Can My Milk Supply Re-establish After a Decrease?

D. T,

I'm so glad you're determined to keep breastfeeding your daughter. You need to remember that just because you only have a little that you pump, your daughter can drain your breast *much* more efficiently than a pump. And, she may be getting the same amount as before and the only decrease you see is in what you're pumping.

I had my milk completely dry up from not nursing well, not drinking enough and running around too much. But, I did much like you're doing now (didn't pump, though) and it came back just as plenteous as before.

You may want to be careful to not drink too much. The part of the pituitary that controls your let down reflex also controls your anti-diuretic hormone. If you get too much water, your pituitary will start turning off the anti-diuretic hormone. Sometimes, it seems like the pituitary gets confused and when it turns off ADH, it also turns off oxytocin (the let-down hormone).

I suspect that soon, within a week, you'll see yourself back to where you were. Keep up the good work.

D. S (mom to 5, CLC)

1 mom found this helpful

Mine did without a problem. I just continued to pump immediately after most feeds (maybe every other one for you if you're heading back to work or something). At first, you'll just get 2 oz, maybe 2.5 oz, but then in a few days, you should be seeing an increase. I know it's frustrating. Just hang in there- you're fiving her the best nutrition you can!
K.

D.,

Yes, your milk supply will increase, but you'll have to work at it a bit. Drink water, water and more water. Get your healthy eating habits back on track. Pump after a couple of nursing sessions during the day. Supply and demand is the key...if you are demanding more from your body, it will supply it.

Also there are suppliments that can "help" increase as well...go to your local health food store and ask them for a recommendation. It's not going to make you like a dairy cow, but it will help.

Best of Luck to you!
amy

Yes!! Even adoptive mothers have been able to breastfeed, and they didn't have all those hormones helping to get it started! (There's a good section on kellymom about re-lactation, although the section on low supply might be better.)
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/index.html

The kellymom website is a WONDERFUL resource for breastfeeding and other attachment parenting issues.

If your babe is trying to nurse, she will be able to do a much better job than any pump. (at least in terms of sending the message to your body that milk is in demand and your body needs to step up production.)

When my first was 4 months old, I got a nasty cold and my whole body was dehydrated - I saw a lactation consultant who said "Wear that baby like a bra. If your family wants to help you, don't let them watch the baby while you rest. They can wash dishes or make you meals or do a ton of other things. You take that baby to bed with you, lie down together, and just try to get him to nurse as often as you can."

She also recommended rich, nourishing foods for me (oatmeal, nuts, avocados - those are high in healthy fats, and breastmilk is rich in fat.) And I always took a fish oil supplement (also known as DHA supplement) because those have the healthiest fats (omega 3s) and they pass into the breastmilk and are great for building baby brains.

I've heard sometimes that TOO much water can be a problem, so don't force yourself to drink, drink, drink way beyond your thirst. I also tried the fenugreek and mother's milk teas, but I'm not sure it made too much of a difference.
The MAIN THING is that your body will respond to the baby's demands. Any time that kid opens her mouth, try to shove a nipple in it - "wear her like a bra" - and you should see the supply kick in.

I responded to your previous post about napping, too. How funny! Anyway, you are doing all the right things. It really is a demand-supply system, so the more your body thinks it has to make the more it will make. I thought I was going to have to start to supplement but so far I have been able to hold off. I have a 7 mo old son and I was having to dig into my milk stores to top off the bottles each day. I was down to just a few ounces left and freaked out. I checked out this website http://www.kellymom.com/index.html and realized that every time I dipped into my stores, I was not telling my body that I needed more milk. I ramped up my pumping and started taking fenugreek. I pump around 6 am before I nurse at 7. Then at work, I added a pumping session at 8:30 to my existing schedule of 10, 1, and 4. I also went back to pumping at about 10 at night (after nursing at 7pm). Today I put my first 2.5 ozs of milk in the freezer and was thrilled -- I had not stored any for almost a month.

So, yes, you can rebuild your supply but it will take some work. Plenty of rest, good nutrition and water, plus the supplement and continued pumping are all the right things. If you really feel like your supply is low you can talk to your doctor about some medication he/she can prescribe for you. Again, good luck!

Yes, you can! Make sure you are drinking plenty of water during and before you nurse. I used Fenugreek to keep my supply up when it was diminishing, but I believe Blessed Thistle would probably be better. Blessed Thistle is more expensive but has been known to start adoptive mothers lactating to nurse their new little ones. You might want to try that one.

I love herbs!

