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Avatar universal

making breastfeeding work

I have noticed quiet a few ask about boosting milk supply.

The key is feed on demand and not time! YOu have the foremilk that is sugary and for brain development, and the creamy hind milk for growth. It will take a min sometimes for the milk to let down and start coming out. SO baby has to work for the food. Baby needs to be awake and to get a good feeding session and I know this is hard in the first few days and even more if the baby is jaundice or premature. You want to make sure the baby is latched on good also! BF babies will root for the nipple and when they do rub the nipple on the lower lip and that most of the time will make baby open wide enough to get it back in the mouth. If you are having trouble look up Dr. Jack Newman who is a breastfeeding specialist, he hsa videos to watch with differnt holds.

Now you will see the baby swallowing when you have your let down and once that is over does nto mean the baby is done! Let the baby nurse and they are still getting the creamy hind milk which thet need too. The more you let the baby suck even if they are done eating the better the milk cupply will come in. Also early one the baby will go through growth spurts more often. THat means they will need to eat more/longer and more often for about 3 days (and nights) to build your supply up and then they will taper off. YOu will know more milk has come in becasue you tend to leak from one side when it is time to feed or the other when you start feeding more often during this time.

SO the best thing is to feed every 1-3 hours int he day and baby always eats more when awake, and breastfed babies almost always eat to go to sleep. ANd BF babies will eat every 1-4 hours during the night. There is no need to wake baby during the night unless you are hurting and need to feed, the baby is premature or jaundice as they tend to sleep more.

Some mothers will use a pacifier in the early weeks becasue it seems the abby wants to suck all the time. Which is what they do and will do till they build your supply up so it is best to nurse and not give a pacifier till you both ahve got the hang of BF and established a good supply and mom knows when baby wants to eat and not just suck.

Also if you suppliment at all your body wil think it does not need milk for that feed and can drop very fast! Some moms want to see how much they are feeding by pumping and that does not work. YOu will never get the same from a pump as you would from a baby! It can also make your nipples sore. ALso pumping does enlarge the nipple and if your are pumping lots then you can make it bigger for the baby to get a good llatch.

That being said yes it is OK to pump after feeds to fully drain the breast if baby has not.

Any medication can srop your milk, even over the counter meds such as acid reducers! All anti histamines do as well. so you need to keep that in mind.

Blessed thistle 600-800mg a day spread out 3 or 4 times
Fenugreek 800-1600mg a day spread out 3 or 4 times
mothers milk tea
Oatmeal
and fennel seed which can be crushed by morter and pestle and spinkled over your food or in your drink

ALso if during ovulation your milk can drop or if you are sick so you just needt o keep in plenty of fluids! Drinking a glass of water 20 min prior to feeding will help the milk let down.

If the mother has hormonal issues the dr can perscribe one of two medications. The one that works best is not sold in all states of the US. Motilium and you cna get it from the UK, it is allowed to be used just not sold in all states. I do know that TN does have pharmacies that have it.

Happy BF to you new mommies and don't give up, it will work and is best for baby.

C mom of 6 and LLC
6 Responses
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202436 tn?1326474333
I wish your breastfeeding suggests would work for me.  After trying to nurse 4 kids I've resigned to the fact that I'm just not able to do it exclusively. I've been to several LC and tried everything I could think of and has been suggested and no luck.  I have not been able to get a good latch with any of the 4 of them.  I have really large nipples and my kids all have really bad underbites whent hey are born, plus an inverted nippe and milk supply issues.  :(  With my last baby I was able to pump and bottle feed exclusively breastmilk, but this time around my supply really stinks.  I had a large amount of blood loss about 8 hours after delivery and became anemic.  I have tried everything my doc suggested, plus things i've researched and I still haven't been able to get my supply up.  Becuase my kids don't latch properly, I have better results pumping, but even pumping frequently, taking galactagogues, trying to put her to the breast when I can, etc...isn't helping :(  I'm about ready to just give up and go to just formula feeding.  Right now I'm barely managing to keep up with her daytime feedings, but she gets formula for her 2 night feedings.  BTW we also didn't use a pacifier until just recently and shes a month old.
Helpful - 0
971074 tn?1362759766
Great information! Thank you so much for sharing all of this. I'm more nervous about the trials of breastfeeding than labor. I know that might seem silly but it's true. Your information helps a lot.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
suggest you get a bra, that is if you can find one, that has two hooks for growth in the cup size. I will have to look around. You need a good supporting bra now but the thing is when your milk comes in you will be huge! LOL I go up one or two cup sixes during pregnancy then up another after birth and stay that way till around 6-8 months then go down.

