Why am I not producing enough breast milk?

You can go to your doctor and tell him/her your problem, they do give you meds to help get out more milk. But what you can do for natural ways, is just to eat healthier, you can produce more milk that way. Good luck and congratz!

I would definitely talk to a lactation consultant. Also, make sure you are drinking LOTS of fluids, and pump often. The only thing that increases milk supply effectively is demand (which nursing directly provides better than pumping). Also, you may just have a pump that’s not working well for you. The only one I’ve had really great success with was a double electric Pump In Style by Medela. I’ve also used their manual with limited success. You may want to make sure the pump you’re using is a good fit for you. Bring it with you to a lactation consultant so she can see how it’s working. Good luck, don’t give up yet.

P.S. It is actually very UNcommon for a woman to not be able to produce enough milk. Certainly there are factors that may contribute to a decreased supply, but in most cases, it is fixable.

Here’s some info from the Children’s Hospital of Boston and some experience on my end. First, for my experience (I had a premature baby and pumped for 8 months)… GET A GREAT PUMP…. I would highly recommend a Medalla…also, relax if you can.

Info from Boston:

A delay in the time when milk “comes in” sometimes occurs after the birth of a high-risk baby. Also, it is not unusual to experience a drop in the amount being pumped after several weeks. A drop may be gradual or it may occur suddenly.
Do not wait to get help if milk production is ever a concern. The sooner you intervene, the better. Ask a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC – International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants), your baby’s nurse, physician, or a breastfeeding support leader to help you figure out what might be affecting milk production if:

you are not producing a daily total of at least 16 ounces (about 470 ml) of milk by seven to 10 days postpartum.
you begin obtaining less and less milk each day for three or four consecutive days.
the daily total dips below 12 or 13 ounces (350 to 400 ml) for more than two or three consecutive days.

Possible causes for delayed or low milk production:

Infrequent or insufficient breast pumping (milk removal) is the most common reason for a delay in the time when the milk “comes in,” for insufficient milk production, or for any drop in milk production. A review of the number and length of pumping sessions should always be first thing you do if you are ever concerned about milk production.
It is easy to fall into the trap of letting more and more time pass between pumping sessions when recovering from birth and visiting the baby in the NICU. Also, a mother may initially obtain more milk quickly when several hours pass between pumping sessions. However, without frequent and effective milk removal, the breasts soon get the message to slow milk production. Within a day or two, a mother who pumps less and less often will start producing less milk.

Equipment checks:

If your breast pumping routine does not seem to be the problem, it may be the breast pump you are using. Be sure to use a hospital-grade, electric pump. For most women, manual (hand), battery-operated, or smaller electric breast pumps cannot establish and maintain milk production. Of course, even the best breast pump is still a machine, and machines can break down. Call the rental station if you suspect a problem and ask if they, or the manufacturer’s representative, can check the suction with a special pressure gauge. If in doubt, ask to exchange the pump you are using for another one.

Maternal factors for delayed or not enough milk production:

a delay when milk “comes in”
Occasionally, a mother has a health condition that may temporarily delay the large increase in milk production usually seen between three to five days postpartum. Instead, some mothers do not begin to obtain large amounts of milk until seven to 14 days after giving birth. If this happens to you, do not feel discouraged. Keep pumping.
It can be difficult to keep pumping at least eight times in 24 hours (for more than 100 total minutes) when getting only drops of milk with each session. However, it is extremely important to keep expressing milk frequently. This kind of delay does not mean a mother will have trouble producing enough milk once the milk does come in. Usually, she has plenty of milk as long as she has been pumping (removing milk) often enough.

Research has yet to discover whether the cause for a delay in increased milk production is due to a health-, pregnancy- or birth-related condition itself, certain medical treatments for such conditions, or to a delay in beginning frequent milk expression that often occurs with such conditions. Some conditions, or treatments, that experts think may possibly contribute to a delay for milk to come in include the following:

stress
cesarean (surgical) delivery
postpartum hemorrhage
retained placenta fragments
infection or illness with fever
diabetes (juvenile, adult-onset, or gestational)
thyroid conditions
strict or prolonged bed rest during pregnancy

not enough milk
Rarely, a delay in the time when milk “comes in” turns into an ongoing problem of low milk production. A mother begins obtaining more milk but it still is not enough; or a mother may have been producing lots of milk, but the daily total amount of milk obtained is slowly, or quite suddenly, decreasing. Some of the conditions associated with a delay may also have an ongoing effect on milk production, including increased stress, severe postpartum hemorrhage, retained placental fragments, and thyroid conditions. If a mother had a breast surgery that cut some of the nerves, milk-making tissue, or milk ducts, she may have difficulty producing enough milk to fully feed her baby.
Other factors can also lead to insufficient or low milk production. These include the following:

maternal smoking
some medications and herbal preparations
hormonal forms of birth control, especially any containing estrogen. However, some mothers report a drop in milk production after taking a progestin-only contraceptive during the first four to eight weeks postpartum. Consult your physician or obstetrician for more information.

