Hi mamas,
I'm so happy to see this support group
I want to share my tips and tricks to hopefully help those mamas out there who understand the struggle and haven't given up. I hope to help share all the advice from so many hours of research, tips and tricks I've accumulated through this 7 month journey.
I am a first time mom. I work full-time and have been completely career driven my whole life. I had no idea how to be anything but that. lol And then i met my amazing husband and decided to grow our blended family.
I had a c-section and my son was born at 36 weeks and 6 days. My milk did not come in for 5 long days. I wanted to breast feed and for some reason believed i just had to do it and it would happen. The short version of this was that my son was hungry af and he was losing weight So i opted to give him the donated breast milk that the hospital offered. He was bottle fed 2 days postpartum. After about 2 weeks of being home, he refused to latch. He just didnt want to work so hard for the milk and i didnt force it.
My son had severe acid reflux and after 2 months of having him home i found out he had a cow milk protein allergy. So i cut out all dairy and also caffeine would mess him up pretty bad, so no caffeine.
I literally was a dry cow for a baby boy who was spitting up all the milk i was pumping out. I had to supplement at least 1 feeding with formula. Baby HATED formula. He would either refuse to drink the (formula)bottle or he would simply spit it out.
SO the pressure was on. I had to pump every 2 hours for the first 2.5 months. He would literally spit up every feeding and was hungry all the time!!! he would over feed to soothe his esophagus bc of the acid reflux.
So here are the tricks i learned to keep up and make this dry cow produce.
People told me to drink beer, which i hate...but it helped. So i found out what exactly it was about the beer that helped increase the milk supply, and discovered it was the brewers yeast.
I purchased a bag of this (Mommy knows best brewers yeast)..
Amazon.com : Brewers Yeast Powder for Lactation - Mommy Knows Best Brewer's Yeast for Breastfeeding Mothers - Mild Nutty Flavored Unsweetened and Debittered - 1 lb : Grocery & Gourmet Food
And placed a spoon full in a glass of OATMILK which i drink ever single morning. A huge glass of it. ( i can now drink some caffeine and i basically add chocolate mocha and an expresso shot to the oatmilk)
Or you can order a Venti Mocha with Oatmilk at Starbucks and add this brewers yeast.
I used to have oatmeal every morning and got sick of it.
I drink a glass of water while im pumping...
I drink 1-2 Body Armor drinks a day
Amazon.com: BODYARMOR Sports Drink Sports Beverage, Orange Mango, Natural Flavors With Vitamins, Potassium-Packed Electrolytes, No Preservatives, Perfect For Athletes, 16 Fl Oz (Pack of 12)
I also use Milk mama "Pumping Queen" and "Lady LEche"
Lady Leche - Milky Mama (milky-mama.com)
Pumping Queen - Milky Mama (milky-mama.com)
At 2.5-3 months i began pumping every 3 hours. Sometimes i would do 2.5 or 3.5 hours in between pumps depending on my ability to pump, dr.'s appointments, etc.
I power pumped 1-2x a week for the first 2 months. Then i would only power pump 1x a month or if I was dehydrated and messed with my supply.
at 4 months i only pumped 1x in the middle of the night and moved to 4 hours between pumping.
At 6 months i stopped pumping in the middle of the night, pumping at 10pm and again at 6-8am, with the highest amount of milk production (12-16oz in that session).
I only pump 4x in 24 hours.
I literally went from zero milk...to 33-37 ounces in 4 pumps. Ive been exclusively pumping for 7 months. religiously. My son refuses to drink formula. He is a super healthy baby boy, in the 98th percentile for height and 60th for weight.
I have never leaked... i have never been an over producer. I literally have forced my body to continue producing milk. None of the women in my family were able to do this and dried up at 3 months PP... Thats why im sharing this journey. Because i want to help other mamas.. I wasnt and am not...someone who was gifted in the milk supply region. But i survived this crazy breast feeding journey and want to encourage or help other moms.
I went back to work at 5 months postpartum..and I still pump at work. (I am in a male dominated field and i am required to do surveillance at times ...and I pump while im sitting in the car!).
Please send me a message if you want any help or advice or have questions and dont want to share out in the open.
I struggled with postpartum depression...and anxiety. My son still feeds at night... and i am still sleep deprived, but being a mom is the greatest gift of life.
