Losing Milk Supply

C.,
If you are super concerned get in touch with a brestfeeding consultant. My milk finally adjusted to the baby's needs right around 4 mos and it felt like I was loosing it but it was just regulating. Also pumping does not get nearly as much milk out as nursing the baby. Eat, drink, and get PLENTY of sleep. Nurse as often as baby will and don't supplement! Best of luck!
Smiles and blessing,
Steph

1 mom found this helpful

It sounds like you're doing a great job. Congratulations on your new baby boy. My second daughter used to nurse for about 5 minutes at a time on one side. Then, for the next feeding, she'd nurse for about 5 minutes on the other side. Is your son nursing from both breasts, just at separate feeding times?

Also, the amount you get from the pump does not necessarily represent the amount you produce for your baby. I have 3 children, and I have nursed and pumped for over 3 years total, and I can tell you that I have seldom produced as much on the pump as I do while nursing. My body will continue to make milk when I'm nursing, but while pumping, I reach a point where no more milk will come out.

As long as your baby continues to nurse, I wouldn't worry about how long it takes for your milk to let down. I notice that sometimes my milk lets down right away, and other times it takes quite a while.

It is great that you're pumping in addition to feedings, both to provide you peace of mind, and to store milk so that your baby can take a bottle. As much as pumping can be a chore, I wouldn't trade the benefits for anything.

Is your baby having sufficient wet diapers, and is he gaining weight at a healthy pace? If you still have concerns that he is getting enough milk, then you should see his pediatrician right away. At 4 months, he gets all of his nourishment from you, and if you still truly have concerns, then you should check it out.

Good luck to you, and if there is anything else I can help you with, let me know.

1 mom found this helpful

If you are close to Upland CA. There is a Breast feeding clinic called Healthy Beginnings. The ladies there know a lot about every thing, and are wonderful. I do know you are suppose to pump after everyfeed to help build your milk supply. And you will never pump as much as you would express. Good Luck, J.

A baby can drain a breast FAR better than a pump. What you pump is no indication of your milk supply. Please dont freak yourself out. And dont start formula. Once you do, your supply will go down UNLESS you understand this completly. If you are pumping the same amount of milk that you are giving to him in formula, you should be able to maintain your supply. Make sense? So if you give him 4 oz. of formula you need to pump that much. What you pump you could freeze. This can get tricky tho, which is why I just advise against it. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand, and once you add formula into the mix that delicate balance gets disrupted.
How is his weight gain? Keep feeding him, and try the other breast when he isnt too fussy. But I know babies who only drink from one side and it doesnt seem to be a problem other than a lopsided mom! Also make sure he is gaining weight--call the pediatrician, if he is then it should work itself out. Perhaps he is just not having a growth spurt. If he isnt gaining weight as he should be then pumping could help beef up your supply, there are also several teas to help with supply, Im sure the moms on here will point you in the right direction, or just head on down to your local natural foods store. As far as let down, I think that too can be normal. Sometimes I dont let down for about that long also. I often wonder if it has to do with being stressed and not hydrated. Try breastfeeding in your favorite spot in the house, fave chair or somewhere you enjoy being. Let yourself relax, day dream about something positive etc. to keep your mind off of whether you are letting down soon enough. Give yourself a break you are doing a great job!

I dont have any advice, because the same thing is happening to me! My son will be 4 mos tomorrow and I cried this weekend because I have to supplement now. I just cant keep up with his appetite. I once pumped 5 ounces and now its 2 if I am lucky! I wish you the best of luck. Drink lots of water, eat well and pump and feed often.

fenugreek, its a herb/seed in capsule form from India. You can buy it at any GNC or even whole foods. It is a bit gaseous so don't over do it, plus in only a few doses my milk was a lot mor abundant; so you shouldn't need to use it long term. It's pretty amazing stuff!

He can eat more thanyou can pump, that doesn't show you your supply. At that age, they get more efficient and don't need to nurse as long. Also, your milk condenses to form to his needs. Just eat and drink everytime you nurse or pump. Le Leche League website has fantastic info. Keep up the great work breastfeeding!!

i agree with the first post that what you described does not necessarily mean you are drying up. at 4 months, your baby is super efficient at nursing and just nurses really fast. if you letdown in 2 minutes, that sounds pretty good. and if the baby is making enough wet and dirty diapers, and he stays full and doesn't need to be nursed for a good 2 to 3 hours, he is getting enough milk from you. your body has simply adjusted to his appetite. you may be making less if your baby's appetite has decreased, but if you keep breastfeeding your milk would't completely dry up because he is still breastfeeding.

and for the pumping, there may be a few explanations for pumping 2 ounces: 1. did you pump after your baby already nursed? then your baby had already taken most of your milk. 2. is this your first few times pumping? the first few times at the pump do not produce much milk, i am lucky to get 1 or 2 ounces when i fisrt pumped with both my kids. your body pumps more milk after a few more tries. 3. the pump is not an accurate reflection of how much you are making. my left breast can barely pump 1 1/2 or 2 ounces, but if my baby nurses on that breast directly, i can have multiple letdowns and i know he is getting plenty from that breast.

if you are still worried, i'd suggest drink plenty of fluid and just nurse the baby more frequently. but i don't think you need to worry at all.

