Breastmilk Drying Up

congratulations on making this far! I nursed both boys until 15 months...
the BEST site is www.kellymom.com
you can look anything up-
but anyway- blessed thistle AND fenugreek- I think 3 capusles 3x a day? you'll smell sweet like maple syrup but it should help!

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You need to have an entire three day weekend of a nurse-a-thon. Feed that baby every time he makes a little peep, and regardless of how he cries for a bottle, do NOT give him a bottle. Make him work for that milk and your body will catch up withing 48 hours. If he cries at night wanting to nurse every hour because he's not getting a full bottle, go ahead and nurse him, you can retrain his sleep patterns next week when he is nursing better. Also, eat Oatmeal, drink LOTS of water and lounge around, don't go anywhere. You don't need the stress of not being able to feed him the second your milk comes in. Also, take a nice warm chammomile bath, and after about 15 minutes of relaxation by yourself, have your hubby bring the naked baby in and play with him in the bath right before a time when he would be tired. The warm water and skin to skin contact will make almost any baby nurse for a long time. Let him sleep at your breast, suckling for as long as possible. This will help your milk supply get going. In the morning, around 5 am, after that early morning feeding, pump yourself dry after he eats.

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Prolactin is the hormone that helps make milk and it is stimulated every time the baby latches on. Try to nurse for 5 minutes, stop for a minute then nurse for 5 again. If you can do that through several rounds on each breast that will increase the Prolactin and help to stimulate your milk. It may make him mad, but it will help. Also, the more frequent you feed the better. If you are giving him bottles that could decrease your milk. So, if you are home, try to nurse rather than give him the bottle. Keep it up! You are doing an amazing thing for him by continuing to breastfeed.

organic red rasberry leaf tea worked great for me. it filled my boobs up alot. i just made a pitcher of it and kept it in the fridge and drank it as often as i could. i bought it at the vitamin store.

Pump, pump, pump, for as long and as often as possible and your supply will increase.
Take Care,
T.
Mom of 4
Breastfed for 5 years total

Hi Tammi! This is what helped me......Life cearel......I was told to eat oatmeal which I really didnt care for. But I noticed when I ate Life cearel I had a lot of milk, I mean a lot. I dont drink milk so I ate it like chips or a snack. Oatmeal cookies, anything with oatbran in it!
But if I ate Life cearel I couldnt go out in public without leaking everywhere. I also was nursing 2 children for about 6 months, my newborn and my 1 1/2 year old. Hope it helps!

He's ready to wean and you must be too. Full time ICU nurse? The stress alone must be exhausting you!!!
Congrats on nursing for as long as you have. You deserve a break!!!

Hi, T.. Well, there are a few things you can do.

First of all, I'm not familiar with the milk-producing properties of fenugreek. I think that herb may be the problem. I don't have my herb book with me at this second, but I'm pretty sure fenugreek is related to thyme, and unfortunately, thyme is the best herb to DRY UP your milk supply. Stop taking the fenugreek asap. Don't eat any thyme at all. Sometimes the information in herbal books can be confusing or misleading. Fenugreek is a really bitter herb, too, so if it comes out in your milk, it may make the milk taste bad. Baby won't want to eat as much of it. That doesn't help the situation, either.

If you want to take an herb that will actually stimulate milk, try drinking a tea made from hops. You can also take about half a cup of beer, but ONLY beer made from hops will help you. Hops also relaxes you, which leads to my next suggestion.

If you are too active, if you work yourself to the point of being exhausted (which a lot of new mothers do because we feel we have to be superwoman), then yes, your milk will dry up. You need to make sure you are getting a good amount of sleep, but you also need to give yourself rest breaks. Don't allow yourself to work to the point of exhaustion. Get help for household chores. Give yourself a schedule which allows for sit-down or lie-down breaks. Delegate things that don't absolutely have to be done by you. Cut down on some of your physical exercise, but don't eliminate it entirely because it's good for your circulation and good for your energy level. If you have a decent energy level, that's good for your entire body and also good for milk production. But you have to maintain a balance.

