Breastfeeding question. I am sooo desperate please help me!!!?

my baby nurses on combination of breast and formula, and i am desperate to stop it, i want to breastfeed. but my milk supply is very low. i know i know, you probably will say that it isnt, but he really is not getting enough to eat. he nurses on me for maybe 10 minutes and then starts crying, and when i check, i cannot get any milk out. so he empties me pretty quickly and is still very hungry. i read some of the advice on here about pumping and nursin more often, relaxing, eating and drinking well. i also went to a lactation specialist, and she said the same thing. for me that doesnt work as efectively, so i was hoping i can get some over the counter drugs to help me lactate? I just dont know which, and if they are safe. someone suggested fenugreek. can you find it at rite aid or sav on? is it safe? what else can i take? please help, i have a beautiful son and it's a shame i cant give him the best...

There are prescription drugs like Reglan that can help you lactate, but they have negative side effects like depression. I think a better way is using herbs like Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle (not milk thistle). I was never able to find either one at my local pharmacies or drugstores, but health food stores have them and you can order in online at www.drugstore.com. Both fenugreek and blessed thistle are safe and effective as long as you are not pregnant. Good luck! And don't let anyone discourage you, you are doing great!

FIRST OF ALL....GOOD FOR YOU MOM!

You are giving him the best, this is the hardest thing you will ever do......

They make mother's milk tea...It tastes nasty, but it did help me...you can get it at a health store, but also maybe in the health section by the vitamens.

Also, for now....nurse him...then supplement him too, but also pump for an additional ten minutes a side..that way, he is eating and getting food, and your breast are still be stimulated to produce milk....they don't know it isn't him.

I had to pump for 6 months because my daughter couldn't latch.......

GOOD JOB MOM!

First of all take a deep breath. Bless your heart you are getting yourself into a frenzy! I had the same thing happen with both of my children, and nothing I could do would ever get my milk supply up. Anything I have read on lactating pills shows negative effects so I wouldn't touch those at all. The thing is, it's the immune assistance your child needs and that comes from any milk you can give him, even the tiniest bit. It DOES help. So stop feeling guilty for being built just as you are and be thankful you can give him any at all. I would rather give my child a little milk and the rest formula than to take the chance with herbs which could still be dangerous even though they're herbs. You don't know how his system can handle it. Check with the doctor, and if they don't recommend one it's usually for a reason so do what you feel is best ok? And good luck honey I know exactly what you're going through.

I wanted to add since some are apparently unaware of this, but quite a few women are not able to produce more than a small amount of milk no matter what methods are taken. I would SERIOUSLY warn you against stopping the formula in the case your body may not be able to make enough for your child. The best advice one can ever give you would be to ask your doctor since they can check you for this. I was unable to make enough for my children and I almost starved my oldest daughter to death, I tried everything and my doctor was very upset with me for not supplementing her with formula, which is why I can give you this information knowing what I'm talking about. Good luck with it!

what you can do is feed him both baby milk not the powder because thats cheap but liquid milk and breast milk.

If you want to breastfeed only, then you have to stop giving him the formula..period!. The more he nurses, the more milk you will make. It's supply and demand. Only your baby will get milk out efficiently, so I wouldn't worry so much if you can't squeeze that much out. You are really confusing your baby with using the breast and a bottle. He has to work at getting milk from your breast, plus he also sucks differently on a breast then on a bottle. So after he gets a bottle and the milk comes right out for him, and comes out very quickly and easily, he will get very frustrated when you put him on the breast because he don't understand why the milk does not come right out, and why it is so hard to get out. I took fenugreek when I breast fed and it did seem to help. Makes you smell like maple syrup though lol. As far as it's safety, remember herbal pills are not FDA approved. I got my pills from walgreens I think. Most drug stores will carry it. You can also talk to your doctor. If you really are having a milk production problem they can prescribe you medications. Hang in there momma, I know it's tuff. If it don't work out and you have to give him formula, that in no way makes you a bad mom. He will still grow just fine on formula and be very healthy. Formula will meet all of his nutritional needs.

supply=demand.

You can find fenugreek at a health food store, and I think some people also suggest some other things (primrose?), but I will leave the OTC suggestions to others.

The main thing I think you should know is that you *are* doing the best for your son. You're nursing, you're consulting a lactation specialist, and you seem to be trying the usual suggestions about pumping and nursing on a more frequent schedule.

You don't say how old your son is, or if this is your first child, but I can certainly tell you that frustrations with breastfeeding are very common and you are doing all the right things. It's kind of a truism in pediatrics that half our job is reassurance, and I don't mean in any way to dismiss your concerns, but it really does sound like you are doing very well by your son.

