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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

My milk seems to have dried up-how do I get it back?

19 replies

HumphreysCorner · 12/04/2007 21:16

DD2 is 9 months and is being really awkward when trying to give her a feed. It has got to the stage where she is screaming and pulling away every time she gets anywhere near my boobs. The problem is she isn't getting any milk so my HV suggested expressing and giving her it in a beaker. Have tried for 2 days and nothing more than a few drips come out. Have tried my Avent electric pump and also my own hands [ouch]. No wonder she is pulling away if there is no milk. She has been like this for a couple of months so am I too late to get the supply back? Quite distraught about it as I thought I would be the one doing the weaning and certainly not yet!

xxx

OP posts:

kamikayzed · 12/04/2007 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tiktok · 12/04/2007 23:30

HC - how often was she feeding before she became 'awkward'?

luckylady74 · 12/04/2007 23:35

i know of plenty of babies who self weaned at this age and went onto beakers of progress milk or before it was against the guideline cows milk - i cut my ds1 off at 14 mths, but it certainly isn't unheard of at this age. please no moral judgements on this bfeeders - i'm just stating facts!

hunkermunker · 12/04/2007 23:38

Info on expressing amounts here - really common not to be able to express large amounts at this age

It is uncommon for a baby to self-wean before a year old. Some have nursing strikes (DS2 did - wouldn't feed for 24 hours), but true self-weaning is usually older.

3andnomore · 12/04/2007 23:51

hm, usually unusual for Baby's to wean themselfs of at this age...but maybe this is a NUrsing strike, or your lil one is in pain through teething...which then can effect the supply!
IMO the best thing is, to stick wiht it, stick her on whenever, and if it is teething, then give painrelief, etc...and hopfully she will soon make up for lost times...
I never was that succesful with expressing, tbh! And they do sya, that what you express doesn't actually tell you how much there is.
Also, the Baby is better then any pump at stimulating you to make milk!
IT's also good to remember that, unlike in the early days, where your body makes plenty of milk in advance, the production changes a bit (can't think of the technical terms right now)...and that you don't store as much, but that your milk is made as you go, so to say!
I am sure there is info on Kellymom about this...

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 13/04/2007 10:45

Thanks ladies-kellymum is very good.

She became fussy once she was weaned at 6 months so 3 months ago. As soon as she had food she would BF when she woke and then refused milk all day then might have a tiny bit before bed. When I increased the food intake to the equivalent of 1 full jar (was giving 1/2 measures) then she only fed on waking and that was it. Now, she is struggling to have the wake up BF and is point blank refusing to suck from the right hand side even when I try rugby ball style. She is far more interested in looking round the room. In the whole 9 months of BF I must had had no more than 10 feelings of the let down reflex so perhaps mine is just slow. Did read about trying to BF in a dark room-did wonder about taking her clothes off like I did when she was born to encourage her to feed. MW said if they are too comfy they sometimes don't feed as well.

OP posts:

tiktok · 13/04/2007 10:50

HC - I think the issue could well be one of supply. She has been on minimal feeding for a while now, and this will have had an impact on your production. It's more than a nursing strike. You can bring your milk back but it will take a lot of committment and motivation - you'll need to express a lot and offer skin to skin, and do this for some time....depends on whether you are up for it, really!

specialmagiclady · 13/04/2007 10:52

If she's looking round the room the dark might help. I remember my Ds1 went through a phase of feedingi beautifully all night and looking round him beautifully all day while my poor boobs poured milk down my belly... aged about 6 months that was. In fact, he really lost interest once he had solids. It was so boring just to look at my boobs and suck.

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 13/04/2007 11:35

tiktok-have thought about the skin to skin and am going to give it a try along with expressing as am determined to BF until she is one at least.

magiclady-how wonderful to have milk dripping down. Have never had that.

xxx

OP posts:

3andnomore · 13/04/2007 16:02

HC...any chance you could have a weekend in bed with your lil one...just feeding and cuddling and maybe bathing together...things like that...

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 13/04/2007 20:49

She managed to have a little feed tonight in a dark room.

Difficult to have 1-1 time as I have a manic nearly 4 year old DD1.

OP posts:

3andnomore · 15/04/2007 20:04

how is it going?

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 15/04/2007 22:37

It's a total disaster sadly Since the little feed on Friday she has refused to BF-screams as soon as I put her anywhere near my boobs. As soon as I sit her up again she smiles. Tried several times to express but no luck and with her no longer feeding I have had to admit defeat. I just can't understand why she has stopped. Gave her cows milk in a beaker today-she only drank a tiny bit so perhaps she no longer likes milk.

Thank you all for you advice.

xxx

OP posts:

tiktok · 15/04/2007 23:45

Aw, sorry to hear that HC.

I think the issue goes back to when she was weaned, from what you say, and your supply was affected by the amount of times she was bf....and that has continued. Maybe something could have been changed at that time, before the change in behaviour became as 'fixed'....I dunno, wd need to know more.

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 16/04/2007 11:52

Yes, looking back I realise I didn't push her enough to have feeds especially first thing in the morning. She never cried so I assumed she didn't want any milk at the time and had breakfast first. She never wanted any afterwards. As soon as I realised that she should be having a feed when she woke I started giving her one but sadly the damage had already been done. A lesson well learnt methinks.

OP posts:

3andnomore · 17/04/2007 11:08

Shame HC! HOw are you feeling about all of this?
I know I found it really difficult to accept the fact that at 13 month my ys was selfweaned

Daisybump · 17/04/2007 11:15

Can't you just take the lead from your baby.....I'm not trying to be obtuse, but you've BF exclusively for six months and tried your hardest for the last three months...would it be so awful to now introduce formula in a cup?

Original poster

HumphreysCorner · 18/04/2007 22:38

3andnomore-quite upset me really, the rejection. However-she won't drink SMA Gold and only sipped 3 oz of cows milk and that was only in the morning. I have to face the fact that she has gone off milk so it wasn't just my boobs she was rejecting. I suspect the cows milk is making her sick though-it curdles when she drinks it. Trying to find something she will drink.

OP posts:

going4potty · 24/04/2007 20:30

Hi , i know that in america you can get gp to prescribe drugs to relactate as they say. Would this be of any help???

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