Milk Supply Decline

Hi C.,
I thought that my milk supply was getting low and pumping was getting to be a real drag... but then I realized it was the PUMP, not ME! I have a Medela pump and the membranes need to be replaced so the pump can function properly. Once I replaced the membranes, I was instantly able to pump more and I had a good feeling of satisfaction after pumping.
Good luck to you!
E. W.

I agree with the other responses so far..continue to eat and drink more. I used to worry about the same thing but your body will adjust to what she needs, which is now less. My daughter's bottles at daycare were usually pretty small too and they knew they needed to spread them out. Because of that, we made up most of her caloric intake when I was home, usually all the through the night. It worked, she thrived and never went hungry, although I am sure she would have liked more ounces at daycare. I even contemplated supplimenting with formula also, even though I did not want to, but she would never take it anyway, it smells gross. So not to worry, it all balances out in the end, your body will give her what she needs. Love her name by the way, big fan.

she drank so much milk because milk is soothing to her, and daycare isnt what she is used too.. and formula isnt bad. theres nothing wrong with it.

Hi there - I worked full-time and breastfed my son exlusively on breastmilk till be was 15 months (he did get solids at 5.5 months). I actually just weaned his last nursing session at 19 months.

Whenever I had supply issues (such as during illness or upon the return of my period), I would do the following:

Increase the pumping sessions - stimulation increases supply - sounds like you are already doing this - it takes a few days to see results, so stick with it.
Make sure you are correctly hydrated - drinking extra water really helps!
Eat Oatmeal in the morning
Start taking Fenugreek - you need to take enough such that your urine smells of maple syrup.

I did not try Blessed Thistle, but I have heard good things about Mother Milk tea - I think you need about three cups a day.

When you are pumping, make sure you continue to pumnp for another couple of minutes when you think everything has come out. I would often get another let down this way and another ounce would come out. The longer pumping also sends a signal to your body that you need to pump more.

Try to relax - stress has a counter effect on milk come out.

What pump do you have? Make sure you have a really good one such as a Medela pump in style - that will definitely make a difference.

Try to pump every two hours when you return to work!

Let me know if you have any more questions - I mentor breastfeeding women so will be happy to help you!

Hi,

I had a similar problem. What you may need to do at work is make your lunch break the long pumping session. 15 minutes per breast. Use your break times to take the edge off so your breasts are not sore. Pump(or nurse) when you get home every 2 hours every day until your supply increases again.

Just make sure on the weekend to pump/nurse every 2 hours. If your daughter is on a 4-hour schedule, pump in between. You really only need to pump each breast for 15 minutes to empty them. Sometimes I go a bit longer in order to generate more milk for the next session.

Don't worry, you don't need to do this forever. In about 3-5 days, you should see an increase in production. In one of the threads here, I was given advice to eat oatmeal. That helped as well. Maybe get some oatmeal snack bars for work as well. Be sure to stay hydrated (even at work).

Best of luck. My son gave up on nursing at 5 months. I have been exclusively pumping since then and he is almost 7 months. I have even phased out my 2am pumping session. I do have a Medela dual pump and express about 4-5 oz per breast per session. Since you have such a short time left to nurse (if you are only planning on nursing to age 1), it really does not make sense for you to buy a dual pump, unless you plan on having another child. Dual pumps do save significant time since you are expressing milk from both breasts at once, but are not necessary to keep production up. Best of luck.

My milk supply also started to decrease when my son was 9 mo. old. I had a WONDERFUL hospital grade pump (Medela Lactina Select) which helped. When I started producing less milk, I called a lactation consultant. She recommended drinking as much water as possible, eat more calories, and pump frequently (as you are). I drank about 2-3 liters of water a day, and that made all the difference. I had to go to the bathroom every 30-45 minutes, but I was able to pump 8-9 ounces in just 10 minutes (that's where the strong pump helped too)! Good luck! -S.