I am a mom of 4 children soon to be 5. My oldest is 15 and I have breastfed all my kids exclusively for 1 1/2 to 2 years or more each. I tandem nursed my first and second children. In my experience I trusted my body and not the pump. I always had milk and never questioned whether my kids were getting enough for no other reason than maybe I just didn't know any better. I didn't add food until they were at least 6 months or older and they looked interested in our table food. That being said I tried to pump with 3 out of 4 and I never got more than an ounce or so at a time. That could be because it wasn't a baby so I didn't let down as easily. He might want to eat more and switching sides after every feeding will increase your milk supply. I know everybody is different and so I am just letting you know my experience. It is tough being a new mom and my biggest advice is to go with your intuition. I really think our bodies were made to nurture and take care of our children and if you didn't have a problem starting out nursing I would say that you are most likely producing what your son needs. If you are still worried, Whole foods sells some good vitamins and supplements to increase milk supplies and will only benefit not harm you and your baby. I hope this was helpful and I wish you all the best. Babies are wonderful!

whole foods has a tea called mother's milk. It worked everytime I felt "low". Also half a beer does increase automatically. Drink with food.

I haven't tried it yet, but I was recommended to get Fenugreek (sp?) from the health food store. It is a supplement that is supposed to help increase your milk supply.

I had the same thing happen and am going strong....by baby is over 8 months..
I take fenugreek 2 times a day 2 capsules each. thet sell it at whole foods!!!

Your milk supply can be increased... drink more water or if you are brave drink a beer (this is really supposed to help and I have tried it) Drink it right after you have fed your darling little one as it is most likely you will have at least 2 hours before he wants to eat again and the alcohol will dissipate out of your milk within that time. Read up on it but this is the info I have read and I tried it and it worked for me. If you are not comfortable with the beer just drink more water your body will make the milk your baby needs. good luck

I had a similar problem and my pediatrician prescribed me reglan to help increase my milk supply. You might want to bring it up to a doctor. I hope this is helpful:)

If you are concerned about your milk supply, try drinking some tea especially for nursing moms - you can buy it at Whole Foods. Eating plenty of whole grains is great for your milk supply as well.

It's easier for the baby to get the milk out by nursing than it is for you to pump it. It just flows better. If your baby is not constantly hungry, don't worry about it! Babies eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.

Don't listen to the propaganda that doctors and other moms are spreading around about low milk supply. I have no idea what that's about but I hear it all the time and all it is is fear-mongering - it is a condition that is actually very uncommon.

Go to a La Leche League meeting where you can get some breastfeeding support.

Pump after each feeding to increase your supply. Eating right, increasing your fluids, and taking herbs to stimulate your mil will also help. Rescue remedy is great for stress relief, and helps your milk let down quicker as well. Good luck to you!

I have the same problem when I pump and only get an ounce. I now have to pump while I am breastfeeding. I can get up to six ounces when I do this. Hope this info helps.

I think someone else already suggested this.... I was having letdown problems myself and my lactation consultant suggested I try Fenugreek. Worked like a charm. Good luck.

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

This is a great guide to increasing milk supply.

First of all what you pump may not be anywhere close to what your son is able to get. I went back to work right after my son was born and i was in so much pain and couldn't pump at all! The pump just doesn't work as well as the baby. To increase your milk supply eat oatmeal. I had a tough time in the first few weeks and the oatmeal worked wonders.

pump your breasts as much as possible, every two hrs. The best is to nurse, of course. Try and try.
The more you pump or nurse, the more milk you will make. It is a pain when this happens. I know that the less you do either, your milk will dry up.
You need to supplement the baby with formula. It will not hurt him to do both, I did. My second baby couldnt get enough milk from me(she grew SO fast), so I did both. Believe me it works I've done it. People will say you cant but you can.

Good luck, let me know. I am a single mom of a teenage girl and a 3 yr old girl. Crazy!

