I am really torn up about this and I need some help. My son is 7 1/2 months old and has been strictly breastfed from birth. I always thought that I had plenty of milk, but I think I'm started to run out. I can feel my milk let down when he eats, but my husband and I have noticed that he has been extra fussy lately and doesn't seem to be nursing very long. I tried pumping but nothing seems to come out (expect for in the morning). Now I don't know what to do. I tried nursing him before bed tonight and he only ate for about 3 minutes on each side and was not satisfied afterwards so i had to give him a bottle with more milk for him to go to sleep. I'm not sure what to do, especially since I don't seem to be getting anywhere with pumping. Should I just stop? Or should I try just feeding him first thing in the morning and before bed? I would appreciate some help. The thought of not breastfeeding is really sad to me, but I also want to make sure that my son is full and satisfied.
I had this with my first. I drank water until I felt like I was drowning. Also, dieting can cause it. Probably the thing that helped me the most was advice from a Pediatrician friend whose wife had struggled with the same thing. He said to feed the baby as long as baby will nurse, even if there is no milk. The stimulation will help. Same with pumping. Let baby hang out with daddy for a little while -- about 20 minutes -- and try again. It helped with my little guy, and I was able to continue nursing. You can try pumping at other times as well, but rest and drink during those 20 minutes. I think I added a late night feeding or an early morning feeding, extra, for a while to help with extra calories and stimulation. I know you'll get a lot of other good advice, too. I hope you can keep going. Don't get discouraged. My next two were much easier to nurse. My DD seems to have more than she could ever want. Congratulations! 7 months is a fun age. It only gets better from here!
Same advice as far as stimulation goes- your body will make more the more you stimulate. I didn't make enough with my first the whole time, so this time I take fenugreek (3 capsules of the seed 3x/day), and make sure to feed him at least 6-10 times & pump twice in every 24 hour period. The fenugreek seed really helps me!!!! Hope this helps- breastfeeding is sooo good for them, in so many ways!!!!!!
This happened to me with DS and it was a terrible feeling to not be making enough for him to eat. For me, it was better just to switch to formula, I fed him mainly non-iron fortified formula since it tastes more like milk and less like liquid nails, ie what he was used to. Since he was eating solids I just made sure he got iron via spinach and pureed meats.
Personally, I felt much better once he was getting full meals from a bottle, but thats me. He had several good months on BM so it wasn't that devastating to quit a little early. Just wanted you to know you're not alone. GL on your decision.
Congratulations on motherhood. Nursing is a special bond to share with your baby. You might try to consult a lactation professional in your area - ask you doctor for a reference. The same thing happened to me with my first child. Sadly, it was past the point of getting my milk to come back to an adequate level. What my doctor reccomended was to start each feeding on the breast first and when baby became restless to switch to the bottle. This method worked for almost a month until my milk supply was gone and baby was fully on the bottle. Doing this "slow weaning" away from Mom was a way for baby to get his emotional and physical needs met - and it made it easier on me too. Best of luck to you both.
My first child I had to go back to work and it was really hard to pump in a warehouse full of men, so he was put on formula at 8 weeks old. With my second I was so excited I was able to quit my job and was devoted to breast feeding for the whole first year. Until I had the same problem I started to dry up after about 6 weeks. I had to switch to bottle formula which was very hard for me because I wanted that time with my baby. Just look at it this way there is nothing you did wrong to cause it. It just happens. I personally think you should just stop. If you just try here and there you eventually won't have any to give. You did a good job for the first 7 1/2 months, but now it's time for the formula/baby food in order for your baby to get what he/she needs to get that tummy full. It should be about time for the fruits and what I did was put the rice into it to make it thicker. I also put rice in the bottle with the formula. Good luck I know how heart breaking it is, but it's the next step for you growing baby.
I would call La Leche League and they can definitely give you some good suggestions to help your milk supply. It's so great that you still want to nurse your son...don't give up too quickly, you'll never get this time back with him!
I ran out of milk around 4 months with my 2nd! It just happens....I would pump for a day to see what you are getting and like you said, it is most important for the baby to be well fed....you made it a long time so be happy, not sad! I had friends who could not handle it after 3 weeks.
There are quite a few homeopathic remedies for increasing milk production. I have a great homeopath if you would like to call her. But some items I recommend are "mothers milk" tea & marshmallow root. You can go to whole foods, sunflower, etc. and ask them what they have for milk production. Also most importantly make sure you are eating enough. You must have calories & carbs. If you are limiting those you can lose your milk & fast. He also may be fussy & not wanting to eat due to something in your diet, have you started eating something new? Does he have ezcema showing he may be allergic to something you are eating, therefore he isn't wanting to eat due to him associating how he feels when he does eat?
I hope this helps, please feel free to message me if I can help in any way. Take care, G
I lost my milk early too and didn't enjoy that fact. However, there are a couple of things you can try. There is a tea called Mother's Milk. I like it better cold than hot, but it is supposed to help you keep your milk supply up. Another thing is to drink lots and lots of water. Make sure you are eating enough calories to produce the milk. There is a pill that some doctors prescribe that brings your milk back, but it didn't work for me. But it doesn't hurt to try.
He could be teething. That would make eating harder for him. He is ready for solids but I know how hard it is for a mom to stop breast feeding. I would keep trying to pump in the morning. Feed your son a little more during the day, even if it's only for about three minutes or so. That should start your supply back up. Good luck!!!
Heather,
There is a couple of things that you can do here. One do not panic. Second increase your fluid levels but leave out caffeine temporarily. You can use a pump between feeding to stimulate your supply. Also for milk supply you can take a Homeopathic Remedy Urtica Urens. Get this in a 30C and put three pellets into 8 oz. water. Swirl or shake until the pellets are dissolved. Take a "gulp" of this liquid throughout the day and the supply should increase. Continue this until you see the increase then back off the remedy.
