Will My Milk Supply Stop Now? :(

It's true for some people, but not for others.

Just as it's true that some babies won't nurse after taking a bottle, some just need to get into the swing of it (takes a few weeks), some go back and forth with no problem at all, and some won't touch take milk from anything that's not a breast.

I've known a woman who pumped for 4.5 years after "weaning", because she was a donor...and then there's me...who couldn't pump to save her own life (but my son at 5 days old would take more than 20 oz PER feeding), and I "wet nursed" for a friend while she had to have emergency surgery.

We're all a little bit different, but there are some generalities. Many many many women continue to nurse after starting their period (I got mine back a month after my son was born, fertile Myrtile, that's me)...but some women don't even get their period back until after they quit nursing. We're talking up to two years of no period.

My suspicion is this:

1) You've been pumping since day 5...so you'll in all likelyhood be able to pump for the next two years if you so choose. You and your body have the swing of it, all these months down the road. That's quite a bit different from the mum who nursed for the first 6 months, then started pumping so she could go back to work. Or even mum's who nurse part time and pump part time.

2) Having your period means you're using extra energy (and so does nursing)...so if you're feeling pms-like, keep up on your iron/folates/calories/etc & drink WATER. A lot of PMS symptoms are actually dehydration symptoms.

3) We've finally gotten some warmer weather. So you're probably a touch dehydrated. Oops...there we go again. Water water water.

4) The amount and composition of our milk changes as our baby ages. I don't know if you're doing the saliva trick (putting a little baby drool on the suction part of the pump), but if you are, your body MAY just be reacting to a change in her needs.

ALSO
The three single most common causes for decrease in supply when demand is still high:
- Dieting
- Stress
- Dehydration

How are you doing on those three? (HA, Don't you love it when people tell us to eliminate the stress? Like helllloooo I'm a mum here. I coexist with stress. I'm the goodyear tire commercial where I'm pulling my wee one off the wall while continuing a detail oriented conversation, while at the same time thinking of the other 6 things I need to get done before naptime. <grinning> Stress. Ha! Why don't they say & give us tips and trick from how to eliminate FEAR & WORRY from our lives??)

Anyhow...the la leche league has tons of advice...but remember, if what you're doing is working...it's working. You don't need to be afraid that what you're doing will stop working like magic just because it doesn't work at all for some people. Drink a lot of water, eat a snack, relax. (And...old trick still commonly used...if you're really stressed out try drinking a beer right before you pump -it doesn't get into the milk that way, not enough time-. Just remember you'll have to drink more water later to make up for it.)

Hi A.,

I am so very sorry to hear about your problems with your baby, but it sounds like she's getting better, I hope!

I don't really have a specific answer for you about pumping, but I would bet that the La Leche League might be able to answer your question for you. Here is the link to their home page:

http://www.llli.org/

I see you live in Colbert, which puts you in Spokane County, I believe. I'm not sure how far you are from Spokane, but I believe that is the closest La Leche League chapter to you. Here is the link to the LLL Spokane chapter webpage:

http://www.lllusa.org/web/SpokaneWA.html

You can contact any of the group leaders there and I'm sure they would be more than happy to help you!

Good for you for wanting to do the best for your daughter. I hope it works out for you to continue breastfeeding, but if not, please know that you did the best you could under the circumstances. Hang in there, and remember that no matter what, you are a great mommy! :)

Hi A.,

I couldn't breast feed either, but chose to pump as well. I had NO problems pumping and keeping up with demand as I pumped my daughter's sole milk supply for 11 months. There was one time that I did get a breast infection which seriously impacted my supply, but I took fenugreek (herbal supplement) and it completely restored the supply to full capacity.

I didn't get my period until 4 days after completey stopping breast feeding after slowing down for 2 weeks or so to dry up the supply. So I don't know about that in your potential situation.