Wendy

Relax - the greatest thing about breastfeeding is that it puts the baby is charge. It's great for them to be able to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Unless there is some medical condition that might make him unable to eat - he will eat until he is full. Also some hospital maternity wards have great scales. If you want you can weigh him before he eats and then after and see what he is getting. If he is thriving and growing and peeing I think he is fine.

First off Relax, being stressed about it will only make things worse. Second I would contact a lactation consultant or the local La Leche League. I found this article off off of the La Leche League website about Milk Supply, check it out. http://www.llli.org/NB/NBmilksupplyissues.html

I'm not an expert, but I know your milk supply can go down if you're not eating or drinking enough, also if you're not getting enough rest. So drink more water and juice, check your calorie intake (make sure you're eating healthily) and put your son to your breast more often, since the more he nurses, the more milk you will make. Also, don't hesitate to call somebody from La Leche League (google them), or ask your doctor to recommend a lactation consultant. They are godsends!

Keep pumping and drink lots of water. Also, ask your dr. to put you on reglan. it helped me.

Pumps are different from a child sucking. This maybe to weird but....My friend had to have surgery and wasnt able to pump out a load of milk. She became very upset but asked her husband to " check" out the difference. He said that when he sucked he got loads of milk. Just because you can' pump it out doesnt mean your child isnt geting milk. Try giving the baby both breast every once in awhile he may like the other one again.

C.,

Keeping pumping and keep nursing. Around 4 months old all those wacky hormones start to even out and your milk supply switches to supply and demand. It freaks a lot of women out because you don't get engorged any more and when you pump in addition to nursing you don't get much. It doesn't mean you are drying up, it means you are producing the amount your child needs and is consuming. As long as you are nursing on demand and not supplementing with formula, you should be fine. Supplementing with formula is probably the worst thing you can do because the less you nurse the less you produce so you start down this slippery slope towards weaning when nothing was wrong to being with. www.kellymom.com is one of my favorite breastfeeding information sites. Take some time to browse it and I'm sure you'll find plenty of info that will make you feel more confident.

T.

Pumping is not a good indication of how much you're producing. I had a great supply but when I pumped I would be luck to get 2 oz. out of both sides. If I remember correctly 4 months is when they start to take notice of what's going on around them. They nurse for shorter periods of time but they've become really efficient nursers but then. Keep offering the other side, some days he may take it and some days he may not. If you're worried about your supply try Mother's Milk tea, you can get it at any wholefoods store. Good luck.

Your other responses are right on. I just wanted to add, when I felt my supply was diminishing (I made it to one year pumping throughout the day at work) I drank a lot of water, ate oatmeal for breakfast, took Fenugreek tablets, and drank the Mother's Milk tea all at the suggestion of lactation specialists. Congratulations, hang in there and keep up the good work!

C.,

The only thing I want to mention is don't let a pump be your judge of how much milk you are producing. A baby's suck is more powerful than any pump. Some woman can pump a lot, some hardly any. I breastfed both of mine, when I tried to pump, with a hospital grade pump, I got an oz after pumping for 30 minutes on each side. If you are only breastfeeding him, your supply is not going dry up. Continue to offer him the breast for all feedings. I guess I mentioned more than one thing (-: For some great breastfeeding advice - visit www.kellymom.com or www.askdrsears.com However, I'm sure you'll get some helpful responses here.

Best wishes,
M.

Hi C.:
I am going to give you the same advice that my lactation coach gave me. Eat oatmeal in the morning it really helps to increase your milk supply, if you drink beer that helps too, but i dont drink beer so i tried the non-acoholic beer and that helped, also MothersMilk, which you can get at Walmart in the tea section. I hope this helps.
Good luck to you,
M..

The amount you pump is not an indication of your milk supply. Call the pump station in Santa Monica or Hollywood and they can give you more direction. Call them and anyone who answers can help!

I went through the same thing. She used to nurse for 10-15 min on each side, and then she went to feeding on both under 10 minutes! I was concerened, however her weight was in the 95%..so i knew she was being fed well. Don't worry, i think it s totally normal. If you need to increase your supply try Fenugreek Pills (makes your milk and urine smell like maple syrup) or as others have said, that Mothers Milk.

C.,

Your son does a much better job of getting milk that any breast pump can. And maybe he is so efficient that it only takes him a few minutes. As long as he is continuing to pee, poop and grow, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

As far as your supply goes, it's not unsual to only be able to pump a little at a time. One trick I used to use is to pump one side while my son nursed on the other.
If you are looking for supplements, you can try brewer's yeast and make sure that you are getting enough liquids yourself.