Hey Moms,
What’s the internet for if not to help our fellow Moms? A subscriber wrote to me and while I have to run out the door to take the kids off for a fun outing, she gave me permission to post her question here. I’ll be back later with some suggestions, but in the meantime, if you’ve BTDT, give her some assistance 
I am a full time working mom who is still fortunate enough to be bf while I’m home and I pump at work 2x a day. My milk supply is getting lower and lower during the day. I have only been able to get about 6 oz at a time, and I pump every 4 hours. I’m worried that I’m not making enough for him for during the day. He’s also been waking more frequently at night lately to nurse, but I think it may be his molars are coming in. I don’t know. He’s my first. Do you have any advice as far as getting my milk supply back up during the day and then maybe how to get him to sleep at night? This whole reverse schedule is exhausting! None of my friends are still bf, so they don’t understand, and they don’t really have any advice for me. I hope maybe you can help me out a little.
Hi there Alicia -
I might be able to help a little – I pumped exclusively with my first, and am still nursing with my 2nd (he’s 3).
My first question would be how old is he? I assume he’s around 1-2 years since you mentioned molars. Second, has he just started “re-waking” during the night, or has he always woke up?
My first thought about the night waking is that maybe he’s having a “reaction” to your working?
The reason I think this is 1 of 2 reasons, 1 maybe he’s wanting to “be with mom, and have the comfort of nursing” to reassure him that your still “there.”
My other thought is that, in addition to or maybe because of the incoming molars – he’s not eating as much during the day as he used to – or because your not pumping as much as you used to – therefore he’s making up for it at night.
It’s sometimes easier if you can “pin point” the reason behind the sleeping issue (or lack of sleeping issue) – though it does not change the waking!
– if you can understand why then you have a good start at trying to eliminate it!
With your pumping, my first thought would be, is there a way to pump more often? When I was pumping, my supply would go up and down, when it was “down” I started pumping more, which in turn told my body to produce more – even pumping why your home might help. (Like right after you are done nursing.)
Another idea is to have a picture of the baby RIGHT there with you while pumping, or having a tape of his “baby noises” it sounds weird, but pumping can be so very impersonal – these idea’s add a little reminder about WHY your doing, and going though all you are!!! Not to mention it’s nice to see and here your little one!
There are other things you can do, drink mothers milk tea, eat oatmeal, drink beer (sounds weird but it does work), also you could take fenugreek. All of which have been proven to increase milk supply, if you do them enough, for the mothers milk tea, some moms report that you need to drink a bunch of it to work, for oatmeal, you will probably want to eat it at least 1-2 times a day, drinking beer is only recommended that you do that once a day, and for fenugreek, you will probably want to start with taking 3 tablets at least 3 times a day! It can be alot of work, but it can result in producing more milk!
You could also consider stopping pumping during the day, while your at work. Many mom’s when there supply gets to this point, decide that it’s not worth it to continue pumping at work, and stop. If you do give up pumping during the day at work, your nursing relationship does NOT have to end, believe me your baby will be fine, and so will your supply – your body will “take the hint” and adjust to just nursing at night and on weekends – a woman’s body is an amazing tool! If you do decide that you should go this route, remember you did ALOT for your baby, by pumping at work, and nursing all together! There’s nothing wrong with just “being done” and needing to quit!
I hope this helps at least a bit! And good luck!
Jenn
Owner of All Natural Mommies and Parenting Advice Blog
Alicia – gorgeous name, by the way! I am still pumping (my third baby) and work full time. I experience this problem each time and have resolved it different ways. More water, more food (a lot more food), and a friend recommended alfalfa tablets. I did notice more energy with the alfalfa tablets, but am not quite sure there was a significant increase in breastmilk. Mother’s milk tea DID NOT WORK FOR ME. Also, allow your baby to nurse as much as he wants, even if you are just consoling him – as a pumping mom, you might need that extended contact as well as the help to increase your milk supply. Oh – one other suggestion…you have to stop worrying about having enough milk! That kind of stress will freeze you right up. I wish I could say there is a magic fix, but unfortunately, in my case, I have had mixed results. BF as long as you can comfortably, and when your body or your baby tells you your time is up, make your peace with it. Best wishes to you and congratulations on your first son!
Alicia,
Firstly, Kudos to you for continuing to give your baby the comfort and nutrition of your milk despite the challenges!
Let’s try to tackle your question one thing at a time. For starters, is it possible for you to add another pumping session during your workday? If this is just not possible, how about pumping first thing in the morning before baby gets up when your milk supply is at its most abundant? Then when baby wakes up and nurses, could you pump on the other breast while he nurses? About 3 days of this and your body will get the signal to send more milk.
I wasn’t sure if you get 6 ounces from both breasts of from each one, but remember that baby gets more milk than a pump because he is perfectly designed to extract it.
It sounds like he is thriving, and oftentimes a Mom feels that her supply isn’t enough when her baby’s thighs tell a different story. Has your baby’s Doctor expressed concern about his weight gain? It would also be helpful if we knew how old your baby is.
Is he taking any solids? What is the childcare situation like? Does his caregiver indicate that he seems like he’s not getting enough to eat?
Babies who are taking breastmilk actually need less milk than formula fed infants, because breastmilk is nutritionally superior. They simply don’t need as much in volume.
