Breastfeeding and Birth Control - Decrease in Milk Supply

I have a three-month old and I've struggled with my milk supply since she was born. I take Fenugreek, as many others recommended, and also Blessed Thistle (not milk thistle) per my lactation consultant's suggestion and it seemed to help. I take Reglan also but still can only pump about 4-5 oz per session now that I'm back at work. I haven't had any side effects at all from the Reglan or from the herbs.

C.,
My personal experience was that once I went back to work and got more stressed with the daily stuff, my supply dropped significantly. I tried fenugreek, which did nothing, and I talked to the pediatrician, who prescribed Reglan. It really was a wonder drug, and increased my supply again. I decided to stop @ 7 months (actually, I had been pumping the whole time, as my daughter never learned to latch on correctly), as it was stressing me out trying to fit the pumpings in with my daily work schedule. I'm pregnant now (5 years later), and wonder about having the same problems.

I can tell you that I didn't have any problems with the Reglan, and my daughter didn't, either, so don't rule it out, if you want to keep going.

Good luck,
D.

I would strongly suggest contacting a lactation consultant or at the very least contacting a le leche league group leader. You can find a list of local groups on the le leche league website lllusa.org
Anything you put into your body might impact your supply but please do not stress about it. That might only make it worse. You can get your supply back. It is not gone. You sound very determined to give your baby breastmilk for at least a year and that is wonderful. The first thing should be to get off estrogen-containing contraceptives until you are finished nursing. They very often impact milk supply even after 6 months.
You are doing some great things like the herbal tea and drinking lots of water. There is a food grade herb called fenugreek that you can take. (it is used as and additive in syrups and similar food products so for most women it is safe to take)
There is a lot of advice that you can get from other moms and a lot of it will be good but PLEASE contact your local le leache group or a certified lactation consultant. They are the experts in these matters. You sound like breastfeeding is important you and these are the people to talk to!!
Good luck.

Hey C.,

I could write a lot about this, but I think this article will answer all of your questions. Hope it helps!!

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/birthcontrol.html

We also chose to use condoms until I stopped pumping and nursing all together.

I'm still breastfeeding my 6 month old and my doctor said not to start a BCP containing estrogen until I was done nursing--the estrogen will decrease your milk. I tried Fenugreek several months ago to increase my supply with some success. Good luck!!

I never did take birth control while I was breastfeeding but my milk supply did go way down after my daughter was about 6 months old. I also pupmed at work. Looking back I wish I would have just gave her formula during the day and went on with the next phase of my life. Anyhow this is what I did to continue nursing thru her 13th month. On the weekends during the day I would nurse her and then pump after to increase my day time supply anything I got out I would freeze or put in the firdge for the week. Hope this helps. It might be the pill though. I got my period around month six as well but was able to breastfeed for another seven months. I noticed my milk supply would also change whithin the month especially when I had my period. My advice would be don't stress out and enjoy your baby breastfeeding or bottle.

There is an easy and cheap answer! Fenugreek, the greek spice. It increases milk production dramatically. You can buy it in capsules anywhere that sells supplements, I bought it at Wild Oats.

Take 12-15 capsules a day, split up into 3 or 4 doses. When your sweat starts to smell like maple syrup, your milk supply should be increased.

It's an old old fix, the bible actually mentions adding fenugreek seeds to feed for mama cows.

The maple syrup scent can get a little annoying, but it's much better than all the side effects of Reglan.

Hi C.
I'm not sure about the effects of the birth control that you're on and your milk supply. Getting your period back should not mean that your supply will diminish. It sounds like you're doing all the things I did when I felt my supply was diminishing. It may be that it's just natural progression. I also did the mother's milk and fenugreek. You can try pumping in between feedings. You can always use what you get from pumping and supplement with formula, although when babies get a taste of the good stuff (mama's milk) and especially at 8 months old, then she may not take the formula. Try calling a lactation consultant from a local hospital or clinic or maybe your pedi might know of one - this is their specialty.
Good luck, P.

I'm honestly not sure if birth control decreases your milk supply....but I started drying up around the 6 month mark as well. I did the mother's milk tea and a suppliment called More Milk Plus. It worked really well for me! It cost around $30- but it was well worth the money.
Oh, and I also got my cycle back at 6 months...and I'm still breastfeeding just fine! You don't loose your supply when you get it back. Best wishes

I was told by my midwife that I should not use anything but the minipill while breastfeeding. I think your OB is misinformed. The only problem with the minipill is having to take it at the same time everyday so it is not as effective.

You have questions that you need to be asking your OBGYN. My OBGYN did not let me take any birth control pills until I was no longer nursing my baby. We used condoms until the baby was no longer nursing. My OB gave me a prescription and told me not to fill it until the baby was no longer nursing. You need to call your OBGYN today.