Measure under your boobs and above and take the highest number and round up to an even number, say it is 35 then you are a 36. I am a 34 under and 35 above so I am a 36.
Then you measure around the nipple area and make sure they are up good not sagging. Then you use the difference in above size and the around th enipple size to determine the cup. How many inches is it?
1=B
2=C
3=D
4=E
5=F
6=G
7=H

Lots of woman think if they get bigger that they get a bigger round but that is not the case. I have a 7" difference so I am a 36 H. I started out at a 36 DD

NOt everyone measures right! I have gone to many places and they measure me with a bigger width just to get the cup to fit, but the bra slides down and goes up on my boobs. They do that becasue they do not carry my size in most stores so they just want to get a sale! Look at Nummies.com, and I think cotton babies.com has bras too that are good. Motherhood their bras run small in my opinion and are not supportive. But that is for my size.

Hope this helps!
Helpful - 0
1330108 tn?1333677304
Thank you so much for all of your suggestions!  I am planning on a vaginal delivery but I have two spinal fractures and a pelvic fracture so I think my delivery will be medicated. But I will be absolutely sure to nurse asap after delivery. Thank you, you have really helped me feel more confident in my ability to BF.

At what point should I get measured for nursing bras?  I am 22 weeks now and I have grown a whole cup size but I assume there is more growing to come but will want bras prior to delivery.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
well like you said getting the baby to latch is key! THere is always going to be some discomfort. Actually I have never used to breast creams but I know woman who swear by them. I use expressed breast milk for sore nipples and  it works for me.. It takes about 3-4 days for the milk to come in and babies stomach is so small that nothing else is needed. Nature takes care of itself! The colostrum is vital for baby to get and very nutrishous and high in calories. I know lots of neew mommies think it is not enough but it is, and just nursing when ever you can and often and for as long as you can is great to help the milk come in. My newest little one nursed for 40 min everytime he would eat and about every 1-3 hours for the first 5-9 days I think. I know that sounds like a lot but you are just holding that little one and need the rest so it is not bad;) You can use the tea whenever you want! The biggest thing is that when your milk comes in you will be very engorged and standing in the shower will help the let down and ease some pain. Putting some water in a newborn diaper and putting it in the microwave for a bot to warm and then sticking it inside you bra feels good. Also having a good none wire supportive cotton bra is vital. Wires can cause clogged ducs as they go back way in to your sides and arm pit almost. I am large and it is hard to find a good bra so I took a maternity/ nursing bra that is too little and used to claps to put on a regular bra and cut and sewed it so I have a bra that actually fits. You will also want to make sure you wear nursing pads as you may leak a little or a lot and spray all over. I have been at walmart and my littl eon sound asleep in his sling and another baby cried and I started leaking! Tht motherly thing:)

So the best things are
good bra
good latch
and comfy spot
and go to town...lol

It is a wonderful experience and baby knows what to do!

Now babies that have had an epidural or drugs during birth or been delivered by c-section may need some help leading them but they will latch and suck good once they are there. Also if you have to have a c-section have them bring baby to you in the recovery room once he/she is checked out to nurse asap. The longer you take the harder for baby. Tell the nurses no formula, water or paccifiers that you will be nursing if you intend to. They can get nipple confusion. If you have a vaginal birth then right away put the baby skin to skin and nurse right away, tell them that you want to hold off on cleaning andeverything else including shots and eye drops till after you have nursed. You will still be producing oxitocin which will soothe baby from the whole borth experience. Baby knows your smell and your milk smell from in utero. It is the smell of the amniotic fluid! Go to You tube and look up the breast crawl. A new baby can lay on moms belly and sqirm to find the breast and latch on and nurse themselfs!! Great video! Now babies who have had drugss can not all do this but it is amazing! Good luck to you and it is so much easier then ahve to get up an wash bottles, mix formula, haet and give it to baby and make sure you ahve enough in the dipaer bag and is it staying good in the heat outside, where do I heat it etc.... also there have been many recalled formulas.
Helpful - 0
1330108 tn?1333677304
Wow you are amazing!!  I am 22 weeks and was starting to think about BF and since this is my first the main question is what on earth am I doing??  Any tips for first time mom's to make BF work other than what is above?  Also wondering can I use the tea in the first few days after birth to help my milk come in? Or is there anything else I can do to help my milk come in?  Also concerned about how it's going to hurt any proactive solutions to decrease pain other than a good latch when baby *****?  Any tips advice suggestions on what to have on hand I'll take any suggestions you have :). Thank you so much for such great info!
Helpful - 0
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