Breastfeeding provides the perfect nutrition for a baby as well as an amazing bonding experience between mother and child. But some women have to stop breastfeeding before they or their babies are ready. In many cases, however, it is possible to start breastfeeding again by re-establishing your milk supply and retraining your baby to nurse.
Step 1
Put your baby to the breast to see if he will latch and nurse. Some babies still remember how to feed and will suck at the breast without any retraining required. This stimulation helps rebuild your milk supply and get things going again.
Step 2
Offer your baby the breast every two to three hours to give your breasts stimulation and empty them of whatever milk you do produce. This causes your body to produce prolactin, which causes your breasts to produce more milk in response.
Step 3
Use a supplemental feeder, a tube that you can hook to your nipple to feed your baby formula or pumped milk, instead of a bottle. This helps your baby learn to suck at the breast again while still ensuring that he is getting enough food.
Step 4
Pump every day with a hospital grade pump after every feed to completely empty the breasts. If your baby is not yet willing to nurse, pump every two to three hours to keep the breasts empty and stimulate milk production.
Step 5
Offer to let your baby suck at the breast for comfort whenever he expresses the need to suck. Banish pacifiers, bottles and other things that he might use instead of your nipples. Comfort sucking stimulates milk production, even when it does not produce any milk directly.
Step 6
Ask your doctor about using Reglan, a prescription medication normally used for gastrointestinal issues that some doctors prescribe off-label to help increase milk production.
Step 7
Take fenugreek, a herb that could increase milk supply, upon approval of your doctor. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of fenugreek remains unknown and you must be regularly removing milk from the breasts for it to be useful.
Step 8
Feed any amount of milk that you can produce to your baby and supplement with formula as needed. You might not be able to go back to providing all of your baby's nutrition through breastfeeding alone, but even one nursing session a day can give your baby valuable nutrients and immune factors he cannot get elsewhere and provide you both with an unparalleled bonding experience.
Tips and Warnings
- Start these techniques as soon as possible once you decide to try relactating, because the longer you go without breastfeeding and the older a baby is, the longer it will likely take to re-establish breastfeeding. Avoid feeding your baby with a bottle, because bottle-fed babies often prefer the faster flow of the bottle and refuse to try breastfeeding again. Use a sippy cup, spoon, dropper or supplemental feeder for his formula feeds until breastfeeding is successfully re-established. Contact a board-certified lactation consultant for help using your supplemental feeder and pump and to check your baby's latch and positioning to give yourself the best chance at relactating.
Things You'll Need
- Supplemental feeder
- Hospital-grade breast pump
- Reglan prescription
- Fenugreek
References
- La Leche League International: FAQ Relactation
- Kellymom; Relactation and Adoptive Breastfeeding: The Basics; Kelly Bonyata; February 1999
- La Leche League International: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 8th Edition"; Dianne Wiessinger, et al.; 200