Are you still taking prenatal vitamines? My doctor has told me to continue taking them while nursing. It not only gives the extra nutrience to the baby but also to mom. Also make sure you drink plenty of water and get the extra claories a nursing mom needs to keep producing milk.
I have used an organic tea that contains Fennel, Anise and Fenugreek Seed. It is made by Yogi Tea and it is called Woman's Nursing Mom. It is 100% organic and helps promote lactation. If you drink 1 cup every 3 hours it helps to stimulate milk flow. You can pick it up at most herbal or health stores. You can also go on www.yogitea.com to find out more. I find that it works well and it also calms my baby's digestion. I have a 4 year old and a 3 month old and it has worked well with both of them. Then if all else fails, you can mix the breast milk you are getting with formula so your baby is still getting breast milk at every feeding, and you won't worry about her not getting what she needs. I did this with my older daughter when I started weaning her off. I hope these sugestions help. Good luck!

sorry for the short response-

try fenugreek (vitamin) or reglan (script from doc) to increase milk supply. They worked for me when my baby was in the NICU.

C.,
I had the same problem. I was told to get a tea called "Mother's milk." It's all natural, inexpensive and can be found at most "hippy natural food stores." It worked great! I know that down here in RI we have a store called "Back to Basics." It's a chain around here. It might be up your way too. Most of those "hippy" stores have that sort of thing. (My mom calls them my "hippy" stores, but she has recently fallen in love with them too.)
Hope it helps!

Amazon sells Blessed Thistle (which should also be taken with Fenugreek when trying to increase milk supply.) This does not work for everyone though - it didn't for me. What did work for me is the Rx Reglan (Metoclopramide). You take it 3 times a day and it will increase your milk two-fold within a day or two. Ask your doctor for a prescription, with my insurance it's only $5. Good luck!

I had the same problem when nursing my girls. I found that i dried up when working but still produced ample milk for when i was home. It wasnt a problem for a long time. My body just became accustom just to make milk for when i was actually nursing. good luck.

cj

C., way to go for being so determined to continue feeding your daughter breastmilk, even in these circumstances!!! I too am working part time and pumping, and a low milk supply is my biggest fear. Traditional Medicinals makes an organic, caffiene free tea called Mother's Milk, which is supposed to help with milk supply issues. They sell it at Hannaford. It is not the most pleasant tasting tea, but if it helps, it's worth it, right? :) Wishing you the best of luck!

First of all congrats on breastfeeding for 7 months! AND for the fact that you want to continue even after starting solid foods! That's great and the best you can do for your baby! She will reap the benefits for the rest of her life!

Here are some things that you can do to help increase your milk supply:

1. Pump every 2-3 hours when you are unable to nurse your baby. Milk production works on a supply/demand system...your baby is hungry and begins nursing, which stimulates the brain to release hormones which produce milk and then baby gets fed. The more stimulation there is, the more milk will be produced. The less stimulation, the less milk. Frequency is key, not duration. The best times to pump are in the middle of the night and early in the morning, since the prolactin levels are highest at these times. Using a hospital grade electric breastpump will yield the best results. Using an electric pump like the Pump 'n Style will be ok, but not as efficient. DO NOT depend on a mini-electric or hand pump or hand express. This will not keep up with the demands required of maintaining or increasing a milk supply. You can also pump after the baby has finished nursing, especially if she has not nursed on both sides, or hasn't completely "emptied" a breast.

2. Take supplements...Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek (safe to take for both mother and baby) are available through a natural food store. They will increase your milk supply...the protocol is to take 2 capsules of each, 3 times a day. You should notice an increase w/in 24 hours (and you may notice a maple syrup smell...completely normal). If you don't see an increase w/24 hrs, then increase to 3 capsules of each, 3 times a day.

3. Eat oatmeal.

4. Stay hydrated and well nourished.

5. If you aren't successful w/these techniques, then you can always ask your doctor to prescribe a drug called Reglan which helps w/increasing milk production. Domperidone is another drug that does this, but it is illegal in the U.S. for breastfeeding and would need to be filled outside the U.S....there are some doctors who will do this.

6. check out the websites www.drjacknewman.com and www.kellymom.com for more information on increasing milk supply

Good luck and let us know how things go!

P. Holland, CD(DONA), CLC, CBE
Certified doula, lactation counselor and childbirth educator

Eating oatmeal can help your supply and I've heard Fenugreek can help too. Here's a great site with some info on supply issues http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html. HTH!

you can take Fenugreek. I got it from our local health store and it comes in capsules. they do make mothers milk tea or you can take brewers yeast but most of the moms in my breastfeeding group found the fenugreek works the best.

I had the same problem and my peds recommended me Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea...worked wonderfully with me..;) I know several others who have tried this as well and it does help....You can take it...