the third trimester I am planning to start taking Shatavari. It is an herbal galactagogue that many women have had much success with.

*Around 30 weeks I am planning to start taking Goat's Rue-starting with a low dose and working up to a normal does (as recommended by a previous midwife).

*As soon as I get the money I want to get some Alfalfa. Very good at increasing bm.

*After baby's born I am planning to take Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle tinctures (which I am making myself)

*I bought a Lact-Aid to use for supplementation at the breast instead of using a bottle.

*I bought a baby scale so that I can weigh baby and keep careful track of baby's weight gain.

So, that's what I'm doing. Feel free to pm me if you ever want to. We're pretty much in the same boat, and due close together-we can encourage each other lots, I'm sure!!!

[berry987]

Cory - thank you so much! I am feeling optimistic! It was so hard not being able to truly nurse. I remember bursting into tears when my first son was about 3 months old because I saw a car with a bumper sticker that said "Lucky breastfed baby inside." And finding out you have "deformed" breasts is always uplifting!

I already ordered the goats rue and will look into the other things you mentioned. I will definitely PM you, too. We're due around the same time (I'm mid January).

[kriswrite]

I've been reading up at Dr. Jack Newman's website, and he feels a low milk supply is almost always due to a baby having a poor latch and therefore a poor transfer rate. (If the baby's not getting much milk, your body will stop producing as much milk.)

Try reading his stuff on latching on, upping milk supply, and such, and be sure to watch the online videos: http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html

[thepeach80]

As much as he knows, I'd have to disagree w/ him. While I agree in a lot of moms that may be true, there are a lot of us who have physical issues that cause low milk supply, it's not just a transfer thing.

[berry987]

It is definitely not a latch thing. I saw multiple LCs after my first was born and we had a great latch going - and my son was a super sucker. Just no milk. It's biology for some women - a small percentage, but it's very real.

[justthinkn]

It's so tricky... There's so much advice that's really good stuff that most women need to know - but for those of us in that tiny minority with real physical issues (IGT, etc.) it can feel very confusing and invalidating to hear. It took me so much longer than it should have to realize that we had a problem nursing b/c I assumed I was in that wide majority and listened to all the normal advice.

[dollyanna]

I'm totally in the same boat. I had read up so much on breastfeeding before I had my DD I really thought if I just tried harder or kept nursing all the time she'd get enough to eat. I knew I had PCOS, but had no idea that it could be linked to IGT until I went to a LC after my baby more or less starved for a month.

I don't really have anything to add to the low milk supply sticky; goat's rue, shatavari, domperidone, oatmeal, pumping a lot. They all helped. My Dr wouldn't prescribe Metformin for me, but that's supposed to help for women who have PCOS.

If I'm being totally honest though, nothing really helped me THAT much though. The most I ever pumped was 1.25 oz (and that's when I was leaking - my boobs just don't have much storage capacity); the most I ever produced was maybe 10oz a day. Now that I'm back at work we are down to just comfort nursing 1-2x /day.

I think if I get pregnant again I'll start goat's rue during pregnancy & will rent a sensitive baby scale to weigh before & after feedings and hospital grade pump for the first few months.

Good luck!

[guestmama9920]

did you test your thyroid?

use the lact-aid, bf'ing is much more than the milk, even 1oz will benefit baby tons!!!

[Ruthla]

How about using a Lact-Aid or SNS instead of bottles? This way the baby still gets the needed supplmeent (donated milk and/or formula) but gets the milk AT the breast rather than from a bottle. It might keep the baby nursing longer as they wouldn't get attached to the bottles. I've heard of low-supply mamas being able to wean off the SNS once their babies were toddlers and needed less milk.