Breastfeeding - Decreased Supply

I know I am responding a bit late. I haven't been online in a while. I tried Fenugreek and it did nothing for me. I tried Mothers Milk Plus and I am producing more than enough. It is a miracle. I talked to a lactation counselpr and she suggested it. I found it at Sunflower Farmers Market on 3rd st and Bell. Sprouts does not carry it.

A lot of hospitals will allow you to rent a breast pump. You may try that to see what happens with a different breast pump. I can understand what you are going through. I have been having that problem for some time now. My baby is only 2 months old but it seems like I get enough milk one week the next there is nothing and I have had to resort to formula a couple of times. I have tried the fenugreek and brewer's yeast and it helped some but not enough so I quit taking them. There is also a tea called mother's milk that seems to work pretty well.

Hi there. I had the same issue whenever I would pump. my baby was healthy and growing fine but if I tried to pump I wouldn't get much at all. I think that my body just knew the difference and the pump wasn't summoning enough milk. I was only pumping occasionally for when I would leave the baby with a sitter, though, so maybe that's why I didn't get very much. Good luck!

It does not sound like your milk supply has decreased, but it could still be possible.

With my children, I was unable to pump very much milk. At most I would pump 2 oz out of each side, but usually 1 oz from each side. I had a very expensive Medela pump and even when I was engorged, I could only pump 2 oz from each side. I found when I was weaning my daughter that the Medela pump must not have been powerful enough because I went and bought a $30 Evenflo pump at Target and I pumped 6 oz from EACH side for three consecutive days, four times a day! That's 48 oz and that was when my daughter was 20 months old! I thought my supply had diminished by that point, but apparently it hadn't.

My children have woken up on occasion with dry diapers and I don't think that the new diaper lasted very long because it seemed that within an hour their diaper was extremely full! Has she had a wet diaper since this morning? Not sure if it has any correlation,but both of my children were night potty trained as soon as they were trained during the day-so this might be an added bonus later on:)

As for not being engorged after a long night's sleep, your breasts eventually adjust to your daughter's daily needs and you should be producing just enough for her to eat each day. The only time I got engorged after the first few months was when I was away from my children for more than 24 hours or when I was weaning and taking away one feeding per month.

Now I am not an expert, just a mom that breastfed for 36 months straight, so you might want to check with a lactation consultant. There are certain things that they can do to assess the amount of milk that your daughter is drinking, like weighing her before and after a feeding. I did this and even though it was $50 for the consultation, it was worth it! It definitely put my mind at ease:)

I agree with everything said, there are some options that may help when you think your milk has decreased. I hope that one of them works for you. I have 5 kids and the longest I was able to nurse any of mine was 6 months and he was almost admitted into the hospital because of malnutrition. I would just keep a close eye on it. As long as she is continuing to gain weight and grow, you are fine. If your milk supply has decreased too much you may have to supplement. Some of us just aren't made to produce enough milk for very long. Good luck.

Fenugreek worked very well for me. Make sure you are getting 500-600 extra calories a day, and good fats. I do believe that exhaustion and stress/anxiety can decrease your supply. Good luck.

from what I hear, by the time your baby is about four months old, your milk decreases. Meaning that you have way too much for four months or so and then it regulates. I have heard women say to pump like crazy for those four months because you may not be able to pump after. So I think what you are experiencing is normal. If your baby is not gaining weight or seems overly fussy, then you should worry, but it sounds like you two are doing great.

check your thyroid. the thyroid is responsible for the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. I had the same problem and found out it was my thyroid. my herbalist helped me with that. unfortunately, my daughter is used to the bottle and she won't take the breast. but give it a try with the hormones.
good luck!!

first of all if your baby slept for 10 hours I would say she is getting enough to eat.

as far as the pump working to capacity I have to ask you a few questions are you as comfy pumping as if you were actually feeding the baby (leaning totally back on a chair, worrying about if it will work or not? or even personal thoughts)

I did not continue breatfeeding my babies past a few weeks because it just wasn't working for us. with that said at 5-6 months all 4 of my babies were not that wet after sleeping the night.

if your bby is sleeping the night through I would not worry about if you have enough milk to satisfy her.