Your milk may not be drying up at all, even if you are starting your period (which you may not be). I do know that fenugreek works wonders and you could always try that supplement if you notice your supply going down. You could talk about it with a lactation consultant or even just look up fenugreek on Mamasource. I know it's recommended frequently for supply issues.

Good luck, drink lots of water, and try not to stress (I'm sure it's not the best for supply either). =)

I can't answer specifically regarding your milk supply...but I can offer some advice from my own experience. My son was 5 weeks early and in the NICU as well. I had a lot of challenges with breast feeding and pumping. Eventually, at 3 months, I had to give up (at that point my son preferred the bottle to breast feeding) and rely upon the Enfamil Gentlease formula.

I struggled with feeling like a failure because of my milk supply, challenges with breast feeding, and corresponding stress. Please note that breastfeeding is not a measure of you as a mother.

My advise is to do what you can...and if it is not feasible to breastfeed, than do NOT think any less of yourself. Instead, enjoy your children and the fleeting years of childhood.

P.S. My son is a happy, healthy, active boy!

I was worried about the same thing...that pumping would cause my supply to decrease. However, I have pumped from day one (January 27 of this year) until now and have NEVER had a problem. My son was in the NICU for one week, and while I might have been able to get him on to the breast, I had to return to work and didn't force it. He's had NOTHING but breastmilk and it's been great because my husband has been able to be more active in caring for him by feeding him his bottle. In fact, I've overproduced so much I have 20 bags in the freezer just waiting for when I stop pumping!

At first I was pumping every 3-4 hours, now I've moved to every 4-5 hours, although sometimes with all that's going on I don't pump for 7 or 8 hours. I've NEVER needed to supplement with formula, and my son (at 5 months old) STILL feeds every 3 hours.

I have had problems with plugged ducts, but massaging the breasts while pumping and heating pads through the night help wonders! Be sure to buy a pumping halter top so you have your hands free...never could've survived this long without that!

Good luck!

Hi A.,
Well yes there are some women who really can't let down to the pump. However if you are one of those who can then pump away and as long as you keep it up, you will keep up your milk supply. I can tell you from personal experience that the pump can work. The type of pump DOES matter. Medela fully electronic is what I used. Hand pumps probably won't help keep your supply up.
I could not nurse. We never got the latch right despite all the trips to lactation nurses! I chose to pump and started out pumping 8 times a day (that was hard!). I did take fenugreek for a while to boost the supply but stopped needing that and I stopped the fenugreek probably after a month or two. My milk supply from my diligent pumping became way more than my baby needed. I started to stockpile!
I dropped the number of pumps over time to be able to get out etc.
In the end before I totally stopped pumping I could get away with just 2 pumps per day (10-12 Oz each time) and that covered my babies needs. The trick to increasing supply was frequent pumping to start with at least for the first 12 weeks. This is required to establish the receptors that can dictate the amount of milk you'll produce. once you are "empty" at each pump you keep pumping a minute or two beyond that to stimulate and increase demand and hence supply. Sometimes you'll get a second small letdown and be able to gain another few ounces.
I pumped until my baby was 9-10 months then chose to stop for convenience sake. I supplied all the milk for my baby once pumping was established.
If you have any questions please let me know. I will respond to a personal email if you want. Keep it up!
E.

A. - I didn't read the other responses, but wanted to tell you quickly my story.
When my first son was 3 weeks old we were involved in a horrendous car accident and my baby was airlifted to the hospital. He had AWFUL internal injuries, the worst the PICU had seen. He was on life support for 3 weeks and then in the hospital for another 3 weeks in recovery. I pumped the whole time he was in there.
My period came back when he was on life support, but I religiously pumped. When he was finally able to be given any kind of "food" it was my milk that I had pumped all the time (it was given through tubes, but it was still mine!). When he was able to try and nurse again he had forgotten how so we needed to learn all over again, that was in our fifth week in the hospital.
Your milk does not dry up, but your production will go down. By the time my son was able to nurse again I had lost quite a bit of production but was determined to nurse my baby. He was on the breast all the time. I would keep him on there until he was frustrated from not getting much milk, but that way he was sucking which makes your body start producing more milk again.
Honestly, it took me a good two months to get my supply back up to where I was exclusively breastfeeding again, but it CAN be done. It is hard, but I felt that it was so worth it.
Good luck to you, I know how difficult it is to have your new baby in the hospital, my prayers are with you.
L.

