Low milk supply?

Question

Hey everyone,
LO is 6 weeks today and has been BF since birth although it took quite a long time for my milk to come in because he was c-section. Due to a few complications the consultant at the hospital encouraged us to BF first and top baby up with formula. Thankfully baby is all healthy now but I’m still having to mix feed because my milk supply is low.
I BF using each breast until there’s no milk left and then top him up. I also let him use my breast instead of a pacifier where I can and I’m using a breast pump. At best I can get 1-2oz from both breasts combined but most of the time it’s the tiniest amount that barely covers the bottom of the milk pot. 
Anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions on improving supply? 
Thanks xx

Answer

Add milk boosting foods. Nuts, oats, brewers yeast, fenugreek, etc. 
Increase your water intake. 
Drink 1-2 gatorades a day as a fluid/ electrolyte boost
Also are you getting enough calories a day? If you aren’t then you won’t produce. Example: if you are eating a 1,200 calorie diet and working out and breastfeeding then no you are not eating enough. Just to function/have energy you need the 1,200 calories then working out cuts that back farther. And breastfeeding cuts it down even more so your body feels it’s is “starving” and will give up producing milk bc it needs to protect itself. You burn on average 20 calories for every ounce you produce. Most babies eat 20-30 oz a day. Which means you need to add at least 400-600 calories to your already normal calorie intake. 
Every time you offer a bottle pump. Even if you aren’t getting anything. Pump. Like others have said it’s a supply/demand situation. The more formula you offer the less breast he will take and less of a demand on your body to produce. So when offering/topping off with a bottle hook up to pump for the length of time it takes him to eat a bottle. Example: my baby can’t physically take a breast so we do bottle fed breast milk. If he takes 15 minutes to eat a bottle then I pump both breast for 15 minutes. If he eats a bottle in 10 minutes. Then I go for 10. Regardless of how much I get out it’s the demand he needs and it’s how my body will learn to respond. Same goes for you. 
Also doing a combine feeding isn’t bad. A baby only needs 8-16 oz of breast milk a day to get the benefits of breast milk. Now cost is a different thing lol formula is stupid expensive. 
Good luck!

Answer

Breastfeeding is a supply and demand situation, so if baby is filling up on formula, he'll request less from your breasts. Just put the baby on your breasts as much as possible. I would recommend going to a breastfeeding class or seeing another lactation consultant and doing a weighted feed (they will weigh baby directly before and after a nursing). A pump is an EXTREMELY inaccurate way to judge supply. I have been nursing my son for almost 10 months (always great weight gain) and struggle to get more than a couple ounces when I pump.

Answer

Pumping is not an adequate measure of what baby is drinking from your breast. As mentioned below; breastfeeding is supply and demand and mix feeding can really mess with it. 
If he is gaining weight appropriately it might be helpful to start giving less formula and trying to nurse more frequently and/or pump a few minutes after every feed. 
If you’re in a position to do so: contact a local IBCLC (lactation consultant) for support. It’s hard but it can be done. I had to mix feed for the first 6 months due to latch issues and my supply was really bad. I am now still nursing a very healthy 23 month old.

Answer

I also had supply issues after complications at birth abs my daughter was slow to gain weight.  I was encouraged to pump after breastfeeding to build supply, but I was barely able to pump anything out. My lactation consultant suggested pumping off the first let down of the first two feeds of the day and pumping at the end also. The reasons this was suggested was because my supply was greater in the morning, so it was easier to pump extra. And a baby was able to draw out the hindmilk than the pump couldn't. This way I was able to empty my breasts more and this signalled my body to produce more. I used the expressed milk towards the evening when my supply was lower and my baby was fussier. I fed on demand and allowed comfort feeding. It was about 3 weeks until I was confident I had adequate supply and my daughter was gaining good weight. It probably helped that my daughter was also 3 weeks older. She was also learning how to breastfeed, and it became easier for her as mouth was larger and she grew stronger.

Answer

I went through a lot of this same stuff. The only way to fix a low supply is to constantly put your baby to your breast, the more formula you feed him the less milk you will have available. Just try it for a few days, he will be a little hungry but it typically only takes 24 hours for your body to respond and make more milk, I promise it’s worth it.

Answer

Drink 100-150oz of water a day and look at pinterest for lactation cookie recipes. They seriously work!!

Low milk supply?

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