Where's My Milk? - Northfield,MN

Oh my, sounds a lot like me. i went through this same thing if you look through the older posts you'll get a lot of suggestions on how to up your production. She's starting to refuse because she get milk easier through the bottle it goes faster and she doesnt have to work for it too much. It was suggested when yo do supplement that you use a nipple with a very small hole so she has to really work at it. I hope you can get it going again. I unfortunately could never get it to work but i never had very good production. Try and breastfeed very often, every hour if you can.

There is a product by medela called a supplemental nursing system. It is a type of bottle that you hang around your neck with two thin tubes that you pull out to your nipples. It's a way of supplementing while still like nursing she is encouraged to continue nursing even after you are waiting for another let down or just plain on empty. It's a little bit difficult to get working in the begining but i think it's a really great product. Hopefully with that you can make sure that she gets the milk that she needs but still stimulates milk production. I tried it but by that time i was producing hardly anything. I think if i started earlier then it might have helped more. None the less it was nice to be able to continue to breastfeed even after production was pretty much gone.

Here's the link to that product. http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/specialtyfdg.html#sns

I hope that this helps some but like i said look at old posts there is a lot of good advice out there.

I'd get in touch with someone from La Leche League. They are really really helpful. I have used the pump in addition to nursing (instead of bottle feeding) and froze it to have a supply on hand. That way your body is doing double duty. It might take a day or so. You can also try fenugreek supplements, mother's milk tea.... but I'd get online to La Leche or call a leader. You can get all the info off thier web site. http://www.lalecheleague.org/ Good luck!

I would suggest stopping solids for a few days (or longer - 5 1/2 months is kind of young to start cereal in my opinion - opinion is the key word here). Also, try not to supplement if you can. Let her nurse whenever she wants, as often as possible, and I would call a lactation consultant. Breast feeding is so important for your baby, if you are commited to continuing to nurse, you should try to fix this problem quickly, and you might need the help of a professional. Many babies end up weaning early because Mom's get frustrated with a new phase in development or think that the baby is trying or ready to wean. I have had several people suggest that I should wean my son (see below).

Something to consider, my son is the same age (born Dec. 4) and is SO EASILY distracted that it can be frustrating to nurse him as he often pulls away and looks at anything else that catches his eye. Then he won't relatch on once he has stopped nursing, but will want to nurse again (for a minute) in an hour. Is it possible you are dealing with some of this new distraction as well?

What has worked for me for this problem is to make sure he is hungry before I try to nurse... sometimes we go 3 or 4 hours between nursings (I used to feed him every 2 hours), and to find a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. Sometimes this means I put my 2 year old in his crib and go in another room so Joey can eat without Charlie distracting him. This has really helped and he seems to be starting to get over this phase. I did put a post out a few weeks ago asking for advice on this distractable phase, and got some good imput.

Feel free to email me if you want to chat.

Good luck!

jess - sahm to 5 1/2 month Joey and 26 month Charlie

Hi Hilary,
That is a worry. Here's what I know.

The suckling on the nipple from the baby's mouth stimulates a nerve that causes a checmical reaction in your body to produce Prolactin, which makes you lactate. No pump will ever imitate the same motion that a baby's mouth creates, so the more you use the pump and the less your daughter suckles, the less milk you will make. It's a fine balance. There are a few things you can do to increase your milk supply, but if she's not sucking, none of it will work very well because the pump will still not imitate that same motion her mouth does. She is probably turning away for a few reasons: 1) your milk supply is low, and milk doesn't flow as easily from you as it does from a bottle. 2) the switch to formula often turns breastfed babies away from breastmilk because it's so much sweeter, and manytimes, breastfed babies don't go back to the breast after being fed formula, and because it flows from the bottle quicker than from your boob. 3) either your milk supply is low, or your letdown is slow to appear and she can't wait that long to suck...so she decides to leave instead because she's not getting the quick instant satisfaction from your boob like she does from the bottle.

The whole thing is a viscious cycle and a frusterating situation to be in. If you can...do what you can to get her to suck as much as possible...and try to relax so your let down happens as soon as she gets there...she will be discouraged if she doesn't get instant satisfaction from your breast like she does from the bottle. But, like I said...nothing will work inless she can suck and get that Prolactin chemical in your body to make you lactate more...the more she sucks, the more your body will make. Supply and Demand. Good luck.

Hi Hilary I did the same thing with both my kids the best way to fix the problem is to stop the ceral and the bottles and just exclusively breast feed if that is what you want to continue. Some children that are exclusivly brest fed till age one dont eat real food till then, so dont feel bad for stopping the ceral. Eat oatmeal and drink lots of water and nurse her as much as she is hungry. I cant say that I agree with another mom using a can of beer to increase the milk supply because you will only need to pump it out anyway. Not only that but I have to adopted siblings with FAS ( Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and why take the chance of your daughter getting that. Just keep eating healthy and drinking lots of water and NURSE NURSE NURSE and things should pick back up for you. The breast pump does not stimulate the nipple the way a baby does so you never get enough milk out, then by not getting all the milk out, your body recognizes that as not needing to produce as much. I hope everthing works out!!

