Anything I can do to increase my chances before baby comes?

[my2sweets]

So this may be an odd question(it is to me anyhow lol) but is there anything I can do to increase my odds of having milk this time around before baby gets here? Baby will be here on the 14th-unless he decides otherwise of course lol-and I desperately want to bf this time around! With dd1 I ep and had a ton! of milk. No supply issue at all until I develop mastitis at 4.5mos pp and I completely dried up. My milk never fully came in for dd2-just enough to soak my shirt and that was it. I tried reglan, mothers milk tea, protein shakes, eating and drinking a crap load, pumping and nothing worked.

So is there anything I can do besides hope that the third time really is a charm?

[leyash]

Did you try Fenugreek?

[leyash]

ETA: You can't use Fenugreek during pregnancy, but when baby gets here, you can start taking it.

[VeganCupcake]

I would line up an IBCLC to meet with so you could get help immediately. Did your DD2 ever get evaluated for a tongue or lip tie that could have been keeping her from getting enough milk (and telling your body to make less)? Did you have any issues like retained placenta?

Also, pumps lose suction over time. Sometimes it can be fixed with replacing the valves, but most consumer pumps are only really rated to last a year of consistent pumping. That might have affected your pumping.

[my2sweets]

I did not try fenugreek. I will keep that in mind.

Dd2 did not have tongue tie or anything. My lc-and the one in the hospital- was impressed with her latch. She also tested my pump and said it was working prefectly. I pumped after every 'feeding' and never could produce more then half an oz-even with the hospital grade pump the lc had. As for retained placenta I have no idea but prehaps I should ask my ob(different one then last time) on what she thinks at my next appt(I did bleed for 10wks and have recently learned a retained placenta could have been the cause).

I have been looking for another lc-one thats closer since we've moved. Whats an IBCLC?

[MandaMommy2]

Originally Posted by my2sweets So this may be an odd question(it is to me anyhow lol) but is there anything I can do to increase my odds of having milk this time around before baby gets here? Baby will be here on the 14th-unless he decides otherwise of course lol-and I desperately want to bf this time around! With dd1 I ep and had a ton! of milk. No supply issue at all until I develop mastitis at 4.5mos pp and I completely dried up. My milk never fully came in for dd2-just enough to soak my shirt and that was it. I tried reglan, mothers milk tea, protein shakes, eating and drinking a crap load, pumping and nothing worked. So is there anything I can do besides hope that the third time really is a charm?

I wonder if you had retained placenta. I had a small piece with DS and my milk supply was an issue because of the hormones. Did you bleed a lot pp? I'm not a doctor or anything but that's what happened to me. Once I had the placenta removed my milk came in but at that point DS was already on almost all formula and I was working two jobs that wouldn't let me pump so I just gave up. This time around though the doctor made sure all the placenta was gone( sure enough the was a piece embedded again) and I have a ton of milk. My little one isn't gaining well right now but I think it's because she's sleeping through the night so it has nothing to do with my supply. Oh also I eat old fashioned oatmeal with flax seeds everyday for breakfast, drink usually 3 cups of mothers milk tea and drink probably a gallon of water a day. I also didn't go back on the pill. My Ob offered me the mini pill but I didn't want to risk my supply so were just being safe. Hope this helps. Before my LO arrived I was freaking out and asking everyone on here what to do so I had milk this time around. I actually even met a Wic lactation peer counselor before I had the baby just to go over my fears and it was really helpful. Good luck!!!

[momof3boys1girl]

get the book making more milk. Great book. You can start goats rue at 37? or 38 weeks. Once you are term. It helps build up breast tissue. I used it an saw a huge difference had no milk supply issues this time around and had a baby with a PTT and LT.

[keen1981]

Nurse nonstop for the first two weeks. Like, literally. Sorry, grandma. You can't hold the baby he is nursing. Sorry DH you can see his face NEXT week- he is nursing. Well not that extreme but seriously, those first two weeks can set a serious pattern for the breasts and we also know they are the sleepier two weeks of any babies life. So boob boob boob before I would even worry about anything else.

[VeganCupcake]

Originally Posted by my2sweets I did not try fenugreek. I will keep that in mind. Dd2 did not have tongue tie or anything. My lc-and the one in the hospital- was impressed with her latch. She also tested my pump and said it was working prefectly. I pumped after every 'feeding' and never could produce more then half an oz-even with the hospital grade pump the lc had. As for retained placenta I have no idea but prehaps I should ask my ob(different one then last time) on what she thinks at my next appt(I did bleed for 10wks and have recently learned a retained placenta could have been the cause). I have been looking for another lc-one thats closer since we've moved. Whats an IBCLC?

Ahh, a 10 week PP bleed may well have been retained placenta, and that is bad for milk production (among other things).

An IBCLC is an international board certified lactation consultant. They have to pass a rigorous certification process and their advice can be more trustworthy than that of other LCs, whose training can vary widely.