Dear A.,
Congratulations on your breastfeeding! You are doing very well. It is true that your milk supply dries up eventually but if you try pumping even when no milk comes out it stimulates the hormone in your breast to increase your supply. The same thing started to happen to me on my girls 3rd month. But I would let them nurse an extra 30 minutes each feeding and it worked! My milk supply increased and I was able to breastfeed until their 10th month. I had my period a month or so before that. I don't remember if my milk supply went down because of it. But I wouldn't let it hinder you from trying to accomplish what you are doing. I hope this helps.

it's different for every woman.
One thing I would do different is drink more fluids, because I think that helps keep supply up.
You could look on the bright side. It sounds like you have already managed to give breastmilk to your baby for three months. That's great! A lot of babies don't even get that much.
It sounds to me like you have this image of the perfect pregnancy/mothering experience and you are disappointed that youve "missed out on so much." But maybe your holding onto this expectation of perfection is the problem. Let go of that and just be thankful that YOU'VE GOT A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi A.,
You're doing a wonderful thing for your baby, keep it up! Like everyone has already said, your milk will not suddenly dry up. Whether pumping or nursing, it's all about supply and demand. The more you nurse/pump the more milk your body will make.

Many women exclusively pump for their babies and have great success.
Here is another resource with great information on pumping:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html

also, when you do begin to menstruate again, you may experience a drop in supply. But this is temporary, and your supply will return once your period is over.

Finally, maybe others have mentioned this but sometimes babies can be coaxed back to the breast - I've heard of some moms getting a good nursing relationship started at 8 months. If you haven't already contacted your LLL group, they would be a great resource.
Good luck! You're a super mom.

After my son started biting hard every time he nursed, I went to pumping exclusively. I found that if I pumped for an extra 5-7 minutes after I was "empty", I'd have a second letdown that would produce another 2-3 ounces each time. (I pumped 3-4 times daily); you might consider pumping 6+ times daily -- set your alarm for the middle of the night if you can stand it -- so your body knows you mean business. Good luck!

A.,
Yes, the pump is not as good as the suck of a baby to remove the milk, but milk production is all about supply and demand. As long as you are using the pump your body will make as much milk as you are demanding by the amount of times you are pumping.
As far as your period goes, as long as you are pumping it should not effect your supply at all. In fact for both of my kids, I got by period when they turned one, and still nurse for another year.
Stay confident! You know, I think you may bennefit from the use of a supplemental nursing system. If you are not familiar w/ them, it is a plastic container which is then hung around the mothers neck. A thin tube attached the the base of the container runs down the mothers chest and is taped to the breast w/ its opening secured to the nipple. The baby will not want to turn away from the milk and then get used to the mothers nipple. You can get the baby used to drinking from the tube first by securing it to your finger first, then move to the breast.
It is never too late. Contact your nearest Lactation Consultant.
Good luck!
S.
Doula, Yoga, Lactation Educator

Hi A.. I just wrote a pretty long response last week to another mom who was asking about increasing milk supply, so I thought I might just re-paste it here. She was needing to stop though after a week or so, so my response it a bit more tailored to her situation. I did want to add though that my boys were in the hospital for 3 weeks and they took 6 weeks and 10 weeks to learn how to nurse. It was a LOT of hard work. The one that started at 6 weeks nursed until he was 6 months and the other nursed until he was 9 months. they were only getting 1 or 2 sessions per day and the rest of the time I was pumping and giving them milk by bottle. Here is the response I wrote last week:

I had twins that were 5 weeks premature. My milk never really "came in" and I had to fight for every drop. I took a LOT of fenugreek but that is something that you have to work your way up to the highest dosage. You may not have time for that. Also, if you take a lot of fenugreek you have to take something to counteract the gassiness that it can cause becasue the baby will get gassy from milk too. I worked w/ a wonderful herbalist who sells really good lactation herbs (www.herblore.com). I would suggest actually calling her (Pam Caldwell) and she will do a phone consultation with you for free. She was so helpful and I took her fenugreek and her "tummy tincture" to balance out the gas. She also saved me when I was desperately trying to wean and it was taking forever. She sent me a tincture (liquid herbs) of sage and I took a dropper full every couple of hours. Within 36 hours, I was completely dried up. It was a MIRACLE and I recommend this to anyone I know who needs to wean fast. It's 100% natural too, which is nice. Also, only pump out enough milk so that you are not uncomfortable. Your body will eventually get the point and stop producing as much. I was totally doing it wrong and I was emptying out my breasts and then trying to go longer in between pumping (bad idea). I also wanted to mention that I never did make enough to feed my twins so I had a few people that were pumping extra for me and bringing it to my house. My mom actually paid for extra breastmilk from the milk bank (really expensive) to get me through the first couple months. You may qualify though to receive milk from the milk bank due to your situation. I applaud your determination to give your baby the colostrum and breastmilk. Every little drop is liquid gold, and if you have to stop, don't beat yourself up about it. The most important thing for your baby is that you (the mommy) is happy and functioning. You might want to consider renting the hospital grade pump if you want to maximize your breastmilk that first week. It's only like $30 or so. Also, once you are done pumping, try hand expressing for a few minutes to get out the fatty hind milk which is so great for the babies. This can even sometimes lead to another letdown and more milk. Also try something called "power pumping" where you pick a pumping time during the day to pump for an hour (on and off). Start w/ 15 minutes on, then 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, etc. This will increase your supply. I did this a lot. Also, you might want to look into the medication called Reglan. I had a prescription for this and took it for a while. I think it helped a little. some women report amazing results with this medication. This is what woman can take if they are adopting a baby and still want to breast feed.

There are things you can do to help increase milk supply. There are tinctures you can buy at New Seasons in the health and beauty area. The one I used I think was called Mother's Lactation Tonic. If you ask someone in that area will help you find it. Also the Mother's Milk Tea helped me as well. I just make a large batch in the morning and drink it all day. If that still does not work you can ask your doctor for domperidone (I am pretty sure that is what it is called). It is used to start breast milk production and increase it. However to answer your question about getting your period. Yes it can reduce breastmilk production but I got my period a month after my daughter was born and I was still able to feed her fine. It totally depends on the person.

Hello -
First and foremost I am sorry that you and your baby have had so much to go through in such a short time.

I have been nursing our daughter now for 14 months and have had my supply be all over the map at different times (too much and too little), but it is true of your body adapts to demand and suppling enough. It may dip for a bit, but if you continuously offer to nurse and do a lot of skin to skin or baby wearing, it will bounce back with some effort on your part. Yes the body does know the difference between the pump and baby, but now that you and your baby are back together and you nurse, it should bounce back.

I have also found my local La Leche League leaders and meetings EXTREMELY helpful with my concerns, questions and problems. It has been really helpful to get help and advice from women who have gone through something similar or just have a token of wisdom that helps with my problem. I know that you have a unique situation, but you might find some answers or support that you need right now.

Hope that helps a small bit! T.

I also have a 3 month old daughter and I am pumping exclusively for her (due to latching issues) My experience has been that my supply has increased since I have been pumping (from about 12 oz a day to over 30 oz per day) although I know my daughter was unab;e to empty me out effectively and that is why my supply was so low. I pump for 20 minuted every 3 hours, and while I have an occasional low day when I am stressed out, I have seen no overall indication that my supply is going to drop off anytime soon. I know women who have pumped exclusively for a year or more, gotten their periods back, and conceived children without seeing a decrease in their milk supply. I know that your period can change the flavor of your milk for a few days, but the pump won;t react to that like a breast feeding child might (by eating less due to taste change). I was told the most important thing is to keep your pumping scheduale consistant and to use a good quality pump. (I am currently using a medela pump in syle, but I may switch to a hospital grade pump)

Good luck!!!! And good job for being persistant with this - it is tough, but I think it is worthwhile!!!

