My Milk Supply Dropped! Help!

you know i had the same problem with my son. My doctor said to drink more water. So i over loaded on water and it flowed like a waterfall ever since!!

Are you stressed out? You sound stressed out, and stress can also make your supply go down. Keep feeding her every 3 hours (you can still supplement with a bottle immediately after if she's not getting enough, just make sure you still try to BF every 3 hours, and let her suck as long as she wants, do one side per feeding), and pump in between- and keep pumping even when the milk stops coming. And don't sit there staring at the empty milk bottle thinking "I'm a bad mom" or such thoughts- watch TV or something to get your mind off things while you pump.

Also, have your daughter's latch checked. Even if a nurse told you she has a good latch, there could still be something wrong. According to the nurses my daughter had a good latch immediately after delivery, but 24 hours later when the lactation counselor checked her (and after 24 hours of way more pain than a nursing mother should have) and found that despite the fact that her latch appeared correct, she wasn't sucking on me, she was chewing! (ouch) And another mom in my birthing class completely lost her supply because her son wasn't latching properly and they didn't catch it soon enough.

Anyway, don't give up! Go to any baby or maternity store or health food store and get some mother's milk tea (any brand), relax, and keep trying! And call your closest lactation counselor- they are the best!

Pretty much the same advice as others. However, if you have the financial resources, I would recommend contacting a lactation consultant. I did that when my supply dropped with my firstborn. With her help, I was able to successfully breastfeed him for 10 months at which time I chose to wean him. There are many things that you can do and not all of them were things I had read about when I started having problems. At the very least, it was comforting to have the appointments and be able to measure how much my son was consuming from each breast in a feeding. It was much better than what I was able to pump, even with a hospital grade pump. I also had a friend who received great help from La Leche League when she had problems.

I don't know if you are or not, but I would nurse my son using BOTH my breasts per sitting and he fed frequently. This really helped in milk production for me. So instead of using 1 breast at a time per sitting, try using both EACH time. And nurse him as long as he needs to. You want baby to stimulate milk production so you want baby to empty each breast. I know some nurse one breast at a time...then at the next feeding use the other breast...but try using both.

If your baby is gaining weight and growing appropriately, then you are probably producing enough milk. Pumped milk does seem to yield a lesser amount, than what a baby is able to suck themselves directly from breastfeeding. I was the same way, so because I didn't get much from pumping, I just breastfed only.

Check with your Pediatrician. But yes, if you really feel you are not producing enough milk, then you must supplement. There is nothing wrong with that, if that is what you must do. Main thing is baby gets nutrition and enough intake.

If you do continue to supplement with formula... give him the formula AFTER you have breastfed....breastfeed first...then if he still seems hungry, give him a little formula. Otherwise, this could impact your milk production and lessen it. With my son, as he grew like a weed... at about 6 months, I had to supplement him at times with formula...but I only gave it to him after I breastfed, so as not to "wean" him from breast. Always try breast first. You want to keep up milk production.
take care, and all the best,
~Susan

Hi there! Breastfeeding can be so tough... I was told to take 3 fenugreek and 1 blessed thistle 3 times a day, both are herbal supplements. It worked and is definitely worth a try.

Good Luck!

I drink water continuously and have a ton of milk. Eight to ten glasses of water is probably what I drink a day. What you pump is not an indication of what the baby gets when she drinks. Just go by how many wet diapers she has a day to gauge if she gets enough milk. If you're stressed out, you won't get any milk when you pump. One time, we were getting ready to go to grandma's house and my husband said, "pump some milk so I can feed her while we're at grandma's. OK, you got 15 minutes!" Needless to say, I didn't get a drop in those 15 minutes even though my breasts were full. Other times I can get 4 oz from each side in 15 minutes.
The first month or two is when your milk supply is at its highest. Feed on demand to build up your supply. If you must supplement, give her formula after nursing.
Congrats on your new baby.

pumping does not indicate how much baby is really eating. If her soft spot is sunk in, its a sign of dehydration, then supplement. If she seems happy and satisfied then don't worry about it. If you want to boost your supply, then sit in front of the TV and let her nurse all day long if she wants. The first month I lived in my nursing PJs and had a boppy attached to my waist. LOL I know its difficult with a demanding toddler, but really try to relax and not worry about the house or whatever else you are trying to get done. Just keep nursing on demand.

~N.