Try the herb...you can get at vitamin world called fuengreek. I'm not sure of the spelling but i think its pretty close. Your mil supply will increase very shortly. I would keep offering the breast. and not teh bottle. Eventually....she'll go back to the breast. she could just be getting lazy. when she is drinking from a bottle its less work since as soon as she gets it she gets milk instead of getting your let down. hope it helps. oh and 5 and 1/2 months isn't too young. by the time your child is 6months breast milk isn't enough to give them all the nutrients that they need. that is straight word for word what my peditricain said. You usually start rice at about 4 months!

You might be dehdrated. Try drinking alot of water and keep pumping and see if it works.
J.

Hi Hilary...I know I'm just reiterating what other mothers have already said, but I definitely agree to stop the bottles as much as possible. The mother who said it's because she doesn't have to work as hard hit it head on, in my opinion. Bottles flow easier than breasts. She's just developed a preference to the bottle, so stop using it completely. I found (I nursed both of my kids, both over 12 months each) that when I pumped, I produced much less milk than if they were taking my breast. I would guess that that might be why your let down is less..the pumps don't seem to empty your breast as well as your baby does. I might not stop the solids...I think taking all that away from her now might be again, too many changes. Besides, if she's used to the solids, the breast milk might not be enough for her. I would continue the cereal, only at dinnertime, and just stop with the formula. You could nurse her along with give her the cereal to keep your supply up. Good luck!

My opinion, she has nipple confusion/preference now. They only way to stop this cycle is to STOP pumping, STOP bottles, and STOP solids. Take a 'nursing vacation', spend a couple days just nursing, thats it, Whenever she is hungry, nurse her, her only option is breast, thats it. No pump, no solids, no formula, no obttles, just nursing, nursing, nursing.

If you keep up what you are doing , your milk will dry up and itll be the end of your nursing. Only nursing for like 3-5 days, your supply will jump back up, drink to thirst, eat a bowl of oatmeal a day, and nurse nurse nurse!

Babies don't wean themselves, they have nursing strikes, they develop nipple preference, or they get confused when they have way too many bottles and not enough breast. Breastmilk is ALL your baby needs. Right around this age your milk production is slowing down, your body isn't making as much, matching hte needs of your nursing baby. Your letdonw won't be as fast, you won't feel it as much. But you have milk, you just needto breastfeed her whenever she is hungry to bump it back up.

I am sorry to hear about your situation, and also agree with what the other posters have suggested. I would just add that as long as your daughter is getting other calorie sources (ie formula and cereal), she is going to need less calories from you (ie breastmilk). And if you're already having less milk production, this in combination with the sudden introduction of other (perhaps easier to eat or sweeter) calorie sources would indicate that you might not be able to get back to your previous level of breastfeeding unless you entirely stop the formula and/or cereal. Again, like Patty said, supply and demand - and your baby won't be demanding very much if she is getting other calories.

In my experience, I had to work 12 hour shift weekends away from my daughter but then was home full-time with her all week. I was unable to pump very much when away from her on the weekends, and she took formula and pumped milk from Dad. Mondays were scary for me, because I knew my breastmilk had dried up a little bit and I felt my daughter wasn't getting a full meal. However, we simply toughed it out, and by Tuesday my body had gone back to full production. I think it was the only way to keep up my milk supply and keep up 100% breastfeeding.

If you think your baby is ready for cereal, fine. But just be aware that you don't have to introduce that now if you don't want to. My daughter wouldn't take any solid foods until after her 1st birthday (didn't have teeth until then either), and it is suggested by AMA to breastfeed for baby's first year (2 years per international standards). So don't feel rushed.

You can always contact your local Le Leche League for more support as well. I called a member using a phone number off their local website when I had an issue, and they were great - I was not a member and had no affiliation with them at the time.

Good luck!
T.

I don't think 5mo is too early for feeding solids, but because you are loosing milk I would stop for awhile till your supply is better. Some babies like to wean themselves too. My son was done with it at 6wks. and just liked the bottle. He ate all the time! He got more from the bottle than from me and thats why he didn't take from me. Maby that is why she might not be either. Just not getting enough. So if you don't want to be done...no more pumping! I had 3 myself..all breastfeed. My youngest I stopped at 10mo old. Pumping will not make more milk for you..she has to be on and you need to get her to drink more from you longer and more often. Your body only makes what she has now..and acouple missed days can be bad. So also drink plenty of water! Also I know most don't agree with this but a beer can help! It worked for me. It takes 2hours for the alcohol to go after one drink and probably alittle sooner since beer doesn't carry much. I hope this helped alittle. Good Luck!