So my son is 10 months old and I will be breasfeedng him until he is one. Lateley Ive been having a hard time pumping. I work p/t and 3 days a week he eats from a sippy cup. He's cut down on the milk but eats 3 meals a day. I pump the night before I have to work and thats been working fine for months. Last night I went to pump and nothing but drops were coming out. Before I pump I always drink tea and a bunch of water. I usually wait until hours after he's gone to bed to give my boobs time to fill. It was the scariest thing. So today he bareley had any milk at all. I got up three times throughout the night and bareley got 5 ounces. So after all that i'm just really scared that my milk might be drying out. I'm just wondering if there any signs to watch for, or any feelings in my boobs that I might feel. And also what to do with my son, I would hate to put him on formula now I'm almost done.
Thank you so much for all the responses. It seems fine when my son eats and I have been really stressed I need to calm down. I'm going to try mothers milk and go to the vitamin store to buy that fenurek stuff. My son does eat alot during the day including cereal for breeakfast and yogurt everyday. Plus alot of fruit and vegetables. Thanks everyone for your support I love this website...
Eat brown rice, apricots & sweet potatoes - also you can take Fenugreek capsules - it's an herb from China that worked well for me, also Mother's Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals.
are you pregnant?
Did you start a hormonal birth control?
Hmmm.......?
Hi C.,
try GOATMILK! i had a very similar experience with pumping at that stage and no de-stressing or supplement helped my milk supply so close to the "magic" one year age, where you can switch to cow's milk. the fatty acid and protein structure is different, thus easier to digest and ok to give to babies before they are 12 months old. this way i avoided formula entirely, i could still breastfeed mornings and evenings and supplemented with goatmilk
and my baby loved it. make sure to continue with the iron fortified rice cereals - they are the best source of IRON
good luck, C.
First of all, don't panic! It could just be a temporary thing. If you are under any stress or have a cold, your supply could slow down. Here are some things to try:
- Drink Mother's Milk tea (contains Fenugreek) you can get this at the supermarket
- Take Fenugreek supplements. You have to take like six tablets throughout the day. But it seems to work.
- Try to relax more. I know, easier said than done. But when you get your sleep and rest, your body is able to produce more milk.
- Pump at the same time every day. Your body will begin to expect the pumping.
You are doing a great thing for your son by wanting to continue breastfeeding until he is one. But if for whatever reason you find the milk doesn't come don't sweat it. Give him formula for the last two months and congratulate yourself on being an awesome mom!
Hi Candace,
How much does he nurse when you are home? At this age my kids barely wanted to nurse at all during the day, just occasionally first thing in the morning and once before bed. I had planned to nurse for a full year and I was worried they weren't getting enough, but really didn't like the idea of formula. I consulted my ped about it and he said as long as the girls have been successfully eating a variety of other foods, I should just go ahead and let them wean. Since both of my girls had been eating yogurt and cheese with no problems I started giving them a small amount of milk in a tippy cup with meals and continued to nurse only at night before bed until they were done with that too. One thing the doc said to be aware of is that kids this age don't usually eat enough foods high in iron (beans, red meat, etc.) or have enough tummy capacity to eat enough iron rich veggies so they need a little boost until they are older. I used baby cereal (iron fortified) mixed with apple sauce or yogurt for at least one meal a day.
have you tried fenugreek supplements? you can find them at a healthfood store. they are supposed to help with milk production. they make you smell like maple syrup, i guess it could be worse ;). it was suggested by my lactation nurse. i took some pretty high doses of it and it did seem to help, though i was never a large producer. she also had me use a supplementer when my child was nursing which is a container with a small tube that you attach to your nipple (you could fill it with formula or the milk that you pump). this makes the baby continue nursing long after the milk from your breast is gone. this keeps the breast stimulated longer which in turn helps it produce more milk. contact a lactation specialist at your local hospital.
It's been almost a year, you are doing your best. Don't be scared: if you do dry up, you can switch to formula or milk and your boy will be just fine. Maybe it's not exactly the way you wished, but 10 months is more than many kids get. None of mine got 10 months, for differing reasons, and they are all healthy.
La Leche League was very helpful to me when any problems breastfeeding came up. You can call a local leader for advice. Find out more here http://www.llli.org/Web/California.html
LLL is a fantastic resource!!
J.
I haven't read the other responses so this may be repeat information but start taking Fenugreek, marshmallow and alfalfa. I also have a friend whos milk supply went away and she had good luck with the prescription regalin (sp?). I would try the natural way first. Good luck.
I had a similar thing happen to me around the same time. Have you had any extra stressors in your life? Sometimes I think that has more to do with it than alot of us would like to admit. It also seems to be a vicious cycle...once you think you will get no milk you won't. When it happened to me I started pumping on the weekends between feedings to get a little extra. That helped some and also do not forget that if you are only apart from him for 3 days a week and he is still eating on those days in the mornings and the evenings, at 10 months he is getting plenty of milk. As long as his fluids stay up I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I would resist the formula too if I were you because sometimes they start to like it and will not want to switch to cow or soy milk. Good luck and keep a positive attitude.
Have you tried pumping in the morning? By the end of the day you are tired and dehydrated, so naturally your milk production will be low. Be sure to drink lots of water as well. Another tip is to always pump at the same time everyday, just like a feeding. It takes your body 3 to 4 days to catch with the increased demand. don;t worry if it takes a couple of days.
So you've gotten by on just what you've pumped at night? That's pretty good -- especially as I'd heard night is the least productive time. You've done great! I also worked three days a week and pumped at work, but noticed my supply was dipping around 8-9 months. I took lots of MotherLove supplements (More Milk Plus or More Milk Special Blend) and though they're expensive they definitely increased production. Teas didn't seem to do much, and I've heard beer helps but didn't really try it. Other than that, getting rest and drinking water are good (not worrying and getting up throughout the night to pump, although I know the feeling very well!). You also might find that soon he's not interested in milk during the day; by one my son was mostly nursing at night and in the morning. In any case, good luck!
Hi,
I really believe in the breastfeeding herbs. When my supply is waning, I double up the herbs. The lactation consultant gave me this advice and it works so well. I use the Motherlove tincture and Lactation Blend herbs by a naturopathic doctor. Also, I know that you can just call the lactation consultants at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Gatos and they can help you. Good luck!
Sure there are definitely signs and ways to tell, and also if you are running low there are a lot of things you can do to solve the problem, don't worry! Check out this page
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html
lots of help there, and anytime you have a breastfeeding question they will have a clear, accurate answer - all based on research, not opinion or old wives tales.
Sounds like you got some good advice, but I wanted to chime in and say More Milk Plus capsules worked wonders for me. I think I took more than the suggested dosage. Good luck, and I am sure you can work it out!
