Trying to Relactate

Ask Anne…

I am currently trying to relactate. I work full time Monday thru Friday from 8-5, and my job doesn’t allow me much time to pump. I hand express whenever I can, and then I try to latch her on as soon as I get home. The problem is that she gets really mad when not much milk comes out and she keeps pulling off the breast. I’m getting very discouraged. What else can I do?

Answer: You don’t say how old your baby is, or why you’re trying to relactate, so it’s difficult to give you any specific advice, but here is some general information that may be helpful.

The younger your baby, the easier it will be to re-establish your milk supply and get her to start nursing again. Mother’s estrogen levels drop quickly after birth, and the time babies are a few weeks old, hormone levels have dropped down close to where they were before pregnancy.

Breast milk is produced by sucking stimulation and supply and demand. The more often you nurse or pump, the more milk you will make.  If you aren’t able to pump for a nine hour stretch while you’re at work, your milk production will slow down significantly. Hand expressing milk won’t give you the same stimulation as a double electric pump, so it’s not surprising that you haven’t been able to build your supply enough to get your baby to take the breast again.

Most babies younger than three months can be convinced to go back to the breast, especially if their attempts to suckle are promptly rewarded.  Many babies will get frustrated when you put them to the breast and little or no milk is coming out, so they will pull off the breast instead of staying on for long enough to stimulate your breasts to produce more milk.

Using a tube feeding device may help by ensuring that the baby’s sucking efforts are rewarded.  Many babies will accept the supplemental feeding systems because they are receiving a steady flow of milk with each suck, much as they would with a bottle.

Babies between three and six months may or may not be willing to nurse, depending on their individual personalities.  Babies older than six months are often set in their ways, and it may be difficult to them to accept the breast at all.

Taking Fenugreek may help increase your milk supply, but it’s doubtful that it will be enough to make a big difference in your situation. There are some prescription medications that can boost milk production, but they are used only after increased nursing and/or pumping has been tried, which is not the case here.

These are general guidelines for relactating, and individual responses will vary. It’s important to remember that you can have very close and rewarding nursing relationship with your baby, regardless of how much milk you produce and whether you feed it by breast or bottle.

The article Relactation and Adoptive Nursing has more detailed information.

Anne Smith, IBCLC
Breastfeeding Basics