Lucy

As long as your nipples are getting the stimulation of the pump, your milk will keep coming. I really encourage you to contact a la leche league leader to help you out personally. You don't have to be a member to ask for help at a meeting, but if you want the 1:1 phone support, I think they do strongly suggest membership. Have you tried having your daughter nurse lately? It will probably take some work and patiene on your part, but please don't give up! :)

I don't know who you are talking to, but stop listening!!! I pumped milk for my daughter for over a year. I didn't have any problem with my milk drying up because the "pump wasn't good enough". The pumps of today are WAY different than the pumps of yesteryear. You definitely need to have a good pump and keep up a good pumping schedule in order for you milk supply to stay up. It is all about supply and demand when it comes to breast milk. As long as you empty the breast at each pumping session you body will keep producing more. I have heard the wives tail of a woman's milk drying up when their period starts and I haven't found that to be true either. Most likely the woman was nursing less which allowed for a hormone shift that allowed for the period to return and then they noticed that their milk was less. However, it was most likely their decrease in nursing (again supply and demand) rather than their period returning that caused the decrease. Congrats to you for pumping and giving your baby the best!!! good luck to you and your little one

I don't know if it's true in all circumstances, but my sister had to pump for an extensive period with her oldest (born 4 months premature & in the NICU). She pumped for well over a year, close to 18 months, and never had a problem with her supply slowing down until she stopped. She didn't do anything special to keep her supply up, other than continuing to pump regularly & drink lots of water.

Good luck to you!

Hi Abby,

I just want to say that although this is true in a lot of women, many more can do things to keep their supply up much longer. I really want to encourage you to seek out some support for this issue. One place that I usually recommend is La Leche League. They are very supportive and knowledgeable usually about issues like this. You'll probably be able to meet other moms as well who have had similar concerns. The link for the Spokane branch is: http://www.lllusa.org/web/SpokaneWA.html . If you live too far out from Spokane you can definitely contact their group regarding a group near you if you are interested. I hope this helps you!

D. Rylander
A Blessed Birth Doula Services
____@____.com
###-###-####

Hi A.,
As you know, everyone is different. That said, I have a friend who pumped successfully for a year. Persistence, calories and lots of fluids, and your pre-natal vitamins may help......
Good Luck!

Hi A.,

I'm not going to offer advice since you have perfect advice already been given. I just wanted to lend my support and let you know you can do it! Stay positive, keep pictures of your baby to help you let down when pumping and don't give up. I have known many women pump for extremely long periods, a couple have made it 2 years! Your will is amazing and if you work at it, you will succeed. If you find yourself struggling, the resources below are great and if you need more assistance, post here again!

A.

Hi A.,

I know for me this was not true, actually quite the opposite. I pumped for 11 months then quit and had enough frozen supply to give my son breast milk for another two months!! I don't think it really has anything to do with the pump, your body doesn't know the difference. I think it can have to do with heridity and your natural milk supply, some women don't create as much milk. My SIL also exclusivly pumped for about a year but didn't have as much milk as I did and her son drank less than mine. Hope this helps!

I commend you for pumping this long, that is a great commitment.

Try a hospital grade pump, talk with a lactation consultant that has managed this problem before...make sure you have the right size breast shields. That can make a big difference. Most people think they have the right size and they don't. Pump often (2-3hr)and drink the recommended amount of water.

Some women have a hard time with milk let down...if you do keep a picture of you baby near you or be next to your baby if possible. Try and relax.

Speak with your own doctor about using Reglan it can help increase supply. http://www.breastfeeding.org/articles/reglan.html

Good luck! I hope some of this information will help.