Cut down on your stress, too. Stress and anxiety are really bad for milk production. The hops tea or the little bit of hops beer can help you mellow out at the end of the day. Hops is likely to put you to sleep, so don't take it unless you will have a chance to lie down.

Make sure your water intake is sufficient. When I was nursing, I was told to take in at least a gallon of fluids daily. Most of this should be water, but soup, milk and juice also count. Avoid caffeine.

Also make sure that you spend enough time allowing the baby to suckle. If it's just a couple of minutes before he gets the bottle, then all you're going to produce is a few sips. Let him nurse a little longer, which will be a comfort to him and a good time of bonding for you both. I know the teeth are a problem, but if you really want to keep nursing until 12 months, you will have to train him not to nip you.

Also remember that at 8 months, he doesn't need as much milk as before because he's eating solids now. He probably needs only half as much milk as he did before, so your production will not be as much as before because he's not going to need it, and he's not going to suckle it from you. Sorry, but they do grow up and suckle less! I know, it's bittersweet, but it's still a blessing to see them grow and know that your milk got him there, cradled in your arms. ( :

I see by the little blurb at the bottom of your post that you are a full-time ICU nurse. Chances are that as long as you work full time, you're not going to achieve the same level of milk production as before you went back to work, regardless of what you take or how well you treat yourself. So your milk production is going to go down simply because you're not able to devote as much time to nursing your baby as before.

So it's not surprising that these things are happenning to you, given the age of your baby and your activity level. I hope that whatever outcome you have for nursing your baby is the best possible thing for you both.

Peace,
Syl

hey T.....I had similar problems with breastfeeding my second child...the first one was fine, but my son never took to it (for other reasons...he was a preemie, etc) Anyway I had a lactation consultant who had a lot of very good ideas.....none of which were successful. One day while trying to nurse, the baby was crying and i was crying, from the frustration, and my husband pointed out that this was not how breastfeeding was supposed to be....it should be a positive, bonding experience as well as a means of nourishing your son with the ideal food. However, a lot of babies are bottle fed (I was!), and they do okay. So we switched to the bottle after that. Today my son is a healthy, gifted 14 year old! And he really did just fine with bottle formula. As I look back, I am thankful for the 2 months I was able to pump breastmilk for tube feedings in the ICU....I believe the antibodies saved his life! So just be thankful for the time you were able to do it! I think you should check with a lactation specialist first....but if it doesn't work out, don't fret about it. Your son will still grow up healthy, and there are so many other ways you can bond with your baby!

This happened to me. Go to your nearest health store and they have this tea you drink before nursing I cant remember what its called. It helps produce milk. I am not a tea drinker but I did for my little one. You can add honey or sugar to make it taste better. Also drink lots of water and eat healthy. Latch on AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. He will get the hang of it again and you will be making so much milk you could feed 2.

I agree with Apryl B. A nurse a thon is the only way to increase supply like you need. Put that baby on the breast as often as he needs and DO NOT give in and give him a bottle. Your body will respond and increase its milk production and he will learn to work for his milk. Also, drinks a lot of water (like 12 8oz cups a day) and get plenty of rest. Stress can decrease your milk supply.

As far as the biting, this will be the first "discipline" your son gets. I nursed my second daughter for 13 months and she started doing the same thing at around 9 months. EVERY time I sensed her starting to bite down I stuck my pinky in the side of her lips to "detach" her from the breast and firmly, without screaming, told her "Baby does not bite mommy". It took her about a week to understand. She cried when I took her off the breast and "scolded" her, but eventually it clicked and she rarely if ever bit me again. :o)

this happened to me about a year and I wanted to continue I looked at the la leche league website you can even contact them as well. I did take the fenegreek but you have to take more than a regular dose for it to work, maybe your doctor has advice on amount also la leche league has amount as well, then I stayed hydrated and pumped after breastfeeding baby to let my body know it needed to produce more. good luck

I had similar production issues around three/five months, and swore by fenugreek-- it won't do anything *bad*, so please keep that up with everything else you try!

Yes, nursing like crazy will do wonders.

I also read through the other comments, and saw oatmeal mentioned, so I'll second (third?) eating plenty of that. Almonds will also boost your supply.