I was always told the more you nurse the more milk is produced try possibly to nurse at times you are able to sure your body will not yield that much right away but you might end up getting more as days go on

I wouldn't worried about her waking up with a dry diaper. My son nurses at night, and still wakes up with a dry diaper. He makes up for it in the morning :). About your breasts not getting large and swollen, well, they have probably adjusted, which is a good thing. Your breasts are amazing and know exactly what to do. They work off of supply and demand. If there is no demand, they don't supply, which is why your breasts are no longer engorged.

To increase your milk supply, you need to demand feed and feed any time your daughter shows interest. I don't know if you schedule feed or not, but many of the people that I know who have end up with a low milk supply early on. Babies are meant to eat frequently, and meant to eat at night. Sleeping through the night is only classified as 5-6 hours according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as others. Basically, baby starts eating/sleeping like an older baby would, and your body in turn makes less milk and treats them as if they are older.

You can also drink mother's milk tea to help increase your supply in addition to what you are already doing. Just remember, though, it's all about supply and demand.

You don't mention how much you weight. Personally with my two boys I pretty much ran out of milk when they were about 4 or 5 months old. The only reason I found is that when you are pregnant, it's normal to gain weight. I gained about 20 lbs with each child. I had milk from the 5th month of pregnancy, it was uncomfortable, but I didn't complain. And I was totally engorged by the time they were born to the point that I had to pump after they were full, just to stop hurting. Then I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight (105) and no matter what I did, I just didn't have any more milk. That may be the reason.
Good luck.

Breastfeeding is all supply and demand. So the best way to increase your milk supply is to nurse more. The long stretch of not nursing at night is probably a cause. I know more water, food, and sleep help make more milk - but those are often hard to come by when you are mom to a little one. Keep nursing - it's worth persevering - for you and your daughter!

I wouldn't necessarily conclude that your supply has decreased. My three kids never had formula, yet I could not pump much at all. Pumping is very different than nursing. Next your body is adjusting to nursing and the current supply demands. At first, postpartum, we are bursting with milk, some of us. But it does not last the whole nursing period. So just because you are not large and swollen does not mean less milk.

The best thing to do for your supply is to nurse more. If you have your baby on a schedule, ignore it for awhile. She is still young and would benefit from more nursing time!

Finally, there is a resource center in town with breastfeeding classes if you're still concerned down the road:
http://www.bodymindandspiritabq.com

Good luck and keep up the nursing. You are doing fine!

Hi E,
You've got great responses already but I love to add my bit! As everyone has said, how much you get when you pump is not a good indicator of how much your baby gets when she nurses. A precise before-and-after weighing is much better - lactation consultants can do this. My 1-year-old son generally has a drier diaper the longer and better he has slept - I guess because he pees when he wakes. My breasts, too, are staying pretty much the same size even when my son goes a long time without feeding, whereas in the first three months they'd be HUGE and leaking after four hours. This is just because my body is more efficient at milk production now. As for increasing supply, I've heard that raspberry leaf tea is good. However, good herbal supplements are expensive and it is probable that you don't need them. If you are still concerned I think you should try the before-and-after weighing, and just make sure you are getting plenty of the right nutrition. Well done for keeping up the breastfeeding and for asking questions when you have concerns!

If you live in the east valley, there is a store on Guadalupe and Ellsworth called Every Mother and Child www.everymotherandchild.com that will test your pump for you. I brought my 11 year old Madela in last year to see if I would need to purchase a new pump for our new baby, but it seems Madela's never quit!! If the pump is fine and you are eating and drinking enough (now is not the time to diet) then i would suggest a trip to see you OB/GYN. From experience, I did notice a less dramatic feeling of fullness after breastfeeding my daughter at around 6 mos or so, unless several hours or a missed feeding went by. Good luck!

Hi E W,

I am not a drinker and do not support it, but my sisters doctor told her that drinking a little beer can help produce more milk. As far as the pump thing goes, look up your local chapter of the La Leche League, they should be able to help and give a lot of helpful advice as breastffeding is their area of expertise. Good luck and God bless.

D.

Hi there, my kiddos are 9 and 7 now, but I remember very well having many questions about breastfeeding and my pump!! I went to the Every Mother & Child store with my pump and questions. The woman was so great. She answered all my questions and then checked my pump to make sure it was working properly. They also carry seperate parts for the pump, that might be cheaper than buying a new one if something is wrong. Hope that helps, have a great day.

