Not Feeling a Letdown

M. - I am saying this with all the love that I can - honey, you have to eat! Your body cannot continue to make milk to feed your child and provide you with adequate nutrients for energy if you are only eating once or twice a day! I'm not saying you have to eat constantly, but you do need to have three healthy (balanced) meals and maybe one or two snacks. You can't continue to have all of your energy sucked out of you by your little boy. You will get weaker and weaker, and set yourself up to get sick. Especially starting school soon - I'm in school now and my little boy is 2. I know how hard it can be! This is not the time to get sick - with a infant, starting school and heading into fall/winter. Your body needs nutrients - you need peace in your life. It has to start with you taking care of yourself - eating right, getting enough rest/sleep, and getting some exercise when you can.

Can you call the lactation consultant at the hospital where you delivered? Or your doctor? They might have some suggestions for you as far as what to eat. I know that when I had oatmeal every morning it really helped my milk production.

Again M., please know that I'm sending this with all my love and prayers. I know how hard it is having a little one and being in school. You won't do JT any good by letting yourself get sick. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do!
L.

YOu don't mention how your little guy is doing...Is he satisfied after feedings?

It is probably likely that he is just managing to consume more of your milk- leaving less for you to pump. (If you keep pumping and nursing the quantity will increase - though you might want to examine your diet more carefully b/c if you are missing nutrients - it will go to the milk first and your body will suffer.)

Not feeling a letdown is pretty common tool YOu won't feel as full if he is taking in most of your milk in each feeding. (And his eating pattern seems normal for his age)

I would recommend finding a local LLL(LaLecheLeague). There is a lot of great support there ---and you will meet a lot of nice ladies there (the groups I have attended have been all ages and marital statuses too)You can check on line for contacts in the area where you live. Please call them with any questions or to find out about meeting. It really helped me feel confident about my feeding of my baby.

Your milk supply has probably just started to regulate itself so you aren't making extra because you baby isn't eating it. As long as he is satisfied and growing, don't worry about your milk supply. This was always my biggest frustration with my first one as well because I never could tell if she was getting enough. She was always a healthy happy baby though. Now, having said that, you need to make sure that you are getting at least three meals a day. That doesn't mean that you need to be eating everything in sight, but you have to maintain your health in order for your body to keep working properly. They tell you while you are pregnant that you need more calories a day but they seem to forget to mention that for nursing mothers. You still need those extra calories because they are going into your baby. Don't worry so much about loosing the baby weight. As you nurse, you will be suprised how fast it goes away. As they say, 9 months on, 9 months off. I personally don't think that is totally realistic but at the same time, it is not healthy for you to loose it all too fast. I think with my first one a was back into normal clothes at about 5 months postpartum. It didn't work that way with the second one though. Keep up that healthy diet that started when you were pregnant and don't stop it just because you stop nursing either. Take care of yourself first or you will never be able to keep up with your little guy as he gets bigger.

Hi, M.. I think you may have mentioned one of the possible reasons for reduced milk supply... stress and diet. 2 of the main reasons milk supply can drop off, when nothing remarkable has really changed, is when we have an increase in stress and therefore a decrease in sleep and rest; and when we aren't hydrated enough, or aren't getting enough protein and those amazing fruits and veggies.
Talking to your lactation consultant is always a good idea (do they have one in your pediatric office?), but in the mean time... rest, water, good foods... it might make a big difference!

M., I wouldn't worry to much. If your little guy is growing as he should then you are producing what he needs. Every woman is different. With my first I could fill an 4 oz bottle from each breast, but with my second I could only fill a 4 oz bottle from both breasts. My youngest wasn't as strong of a nurser and therefore I didn't produce as much but she was fine and gained weight like she should. She always remained in the 50 percentile and the doctor said she was fine. So don't worry, every woman and child is different. If your son is okay then so are you. Just remember that whatever you eat will come thru your milk so do watch that. And so will any medicines you take. Good luck and God Bless.

M.,

Completely normal. After you breastfeed for a few weeks, you won't feel as full, this is just because your breastmilk supply has started to conform more to demand. Breastmilk is constantly changing as your baby grows, so you'll notice a few changes the longer you nurse. It's also normal to not feel let down until you're a few minutes into nursing. Some women don't feel let down at all. I think most nursing moms worry about their supply, but most are fine. As long as your son has plenty of wet and dirty diapers, is growing, and is nursing every 2-3 hours he should be getting enough.

Also, don't gage how much milk you're producing based on a pump. Pumps are not as efficient as babies are at getting milk. It could be the pump needs a part replaced (valve, tubbing, breast shield, etc) or pumping just might not be for you (some women can't do it), or you might just need more practice, or you might want to switch to a mechanical pump instead of a manual.

Your food intake definitely effects your breastmilk supply. Nursing moms need to eat 300 MORE calories per day. If you're only eating once a day, I wouldn't be surprised if your milk dried up. Losing weight too quickly after birth also effects your milk, it can release toxins from the fat that's burned into your baby's milk and can make him sick... so if you're not eating properly, he's not getting the proper nutrition. Just like during pregnancy, it's so important for you to be healthy, so your baby can be healthy.

Also make sure you're drinking plenty of water. I drank at least 60 oz a day while nursing. Eating oatmeal every day will also help boost your supply. I'm leery of herbs like fenugreek, because they aren't regulated by the FDA, so you never know what you're going to get. You also can't take fenugreek if you or your baby have certain health conditions, so talk to your doctor first. You can also get a prescription from your doctor to increase your milk supply if you need to.

Your baby is probably fine!

How many wet and dirty diapers is he having? It's normal to not "feel" full when your baby is getting older.

Check out llli.org (la leche league) or kellymom.com for awesome answers to your questions.

The mom who said you have to eat to produce milk is incorrect, even women on 3rd world countries produce quality breastmilk (and any breastmik is better than formula!!)

YOu need to increase your water intake and up your calories in order to breastfeed and pump and also if your baby is gaining weight and is doing fine then you are probably fine but I strongly suggest that you increase your water and calorie intake.