I am looking for suggestions on increasing my milk supply. My 9 month old started daycare about a month ago and I am having some trouble getting him to take a bottle, which is frustrating but it gets better each day. Now I am worried because when I pump on my lunch break I get less and less milk. I do not want to switch to formula this late in the game, not to mention I love breastfeeding. Should I pump more often, am I worrying about nothing, is there some magic trick...? Please help!

I am the last person to ask about breastfeeding, (never did it) but you might find some good info on this site

http://www.breastfeeding.com/

I had serious supply issues when I was breastfeeding my daughter and returned to work.

What kind of pump are you using?

Drink mothers milk tea
take fenugreek (can get that at a health food store)
Eat oatmeal

Pump pump pump
Pump one side while your baby nurses on the other...and if things are still rough a visit to an LC may help.

LOTS and LOTS of luck!

give me one day.. and i'll have a great response for you... i know a few super informed women!

alrighty... here is the suggestion i got..

and i've heard a lot about the benefits of fenugreek... and also (strangely enough) drink a beer a day... especially ones like guinness.. they actually help with your milk supply and as long as it is just A beer - there shouldn't be any problems.... and this is from my friend:

The herbal supplament more milk plus works good. Fenugreek is also a good one. Mabey check the pump to make sure the parts are not wearing out. I know the Medela and ameda pumps have membranes and little cap things that wear out and when they start wearing out it will lose suctions and you will get less milk of course. I had my ameda do that and I just replaced the valve thingies and it was amazing how much milk I could get againe.

Thank you so much for all of the suggestions!! Mashell I found a great trick for hands free pumping on that website. I am using the medela pump in style and I never thought about the parts wearing out. I will definately change the little membranes. And your suggestion, hi, got me thinking about the suction and I realized I have not adjusted the vacuum or the speed since my baby was LITTLE. Duh! That helped speed up the whole process a little too! Next I will try the herbal remedies suggested since my brother would shoot me for drinking his Guinness! Thank you all again and again and again.....

I've been breastfeeding for 14 months, and I would have a full day of school. Whenever my milk supply got low I would do the following: Eat a VERY large meal, drink plenty of water like 12 glasses daily, put the baby on my breast as much as possible (maybe during the weekend) and pump after each feeding in addition to during lunch hours. Keep in mind it make take 2-3 days for your supply to catch up. So, don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. You may leak quite a bit doing all of this, but you can adjust your milk supply by a combination of eating/drinking and stimulation (sucking, pumping). I hope this helps, it's a lot of work, but really worth it. Good luck!

Sorry forgot to add you may want to go the La Leche League's website for more tips or to consult a lactation specialist : http://www.llli.org/ You can usually call your local hospital and speak with a lactacion specialist. Also too, my milk increased using the Avent Issit pump (spelling is wrong), it has a petal shaped cup that stimulates the areola. I've heard the Medela ones are great. I only had a manual Medela one that wore out eventually. Sorry this is so long, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help if I can.

Here's the pump just in case, bc I completely screwed up the spelling

http://www.target.com/Avent-Isis-Breast-Pump-Bottles/dp...Aavent%20isis&page=1

I read drinking one can of beer a day helps with milk production.

I am new to the board so I apologize for jumping into such a personal topic right off the bat. However it's a subject I am passionate about and have training in. I am a member of La Leche and a Colorado Lactation Management Specialist.

I have a few things to say. First, CONGRATS for getting as far as you have! You should be very proud of that!

My other advice would be to look at what your long term nursing goal is? If it's more than a year I would say the supplements, fenugreek, beer and those things are not for long term milk supply.

Are you still feeling let down? Do you feel it when you are at work? If you are feeling that let down you are not pumping enough. You need to be pumping as much as it takes not to let down during the day. The other sign is that you should be getting an ounce total between both breasts for the number of hours between pumpings. So if you go three hours between pumpings and get three ounces then you are good. If you are getting more than that is outstanding. If you are getting less than you need to pump more often.

You might find that pumping every 3 hours at work for one week really gets things going again. Then on the weekends before and after that week, take what I like to call a nursing vacation. Stay home and put your baby to your breasts as often as you can. Be sure each time you are draining your breasts. If your baby does not drain one, be sure to pump the rest. Each time you don't drain or you don't pump (and you let down) you are sending a signal to your body "I don't need more milk, slow production" and over time (this can be a few days to a week) you notice a significant decrease in your supply.

I hope that helps a bit. Keep up the great work and take it one day at a time.