"It seems my supply is dropping. My daughter is 4 months old and here lately I am barely pumping enough for her for the next day. There are some days that I have to get milk from the freezer and now I only have 10 ounces in the freezer. If I increase my number of pumps per day will this increase my supply? With my daughter being 4 months is it too late to increase my supply?"

SO MANY MUMS have this exact same problem. 

How do we increase milk supply? Can it even be done after 10-12 weeks?

Especially when our milk supply has 'regulated'?

The TRUTH is that there is NO guarantee that the methods below will work for you. Because everyone's body behaves differently. So please do not feel like you're failing if the methods do not yield the same results as others. 

1. Pump, pump, pump

Pump after nursing

"I don't think it's too late to increase your supply. I almost completely lost mine when my daughter was 7 months old. I was only getting one ounce (30 ml) a day. I rented a hospital grade pump, started pumping 8 times a day with one power pump, changed the membranes on my pump every other week and within 4 weeks, I was getting 24-26 ounces (700 ml) a day. She only had to have one bottle of formula a day at that point. If you can rent a hospital grade pump I would suggest it because in the long run it can save you money on formula." - Lauren

"My lactation consultant had me nurse for 10 minutes on each side, then pump 20 minutes right after. I didn’t produce anything for about a week, baby sucked everything out. Then I got a little bit after she fed, then a little more. It took about a month to build up enough where I could store milk again." - Jess

Pump at night 

"I know this might add to your exhaustion but my little one was sleeping through the night so I would put her to bed at 8pm, pump at 10pm before going to bed then wake up at 1am and 4am to pump and then nurse at 6:30am. This helped me have enough for her to take to the sitter because what I was pumping at work wasn't enough to cover everything she was taking while I was working." - Amanda 

2. Galactagogue foods

"When I went back to work, I realised my freezer stash was no good because of lipase issues, so I knew I had to pump for the next day. To increase my output (I can only pump 2 x a day for 20-30 mins total), I eat oatmeal every day, take fenugreek, and eat lactation cookies. I also drink lots of water. So far, I've always had more than enough. I do pump in the morning after I feed her. So, with three sessions, I get 12 - 16 (480 ml) oz total." - Claire

3. Check your latch

If you are nursing, make sure that your latch is good. As new mothers, we can get so confused on what the 'right latch' should look like. If you're in doubt, always get help from someone who knows how to help mothers with breastfeeding. The right latch can be different for different babies. Having the right latch ensures that milk is effectively drained from your breasts and for your body to signal for milk production to replace the drained milk. 

Are you trying to increase your milk supply? What have you tried so far and what has been working for you? Come share it with us below so other mums can also read about it. 

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