One more thing: Chocolate (any kind!) kills supply, unfortunately, so that's out! ;) (And greens will make your milk taste bitter-- be careful with that!)

I wrote a really long response about my positive experiences with Domperidone. For some reason my computer didn't send it. Please go to jacknewman.com or kellymom.com and look up domperidone. I have thryoid disease and my milk supply wasn't enough and my daughter was losing weight! I saw a lactation consultant and she gave me the info about domperidone. I ordered it from Australia since it was the cheapest from there. I will gladly talk to you about it if you want to email me privately or I can give you my number to call. I went from no milk to enough milk to exclusively breastfed for 9 months and then both of my children nursed into almost 2 years old. Choosing to wean at that point was a personal decision, not because of supply.

T., I feel your frustration. I was able to sucessfully nurse my first two daughters without any problems but when my third child was born 2 years ago, we had breastfeeding issues from the very beginning. May I ask why you are feeding from a bottle? Do you work that you need to pump? Do you know that a baby's suck works better than a breast pump (providing that your baby has a good sucking reflex).

I used Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I pumped every two hours around the clock for 2 months after the birth of my son because his suck was identified as "weak" by a lactation specialist. My milk supply never increased and I cried when I had to supplement with formula. My son refused the breast altogether at 9 months so I know how you feel.

As for the biting, each time your baby bites, you must immediately unlatch him and say in a firm voice, "No biting mommy. You hurt mommy when you bite...no teeth." Wait a few moments and try again. Each time he bites, unlatch him. If need be, put the breast away and put him down. If he really wants his milk bad enough, he will learn. They all do. All babies bite at some time or another so it's important to let baby know that biting is not going to get them any milk.

As for your breast being "empty," your breast is never really empty. There is always milk...you just need to have a "let-down" to get it flowing again. Active nursing and/or pumping will do this for you. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more you nurse, the more your body makes. I would suggest that as long as you are able to and providing that your baby's suck is adequate, you should be able to still provide milk for your baby through nursing alone. My son's suck was weak from the beginning so I struggeled to get my body to make milk for him. I didn't honestly notice a difference with the Fenugreek or Blessed Thistle either. It works for some but obviously not all. Make sure you are hydrated (drink plenty of water/liquids), limit your caffeine and get plenty of rest. Also, make sure you are eating adequate meals to support the calories necessary for breastfeeding. Good luck and if you still need help, contact a Le Leche League in your area. So many moms do not know about Le Leche League nor do they understand the support they offer. I found a lactation specialist through my local Le Leche League.

Hey, T.. I know how you feel. My supply dwindled around that time as well. All I can suggest is to try to drink as much water as possible, and perhaps to pump if possible at least twice while at work. It may not be convenient, but it may help. I went back to work when my daughter was 7 weeks old, and pumped for the 1st year. She turned 2 last month, and we still breastfeed at night. She only bit me a few times, so I don't have much advice for that.
Good luck with everything!
J.

At eight to nine months while I was nursing, I also felt I wasn't producing enough. We stuck with it and nursed until 14 months. During that difficult month I drank as much fluid as possible. To make myself feel better about my supply, I would pump every few days just to be sure I really was producing food for my child; I was! It was suggested to me that a child might self-wean this early, but I didn't feel we were ready and just stuck with nursing. I was only bitten a handful of times, and I felt it was not intentional so I don't have much advice for that. I did tell our child that it hurt mommy, but I'm not sure if that made an impact.

Hi T.,

This is going to be a different response and many may disagree with me, but just do the best you can and if breastfeeding and working isn't working for you and your son, then move on with life.

My son never learned to latch (I struggled for over 6 weeks, trying to get him to latch, pumping and feeding him with a spoon, and every device in the book so that he didn't experience a nipple. After meeting with 4 lactation consultants, I looked for a new pediatrician, convinced that something could be done to help my son. My 2nd opinion pediatrician (herself a mom of two and a huge breastfeeding supporter) looked at how tired and stressed I was and suggested that I give up and be happy that I could pump and give my son breastmilk and we have bottles today so he would be fine and healthy. She rightly told me that had my son been born 200 years ago, he would have died in his first week of life because he simply didn't know how to latch and wasn't learning fast enough.