Hi. I have just written about the same thing. I have had a decrease several times and have been blessed enough to get my supply back...but i pump like crazy it seems. I pump for a few days after each feeding to completely drain the breast she ate from. Usually it takes a good 2 days of this and i start to get the milk back. I guess now i will need to do this everyday as long as i want to bf! Geeezzzzz! Hope this helps. Good Luck ; )

YES! You can reestablish your milk supply. I did it just a couple months ago when my daughter was six months old. There are several things you can do. First of all, continue eating a well balanced diet and drinking plenty of water, but do not force fluids as too much water can have the opposite effect. Continue taking fenugreek and drink mother's milk tea. You can drink a few cups of tea per day I think. I would breastfeed very often for a few days and pump when you can. You can even pump right after nursing for about 10 minutes to help increase your supply. You should start to notice a difference in a few days. Taking the fenugreek can cause you to smell like maple syrup after a few days. It seems to me that when I started smelling syrup was when I noticed my milk supply getting better. If these things do not work for you, you can also try a couple other things. There is a product called More Milk Plus by Motherlove. It is a combination of fenugreek and some other herbs. For some women, a combination of herbs works better than fenugreek alone. It is sold at Whole Foods or Harry's Market in Marietta. You may be able to order it online also. I have had more success with it than with fenugreek alone. There is also a medication your ob/gyn can prescribe that will greatly increase your supply. It is taken for two weeks or so and helps a lot. When I tried to reestablish my supply the fenugreek did not help me enough. Then I began taking the prescription from my doctor and after that I have continued to keep my milk supply by taking More Milk Plus. It seems like a lot of work, but it is well worth it if you are committed to the continuation of breastfeeding. Email me if you have any other questions or need more help.
Good luck!

Yes, I had similar issues with my little one back in Sept 2006 and a pediatric nurse recommended eating a lot of oatmeal! I did and my milk supply really increased! I ate oatmeal cookies, instant oatmeal, oatnut bread, oatflakes cereal and within days I saw an increase in my milk. I don't know the science behind it or if it was just a psychological thing, but it worked for me. Best of luck to you!

K. in Winder, GA

Don't stress that won't help your milk, but it sounds like you are doing the right things just don't give up and don't supplement because that won't help your supply either. Just feed her more often if she seems hungry and that will help to increase. I breastfed my oldest until she was 13 months and my baby until she was 19 months and we had some times when it would decrease. The natural raspberry tea can help. Just don't give up and good luck!

My milk began to dry up when I went back to work but but my obgyn was able to perscribe me a safe medication that aided in producing more milk. I had to take it 3 times a day 30 mins before meals. You may want to ask you obgyn about it.

Yes you can reestablish your milk supply. I had mastitis a few weeks ago. my milk supply went down significantly. previous to the infection i had an oversupply. I nursed as often as I could and pumped when Jonah was sleeping. I al so ate lots of oatmeal and drank lots of water. It took a couple of weeks of diligence but it paid off. You already know you are doing the best you can for your daughter, keep up the good work.

S.

i used fenugreek and blessed thistle combined (recommended by my hospital lactation consultant) and it DID work overnight.

Yep - just nurse and pump as often as you can and your body will respond to the demand.

I think you will be fine in a few days. I got sick (and somewhat dehydrated) when breastfeeding my twins when they were around 5 or 6 months old and for a few days, my milk supply decreased. Thankfully, I was still able to feed them during that time, and my milk supply returned back to normal in a few days. I was stressed about it, but just tried to relax and drink lots of water. I'm sure in no time, your supply will be back to normal. Best of luck, F.

I had a similar situation with our first child. I hate tea, so I didn't do that, but I did the fenugreek and it worked like a charm. It was a sudden thing, just over time I realized that I was producing more milk. I also tried to pump after every feeding, not to get milk, but my lacatation consultant told me if there is more stimulation, then my body will try to compensate. Like I said it wasn't overnight, I think the whole process took a couple of weeks. Good luck!

Congratulations! Take in every moment as they go by so fast. That's the best advice I have for any new mom. But, when my second daughter was born, I had the same situation as you. Instead of having the walmart breast pumps, I went to my local healthy start and got one of the pumps like they give you to use at the hospital and my obgyn put me on a medicine called reglan. Now I think this is normally used for stomach pain like IBS, but it's safe enough to use and really helps. You're a good mom for wanting to continue this. I promise it's worth it. Good Luck!

I would hesitate on taking supplements unless your OB or Pediatrician says to take them. If you're taking any kind of hormone -- even a mini-pill for BC, that may be affecting your supply.

Theoretically, your body should be on a supply-demand basis. Theoretically. My body did something similar when mine was about 8 months. By a year old, she was weaned to bottle because my body stopped producing. (In retrospect, though, I'm wondering about my mini-pill...)

Good luck!

Absolutely! Just relax and give it some time, drink a lot, and nurse as often as possible. Try to pump too (even if you're not getting much at first, eventually, your body will respond with more milk). Best wishes and don't give up...it may take several days or a couple of weeks.