My breastmilk didn't decrease when I went back on birthcontrol, but I didn't do that until I had breastfed for just over a year. Even then it didn't decrease much. However my amount "seemed" to decrease some while pumping at work, until I got really good at it and that took a couple months. If you are worried about pumping enough, pump at home after you have nursed or right before YOU go to bed. That is how I made up for it. Also, breastfeed her as much as you can on the weekend and pump then too.
My suggestion is to go off all b/c and use condoms. I know they are a bother, but I wouldn't take anything that would possibly decrease my supply (as seems to be in your case)until she is at least a year old. At age one you can start giving her whole milk and then you can let your supply decrease and eventually dry up. I mixed 1/2 breastmilk with 1/2 whole ORAGNIC milk and my daughter was happy with that. Organic milk is sweeter like your milk and is a easier transition for your baby. My daughter basically weaned herself when she was 15 months old.
You would only need to use condoms for a couple more months and then once she is on cow's milk you can go back to your regular b/c. Explain this to your hubby, mine didn't care for it, but he didn't argue either.

I'm surprised your OB would put you on a combo pill at all while you were still bfing.

My daughter is 20 months and we're still bfing. I had been on the mini-pill until recently when my cycles started getting really short. When I saw my OB about this she said to stop taking the pill and when I was ready to stop bfing she would prescribe ortho-tricycline. So even at 20 months she won't prescribe a combo pill for me because of what it does to your milk supply.

As far as your period goes, it doesn't mean you'll lose your milk. I started getting my period when my daughter was 14 months and still have milk 6 months later. I do notice a decrease right before I get my period but it comes back after AF is gone.

I would call your OB and discuss this with her. I doubt that you are "too far gone."

Good luck!

My first son was a preemie and spent about 6 weeks in the hospital learning to feed/breathe. So I spent a lot of time there with with lactation consultants and neonatal occupational therapists. They said that it is possible to drink too much, which can shut down milk production. I don't remember how much is appropriate to drink, but you might take note and make sure you aren't drinking too much. Also, being nervous or worried about it can have a profound effect as well. If you can learn to relax when you are pumping (maybe look at a picture of your daughter) that might help as well. I pumped for a year at work with that same son. The most I ever got in a single pumping was about 10 oz, which is insane. I had quite the milk supply, probably from having to pump around the clock the first three months until he learned to nurse.

Hi - Lots of information is available out there. Your milk will not necessarily dry up if your period returns naturally, but the pill often has a dry up effect because it manipulates your hormones. I don't know how open you are to alternatives, but there's some wonderful information available about fertility awareness that can be just as effective as the pill or barrier methods without any of the side effects of the pill or its counter-parts.

Look up Katie Singer - The Garden of Fertility, and Honoring Our Cycles - excellent, detailed resources about fertility - whether you're looking to avoid pregnancy or get pregnant - and there's special information about breastfeeding in The Garden of Fertility, too.

Also, to maintain milk supply, make sure you're getting enough high quality fats and proteins - real butter, fish oils, etc.. And enough sunshine on your face to have sufficient Vit D, too.

Good luck!

C.,
I had a oversupply problem when I was breastfeeding. I drank sage tea, as it has a natural form of estrogen in it to help decrease the supply. It really worked. I would think that taking an estrogen based pill may have a similar effect. I would talk to the OB/GYN again.

I breastfed both my boys until they were each 12 months old. With my first my milk supply was plentiful the entire time. With my second it wasn't quite enough and I had to supplement after about 6 mths. My doctor doesn't recommend the minipill and absolutely does not prescribe regular birth control during breastfeeding. With both my sons I got my period back around 5-6mths. We used othe control methods, like condoms, since my doctor doesn't prescribe the pill, until they baby was 1 yr and weaned. With both boys I notice a slight decrease in milk occuring with my period every month. If you are about to get your period then the decrease could be due to that. However, if it is a serious decrease that seems to have started with the pills then I think it is the likely cause.

Hi C..

I am also exclusively breastfeeding and working. My daughter is 7 months old. Her solid intake isn't enough yet to decrease her breastfeeding needs so she still receives 6 feedings a day (I pump 3 times a day at work for her daycare bottles). I'm not sure about the birth control, I'm still on the mini pill. But I do have a suggestion for increasing your milk supply. Around 5-6 months I wasn't able to pump enough at work, which as you know is stressful:) So I went to a vitamin store and bought some Fenugreek. It is a natural herb that has been used for centuries to increase milk supply. I took two pills four times a day and my milk supply jumped right back up. I finished the bottle and have had no need to take more. Hope this helps. S.