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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Milk Supply Drying Up

31 replies

braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 21:31

My DS is 4 months old, and my milk supply is beginning to slowly tapper off. I've tried all kinds of tricks, talked to a lactation consultant, am taking the "Mother's love" supplements and I just cannot find something that works. I barely have enough milk during the day for him now, and really no not want to start using bottles. In the US california you only get 6-12 weeks off from work after childbirth so I've been back at work for a while, pumping just isn't doing the trick. Help!

OP posts:
pombal · 21/04/2011 22:20

Really feel for you :(

Are you using a double pump? A hospital grade double pump might help, they're not very portable though :(
Can you feed more often when you're with baby or overnight.

I can't pump either, my supply crashed with DS1 using a single pump.

I found porridge and rooibosh tea and drinking loads of water helped my supply more than supplements.

It's a really unfair situation.

One last thought, is there any, possible way you can see baby during the day. My 10 month old goes to nursery near my work so I can go in and feed him, or could someone bring baby to you?
Can't think of anything else but hope it works out.

NotQuiteCockney · 21/04/2011 22:37

Domperidone may be worth a go - it's good for restoring a dropped supply. Feck, it's not a prescribable drug in the US. Grrr. It doesn't exist there, apparently. (It is here in the UK, and you can buy it OTC. Ditto for Canada (in case you're near the border). Can you get someone to ship you some?)

Ok, how often are you feeding him directly? How often are you pumping? Is he feeding at night? (If not, can you start encouraging him to? Night feeds do the most for your supply.)

Can you feed on one side and express on the other?

thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 22:40

are you breastfeeding around work? i mean direct from the boob rather than expressing? because that will help

how often do you pump?

comtessa · 21/04/2011 22:41

I really feel for you but FF is not the end of the world. My baby was particularly hungry and not gaining enough weight at four weeks so we went onto combination feeding. FF does not mean the end of BF, in fact it can help as you're not then stressing about not having enough milk. I BF and FF at every feed. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation.

Original poster
braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 22:45

I've used a double pump, Madela pump in style, it was nice, but the power supply broke and I can't afford another, so I've gone to my evenflo single pump which I got as a back up. My milk supply started going down before I switched pumps though so I think that's unrelated.

When I'm home I let the baby nurse as much as he wants, and since he's teething that's a little more than normal. I work only 2 miles from home, so I can see the baby during the day, but since I'm the manager her it's very hard for me to get home for long enough to nurse. I only get a 1/2 hour lunch which is the trip home, ten minutes with the baby, and the trip back. Boss man won't let the baby come into the office during work hours, since it's a call center.

Does activity reduce milk supply? The biggest change in my life was that we got a dog and I take him for an hour run every day, which I never did before. Would increased activity over the last month be a factor you think?

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Original poster
braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 22:52

Comtessa, that's insanely comforting to hear, you have no idea.

To clarify, I breast feed directly every morning before work and as soon as I get home from work. At work I express ever 2-3 hours. DS is very large compared to me, I can't express and feed at the same time because there's no room for the pump. I've tried it a thousand times.

L.A. isn't anywhere near the border, and the penalty for mailing prescription drugs is not worth it. Jail would not be a good move. The baby wants to eat all the time at night, and I let him, but he gets frustrated and fussy because he'll suck and suck and no milk will come out, so we'll play and do other things for an hour or so and then he can finally get enough milk that he'll want to sleep or nap.

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Original poster
braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 23:08

As an aside, my /ever so helpful/ mother in law suggested I try taking a nap in the afternoon. She was a stay at home mom obviously. facepalm

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japhrimel · 21/04/2011 23:18

Info on galactagogues: www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal_galactagogue.html

I don't increased activity should be a factor - it's probably just the 4 month thing. Prolactin levels drop at this stage and milk supply becomes almost entirely driven by demand. My DD is 4 months old too and I now struggle to express despite being fine before. I'm at home and DD feeds fine and is putting on weight so I know my supply is fine - I just can't express much now my supply has settled.

How much does your LO take during the day? Do you have a freezer stash you could use?

thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 23:22

japhrimel is right.
prolactin levels fall naturally at around this time and it can become harder to express. i wonder if there are alternatives to domperidone that you could get over there? might be worth speaking to your doctor?

there is no reason why you wouldn't be making enough for your baby at the feeds he has though. he will be far better at milking the breast than your pump is, and if he is feeding morning and evening and through the night you ought to be ok i'd have thought...?
you should see if you have a local La Leche League group, they're very helpful and knowledgeable IME.

also, i wondered about your lunchbreak if you could meet halfway if someone could bring baby? so not in your workplace, but nearby so you had time to feed then?

Original poster
braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 23:29

How much does your LO take during the day? Do you have a freezer stash you could use?

2 6oz that's about 200ML bottles during the 8 hours I'm at work, not sure in ounces what it works out to when I'm home. The good news is I just expressed for the 2nd time today and my milk supply is way up compared to yesterday.

This is going to sound dumb, but what type of doctor do I see about break milk being lower than expected? hangs head

His weight is on target, so it can't be THAT low, but lower than it was a week ago which was lower than the week before, so I'm getting worried. I do have a freezer stock I can use if I run out completely, but only about 2days worth. I contacted the La Leche LEague here, they didn't respond, and the # was disconnected. There is a breast feeding class on Monday's at the hospital, but it's at 11am and I'm already at work by then. Unfortunately I can't get a day off, my work schedule can be rather demanding at times.

Did I miss a question? Thanks to you all by the way.

