PUMPING - Suddenly Decreased Supply??

You could try mother love to supplement, after I started pumping full time I noticed a drop in my supply. Went and got the Mother love and soon my supply was great again. It taste like poo but it works, they do have it in pill form but I used the liquid!!!

Others have mentioned stress. But let me describe it in further details. You could be a normally stress free person, but if you're worried about how much milk you'll get when pumping, that's stress that will affect how much milk is coming out right then and there. You need to be totally relaxed while pumping. Electric pump works best.
How to relax: take your mind off of pumping. Think of your cute baby; watch tv, read a magazine, etc.

Your baby AND you... have to be treated for yeast/Thrush at the SAME time... otherwise,, your baby will STILL have Thrush and it will go back and forth between you and him.
Your baby screams and pulls-away.... because HE has Thrush too... in his mouth. He needs to see a Doctor.... oral Thrush in babies... causes great discomfort....

If you stop breastfeeding and only pump... your milk supply will diminish...

When I pumped...I noticed my supply started out strong and gradually decreased. Will you be returning to traditional nursing soon? Try some nipple cream/ointment. That may help. La Leche League is the best resource for nursing women. Call them up...locate a meeting...attend and you will be amazed at the support you receive and the knowledge and wisdom that is available.

You didn't say how old your baby was. If you just had the baby, your nipples should be sore for the first few weeks, and then should heal and be used to all of the nursing. The only way to get through it is to use them to nurse. I would only pump after nursing, if you want the extra milk to store, and just focus on the nursing. It will get better. Your supply is probably not completely regulated yet, so just pumping won't be enough to keep it going strong at the beginning.

I'm a FT BF mom my daughter is now 6months (yesterday) at work I pump every 2 hours for 10mins. When I frist returned to work I used to pump 20+oz then it went down to 16oz per day.
I would say nurse your baby. It hurts now (I know ur pain) but trust & believe it will get better!! ur nipples will adapt & keep urself hydrated.

Keep up the good work you can do it!!

** Also check ur nipples- I had some milk trapped under the skin on the tip of my nipple it looked like a pimple. When nursing on that breast it was very painfull >I was ready to give up!!<. I called the advise nurse she said it was fine all I needed to do was express the trapped milk. If was ok after.

J. - Breast feedding is simply put a demand and supply process. Your baby is a better stimulator than a pump; however, a hospital grade pump or a Medela electric pump(I use the Medela pump in style advanced) can do a very good job. I am a full time working mom and my son is now 10 months old and the Medela pump has helped me all this time to provide milk for him.
Your supply cannot be accurately determined from what you are getting using a pump so I wouldn't worry too much about it. If your baby is fussing too much at the breast because of an overactive let down, try raising his head a little bit on the boppy pillow and continue to pump other times. It will regulate your supply and don't pump for more than 30 minutes a time. Try pumping for about 20 minutes at the most and then take a break and continue later.
Other culprits that mess with your supply are :- malnourishment, dehydration, stress, medications that you are taking, return of your cycle(temporary)...La Leche League and Kelly mom are great resources - All the Best to you!

lalecheleagueinternational.com

what kind of pump are you using?

medela electric pumps are awesome. it has a setting which encourages let down, and several levels of suction. You may be using too high of a setting on your pump. You could also have inflamed ducts, or something going on inside your breasts.

check la leche league international- they provide breastfeeding support.

good luck!

could be the pump..also could be the times of the day that you are pumping..you have the most milk for the first 6 weeks..then your milk establishes on week 6...if you are pumping in the afternoon your milk supply is lower..also can drop if you started your period..i'm attaching a list i made back when i was bfing..it can help bring your supply back up..your pump may not be very good..also you get more milk if you pump them both at the same time..so you'll need the easy expression bra..
women are always worrying that they're drying up..i totally did when i was bfing..i wound up bfing til my son was almost 3..
he's almost 5 and my milk still hasn't dried up all the way..anyway...here is the list..hope this helps :)

D.....