If insufficient milk production seems to be a problem, yet you have been sticking with the recommended pumping routine and the pump is in good working order, consider the following:

Increase milk expression to nine to 12 pumping sessions, or to 120 to 160 total minutes of pumping in 24 hours, for several days.
Begin or increase the amount of skin-to-skin contact you have with your baby during visits to the NICU.
Ask your physician or a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) to review your health history with you to learn if there may be a health condition, treatment, or medication interfering with your milk production.
Ask your obstetrician or a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) about medications or herbal preparations found to have a positive effect on milk production.
Think positive. Although insufficient milk production usually can be reversed, any milk you produce, even drops, is valuable for your baby. Try to remember that the milk collection bottle is half full rather than feel discouraged that it is half empty.

i know how you feel. i nursed my baby for 13 months and it is very frustrating at first, it takes alot of patience. lots can cause low milk supply. lack of sleep, stress, lack of fluids. you need to have a strict pumping routine for a couple of days, usually every 3-4 hours, for 15-20 mins each side ( no matter how much milk you return). make sure you are eating well and drinking plenty of fluids or your supply will drop dramatically. it happened to me i was trying to diet (big no no!) and i was only able to get 2 ounces in 24 hours, i had to work really hard to get it back. just try to be patient it really does get alot easier, mine is now 19 months old & i miss that time with her. remember the more time you spend pumping the more milk you will produce. it is a supply & demand system. when you pump for a long time your that signals your body to produce more milk.

You need to get her to latch on, really 2 weeks is far too soon to give up on that.

Contact La Leche League or a different lactation consultant.

Babies don’t just “not want” to breastfeed.

If you give a bottle even with breast milk this early on it causes nipple confusion. The bottle is easier. So stop the bottle and just give breast only…. You are early on so you won’t be producing a lot of extra yet, After you feed baby pump on each breast….Give some time for your milk to come in if this does not work some women have a thyroid problem after pregnancy have that checked…. Don’t give up…. A warm bath right before or a bottle of beer will help you let down better, the yeast in the beer helps produce more milk and one bottle is completely safe….. The soreness in the breast is supposed to go away after birth day 3 and 4 can be very pain full as that is when your actual milk come in…..

Put baby to breast and nurse, nurse nurse!

Pumping output is not an indicator of supply. Baby is more efficiant at getting milk out that any machine.

You say she won’t latch. She most likely has developed a nipple preference to the bottle. You need real life help getting her back to the breast. Call the hospitals Lactation consultant or your local La leche League leader(find one at http://www.llli.org ) to give you hands on help.

Best of luck to you!

In the mean time, pump every 2 hours, even after the milk stops flowing. Get some fenugreek and take it( I found it at GNC) http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

When I had my first baby earlier this year, I am as clueless as you. I set myself a target, to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6months. In the end, I managed to breastfeed her for 3 months, and trust me I never suffered from breast engorgement also. I only suffered from sore nipples when baby is learning how to latch on correctly. I took 1 month to her hold in a position she likes and for her to latch on properly. Don’t give up, keep comforting her if she breaks out in crying fits and keep trying, I press out some milk from my nipple to entice her open her mouth and put her to my nipple.
I think what you should do now is put away that pump if you can, it only makes you more stressful if you keep count of the amount you pumped. I pumped in my first week too, I only get few droplets, I cried at the sight of them. After that my experienced sister taught me another way to judge if my baby had enough, as long as she dozed off to sleep its good enough and she has many soil diapers throughout the day. My milk supply only stablise after 1 month, during the initial first few weeks I supplement with 1 or 2 formula feeds and breastfeed as often as I can. I know this is a solution frown upon, but really there is no right or wrong way, just find your own way to cope. I breastfeed during the day, up to first month baby literally latched on my breast the whole day. When I can’t go on, I supplement with 1 formula feed in the day and usually 1 at night and take a nap (I got my hubby to help with the formula feed, this also helps to prevent nipple confusion and give my hubby time to bond with the child). Remember, good rest also help to increase milk supply and even 1 hour of sleep can keep you sane and help you keep going.
Lastly, my advice is take it one day at a time, don’t set any target that you have to breastfeed your baby for how long. Eat well, drink lots of soup and water, keep stress out and rest whenever you can, even a short nap (15 min, 30 mins)can do wonder.
I managed to breastfeed my baby up to 3 months as my milk supply dwindle to nothing within a month after i went back to work. I feel sad, but I tell myself this is a learning experience and the next time round I will have the confidence to do it better. Hope you are coping well, and whether you are still breastfeeding or not you are already a great mum for attempting to give her a great start in life.

Fruta,

I’m in the same situation and was prescribed a medication called Reglan, that doubled my breast milk production in a few days. I highly recommend it. It doesn’t work for everyone and not forever, but it can give you a boost until your body and hormones kick in, which should happen once you start nursing more regularly and successfully, though, as one of your answerers pointed out, not everyone can produce enough milk. If you can’t produce enough, don’t feel guilty about supplementing with bottles. Many mothers around the country (especially working mothers) use both breast and bottle–which still allows your little one to get the antibodies of breast milk and the bonding of nursing. Don’t give up! Give her as much milk as you have and enjoy the time together. Try not to stress too much!