Hi....I have been breastfeeding for 7 months now. I am also a working mother. I find that my milk supplying is reducing. Would like to continue breastfeeding until the baby is at least 12 months old. How do I maintain my milk supply?
Hi Meing Chaan,
Basically your milk supply works on demand & supply ie the more you take out the more you will make. When you are working there are sometimes restrictions on how long or how often you can express your milk & if you are not able to express frequently enough the milk supply will reduce. Also expressing is not as effective as a baby suckling at the breast.
To increase the milk supply you may like to try the following:
If possible increase the frequency of expressing while at work.
Try to relax while you are expressing.If you are stressed it will affect the actual milk flow.
If you are pumping one breast at a time try double pumping.
Increase direct breastfeeding with your baby when you are at home.
At week-ends, revert to full breastfeeding & only express on work days.
Check that you are taking a well balanced diet (while you are breastfeeding you should be taking extra calories & plenty of good quality unrefined carbohydrates).
If the milk supply doesn't increase to meet your baby's needs you may want to consider taking Fenugreek. The capsules are not always easy to obtain but you can enquire at GNC shops. Other wise buy the fenugreek seeds. You can make a drink by adding approx 8 oz boiling water to a heaped teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. Let this steep for a few minutes & then drink the liquid. You can repeat this approx 3 x per day.If you like the taste of the seeds you can also eat the softened seeds.
If you have any medical conditions you may want to check with your doctor before doing this.
Alternatively there are medications your doctor can prescribe if the milk supply is very low.
Over the next few months your baby will gradually take more solid food & will require less of your milk but up to one year your milk is still your baby's staple food.
Comments & tips from other working moms would be very welcome.
5 comments:
Sorry for being late at leaving comments...just want to say that I tried drinking water boiled in fenugreek seeds and it helped with my supply..i can pump an extra 5 ounce a day now!
You can get the fenugreek seeds from Giant at RM0.99 per packet!
Dear Christine,
I have been breastfeeding rather successfully for the past 3 months until recently. I started working about a week ago. For the past few days, my baby has been crying during feeding and this has caused stress to both of us. Is my supply decreasing? I also find it hard to express at work - the most I get each time is only about 2oz. Please advise.
Desperately needing help.
You may be feeling a bit stressed & your body may need time to readjust to the new schedule. If you are tense the baby will pick up on your tension & also milk flow will be affected. When you come home take a few minutes to relax & settle down. Try slow breathing & relaxing while feeding your baby.
Your milk supply may have decreased In which case you need to look at increasing frequency of feeds & maybe taking some fenugreek. See other comments on this topic. Also ensure that you are eating well & managing as much rest as is possible in a busy day !
Hi Christine,
I have been breastfeeding my baby for 6.5 months now. There has been highs and lows but I noticed a few things that made a big difference in increasing my milk supply:
*drink plenty of water: at least 3 liters a day, I drink 4l. I always carry a bottle with me and I also drink during the night when I feed my baby.
*don't run around all day and have lots of rest. Too much physical activity, including walking decreases the supply.
*express milk after feeds. I am going to go back to work next week, and since I started pumping, my milk supply really increased.
I hope this can help the othe mums.
i think when you are relaxed and take a lot fluids and eat well balanced food the milk production will be more.
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