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thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 23:34

sorry, is he losing weight? if so then i would really recommend that you see a breastfeeding counsellor asap, and perhaps top up with formula if you think he needs it
i may have misunderstood your post though! so if he isn't actually losing weight then don't fret too much Grin

I wonder, if your supply is now up, whether it could be hormonal... did you have any feelings of getting your period at all? my milk supply dips every month when i get my period, and that is fairly common although not everyone experiences it

you could just see your regular GP (not sure if you have GP's in America though?) just your normal family doctor? s/he ought to be able to tell you if there is anything you can get that increases milk supply.

comtessa · 21/04/2011 23:35

Activity can be a factor, as BF takes energy from your body's fat reserves. If you're burning off calories in other ways, your milk supply can drop. That's why some people can find their milk dries up earlier with subsequent babies, depending on how much rushing around they have to do.

Braidedsilver: The most important thing is that your baby is fed. BF is of course best, but FF is there and is not the enemy. I was really upset at having to give DD FF at first, but it's actually worked out great as DH can take his turn and be really involved. And it meant I was no longer dreading the next feed as DD would feed for two hours plus and still be hungry an hour later.
If you're BF as well then your LO is still getting antibodies etc.

Big sympathetic hugs.

japhrimel · 21/04/2011 23:35

I really would not worry about not having enough when your baby is feeding from you, particularly as weight gain is fine. Odds are, he can get the milk out fine and your body is adjusting to when he is "demanding" the milk in your day.

Your issue as I see it is that you are struggling to express enough to keep up with what he takes during the day.

FWIW, 12oz is quite a lot, about half what his daily intake. So unless you're leaving really early and/or getting home late, I'd be tempted to see if he could cope with a little less during the working day and feed more in the evenings or work out how to meet the baby at lunch for a feed.

japhrimel · 21/04/2011 23:38

Re doctors, you're not anywhere near Capistrano Beach, I suppose? It's where the Sears clinic is.

askdrsears.com/contact.asp

thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 23:39

comtessa, i'm sorry but that is absolutely not true at all!

japhrimel · 21/04/2011 23:39

Should've said, most usual paeds won't know that much about bfing. Your best bet if you can't see a specialist would probably be an internist or family medicine doc.

comtessa · 21/04/2011 23:41

TIY. Well, it's what I was advised by my GP and it's backed up anecdotally by people I know who've run out of milk at three weeks with second child etc.

thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 23:43

well i'm afraid your GP has misinformed you. Most GP's are not very well trained in breastfeeding matters sadly :(

anecdotally i know more people who have fed subsequent babies than have fed their first... but as we know, the plural of anecdote is not data Wink

comtessa · 21/04/2011 23:46

Not going to get into an unseemly scrap about it. Back to topic - what can help OP?

thisisyesterday · 21/04/2011 23:48

lol i wasn't trying to get into any kind of scrap!

OP has had a lot of useful advice already I think?

COCKadoodledooo · 21/04/2011 23:50

Probably a daft question, but are you drinking enough water? When ds2 was that age I had to have at least 5 litres a day! The difference in pumping production when I didn't was astounding.

Original poster
braidedsilver · 21/04/2011 23:55

I haven't had a period since he's been born. A little spotting the second month, but not since.

"Your issue as I see it is that you are struggling to express enough to keep up with what he takes during the day. " --That, and I feel like he's not getting enough in the evening as he's always acting hungry. I'm sleeping topless so that he can nurse while I sleep. Usually I fall asleep nursing him, but I'm not even sure if that's what he really needs or just what he wants to do because he misses me while I'm gone.

Capistrano Beach is about 60 miles from me. Worth the trip though if it'll help.

2 things were different about yesterday, the first was that I got 7 hours of straight sleep. The second was it was the first time in 3 days that I'd had a steak, which I normally have a fair amount of, but had had chicken and turkey the last few days since it'd been really hot and those can be good cold on sandwiches.

I'll try to get into work at 8 so that I can take an hour lunch break and go see the baby. He normally sleeps until 9:30am so as long as I wake him up a little bit earlier for his morning meal and get him back to sleep that should work. He'll have DH there incase he needs something, but both will likely sleep until his nanny arrives at 9.

It's just soooo hard to get to bed when he won't sleep until 1am most nights, so it's really hard to get up at 7. I'm a wimp.

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Original poster
braidedsilver · 22/04/2011 00:00

"Probably a daft question, but are you drinking enough water? When ds2 was that age I had to have at least 5 litres a day! The difference in pumping production when I didn't was astounding." - That's a tough question to answer. I drink a good 8 glasses of water a day plus 2-3 glasses of juice. However, I have some interesting kidney issues and my recommended water intake is 16 glasses of water, and an extra for each glass of juice. So if it were you, probably I'd be getting enough, but my body is weird. Unfortunately with funds tight as they are I've been unable to see my specialist to see what he recommends. I suppose those issues could be causing some of the issue, but that wasn't on the list of things they told me to watch for as I had the baby, and in my post baby health. Again, that's probably a question for my specialist.

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thisisyesterday · 22/04/2011 00:04

what you eat and drink shouldn't have any effect on your breastmilk. You may feel not so great if you don't eat/drink enough, but your body will use what it needs for the baby first so your breastmilk will still be adequate. Malnourished mothers in Africa breastfeed healthy little babies!

is he putting on weight? weeing/pooing ok? that would indicate that he is getting enough, even if you are having trouble with the expressing.
is there anywhere you can hire a better pump from? over here the NCT hire them out, I wonder if you have anything similar?

would highly recommend going to the Sears place if you can get there too

Original poster
braidedsilver · 22/04/2011 00:14

His weight is perfect, diapers are fine. He only poops 2 maybe 3 times a day, but I've been told that's normal for teething babies. Wet diapers range around 5-7 a day. The pumps are really, really expensive, I can't afford the monthly rent on one. I'm hoping to buy a new power supply for my madela next month. I just need to hang on until then.

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