[mightymoo]

I am overdue and may end up having a planned c-section next tuesday if labor doesn't start soon. My first was a c-section and it took about 3 days for my milk to come in. Not horrible, but she did get really close to that 10% drop in weight before it came in that makes all the doctors/nurses panic and want to supplement. I am just wondering if there are any suggestions for things that might help my milk come in sooner this time - especially if it ends up being a c-section. Naturally we will start nursing right away and frequently (which we did last time), but I'm wondering if there are any suggestions for teas / supplements that may help. I don't want to overdo it and end up with a huge oversupply either, so I thought I'd see what the folks here thought.

 

[LadyMarmalade]

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[kavamamakava]

Here's my mom's sweet recipe.
Equal parts or 1 Tablespoon each of:
pitted dates
raw hulled sesame seeds
honey
softened butter
carraway seeds (the most important ingredient)
blanched almonds - or buy almond slivers

Mix and mash ingredients together as much as you can. It's not important that they are super mixed. Form into 6 balls and eat two per day. Store in the refrigerator but they will keep on the counter for about 2 days. They taste better to me when cold.

My mother learned about this when we lived in a village in India. She said they prepare it for all new moms.

 

[pinky]

I just wanted to share my experience...my second dd was born via unplanned c-sec (unsuccessful VBAC), and my milk was VERY slow to come in, despite the fact that my dd was a fantastic nurser from the beginning. /She didn't start frequent pooping or gaining weight until 5-6 days after birth. I was lucky because my doc and LC were so calm and reassuring...I was (naturally, as any mom would be) worried and they kept reminding me to look at her, and she was clearly doing fine--pink, not lethargic, still nursing a lot, etc...

The point of my story is that we were way off the charts numerically in terms of what was "normal," but my dd was just fine. I would just encourage you to hang in there and watch your baby and not the numbers too much.

(Of course, if she's dehydrated or jaundiced and you need to supplement, just make sure to use a tube feeder or even better an SNS, and don't beat yourself up about it.)

But hopefully you won't even have to deal with any of this. Best of luck with your upcoming labor and delivery!

 

[Debstmomy]

You milk coming in at 3 days is perfectly normal! While you neared the 10% weight loss & had all those "professionals" worried, I wonder about your birth story. Why were you c-sec? Was it after a long labor with IV fluids? If so, that may not have been a "true" birth weight. Baby may have been high on fluids too.
Have patience & faith. If you have your planned c-sec your IV load may not be as high as last time, which will produce a more accurate birth weight.
Good Luck. Keep us posted.

 

[Avena]

Hello!
Here are some herbs to help your milk production. I used this as a tea, and have lots of milk! Here are just a few herbs that help bring in your milk.
* Red Clover -Flowers
* Fennel- Seed
* Fenugreek-Seed
* Nettles- Leaf
* Borage- Leaf

Make sure you get organic herbs!!!

Good luck!

Avena

 

[OnTheFence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightymoo I am overdue and may end up having a planned c-section next tuesday if labor doesn't start soon. My first was a c-section and it took about 3 days for my milk to come in. Not horrible, but she did get really close to that 10% drop in weight before it came in that makes all the doctors/nurses panic and want to supplement. I am just wondering if there are any suggestions for things that might help my milk come in sooner this time - especially if it ends up being a c-section. Naturally we will start nursing right away and frequently (which we did last time), but I'm wondering if there are any suggestions for teas / supplements that may help. I don't want to overdo it and end up with a huge oversupply either, so I thought I'd see what the folks here thought.

My milk came in much faster the second time around, so this may be the case with you. I also had less medications, with an epidural block for pain relief after the cesarean. So I was able to nurse much more effectively than the first time. My milk came in the day after my csection, even though my baby really didn't start nursing "well" and eagerly until he was 13 hours old. He was very alert and awake, but didn't seem interested in nursing at all. More like he was checking things out. As soon as I was moved to my room, I began a liquid diet -- which I think helped me tremendously. I drank fluids, and ate like ice cream, milk shakes, etc. The next morning I ate a lite breakfast, and by lunch time the next day had a high protein meal. I think this also helped me because with my first cesarean I had to be flat on my back for over 24 hrs and was only allowed ice chips, and then was on a liquid diet for three days.

There are other things to build a supply, but I am not so sure I would do them to start out. Fenugreek and mother's milk tea, I have both done to relactate -- I prefer the Mother's Milk Tea!

 

[OnTheFence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debstmomy You milk coming in at 3 days is perfectly normal! While you neared the 10% weight loss & had all those "professionals" worried, I wonder about your birth story. Why were you c-sec? Was it after a long labor with IV fluids? If so, that may not have been a "true" birth weight. Baby may have been high on fluids too. Have patience & faith. If you have your planned c-sec your IV load may not be as high as last time, which will produce a more accurate birth weight. Good Luck. Keep us posted.

YES YES YES what she said!!! I wish more moms knew this. Thanks for posting it!

 

[seren]

I had a horrible time breastfeeding my dd1, had a bad experience after birth, long story short, because of a few circumstances my milk did not come in for 3 weeks according to my dd's ped and my lc. So with ds I started drinking a glass of Mother's Milk tea each day about a week before my due date. He was born the day before his due date. The tea made a HUGE difference.

 

[jessicafairy]

Nurse the baby as soon as possible after delivery and as often as possible! The more frequently you are nursing the more frequently you are releasing prolactin and telling your body to make milk! Good luck and be well.

 

[nurnur4evr]

I have found that eating cooked oatmeal seems to help increase my milk supply.

 

[Moon Faerie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debstmomy You milk coming in at 3 days is perfectly normal! While you neared the 10% weight loss & had all those "professionals" worried, I wonder about your birth story. Why were you c-sec? Was it after a long labor with IV fluids? If so, that may not have been a "true" birth weight. Baby may have been high on fluids too. Have patience & faith. If you have your planned c-sec your IV load may not be as high as last time, which will produce a more accurate birth weight. Good Luck. Keep us posted.

: Both of mine were vaginal births, and with my ds my milk didn't come in for 3 days. He lost about 7%, but it was a long labor with LOTS of iv fluids. With my dd, my milk came in at about 1.5 days pp, and she had a 4% drop with absolutely no iv fluids.

 

[mightymoo]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I know 3 days is normal and I also know its only really a concern when the baby seems affected - I just would rather not get there and have a fight on my hands if I can do something to prevent it, KWIM?

I'm sure my DD had some extra weight just in meconium, as she gave daddy the diaper training of his life the first night LOL

What I didn't think about was how long it was before they let me even on the liquid diet, since DD was born at around 8pm, I don't think I had more than one glass of water between 8pm and probably 11am the next day. I'm sure that probably made a big difference.

Thanks for all the info!