HELP! Letdown has stopped and baby won't take bottle!

[BudapestMummy]

For some reason I am no longer getting letdown when I breastfeed my EBF 18 week old DD or it is taking around 20 minutes to come through! This has happened from time to time before but now it has happened at every feed today. DD eventually just falls asleep waiting so she has had pretty much nothing to eat all day. I would love to just give her a bottle but she will not take on one - she just plays with the teat in her mouth but does not suck on it. I would have thought she would be starving by now but she does not seem to be. Has anyone experienced this before? Any suggestions for how to encourage letdown? I am getting desperate.

it doesn't sound very likely that you are not getting letdown anymore - what makes you think she is not getting any milk through? The feeling of letdown does often stop after the first months as your body gets more used to making milk. It is still making milk though and you just don't get that tingling feeling. Is it the way she is reacting during the feed that makes you think she is not getting milk?

Yes that's right. She is sucking but not swallowing (or just getting tiny tiny amounts that are there before letdown). If I do get a letdown then I still feel it. I am really worried.

So she is sucking. I think if she was hungery you'd have a very unhappy baby by now.

Agree with merchibucket you can stop feeling a letdown when they get older. Plus if she wasn't having milk and hadn't all day you'd feel very full and a bit soure is this the case?

No I don't feel that full to be honest. I think my milk is drying up to be honest.

BudapestMummy I am only a recently trained peer supporter, but effectively what you're saying is that you've lost your milk supply. I certainly understand your concern, but this is really really uncommon.
Since your dd is happy don't you not think a more likely explanation is that as she's grown she's become more efficient at swallowing so that you don't notice it so much. As mercibucket says you don't always feel all your letdowns (I'm one of the small group who've never felt one!), especially as your baby gets older. If you are concerned over input the best measure is to look at output-has there been a variation in nappies?

just seen your second reply, you won't feel full by this stage. Your breasts are attuned to the amount of milk your baby needs and start to make the right amount. If she need more, she'll feed more often to up your supply. By 18 weeks you're likely to only feel full if you miss a feed.

Unless you've been taking some medication or have been really ill, your milk will not just dry up.

Sounds more like things are just seatling down. Most women once BF is well established don't feel full (unless feed's are missed) as milk is produced exactlly when needed your body is in sinke with your baby. Plus you woun't leak or need breast pads (unless your one of the less lucky ones). It's just the way a well estabilied feeding team works.

If she's not upset at all I'd really try not to worry and just relax.

She's not upset but her nappies are pretty dry. She hasn't had a properly wet nappy since first thing this morning. Her latch has always been bad and has got worse though so maybe that's the problem?

Could she be coming down with something?

You'd still feel prity full and uncomftable if she really hadn't fed well all day. If she's bright and allert and happy then she's probably fine, a hungery baby at this age would probably be screaming the place down by now.

If her lactch isn't good maybe back to basics with latch could help. Remeber nipple to nose, tummy to mummy, nice wide open mouth and aim the nipple into the top of the mouth so she get's a good mouthfull of breast.

This is a really good website to have a look at what a good latch should look like. www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=13

If your still worried about the nappies then a ring to one of the BF helplines I think would be in order. They can give you an idea as to wearther there really is anything to worry about.

National Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 100 0212

NCT Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 330 0771

La Leche League Helpline
0845 120 2918

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
08444 122 949

I think that your supply has probably just regulated. I've noticed that my boobs haven't been as full for the last couple of days and it means that my letdown is much less strong than it was (much to 12 wo DD2's relief!) and it doesn't feel like it did before. I barely even notice it in fact whereas before it was so strong it was almost painful if I went too long between feeds.

I would go along to a BF group, they will be able to help you out. Does she seem alert and otherwise happy? If she is acting normally and not drowsy, angry or listless then the chances are there's nothing to worry about. But going to a group will probably help to reassure you.