One of my goals with Oliver was to work harder at breast feeding and keeping up my milk supply. I had ok supply with Beckham (nursed until 7 mo but had to supplement some formula and no frozen milk saved up), but things didn't go so well with Creighton. I resorted to only pumping/bottles with Creighton around two months because I was frustrated with how breastfeeding was going... it seemed like I didn't have enough milk to satisfy him. Once I started doing that, what little supply I had kind of dwindled off and by four months I had pretty much no milk left.
So this time around I was much more intentional about my milk and I nursed Ollie through 9 months, not because of supply, but just because I was ready to be done and had enough frozen milk to last at least another couple months (which was a big deal for me!).
I know there are many sources for increasing your milk supply on the internet, just thought I would add my input too :) here's what I did this time around:
+ taking a lactation supplement. this one from Honest is the one I used and liked it. I think it was the biggest key to keeping up my supply.
+ drinking lots of water/fluids. this is a no-brainer, but it really is something you have to consciously think about. It can get annoying, but I took water with me wherever I went and always had a water bottle with me at home (yes, I had to pee like every hour!). If I ever actually felt thirsty, I would chug a bunch of water.
+ keeping up my calories. even if I didn't feel that hungry, I usually ate a small snack in the morning and afternoon. I also tried to eat plenty of good fats - avocado, nut butters, avocado mayo, coconut milk.
+ not going crazy with exercise. I don't remember how quickly I started working out after Creighton or what I did, but I'm sure it was more intense than what I did with Ollie. I started with running about once/week and added a couple other light workouts during the week, but the more I work out, the more I have to work on drinking extra water and it seems to negatively affect my supply.
+ when Ollie ate once at night, he would feed on one side and I would pump the other side... and for a couple months after he slept through the night, I would get up around 3-4a and pump
+ eating lactation bites and overnight oats (and adding flax + brewers yeast to baked goods and homemade pizza crust). I made this recipe of lactation bites and sometimes added chia or coconut. They have a slightly bitter taste from the brewer's yeast, but the honey and nut butter hide the brewer's yeast really well. I like NOW brand of brewer's yeast, which is debittered, so that probably helps. this is the overnight oat recipe I liked:
1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. coconut or almond milk
1/2 c. frozen berries
1 T. chia seeds
drizzle of maple syrup (or a tsp of lemon curd, which was really yummy)
sprinkle of cinnamon
splash of vanilla (if I felt like it)
put all ingredients in a jar or bowl and refrigerate overnight. I usually added a little extra milk in the morning to thin out. these are good for several days in the fridge if you want to make 2 or 3 at a time.
Nursing can be stressful, especially if you are feeling low on milk supply, so I hope this is helpful info! what have you done to help with your milk supply?
3 comments:
I can so relate to this post! I worked a lot harder with Ira to keep up my milk supply and it made all the difference. I'm glad to have a supplement recommendation for this time around! I always eat oats for breakfast, drink tons, and do lactation cookies. I also used fennel essential oil and took it internally. Oh and the excuse to drink beer. :) Glad you posted this...gave me good motivation because I don't naturally just make tons of milk...maybe our genetics?
My advice is to really emphasize the first month or two-what I mean by emphasize is feed very frequently, as much as possible during the first few months, or pump in between as well. My first two babies I fed every 2 hours in the daytime for over a month. They say your milk supply is established in the first few months, and it's really a supply and demand system. So the more you ask your body to produce by feeding/pumping frequently, the more your body will make. My first two were breastfed exclusively for 12 months with no problem and honestly I never took supplements or lactation recipes of any kind. Drinking plenty and eating were things I put effort into though as you mentioned.
I am currently nursing my twins! Babies 3 and 4, and so far they've been breastfed exclusively (with the exception of their first feeding or two at hospital in the NICU before my milk came in, and they were only getting drops really through their NG tube) and are gaining really well. The lactation staff at hospital encouraged me to pump every 3 hours in addition to when I started nursing them at several days old when their breathing issues were resolved. I really think asking my body to produce caused a larger production! Enjoyed your post and thought I'd add my 2 cents for what it's worth, although you probably don't know me really. (I'm Joel Steiner's younger sister :)
These are great thoughts! I could literally not work out, or even really break a sweat or I would have no evening feeding. :( So I just gave it up until about 8 months. I also gave up the idea of having a freezer supply, and focused on just keeping M fed and happy. Once I let go of that expectation, I was more relaxed, which probably helped too. I ate oats, drank Mother's Milk tea, and lots and lots of water. I made it to a year without much freezer reserve so hopefully that it will be same case with #2.
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