1. rent a hospital grade pump..Medela Classic is what i'm using..it's
$3 a day and totally worth it! OR better yet buy one off ebay and
when you're done you can re-sell it on ebay and get your money back.
i bought one and it works great..the medela classic is supposed to be
the best pump out there.
2. get the Easy Expression bra www.easyexpressionproducts.com it
holds both cups over you bb's and it's better to pump 2 at a time
3. eat oatmeal ....get the healthy kind i add bananas also i would
think pasta would be good b/c it retains water
4. Take "Lactation Supplement" by Gaia Herbs you can find it at the
health food store
5. try to pump at the same time every day...also try power pumping..
10 minutes pumping..then stop for 10 then 10 again and then stop and
so on. even pump if you aren't getting anything.
6. Make sure the white membrane thingies that attach onto the cups
are fairly new ..over used ones affect how much milk you get
7. Drink lots of fluids including Nursing Mom's tea or Mother's Milk
tea or the tea i prefer is www.breastea.com ..also drinks with
electrolytes like Recharge...Smart Water...Gatorade i notice on days
i drink a lot of fluids i have more milk
8. Eat barley..Barley Grass supplements are great. also..they have
barley bread at Trader Joe's if you have a Trader Joe's where you
live..or just buy barley. I buy a delicious barley tea at the
japanese market and i drink a couple of cups a day..it's decaf and
yummy.
i also drink Healthy Mom's drinks by Ensure
9.A warm wash cloth helps too ..apply to breasts before pumping or
try the breast heating pads that you heat up in the microwave.
10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin..not getting a lot of milk
could mean a vitamin deficiency
even if you pump just a little ..save what you get and start adding
them together and then supplement with the milk that you pump..that's
why it's also good to pump after they've gone to sleep..then you help
build your supply and you also have more bb milk for baby..
11. nurse nurse nurse..triple up on nursing..you're going to have to
dedicate a week to it
the more you pump the more milk you'll begin to make.
12. LOTS OF REST..nap if you can ..milk builds when you rest
13. DHA supplements also are great for lactation..also found at the
health food store*
14. Alfalfa supplements are also great.
i think that's it..
15. Try a whey protein powder drink.. i use "Whey to Go" by
Solgar..you mix it with milk add some berries and a banana. it says
to check with your doc before using if you're bfing..so ask your
doc..i only drink one a day and i add a some Motherlove's "More Milk
Plus" to it.
16. Again you should double pump when you're pumping so make sure you
get the bra to make it easier on you!
17. Goat's Rue herb is also supposed to help boost
honestly drink LOTS of liquids
keep yourself moist ...don't take any birth control pills.
18. there is also this stuff called Motilium aka DOM a lot of mom's
use this ..it's for reflux but it builds up your supply.. you can
read about it on Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-
domperidone1.html
and you can buy it here... http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/
motilium.html

Have a beer right after pumping. This does wonders for me. I have tried the mother's tea and the fenugrek, but the beer is the best and it helps me relax. Another trick is have a glass of wine, but just one.

Good Luck I feel your pain. Private message me if you would like to talk.

If you have been nursing for few months, then the decrease of pumping probably is because of stress, dehydrate, not eating well etc as your supply should have steady for some time. But, if you have started for few weeks, your supply probably not steady yet and the best is to nurse and pump after nursing. If nursing is really unbearable, like I do, i will increase the pumping session by every 2 hours. you will see the increase in supply. But, also, the effectiveness of the pump is very important too. I used Medala Swing before, it's not very good compared to Medala Pump in Style Advance. But, this investment is really dependent if you are occassionlly pumping or not. I am full time working mom. I use my pump for two babies and helped me to provide breastmilk until they are 1 year old.

First they say that you will never get the same amount of milk from pumping that you get from the baby's stimulation. So if you think you can handle it try and let your little one start nursing again, even if it is only for a couple of the feedings.
Second I agree with Tedsmommy L. Drinking a beer after pumping or right after feeding works wonders. I do it at least twice a week! It is extremely helpful with the production of milk and a good excuse to unwind a little! Wheat beer works the best.
And third, I take the Mother Milk Plus pills by Mother Love. I started taking them because I had pneumonia when I had my DD and the meds I had to take were deplinishing my supply and they worked wonders!
Keep at it! For the sore nipples you can squeeze a drop or two of your own breast milk out and rub it on your nipples and allow it to dry. My neighbor is an RN and she gave me this tip, it was helpful. More helpful than any cream.

The pump doesn't get out what your baby does, hence the decrease in supply. Breastfeed your baby, and pump. Buy a good nipple cream. Supportive bras. Warm compresses. The pain should lessen.