TIPS/TRICKS THAT DIDNT WORK FOR ME:
FENUGREEK/BLESSED THISTLE
BLUE GATORADE
MOTHERS MILK TEA
I'm so happy to see this support group
I want to share my tips and tricks to hopefully help those mamas out there who understand the struggle and haven't given up. I hope to help share all the advice from so many hours of research, tips and tricks I've accumulated through this 7 month journey.
I am a first time mom. I work full-time and have been completely career driven my whole life. I had no idea how to be anything but that. lol And then i met my amazing husband and decided to grow our blended family.
I had a c-section and my son was born at 36 weeks and 6 days. My milk did not come in for 5 long days. I wanted to breast feed and for some reason believed i just had to do it and it would happen. The short version of this was that my son was hungry af and he was losing weight So i opted to give him the donated breast milk that the hospital offered. He was bottle fed 2 days postpartum. After about 2 weeks of being home, he refused to latch. He just didnt want to work so hard for the milk and i didnt force it.
My son had severe acid reflux and after 2 months of having him home i found out he had a cow milk protein allergy. So i cut out all dairy and also caffeine would mess him up pretty bad, so no caffeine.
I literally was a dry cow for a baby boy who was spitting up all the milk i was pumping out. I had to supplement at least 1 feeding with formula. Baby HATED formula. He would either refuse to drink the (formula)bottle or he would simply spit it out.
SO the pressure was on. I had to pump every 2 hours for the first 2.5 months. He would literally spit up every feeding and was hungry all the time!!! he would over feed to soothe his esophagus bc of the acid reflux.
So here are the tricks i learned to keep up and make this dry cow produce.
People told me to drink beer, which i hate...but it helped. So i found out what exactly it was about the beer that helped increase the milk supply, and discovered it was the brewers yeast.
I purchased a bag of this (Mommy knows best brewers yeast)..
Amazon.com : Brewers Yeast Powder for Lactation - Mommy Knows Best Brewer's Yeast for Breastfeeding Mothers - Mild Nutty Flavored Unsweetened and Debittered - 1 lb : Grocery & Gourmet Food
And placed a spoon full in a glass of OATMILK which i drink ever single morning. A huge glass of it. ( i can now drink some caffeine and i basically add chocolate mocha and an expresso shot to the oatmilk)
Or you can order a Venti Mocha with Oatmilk at Starbucks and add this brewers yeast.
I used to have oatmeal every morning and got sick of it.
I drink a glass of water while im pumping...
I drink 1-2 Body Armor drinks a day
Amazon.com: BODYARMOR Sports Drink Sports Beverage, Orange Mango, Natural Flavors With Vitamins, Potassium-Packed Electrolytes, No Preservatives, Perfect For Athletes, 16 Fl Oz (Pack of 12)
I also use Milk mama "Pumping Queen" and "Lady LEche"
Lady Leche - Milky Mama (milky-mama.com)
Pumping Queen - Milky Mama (milky-mama.com)
At 2.5-3 months i began pumping every 3 hours. Sometimes i would do 2.5 or 3.5 hours in between pumps depending on my ability to pump, dr.'s appointments, etc.
I power pumped 1-2x a week for the first 2 months. Then i would only power pump 1x a month or if I was dehydrated and messed with my supply.
at 4 months i only pumped 1x in the middle of the night and moved to 4 hours between pumping.
At 6 months i stopped pumping in the middle of the night, pumping at 10pm and again at 6-8am, with the highest amount of milk production (12-16oz in that session).
I only pump 4x in 24 hours.
I literally went from zero milk...to 33-37 ounces in 4 pumps. Ive been exclusively pumping for 7 months. religiously. My son refuses to drink formula. He is a super healthy baby boy, in the 98th percentile for height and 60th for weight.
I have never leaked... i have never been an over producer. I literally have forced my body to continue producing milk. None of the women in my family were able to do this and dried up at 3 months PP... Thats why im sharing this journey. Because i want to help other mamas.. I wasnt and am not...someone who was gifted in the milk supply region. But i survived this crazy breast feeding journey and want to encourage or help other moms.
I went back to work at 5 months postpartum..and I still pump at work. (I am in a male dominated field and i am required to do surveillance at times ...and I pump while im sitting in the car!).
Please send me a message if you want any help or advice or have questions and dont want to share out in the open.
I struggled with postpartum depression...and anxiety. My son still feeds at night... and i am still sleep deprived, but being a mom is the greatest gift of life.
TIPS/TRICKS THAT DIDNT WORK FOR ME:
FENUGREEK/BLESSED THISTLE
BLUE GATORADE
MOTHERS MILK TEA