Keep talking to your lactation specialist and to your pediatrician and your OB. Try not to put too much worry into how much breast milk vs. formula your son is taking--you *are* breastfeeding him and that will both help increase your milk production and also give him the benefits of your milk. If you need to supplement a bit at first, it doesn't undo the good you're doing. Honest.

Congratulations on the birth of your son!

Congratulations on your baby...You have already recieved some great advice on here. I agree that the best thing you can do is stop the supplement of formula. I know that sounds scarry but the baby will be fine and so will you.

The more he nurses the more your body will produce and the fact that he is not getting nipple confusion anymore will really help. DO NOT depend on the amount of milk you can squeeze or pump as an indication of your supply! I have nursed 3 very big healthy babies but I can hardly squeeze a drop at times.. instead listen to hear if he is swallowing while on the breast and make sure he is having enough wet and soiled diapers.

Good for you that you are trying so hard. It is not always easy but as you know it is tottally worth it!! Good luck!!

You should ONLY supplement when you have an established milk supply.
If you want to save this breastfeeding relationship then I suggest you put the bottle down and nurse your baby EVERY SINGLE TIME he feeds.
You guys have some catching up to do, so don't be surprised when baby wants to nurse often.
No pump or herb will be as effective as baby suckling at your breast.

I'm not sure if you can get Fenugeek at Sav on or Rite Aid... it's most often sold at places like health food stores or Co-ops. I would call around and have them check for you.

I know that you say that it isn't working for you well... but letting your son nurse at both breasts, empty them and then nursing him again in an hour or even every 30 minutes (OFTEN) is the best thing to do. The more you formula feed the less milk you produce. Simple as that.

Many women mistakenly believe they just can't produce enough milk... when in actuality they COULD... but the use of formula really screwed things up.

I know it's not easy... but it's worth it. It gets easier when you're body is in sync with your baby's needs. What happened is when you supplemented with formula you threw that off. It just needs to be reset... not an easy task (it'll be like the first few weeks with a newborn)... but totally do-able.

Something else to consider is that when you give a breastfed baby a bottle it's easier for them to drink from the bottle and they therefore end up getting frustrated at the breast. The sucking action is different between the two. It's called "nipple confusion" and it causes all kinds of problems. So, I would totally eliminate bottles (even of expressed breast milk) until your son has re-established nursing for at least a good 3 weeks.

Best of luck!

Ok.
Try to feed him and pump in between feedings so that you are stimulating them at leat every 1 1/2 hours.
Along with this, slowly wean him off the formula, give him a little less each day so he has to get more breast milk and it will increase your supply.
As for increasing your supply, if this doesn't work, there are lots of herbs. Fenegreek, mother's milk tea (you can buy at a nutural supermarket), milk thistle, and lots more.
Also, be sure you are drinking lots of water. Have the baby sleep with you without both of your shirts, and try skin to skin (get your shirtless baby and put him on your shirtless chest).
With doing this, it should take like a day or 2 or so of pumping and feeding like crazy. Just plan a little baby honey moon where you are not bothered by anything or going anywhere, just you and your baby in your room.
And when you do get your supply up, do not give him formula when you go out. If you feel embarrassed to feed in public, you can buy a hooter hider (I seen one at Target for like $10). Or you can just pump before you leave and feed him that while you are out, or feed him in the car.
Here are some links that can help:
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/b...
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksuppl...

Hope this helps

You have got some great advice here but a few little extra bits of info:

1. It is the frequency and length of feeding at each feed that will increase your supply.
2. Letting him drink from the breast then pumping an extra 10 mins on each side should help supply
3. Do this at least 3 hourly to get your supply up.
4. Some women can increase supply very very quickly and others take ages.
4. He also may be used to getting the milk from your let down nice and quickly and also quickly from the bottle so ends up being annoyed and frustrated when he has to work for it,
5. Try to let him suck for longer if you can - the action of his attachment and sucking is a much better signal to your body to produce more milk that a breast pump.
6. Try the herbal options and ensure you drink enough water/fluids and get rest.
7. You can take a prescription medication (domperidone) to increase supply - some women say it works well and others just say it makes a small difference.
8. Just go for it - he can feed as much as he wants - you cannot hurt him by offering him the breast more often (eg 2 hourly).
9. How do you know your milk supply is low? If he was to exclusively feed from you then you would only know if he didnt put on weight or was unsettled after feeds. It may be that he is just lazy and doesnt want to work hard for the milk.
10. Pump and feed as much as you can bear for the next 48 hours and see what happens. Also offer him the breast again on the other side rather than the bottle - even an extra 5 mins ont he breast will help to stimulate your supply


And RELAAAXX- you are doing great already - he is alreayd getting all the goodness from you so if all this doesnt work - don't sweat - you are doing a great job,