Relax any way that you know how. This can change for you.
Best to you, Kim
Hi Heather! All the advice from the other moms sounds great! I just wanted to add that if your milk does go away, its not a bad thing. Some people, like myself and many others I know loose their milk much earlier than you. My sister in law's milk basically never came in all the way for her last child. She, the baby, ended up being strictly bottle fed. So, if, after you have tried everything, your milk still goes away, don't blame yourself. You have given your son a GREAT start with breast feeding him for this long. The formulas that are out there are Very good. Talk to your pediatrician about which formula would be good for your child. We use Similac. Its a little more expensive, but you can get coupons from similac.com. This formula has worked much better for us than any other. (We tried many others with my first little girl, including enfamil and store brands and Similac was the best. Thats all we use for my youngest right now). Anyway. Congrats on breastfeeding this long. Don't feel guilty or bad about loosing your milk, it will just make things worse. If you do go to a bottle, you can still bond with your little one. Let him touch your face, your hands etc... Everything will work out great! Good luck!
Just a thought, if you are using the pill for birth control that can decrease your milk supply. There is a pill (called a mini-pill) that should not do so, but my girlfriend's doctor put her back on the regular pill at around 5 months post-baby and that was the end of her breatfeeding.
Heather - I know exactly how you feel! I have struggled to breastfeed all three of my children. My youngest is 9 months, and although I never could make enough milk, and had to stop breastfeeding him, I found some wonderful remedies that extended our breastfeeding time together. First of all, drink a TON of water. Second, I found an hebal supplument called Mothers Milk Plus, that tastes bad, but really seemed to increase my supply. This herb was recomended to my by the Lactation Specialist in the hospital at the birth of my 3rd son. Give it a shot. I also know of a tea you can drink. I believe it's a "nursing" tea. I found it at Rebecca's in Boulder. The store is around 13th and Spruce (1227 Spruce) - just west of the Boulderado Hotel. The Mothers Milk Plus can be found at any vitamin store like Vitamin Cottage etc. Good luck!!! And hang in there, this is precious time you can never get back. Stopping breastfeeding was very emotional and heartbreaking for me with all three of my children! Take care, Amanda
I had the same problem with my fourth baby. My midwives told me to drink LOTS of water, get LOTS of rest, maga-dose on vitamin C. Try pumping a little after each nursing session. Try mother's milk tea (but you have to drink a lot of it), try fenugreek capsules, and brewers yeast. There is also a prescription that your doctor can give you to increase milk supply if none of those other things work it's called reglan, but I only used that as a last resort and I must worn you that it makes you very drowsy. Good luck :)
Baby could be fussy for other reasons. . .teeth? (this could also make him not want to nurse very long). Is your little guy on solids? Offering a nursing session before you feed him solids will help him be more open to solids, and may help fill his tummy a bit more, but definitely not replace nursing. At this age they begin to get busier, wanting to try crawling, etc, is he just distracted at nursing time? At 7 months a sudden lack of desire to nurse could also be the beginnings of a nursing strike. . . something you may just have to wait out. If he's been fully breastfed and satisfied until this point, it's not likely that your milk supply is going, since it has been well established it would take quite a while to just "dry up" unless you're going through a sudden change or stress. Just offer nursing sessions throughout the day, pumping is not as effective as your little guy doing the job himself. Maybe offering nursing more often during the day since you know right now he's not nursing well right before bed. . . . check out a la leche league meeting in your area just to talk with other like-minded breast feeding mamas. . . . llli.org should point you in the right direction. You go nursing mama!
Hi HEather,
Looks like you have a ton of advice already but I wanted to put one more out there. I have a rough time with milk production the entire time I am nursing and after trying all the other hebal remedies I went for a drug called Domperidone. My lactation specialist recomended it for us. It doesn't have the depression side effects that Reglan does. It is not FDA approved for milk production here in the US but there are a few places that will compound it. It is much cheaper getting it overseas and I have a website for you if it gets to that. Please message me if you need it.
Try all the herbal stuff first. Many women do really well on Shadavari. (just in case it wasn't mentioned by someone else)
Best of luck and know that there are a bunch of us out there with you on this and that we fully understand.
I agree with drinking LOTS of water, and make sure you are eating enough calories during the day - that always makes a big difference for me when I feel like my supply is low. Also, my son's doctor told me that if I feel like I am not producing enough at certain times of the day, that after I feed him, to pump for a while longer at those times every day for about a week. He told me the extra stimulation will help regulate the milk supply better. I never heard this before, but he told me that your body produces its milk based on the average demand/consumption over the prior 5 days. So pumping tells your body there is a higher demand at that time, i.e. right before bed. Hope this helps! Good luck! Sometimes I worry about this with my son, but he REFUSES a bottle - so be glad you have options. ;)
I would try mother's milk tea. You can buy it at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. It is a homeopathic tea. I've been drinking it for that past few months and think it is helping. I also try and drink plenty of water. My son went through a nursing strike at 11 months and it broke my heart! I thought he was done breastfeeding but I would try and breastfeed him at each feeding and he didn't want it at all. He would take the bottle just fine though. So I pumped for about 4 days. Then all of a sudden he was fine on the 5th day and he's been breastfeeding ever since. (That was 2 months ago). But the stress of all of it made my breast milk reduce so I've been drinking the tea. Good Luck! I know how you feel. It made me sad also but just know that you have done an awesome job in making it this far with breastfeeding! Good job!!