My friend can't make milk

[Boysenberry]

My friend is having trouble making enough milk, and she is SAD eater.

She is willing to try anything to be able to produce enough milk to feed her baby. What can she do?

Is going to raw just enough?

[firefaery]

No. Just going raw is not enough. If she isn't making milk, what is her baby eating? She needs to boost her supply NOW. She has several options and I'd be happy to let you know about them. First though, so you know why she isn't making milk? Is it possible that she has retained placenta? It could also be as simple as the baby having a bad latch, or as complex as the baby not having proper peristalic movement of the tongue. An improper suckle is high up there for reasons milk may not come in. Then there is the mom's hormone levels and ultimately gut health.

Dietary changes will help. She needs to do some gut healing and there are many ways of accomplishing this. If she is turned off by the idea of a raw or vegan diet, I can help there too. Baby steps are very important when you are talking to a traumarized new mama. Her body is already failing her. She needs to feel like there's hope. The process needs to be doable to her. It may lead her to explore raw foods or veganism more, but don't push her there. IT is important to understand that ALL galactagogues without exception work on the gut (digestive herbs/medications are recognized even in the medical world as boosting milk supply.)

The herbs to look at are blessed thistle, fenugreek, nettles, oatstraw, red raspberry leaves. Chlorella or jsut chlorophyll may be very helpful to her. A medication that I use without hesitation when a new mom isn't producing is Domperidone (also known as Motillium) It is sold OTC in Australia and Canada. It is VERY safe and there is plenty of information I could give you-you could even google Thomas Hale (Medications and Mother's Milk) and see his letter to the FDA regarding the use of domperidone as a galactagogue.

[Sheryl]

If it's the baby latching on could she use a breast pump to take out extra when the baby isn't feeding and feed that too? I'm not speaking from experience, but I've read abut people doing that. The more milk taken out usually the more milk produced. Also looking at diet to make sure nothing is missing or low.

You should get lots of idea... many natural mothers here! It might be a good idea to edit the title and add BREAST MILK to the title... I was thinking you meant nut milk!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Boysenberry]

Just for grins and giggles, someone is posting as me, I did not start this thread!

[Rawkinlocs]

Are you serious that you didn't start this thread and it's just a joke?

[Boysenberry]

Rawkinlocs,

Perhaps it isn't a joke, but I am serious that I didn't start this thread. I just sat down to the computer. The only thing I can think of is that my sister may have used my id from her computer, as I used to use her computer at her house, I will check into it.

[Boysenberry]

Hi again, No it is not a joke and we very much appreciate the answers given so far. Yes, I was right, my sister accidentally logged in as me. Sorry.

[Rawkinlocs]

Okay thanks! I mean, I wanted to make sure that someone isn't accessing your account bogusly...if it's someone you know, then that makes it less "alarming".

[Boysenberry]

yes, sorry. My sister did not log out and I thought I was posting as me and not her.

Sheryl, I don't know how to change the title...I should have put breast milk in it as you say.

Firefaery, She's feeding her baby soy formula.

This has been a problem for her with her other children as well. They can nurse fine, but she can't produce enough milk.

She went to lactation specialists who could not help her.

AUGH I am still her. I'll log out as my sister now, and log in as me. again sorry.

[firefaery]

It still doesn't rule out latch problems. A lactation specialist is not an IBCLC and even then, they do not all have the same base of knowledge.
Soy formula is a BAD idea. She needs to deal with this immediately. How old is the baby? Why does she think she doesn't produce enough milk? Who told her this and how were they evaluating? As I said before, if the baby has a poor latch and isn't extracting milk from the breast she will not continue to produce. Does she know how much she is actually producing? Did anyone do an evaluation (usually weighing the babe before nursing and after on a digital scale to see how much they are taking in) Is she having a let down? What has she done so far to rectify the problem? If she wasn't helped by specialists she needs to keep looking. There are plenty of people who can help.

[Raene]

Soy formula is 98% corn syrup according to a raw pregnancy expert I heard from. Really scary. When I started eating lots of fruit my milk supply increased dramatically. That's my tip.

[firefaery]

It also doesn't have the cholesterol which is CRUCIAL to a baby's brain and nervous system development. They've now gotten smart enough to add DHA but from a GMO source. Bad any way you look at it.

[juliebove]

Could this person have a thyroid problem? I developed one during pregnancy and was put on Synthroid. Because the hormones get so wacky during pregnancy and after, I was taking the wrong dose and was being put hyperthyroid. I didn't know this while I was breast feeding and was not getting proper medical care. My husband is in the military and we moved from MA to CA. It took me a long time to find an Endocrinolgist and he turned out not to be a good one. He knew I was running hyper and allowed me to stay that way because I was overweight. Now this is not the proper thing to do, but that's beside the point. I now know that my thryoid problem could be the reason why I could not produce enough milk. I tried everything. There was some milk and my daughter preferred the breast feeding, but I could only produce about an ounce at a time. That just wasn't enough. She was very underweight and I was forced to supplement with formula.

[Rawmominaz]

I have a little experience....one of my herbal books say Marshmallow herb is a milk production booster (another book suggests these: alfalfa, blessed thistle, dandelion, fennel, horsetail and raspberry)- drink copious amounts of water and encourage frequent nursing opportunities - a supply and demand situation should get production up. Mostly, be patient, don't rush to supplement. Contacting the La Leche League in her area will also be a great source of help. Lots of Raw fruits and Veggies are also reccommended - we mommies need living enzymes to make our bodies work right!

[Conscious Midwife]

Lots of extra water, salad veggies, berries and almonds always helped e. The water alone helped even when I was on a SAD diet.

Best wishes to your friend.