I have a few friends who swear by large amounts of pineapple :) Better yet, contact the La Leche League in your area, they may be able to help.

Do you have time to eat properly and drink plenty of fluids. I also experienced this same situation with my newborn not gaining weight on my breastmilk, I had to supplement formula for about 2 weeks, to fatten him up. We had just moved into a new place one month before he was born, so I was so busy trying to get everything organized before his arrival, I did not stop to eat as well as I should have. After his birth, I was completely exhausted at home dealing with a newborn and 15 month old really took a toll on me and I didn't eat nutritiously and nuture myself as I should have, so my milk supply may have not carried enough calories for my baby to gain steady weight. When you pump milk it's not the same as when your baby suckles and extracts milk directly from your breast, so I would not go off the 1 oz and believe you don't have enough milk, not true. Milk supply will last, keep on offering your baby the breast along with a 4 oz bottle of formula nearby. After you breastfeed, offer the bottle and burp your baby after each ounce. It took my baby about 6-8 weeks before he got the full hang of soley breastfeeding with gaining weight steadily.

Oh my goodness!!! Reading your post was like deva ju! I went through the same thing with both my boys. It sounds like you are doing everything that I was told, but I just wanted you to know you are not alone!

My first son wasn't eating the day after he was born. The nurses kept telling me to latch him on. To make a long story short, it wasn't because he wasn't hungry (and the whole floor can vouch for me). I just didn't produce. I tried for 3 months to breast feed, then pump...I rented the really nice Medela one's from the hospital and even visited the lactation specialists in the hospital but they didn't help me. I think they were more frustrated that I wasn't producing more than I was. In fact, they told me to keep trying and NOT to supplement with formula because it wasn't good for my milk supply. Basically, as my husband puts it, I have milk-duds! I supplemented with formula because the pediatrician required me too (and I'm glad I did). After 3 months of frustration I was too exhausted so we decided to just formula feed at that point. And my son is just as healthy as a horse. I did the same thing with my second and had the same results...I didn't produce enough. So I knew at that point it was me. I could drink until I was peeing every 20 minutes and ate better than I did before pregnancy (maybe even during) but it didn't make an ounce of difference...

So what ever you do, good luck. I hope knowing you're not alone gives you some piece of mind :)

I went through the exact same thing as you are going through. I was only pumping 1oz total with both breasts also and was very frustrated. I also had help from a Lactation Consultant and rented the Medela Breatpump from the hospital for the first 3 months. I also nursed my daughter every 2-3 hours to increase my milk supply. Please do not give up on nursing, I'm glad I stuck with it.

My daughter is 6.5 months and she's been on solids but I still nurse her about 4-5 times a day. I pump every night and get about 4-5oz. Just remember that your baby determines how much breastmilk they get. The best way to increase your supply is to nurse because your baby will stimulate your breasts to produce. It's supply and demand.

Supplementing does decrease your milk supply.

I hope this helped but I know where you are coming from. Good luck!

Drink healthy nursing tea that was a great help to me when I was in the same boat.

Contact La Leche League right away.
I'm no expert, but I know pumping isn't an accurate way to measure how much milk you produce, and supplementing with formula makes your supply drop.
I'd suggest nursing as often as you can, resting up and really taking your time to do it, and gradually reducing the amount of formula you give. The more you nurse, the more milk you'll have!
Don't give up - you can make it work!

What you pump is NOT an idicator of what baby is getting when they nurse. I was lucky to get an oz after pumping on both sides for at least 20 min each. Your supply will decrease the more you nurse. Relax, eat well, drink plenty of water and let your new baby nurse on demand.

Congrats on your new baby,
M.

Hello,
I would highly suggest going to see a lactation specialist. I don't know where you are located but I went out of my way to go to the Pump Station in Santa Monica - 2415 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403 ###-###-####(they also have a hollywood location) and met with Wendy. The best money I ever spent. Also, they recommended my using a nipple shield since it sometimes aids in your baby's latching on and drawing out of milk. hope that helps you out. Oh yeah, a friend of mine drinks milk with tea after each nursing. Her mother is a pediatrician and apparently they always did that. I am not a tea drinker so I didn't follow the advice. my milk supply didn't really increase a lot until after about 3-4 weeks. keep at it, drink water constantly. pump after each feeding to encourage the flow. and pump for a minimum of 10 15 mins on each breast.