My husband and I have been going through a lot with "in-law" issues, I guess you could call it...and I have been BEYOND stressed out about things. I nursed my daughter for a little over 3 months and kept on trying to after, but I wasn't producing enough (I think that this might be stress related)....she'd get frustrated with me...I'd be frustrated with myself...*sigh* I've been still trying to nurse her when I can...but its not often...and I've been giving her formula...is there ANY way that I can get my milk supply back up and running...I don't want to stop nursing her! :cry:

I would call your ob doc. There is a nasal spray...but the docs aren't always ready to prescribe that. Can't hurt to ask. I used it once, but they wouldn't give me any refills. That was a LONG time ago. About 11 years to be exact. I was working night shift and it was hard to keep up the supply. It got me through a tough spot and he nursed till he was 21 months! Best wishes.

^Thanks so much! I will definately call and ask....

Nurse as often as possible and try fenugreek! :D

Yep...I hear fenugreek is 'the stuff'
Other than that..put baby to the breast OFTEN. That suckling will encourage milk production.

If you're trying to relactate you should check out Kellymom.com. They have LCs on there.
You could ask your doctor for Domperidone but apparently not all doctors like to prescribe it. You can order it online though. I tried Fenugreek but it didn't seem to do anything for me. Well, except make me smell like maple syrup LOL
Anyway, if you want to keep nursing you need to either nurse or pump every 2-3 hours. Otherwise your milk supply will go down. I learnt this.
Now I'm trying to get my milk supply back too.

HTH

Hi Chels! Sorry to hear about everything that's been going on lately. Stress really can take a toll on us.

Here's my recommendations for a plan to re-establish milk supply. Bear in mind that those are just suggestions and feel free to take or leave any of them. What I've written below is just what's helped me keep a good milk supply and what I've learned from reading and observing others.

First, get rid of all pacifiers, bottles, or formula in the house. Artificial nipples tend to cause premature weaning and further reduce your milk supply. If you must use formula, for reasons of her not getting enough milk, use a nursing supplementer so that she can get the formula by sucking at your breast. If she temporarily won't latch on at all, feed her with an eyedropper or syringe to avoid nipple confusion. Call a local La Leche League leader and have her give you recommendations and help with any problems that you may have. If you haven't already done so, attend their monthly meetings.

Stay away from breast pumps unless you MUST use them. The baby is the best breast pump that God ever invented. Feed her on demand or cue. Schedules are something that doctors invented for formula fed babies to avoid overstuffing or starving them. American Academy of Pediatrics and La Leche League International both recommend breastfeeding according to baby's hunger signals rather than the clock.

Pacify her with your breast. Allow her to have long spells of comfort sucking. Nurse day and night. Take her to bed with you (or keep her right next to your bed) and co-sleep and nurse, nurse, nurse! If she's sleeping through the night, don't let her anymore. Wake her up every few hours at night and nurse her. Going 8-12 hours between nursings is way too long for many moms and babies and can reduce your milk supply. Relax and let your husband take care of stressful things and situations. Drink lots of fluids, take vitamin supplements, and eat well. Get plenty of sleep. (Yes, that's possible to do with a newborn, take lots of naps) Lay down with the baby and nurse her to sleep and let that lull you to sleep. I do that every morning!

If any of this helped, praise God! If any of it doesn't apply, disregard it and leave it at the door.

Best wishes with increasing your milk supply! I know that that can be difficult.

*HUGS*

I tried Fenugreek but it didn't seem to do anything for me. Well, except make me smell like maple syrup LOL

Yeah.. the smell comes out your pores, its pretty strong.. I don't know if it smelled as pleasant as maple syrup for me though. :? I do know it worked so well I was soaking nursing pads in no time and had an abundent of milk for my ds! :D

I tried Fenugreek but it didn't seem to do anything for me. Well, except make me smell like maple syrup LOL

Yeah.. the smell comes out your pores, its pretty strong.. I don't know if it smelled as pleasant as maple syrup for me though. :? I do know it worked so well I was soaking nursing pads in no time and had an abundent of milk for my ds! :D

Oh yeah strong is an understatement LOL Nope it didn't smell sweet like maple syrup at all. UGH I wanted to hop into the shower all the time. Maybe I'll have to give the Fenugreek another try. I probably didn't take it for long enough because of the horrid smell and I did read it can take a few weeks for some.

*feels stupid*

What exactly is Fenugreek???

:lol: don't feel stupid! I'd never heard of it either. It's a herb. I have Fenugreek seed capsules here. You take two, three times daily. Supposedly helps with milk supply. I probably didn't take them for long enough to make any difference....

You could also get - Marshmallow *natural herbal supplement - not fluff*, or Alfalfa.. also an herbal supplement, not the hay! These are both beneficial to producing more milk. Also Mother's Milk Herbal tea. They are all natural and no harm through your milk.

Hang in there sweets... drink lots of water & nurse as often as possible. Like everyone says!

:lol: don't feel stupid! I'd never heard of it either. It's a herb. I have Fenugreek seed capsules here. You take two, three times daily. Supposedly helps with milk supply. I probably didn't take them for long enough to make any difference....

alright!

Where exactly would I get something like that? Do I need to go to the doctor to get it...or can I pick them up at like, Walmart or something?

I got the Fenugreek capsules from the pharmacy/drug store/chemist.
I'm not sure if they sell the nursing tea. I got that from a Health shop.

You got a lot of good advice already so Ill just add to it. I had similar issues when I was bf my twins and supplementing with formula. My visiting nurse told me to just stop giving them formula. They will want to nurse more anyway and that will produce milk. I did use the breast pump too tho, that did help. But then again I didnt have problems with soreness either so.... So maybe if you try with all the other stuff as well as not giving formula, or cutting back gradually, that will help. Also, what worked for me was a hot compress (warm compress then) under my arm pit or just over the top of my breast. That helped my milk flow when I was nursing twins too. I never tried fennugreek myself, never knew about it.

also try blessed thistle with the fenugreek. you can get both at a health food store. wal mart in canada does not carry it.

Yep ... forgot blessed thistle.. I knew there was another one.

I got the Fenugreek capsules from the pharmacy/drug store/chemist.
I'm not sure if they sell the nursing tea. I got that from a Health shop.

Is it expensive? About how much does it cost?

My bottle of fenugreek (100 capsules) cost $8.50. I didn't even use a quarter of that so you could probably get a bottle half that size for half the price and have plenty. I got mine from a health food store... GNC should have it.. do you have GNC in Maine? If you don't you could look in the phone book for a local health food store.. they should carry all the herbs and supplements mentioned in this thread.

My bottle of fenugreek (100 capsules) cost $8.50. I didn't even use a quarter of that so you could probably get a bottle half that size for half the price and have plenty. I got mine from a health food store... GNC should have it.. do you have GNC in Maine? If you don't you could look in the phone book for a local health food store.. they should carry all the herbs and supplements mentioned in this thread.

I'm not sure if we have one of those or not...but I will be sure to look into it! Thanks!!!! :D

i would check your local private herb shop gnc can be expensive

Yeah i tried fenugreek and it worked wonders! They sell it at health food stores, vitamin stores, and should definetly have it at places like walmart and target or any store that has a pharmacy in it that has OTC stuff.