[osioke]

I live in Marietta GA and I need support!

My wife says her milk supply is low that is why we need to give our 5 month old son formula. I didn't know that Mother Nature provides less than what we need but now that I am in this predicament I need to get out of it.

What can I do for her? Where can I take her to to learn how to increase how milk supply (and how to live naturally too in general ... not circumcising our son was a BATTLE but I stayed put and he is still intact, thankfully).

Please help.

-Osioke (Desperate in Marietta)

 

[Parker'smommy]

HI!! Your wife is very lucky to have such a concerned husband and father!!!

First, you might want to repost this in Getting started and overcoming difficulties.

Okay, how does your wife KNOW she has low milk supply?

If she is pumping to check supply you should know that how much you pump is NOT an indication of how much milk she is making. THe baby is MUCH MORE effecient at the breast than a pump. I know MANY women who breastfed their babies for a year without supplementing with anything and could barely pump an ounce.

If baby is just wanting to nurse more often there could be many things going on to have this happen.
One, baby might be going through a growth spurt. Then, what she needs to do is to continue to nurse on demand and nurse more and more so that her supply increases to your baby's new demand and intake. If she supplements her supply will definitely dwindle and not meet your baby's needs. DOes that make sense? TO make more milk, you have to nurse more often. ITs as simple as that.

There are some home remedies to help increase milk supply too, like eating oatmeal, drinking herbal remedies, and taking a natural herb called Fenugreek. A lot of mom's here have seen great results from doing this. ALso, she should be keeping herself hydrated by drinking plenty of water and relaxing. Being stressed can hurt one's milk supply too.

ALso, most importantly, to maintain a good supply it is important to not feed on a schedule, but to feed on demand/cue.

I'll look up some links for you to look at in a minute. GOod luck!
( and if you could answer the WHY your wife thinks she has low supply, that would help us help you guys more!!!!)

 

[Janice in Canada]

I emailed him a message from Dr. Jack Newman about late onset slow weight gain by baby.

Janice

 

[cozymama]

~*evening*~

it's wonderful that you are so concerned with your baby's health and well-being!! the first place i'd start is by talking to your wife, patiently and gently....in order for anyone to have a healthy, working breastfeeding relationship with a babe they (IMHO of course,

). need to feel empowered.....as well as safe, comfy, etc. as one of the PP asked- do you know why she feels this way?? reading you post it sounds like it could be alot of things: fear if babe is gaining weight slowly, the feeling that babe is nursing "too much" (i'm not sure people always understand how much little ones really do need to eat- my 18 mo still nurses all the time!).....maybe other people have told her this (like a ped!), maybe bfing is painful for her (if babe is getting teeth, etc.).......i think what's i'm trying to say in a round-about way is that communication with your wife is, IMHO again, the single most important thing for encouraging a breastfeeding relationship that all of you are happy with......as for low milk, there are lots of things you can do that are easy to increase milk (oh- another thought- is your babe going through a growth spurt?? maybe nursing more??), such as nursing on cue, cosleeping to facilitate eassier access, etc.

if you have more questions, feel free to pm me (i live in ga btw!!)

 

[osioke]

I posted on two forums and the outpour of support is wonderful. I appreciate and applaud all your efforts in providing informative support.

The link that Janice in Canada provided was awesome. She and I read it and read a lot more on mothering.com and that has really changed her pespective and understanding for the positive. We got the herbs Fenugreek and Blessed thistle and are laughing about when he'll be breastfeeding and talking too

Last night buddy sucked and cried, and sucked, and cried. I was tempted to go get my formula too but I dared not mention it. I kept remembering the supply and demand principle (the more he demands by nursing, the more she will supply by breastfeeding). Today he sucked A LOT without crying and I think the herbs may be working or mom's improvement in attitude has a lot to do with it too.

She was thinking her supply was low because he would cry even after nursing (and checking all his other needs were met like dry diapers) and his stomach would still be flat. We've gone past that stage now, thankfully.

We are so fortunate that after over a month of formula, he has quickly returned back to exclusive breastfeeding. It lasted over a month because moma wasn't here with me for some time (issues ... basically surrounding living naturally, like leaving son's penis intact, etc. led to her leaving ... but she returned recently upon realizing that even though the way I want to live does not match what she knows I don't simply prefer to live naturally, as others influencing her simply preferred to influence her while it was convenient, but that I am convicted and willing to loose the world for the sake of our son). Anyway, enough of my rambling ... I am just so grateful to mothering.com and you all!!!

-Osioke