increasing milk for storeing

[@llli*atalk]

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can increase my milk supply so I can have a fort knox of milk? Reason being why is my mother in law likes to let the kids sleep at her grandmas house for the weekend. She's been hinting toward wanting to have my son (2 months old) stay one night with her but I dont have much milk saved up for her to use if she does keep him. He eats almost every 2 hours which doesnt give me enough time to pump enough and then feed him again. I thought about pumping at night but we cosleep and he wakes up when I get up (very light sleeper). I thought that if theres a ligit product out there that could increase my milk enough to pump and sustain him that I could take it and then build up my supply for over night slumber parties (and to have mommy daddy time).

[@llli*mommal]

Welcome to the forum!

First question: forget what your MIL wants, how badly do YOU want your baby to stay overnight with grandma? Introducing bottles and pumping into your life adds a whole new level of complexity to your nursing relationship. You have to be comfortable with your baby spending the night with grandma, you need to be sure that your baby will take a bottle, you have to produce, store, and transport bottles, and you have to be willing to pump not only when you are with your baby but also during that mommy-daddy time, because milk supply depends on demand and you have to replace skipped nursing sessions by using the pump.

Getting a milk stash going requires time, effort, and a good pump. You want to start by pumping 1x per day at a consistent time. Most moms choose to pump after their first morning feeding, since most women have the most extra milk at that time. After you've done that for a week, you want to reassess: if you're not getting as much milk as you want, start pumping routinely after other feedings until you are getting the level of output you desire.

When it comes to increasing milk supply, there are no products out there that can substitute for increased stimulation from nursing or pumping. A lot of moms think they can find a tea or a medication that will provide a magic bullet for increasing supply, but there just isn't anything like that. Nevertheless, some moms find that certain herbs (fenugreek, blessed thistle, ordinary oatmeal) can provide a slight edge. They're worth a try- but don't expect a cup of fenugreek tea to stand in for the hard work with the pump!