Here are a couple of articles that might give you more suggestions:
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug96p118.html (Getting more milk when pumping) and
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMayJun00p98.html
(working without pumping)
And lastly, take it easy! You’re working so hard to give baby the best, don’t forget to take care of YOU. I know it must be exhausting for you to have him nursing all night, but I would point out that baby can get the bulk of his caloric needs met at night. So get as much rest as possible in the evenings and at night, get help with dinner and housework and try to focus on your baby as much as you can.
Always pump both breast at thesame time. When using a machine, only pumping both at the same time will tell your body to produce more milk.
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Hi Alicia,
First of all..great job for still nursing and pumping while working. That is the best thing you can do for yourself and for baby.
I am a mother of 4..the last 2 twins, and I nursed everyone. My 1st until 2.5yrs, my daughter while pregnant with twins up to my 7th month, and my twins, up to 3 yrs..well one of them. It has so many benefits to baby and creates such a wonderful bond. Intellegence, great teeth…so many blessings..
In the begining when your milk comes in, your body will produce way more than your baby needs. Then it will slow down some to fit your babies needs. 6 oz is an awesome amount btw. When I pumped, the most I ever got was 3 oz.
When pumping, try to relax. Take some deep breaths and concentrate on your baby before you start. Try not to rush. Be confident that you are doing the best thing for your child and your own body. You want to produce the hormone your body makes naturally to relax your body enough to let down enough milk. So when my baby was not around and I had to pump, I would have something that belonged to baby..like clothes I could smell his/her sweet little baby smell..Make sure you are in place where you wont get to many distractions.
When I nursed, lots of times about 10 minutes prior to nursing, I would drink a warm cup of chamomile tea. This relaxing tea is just that. It naturally relaxes you and is safe for baby. It really helped in milk supply too. wow! It will also help baby relax and sleep. I still give it to my kids.
Breast milk digests much faster in baby’s tummy than formula because it has the perfect ingredients for baby’s body. So most times breast babies are not as large as formula babies and will seem to eat more but may only be drinking an oz or 2. If his mouth hurts or if he is going through a growth spirt, he will nurse more to be close to you as it is very nurturing and helps to keep the immune system stronger.
If his teeth are comimg in, try rubbing breast milk directly on his gums. I also rubbed a tiny bit of diluted tea tree oil directly on the sore spot and they were fast asleep the rest of the night.
My husband and I swapped nights on baby duty because he understood that getting enough rest helped my body produce more for our childen. Plus it was great bonding for daddy and baby and I got a whole night to sleep.
I hope this helps.
Jill
Hi Alicia~
First and foremost, kudos to you for breastfeeding! What better way to give your baby nutrition other than breastmilk!
I too am a breastfeeding mother! I am currently breastfeeding my second and I have found myself in somewhat of a similar situation as you this time around. For some reason, I seemed to produce more milk with my first child. Therefore, I found myself searching for alternative ways to produce more milk.
In all honestly, what has worked for me has been my fluid intake. I drink water like it is going out of style. Remaining hydrated thought the day, as well as, the night has helped tremendously! Eating continuously thoughout that day, such as small meals and snacks can contribute to more production of breastmilk. Also, if it is possible for you to pump more frequently throughout the day that too may help you as well.
In regards to your son sleeping less in the evening and waking up more frequently, try to figure out what has thrown him off schedule be it him teething or somthing else. You may want to try and fill him up (I call it “topping” him off) prior to putting him down for the night. That may help. Keep in mind that he could also be going though a little growth spurt and he may just need some time to transition.
You will receive different advice from many women who are or who have been breastfeeding mothers. I sincerely believe that a mother who has breastfeed her child or children will be able to give the best advice. Remember what may work for one Mom, may not work for another. I hope this little information will be of some help to you! (o:
I sincerely wish you the best and congratulations on becoming a Mom! By you breastfeeding your baby, you are not only creating a beautiful bond with your baby, you are also providing him with the best nutrition!
Happy Breastfeeding!
Dana
Hi Alicia,
Hang in there. I am bf’ing my 5th exclusively, but had to pump with my last two because I was working. If you can add an extra pumping session at work, it would probably help. For me, I also had to keep my water intake way up to about almost a gallon a day, and no more than one cup of coffee. No sodas or any other “diuretic” type drinks, except tea. Mothers tea didn’t do anything significant for me, but taking fenugreek did. I started at 3 pills 3x daily and increased to up to 4-5 3x if I experience any drops, otherwise maintaining at 3 (it gets expensive). Also I hate to say it, but I had to eat alot. Where they get this notion of only needing 300 extra cals is beyond me. Even bf’ing now I still notice that if I don’t eat “alot” my supply drops. Also on his molars – my dd now is working on her second molar – she got her first at around 9.5 mos I think – she stopped wanting to nurse during the day and would fuss like you wouldn’t believe. At night though, she would nurse alot, so much that there is no way she’d be in her own bed. I think that it pains them, and when they’re awake they don’t always want to nurse, but when sleepy, they are more likely too. I know you don’t want to hear that because you are so sleep deprived. If he doesn’t already, maybe for awhile he can sleep with you so that you can nurse him and sleep at the same time (if you are worried about smushing him, I don’t think that will happen – sometimes I am so exhausted, I worry, but if he is older, he’d let you know if you roll over on him). Good luck and I hope it gets easier for you. Try not to stress – as noted, that can make it alot worse. Viv
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