Milk Supply - drink guiness???

[JuicyChoobs]

hello my friend has a 1 mnth old baby but she says her milk is drying up. i was not able to breastfeed so I don't know what to tell her? she was swapping boobs after 10 minutes but I told her that was wrong.

Her mum says to drink guiness or milk stout (what is that??) but is that just one of those things that 'old' people (lol) tell you like eating liver when pg but is not recommended now?

Is there anything else she should do?

[Madwife]

Why does she think its drying up? I found that Ivy got faster at feeding so only took 5-10 mins but was still getting a good feed.

I don't know about the Guiness thing, I have heard that too though

[MamaJ]

Fenugreek is abrilliant galactalogue. You can get fenugreek capsules from Holland and Barrett (well any health food shop really). I started out on 6 capsules a day then reduced the dose as my supply increased.
BUT her milk is probably not drying up. At this stage your breasts get more efficient at supplying just what your baby needs and no more so stops getting engorged. It's very very rare for milk to dry up spontaneously.

[cartchick]

She most likely isn't drying up - like Muso said.

Babies just get quicker at feeding so it seems like they're not taking as much. Also your friend's let-down reflex may be weakening as her body is taking over from the post pregnancy hormones that tell her body to produce milk, so it may feel to her as if she's less full - ie: her body makes milk when it's needed, instead of storing it in her breasts ready for later use.

She may just need reassurance that her baby really IS getting enough milk. Is her baby alert while awake? Plenty of wet and pooey nappies? If so, she's probably just fine! Does she have a breastfeeding support group near her? I found this invaluable for me - I thought I was 'failing' badly at breastfeeding, when all along everything was absolutely fine!

Apart from eating well and lots of food, the one thing I did to make sure I had plenty of milk was to drink loads of water - at least 2 litres a day.

hth!

[JuicyChoobs]

I don't think she is drying up either but noone in her family breastfeeds so i think they are making her feel a failure cause her LO is feeding every 2 hours and not for v.long. I said that 'that's what breastfed babys do'.

Her family are making her feel like a freak. They keep telling her to give the baby water and lots of other old wives tales. At this rate she will give up at the first hurdle i think. And it's a shame cause her LO was a natural.

She's the opposite of me as i wanted to b/feed and all my family always did (i never even knew how to make up a bottle and i didn't even know there were different teats) but I couldn't and was devastated. Only just stopped crying about it!!!

I might take her some guiness (and some fenugreek!) just to cheer her up.

[MamaJ]

Get her to ring one of the breastfeeding counsellors. they will be able to give her all the information she needs to fend off their silly comments. She's giving her baby the best possible start in life and she should be made to feel proud of herself.

La Leche League - 0845 120 2918
ABM - 0870 401 7711
NCT - 0870 444 8708
Breast Feeding Network (BFN) - 0870 900 8787

[MrsK]

Hi.

Just a thought, but is she making sure that she is eating regularly and drinking plenty of fluids herself. My HV was quick to point out that you should drink plenty of fluids if you're breastfeeding, and encouraged me to keep a bottle of water with me at all times.

[skip]

Tell her she is doing a fab job, and not to let people put doubts in her head. If she is eating and drinking well, and theres plenty coming out of the other end of her baby then she has got it cracked. If her supply has settled down at 4 weeks then thats a really good sign, took me a lot longer! Milk isnt stored in the boobs, its made as the baby feeds which is why she isnt feeling so full, or leaking maybe?