With this kind pediatrician's support, I pumped exclusively for 6 months. I went back to work full-time at 5 months and after a month of pumping and working, I was sick, my son was sick, my husband was sick and we were all exhausted. My pediatrican suggested that I begin to wind down the pumping and supplement with formula and my stored milk. My son received about 1/2 breast milk (from pumping and my stored supply) until he was 9 months old and than had formula from 9-12 months. Believe me, I wanted to breastfeed, reached out to every resource, moved my mother (who had breastfed all 3 of us) in with us, and did everything I could.

And today, I know that I went too far, I should have never pushed so much and jeopardized everyone's health.

So, the whole point of my story, is to tell you that if nursing becomes too much of a struggle at this point, then pat yourself on the back for what you've already done and know that every baby stops nuring someday. Working mothers do have it harder than SAHM and you've done great!!

Good luck and remember, if you aren't able to take care of yourself, then you aren't being good to your family.

Best wishes! C.

T.,

When I had a problem with my milk supply getting low I took FenuGreek. You can get it at a healthfood store...it took about 3 days of taking 3 pills 3x a day but I noticed a HUGE difference in my supply. FenuGreek is an herbal supplement and is completely safe for you and your child with no side affects.

Hi! I had the same problem when I had to return to work after 3 months at home. What I did to keep up the supply was to get a manual pump and kept stimulating myself every two hours. For this purpose, the avent isis manual pump worked best. About the bite, as soon as he bites you, retire him from the breast, this way he will learn not to.
Good Luck! and don't get discouraged, breast is best!
J.

Try mother's milk tea available at any natural food store. Also eating oatmeal will increase supply. Caffeine, smoking, alcohol can all reduce supply. I also wonder why you truly believe you are drying up. It is natural starting at 6 months for supply to regulate. When it does, pumping yield decreases A LOT, the breasts may not feel full anymore, they may not leak milk, when you hand express you may have trouble getting anything. This doesn't mean your milk is drying up. If you truly are having trouble, like the biting, just switch sides when that happens. The more often you switch sides the more milk your body will make.

Hi T., I want to first say it's great that you're dedicated to nursing when sadly so many give up. Breast IS best. That being said do NOT give up trying.... What do cows eat to product milk??? Grass! Now, I'm not suggesting you eat grass but it's obvious, you need to eat lots of fresh leafy greens. I mean LOTS. You should avoid processed foods and for sure avoid dairy, that will also lower your milk production by ingesting the milk from another species (I am not say that those who consume cow's breast milk aren't able to produce human milk for the human child just that if you're having difficulty you should be more cautious). Stick to simple, fresh, whole foods and you will watch your production increase. Also, like some said, stay hydrated, raspberry leaf tea (organic if possible) and giv yourself a break!!! Get some rest, prop your feet up while nursing your beautiful little boy and maybe take a little nap with him.

In Peace

Are you feeding him formula or breastmilk from a bottle? If you are feeding him formula, you are not allowing his constant nursing to build your supply. If you have a pump, I recommend pumping in between nursing sessions to help build your supply. Even if you get nothing! When I worked a little during the holidays and was unable to pump at work. I would get home, feed my daughter, if needed and then pump after that for 30-45 minutes. Sometimes I got an ounce, sometimes I got up to 6. It didn't matter to me because I knew that the pumping itself was keeping my supply where it needed to be. Babies go through growing spurts even around your sons age so he may need to nurse more frequently to build your supply up to what he needs.

HTH

S.

Aside from oatmeal, and staying hydrated I would also ensure you are getting enough rest. When im not rested my supply really suffers.

Speak to a lactation consultant. Florida Hospital has some wonderful ones on staff that you can call. They have a bf luncheon as well where you can speak to their LC. Go to the FH website for more information.

Nurse more often, or pump, and drink LOTS of water!! I mean LOTS of water! This really helped me when I started to dry up, and I was able to keep nursing!!

Hope this helps you!
T.