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My milk supply is out of control. Holy (grass-fed) cow!


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I know I've seen quite a few posts on this board from Mamas worrying about their milk supply tanking while on W30. So I thought I would share what worked for me.

I too had some decrease in supply in the first two weeks of the W30, but I think that's because I hadn't figured out how to make the W30 work for my breastfeeding needs. My W30 is over now, but I'm still following the guidelines.

I recently started treating breastfeeding essentially as you would a workout and adding in a fourth (maybe a little smaller) meal into my day, and now I have more milk than I know what to do with! We're talking a 5oz/day increase in what I pump at work - and I've even dropped a pumping session recently!

Naturally this is great for pumping/storing while I'm working, but makes it rather uncomfortable on the weekends. :wacko:

Anyway, just a suggestion if you're having milk supply problems.My extra meal is usually mid morning because my little guy likes to reverse cycle a bit and consumes most of his calories between 2:30 and 5:30am (I guess I don't blame him for preferring me over bottles). I'm still getting great benefits from eating Good Food, and still losing weight (naturally W30 is about health, but almost all postpartum mamas want to lose a little baby weight - let's be real)

I'm not sure what the Mods will think of this idea. Just sharing what is working for me! :D

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  • 4 weeks later...

Breast milk supply is all about calories and hydration. An extra meal sounds like just the ticket for keeping calories up, and carrying around a water bottle (preferably glass or BPA-free plastic) will help to ensure the other. For new Moms having a hard time getting the calories in, we recommend sipping on a can of coconut milk throughout the day. Just little sips here and there, so you're not getting fat overload in any one sitting, but for busy/working/on-the-go breastfeeding Moms, that's 72 grams of really healthy fat for you and baby!

Best,

Melissa

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I have noticed that my supply has greatly increased, too. I donate my pumped milk, so this makes me very happy - more milk for more babies! What a testament to good nutrition.

Thank you, Melissa, for that great idea about sipping on coconut milk. I will be giving that a try. Your response made me think of what my lactation consultant says, "eat to hunger, and drink to thirst."

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Thanks Melissa - that's a good idea! I never really thought about sipping coconut milk on its own. I always put it in something...but maybe I'll give that a try!

That's awesome to donate your pumped milk Dara! I have some excess in our freezer, but I've been too afraid of running out to donate it yet. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am breastfeeding twins so I am taking the "eat when hungry" really seriously. I don't NEED to lose weight (5'4" and 130lbs), but I'd like to lose 10 more lbs. I'm OK with those not coming off until the babies are a little older (they are 10 months). I am just trying to eat when I am hungry.....I think it's pretty hard to overeat fresh veggies/meat/fruit.

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I am breastfeeding twins so I am taking the "eat when hungry" really seriously. I don't NEED to lose weight (5'4" and 130lbs), but I'd like to lose 10 more lbs. I'm OK with those not coming off until the babies are a little older (they are 10 months). I am just trying to eat when I am hungry.....I think it's pretty hard to overeat fresh veggies/meat/fruit.

I agree Megan! I just think that sometimes it's easy to take the "your hormones are happiest if you don't snack" line from ISWF a bit too seriously, so sometimes it's easier to think of it a different way. I do need to lose weight (I've lost all my baby weight, but I was overweight prior to being pregnant) - so I worry about it (though I try not to - I'm getting better!)

Kudos for BFing your twins for 10mo! It's been challenging enough to provide for my ONE 8mo old. You're amazing. :)

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I agree with the snacking statement. Even though I didn't read ISWF until I was almost done bfing, I knew snacking was a bad habit, but nevertheless some days I would end up getting hungry a little while after I ate because I was breastfeeding and CFing and couldn't seem to figure out how much to eat.

As far as supply is concerned, as long as I made sure I was hydrated I was good to go. And I'm pretty sure I ate an avocado a day this entire summer.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm on day 8 of my first whole 30 & just started to panic because my supply is down to the tune of 5oz per day consistantly over the last 3 days. I bf at home, pump at work, with no other major changes in baby's eating habits & no change in my exercise (or lack thereof, but that's next on my list to tackle) or water intake - I drink over 100oz a day. I am afraid I'm not eating enough possibly... but I'm not all that hungry! Reading this strand of posts makes me feel better & not panic & run & grab the oatmeal. Going to try to sip some coconut milk & maybe increase my fiber/carbs (aka sweet potato) intake to help boost supply back up. Thank you all for all of your comments & advice above & any to come!!!

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