I don't have any advice concerning your milk supply. But I have breastfed 5 babies, each for at least 1 year. I was NEVER able to pump more than 1-2 ounces and even that took me about 1 hour. I have just always assumed that I am not a good pumper and I have heard other women say the same things about themselves. I have always had plenty of milk for as long as I needed. Good luck!

E W,
I learned with my last one that at about this age they become VERY efficient nursers. I was sure my milk was down when my son was finished with each side in only three minutes!! However, he was nursed exculsively and was gaining weight.

With that said some women just have a more difficult time keeping their milk supply up, that was my case in the previous three kids. I learned with my last (finally) that I needed to nurse often, thank goodness he was quick. I also needed to drink a ton of water. I kept one of my kids 7 oz plastic cups on the counter. Whenever I nursed or entered the kitchen I told myself I had to drink one. That seemed to work for me, otherwise a huge bottle of water seemed to daunting.

Hope that helps.

agree with several previous answers that your milk may not have decreased per se - just that your body is now on a supply and demand system vs. just hormones making milk all the time.. and your nursling is more efficient as well by now.

a great online resource is kellymom.com - can help a lot if you don't have time to find local people for support. if you do - try la leche league or even your pediatrician if he/she is pro-breastfeeding.

good luck!

Hi,
I have a seven month old and still exclusively nursing. When I am at work, I pump about 3 ounces every three hours. When I nurse he is done in about 3 minutes on each side. I do not have any extras in the freezer like I used to. I have started to get less when I pump when he started on solids (at six months of age) so I do believe in the supply/demand theory. However, it is still unnerving that my baby is not getting enough to eat. He has been weighing in great (the 50th percentile) at every doctor checkup. Since I only pump out 3 ounces that is what I have his daddy feed him in between meals from the bottle when I am at work. I was told by other nursing moms that this is normal and he is getting enough because he is also having cereal among fruits and vegetables. It is very uneasy to hear about my friends who are formula feeding and their babies are drinking 5-6ounce bottles. For now I am just going to keep on doing what I have been and hope that I can continue until he is ready for cows milk unless his weight is found to be too low for his age. I was also told that worrying can decrease production too for which I am trying not to do. I have tried the tea and pumping after nursing but nothing made my supply increase. If you find out anything that is helpful for you let me know. Thanks for your post it makes me feel normal!!

I'm having the same sort of problems right now with pumping (my baby is almost 6 months), and I think everyone hit the nail on the head (supply/demand). My sisters also could never get a good supply of milk from the pump, but her babies thrived, so she must have done something right. My daughter never sleeps 10 hours, but I noticed that she must have a big bladder since she'll stay dry for the longest time and then completely fill a pamper. You could rent a pump for a day and see how you do, or even visit a lactation center at the hospital and use theirs just to see if you get any more milk from it. I like the Baby, Mother and More store at Gilbert/Southern. My husband calls it the "booby store" since they are so pro-breastfeeding and they have a lactation consultant "on staff" there. Their website is www.milksmile.com Good luck and hang in there!!!!

I nursed 3 of my kids for 2 years and one of them for 9 months. My two younger ones, I nursed exclusively for their first year. I made sure I drank plenty of fluid, ate lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I rested a little during the day. I knew they were getting plenty because I could hear them gulp when I nursed them and I felt the let down. Not to mention that my youngest was always considered "obese" whenever I took him for check-ups. With my oldest, he weaned himself when he was nine months old and I think my milk might have dried up. That is why I was careful with the others to make sure I could nurse them longer. I'm not sure about what supplements help with increasing milk supply BUT plenty of fluids, rest, and eating healthy will help whether you use supplements or not. Good luck! Good job for breastfeeding!! :)

