Let down has just stopped for some feedings

[birchwoodroad]

I feel like a total failure. One morning I was BF-ing fine, the next day, nothing. Like everyone else, I feel dd (2 months) suck for about ten seconds, then get the burning/tingling of the let down, then I feel her breathing/sucking/noises change to properly draining my breast.but yesterday morning I woke up, tried to feed her at the normal time, and the burning/tingling just didn't come.

She was crying and fussing and kept trying anew to latch on and such but nothing. Eventually I had to give her formula because she would not stop screaming.

She has six feeds a day, three of which had to be supplemented by formula yesterday, and the other three the let down came. I've woken up again this morning and AGAIN I have no let down.

It is such a sudden, stark change I have no idea what's going on.

The differences have been: I had all my wisdom teeth out last week under local anaesthetic. I have been in pain and taken painkillers (breast feeding compatible ones.) she fed through that ok and while the pain hasn't yet gone away, the worst of it is over.

I have had a maternity nurse for a few nights who has not been recognising dd's cries for feeding vs her cries for being wet. So sometimes she has brought dd to me for feeding when actually (after attempting to feed her and finding she's only a little bit hungry) I realise she is soaking wet and that's why she's been crying.

I am now in panic mode and can't think clearly. Please let me know what you think I should do.

So sorry you are experiencing this worry, OP.....it sounds like this is real distress your dd is communicating, and yes, it might well be let-down, but the reason for let down disappearing is almost certainly because your supply is right down....NOT A DISASTER as it can be fixed.

Six feeds in 24 hours is normally nowhere near enough - really, nowhere near enough - to build up and maintain a supply with a young baby.

There is no way on earth anyone can distinguish between 'wet nappy' cry and 'hunger' cry - honestly. And even if your baby does cry just because she is wet (most babies don't - unless they have a nappy rash which hurts or they are so wet their clothing is soaking and they are cold), then feeding is ok to do as well :)

The thing you can do now is to call a bf helpline, or otherwise speak to someone who can support you through this, and who knows how bf works.

You can discuss with them doubling your baby's feeds at the breast at least, using at least both breasts each time, or at least offering. You don't need to worry about the length of the feeds. Short feeds are fine, as long as they are frequent.

This is to build up your milk supply.

In the meantime you may need to continue with the formula until you are happy your supply has been rescued.

Your dental treatment won't have had anything to do with any of this, BTW.

Hope this helps.

Do call a bf helpline, though.

You can keep your baby skin to skin with you as much as possible, too - also read up on switch nursing and also on breast compression. These are all ways to rescue a milk supply, and to make sure production is maintained.

Good luck.

My DD is 16 weeks now & for the past 3-4 weeks I've not felt much let down except when the breasts have been very full (early morning). At other times my breasts feel almost empty, no let down but DD manages to have a 15 minute feed from them. She has 8-9 feeds in 24 hours..so definitely your number of feeds needs to increase or with 6 feeds she should be having each feed from both sides (this also helps boost supply as each breast is suckled every few hours).

I hope you are eating & sleeping as well as you can, as this definitely affects milk supply too.

There is no reason to believe your milk supply can't be restored..so keep trying.

Certainly very true that feeling or not feeling a let down is actually irrelevant, Artistic - it's the behaviour of the baby that's more revealing :) And in the OP's case, she had a fussy, miserable baby who was screaming, showing signs of being very unhappy at the breast...and who was rejecting the breast.

6 feeds in 24 hours is very rarely enough for a young baby, whether each breast is used each time or not.

Eating and sleeping well makes no difference to milk supply, BTW :)

Tiktok, if it is low supply, can it happen so suddenly that it stops all together? The past 9 weeks she's been feeding regularly and well and putting on weight. Now 24 hours ago she just stops?

Yes, it can appear suddenly....you have enough of a supply in the newborn period to keep your baby jogging along fine, but when the supply-demand mechanism really kicks in (any time from about six weeks on, but very typically, around 2-3 mths) and production goes to an autocrine basis and not an endocrine (you can check this out), the effects can be seen quickly.

It doesn't always happen like that, but it can do.

If your baby was feeding as infrequently as six times a day in the early days/weeks, then the proalactin receptor theory explains that your supply can be down-regulated from the start - again you can check this out.

How often were you feeding in those early days? Was/is your baby on a schedule, or did she only seem to want six feeds a day?

What has her weight gain been like?

Just reiterating - you can fix this :)

Just to clarify: I am not saying low supply has to be the reason - but it does not sound as if your baby is actually off her feeds because she is ill (as she is screaming in distress, and she takes the bottle of formula ok). But do speak to someone in real life about it, and consider what they say, too.

Are you in the UK, OP?

This happened to on Christmas Day. My baby was 8 months at the time. I couldn't get let down for about 24 hours. I felt like my supply had dropped so bought ground fenugreek. I took this and on day 3 has lots more milk and let down was very quick.

Also it has happened once since then too and I've always managed to get it back up. Like others have said you can defo sort this out. I know how worrying it feel though.

I am in London

Thank you for all your reassurances that I can get it back.

I was always taking fenugreek. 2 capsules, 3 times a day. Ive now upped it to 3 capsules, 3 times a day

I'm drinking nursing tea too.

We just spent the afternoon in bed, skin to skin and she was constantly on the breast, but not sucking properly. She probably did about 7 mins of proper feeding total.

She's not screaming or crying now but I don't know how long that will last.

Shall I keep putting her to the breast and keep pumping? Even if it's every hour?

What you have done today is really good :) You won't need to do it forever.

Pump if you have time - any removal of milk from the breast stimulates supply. You can then give it by bottle if you feel she needs it after bf and yet won't go back to the breast.

Every hour is fine. Cluster feeding is normal, and that can be even more frequent than that, over a period of a few hours (ie not round the clock).

If I Hand express I am
Getting a spray that comes out. Is that normal for low supply too?

Reaching the end of the day now and I've felt no let down all day. She's been pretty permanently attached to my breast all day with no let up, but just falling asleep/doing a few cursory sucks.

She now has a really, really sore bottom which has come completely out of nowhere. She's really red. Could this be linked?

Spray is a good sign. No idea about the sore bottom and can't see why it would be linked. Maybe speak to pharmacist or Hv about this. Permanently attached is good :). Speak to Hv about her feeding too and to discuss her needs.

I have a lactation consultant coming tomorrow thankfully.

If she screams tonight and I'm getting no sleep, should I give her one bottle of formula?

If your baby is distressed and bf is not settling her then yes of course you ensure she is fed however. Hope the lactation consultant is a good help for you.

How's it going, birchwoodroad?

Hey Birchwoodroad, did you ever solve this? The same happened to me but ive been struggling to feed her or let down for 2 weeks now. I'm so afraid it's the end of our bf journey. 😞