I'll just respond to the pumping issue, since I've experienced this recently. I work 2 days a week, so I need to pump for the days I'm at work. But I hate pumping so I would only pump to get enough for the next time I needed it. My baby just turned 6 months and a couple weeks ago I noticed I wasn't getting as much when I pumped. I usually only got 2 oz. total when I pumped at home. But I was getting 1 oz or less. Because I was getting less, I had to pump more often in order to get enough for the days I'm gone. Once I started pumping more (and I mean a LOT more, like 2 or 3 times a day instead of once every 2 to 3 days) I started getting more from the pump. No pump accurately simulates a baby nursing, so if you haven't been pumping regularly, I think your body just isn't as effecient to respond to the pump. My friend also had this issue. She is a stay at home mom and only pumped when she wanted a babysitter (which was very infrequently). Eventually, she could only get a few DROPS from the pump. Her body just wasn't used to it. I would say that if you want milk saved up for the occasional night out, you should make a habit of pumping every day. I now only have to pump once a day and my body will obligingly produce about 2 oz for the pump. I pump about an hour to 1 1/2 hours after a feeding and I've found that this timing works well for me. Oh and sometimes I will help the pump do it's job by using my hands and pushing from the top of my breast towards the middle while I'm pumping. I'm going into such pumping detail because I have a feeling that your supply is not diminished :) Good Luck!

A lot of the same thing happened to me. You shouldn't worry to much because it's just a supply and demand thing. When you first started breastfeeding your body overproduced milk which is why you were engorged. Now that you have been breastfeeding for a while your body is only producing what your baby needs. Sometimes I'm so surprised that I'm even producing milk anymore because my breasts feel so flat in comparison to how they used to. As far as the pump thing goes...you will never be able to pump as much as your baby can get from you. I would just make sure that you pump on a regular basis (everyday at the same time)so that your body will get used to it. Eventually you will notice an increase. One thing that helped me was drinking tea with anise, fennel and coriander. One to try is Organic Mother's Milk by Traditional Medicinals. You can get it Bashas in the Health food/ Organic section. I'm also in a breastfeeding support group that meets weekly. There is a lactation consultant there to answer any questions and a scale for you to way your baby. The best part is that it is free! Let me know if you are interested and I can give you the details.

Hi E W!
You've received some great responses but I'll add mine too anyway.
1) Your daughter is happy and healthy- don't stress so much, it decreases milk supply!
2) Your daughter is happy and healthy- you must be making enough milk!
3) Baby's go through growth spurts at about this age, and about 9 & 12 months if my memory serves me right- I've been breastfeeding for about 3 years straight now (no, not same child!) so that's a bit fuzzy. When a baby goes through a spurt they nurse more often and it feels like your supply is going down when it is actually being ramped up.
4)a product by Mother Love called "more milk plus" is a combo herb tincture that works great for increasing supply. It's worth the $20 at Whole Foods/Wild Oats even just for peace of mind. Note: It gave me a terrible headache so I took it with a tylenol and BIG bottle of water
5) If your pump FEELS like it's working, it probably is. You could go to a local hospital and use one of theirs if you really want the peace of mind, but like others said, you'll never get as much by pumping anyway
6) Sorry to disappoint you, but your beautiful new-mommy-breasts were bound to deflate about now. Bummer.
7) Your daughter is Happy & Healthy! YEAH!
Keep up the Great Work!

I haven't read any of the other responses, so I hope this isn't a bunch of duplicate info, but---PUMP!! You can rent a pump. I thought I was having trouble with my milk supply (the jury's still out as to whether I really was or not) and a lactation consultant told me to pump after each feeding to make a total of 15-20 minutes (on each side!). I rented a hospital grade pump and noticed a difference in about 3-4 days. I don't know where you live, but if you're in the East Valley, go to "Baby, Mother, and More" on SEC of Gilbert/Southern. I rented a Medela Lactina for about $33/month (I'm still renting it, actually, because I work and it's so much better than the old hand-held thing I was using originally). Hope that helps!

I would try to hand express into a bottle so see how much milk you have, She could also be going through a growth spurt if she is constantly hungry. let her nurse as long as she wants, the more nursing means more milk supply. You could also pump on both sides at the same time for 10 mintues after feeding her. But yes you do need sleep, good fluids, and the least amount of stress so don't worry, just keep breastfeeding, it will come.

Try Kellymom.com I heard it is a great site with ways to up your supply =)

Hi E,

This exact thing happened to me. My supply was not decreased, I thought it was b/c I was not able to pump hardly anything at all. You have probably adjusted to what she needs and just can't pump as much. Remember when you are pumpiong it can take up to 30 min for your milk to let down. You might try pumping on on side and nursing her on the other, so it will let down faster. It is frustrating but I'll bet you're just fine.

K.