Exhaustion and milk supply -- help!

[RoRoMommy]

Hi everyone.

I've been working really hard at work, and the last two days (each of them over 12-hour days, plus nights of interrupted sleep because of caring for DS who has been unwell), I've been unable to get sufficient milk for him to drink in the day. Normally I get at least 6 ounces, but yesterday I only got three, and today just two!

Is this just temporary because I've been working so hard, or is the time away from DS (and only pumping still twice like normal) causing my milk supply to dwindle??

Please help.

How old is your DS?

DS is 11 months old.

I went back to work at 11 months and DS didn't have milk during the day.

I think at that age your supply would be well established...

Hope someone comes along with more knowledge of expressing

RoRo - this is a common experience, to find that 'yeild' with expressing decreases, and it's totally physiological....the result, quite simply, of feeding less often and/or the baby removing less milk when he does feed (because of having more solids). Far more likely to be this than your exhaustion. Yes, milk supply is established, as MaeWest says, in the sense that it won't disappeat quickly, but it will certainly lessen if there is less stimulation....no big deal, though, as all you need to do to restore it is to feed more often or pump more often.

Hope this helps.

RoRo, at this stage I was not expressing and DD2 was having no milk during the day. I did this from 6 months I think. Do you still do bfeeds morning and night? On the days when you are not at work do you still feed DS?

IMO I would say to drop the pumping and see how you go but make sure you have time for a really good morning feed and then feed DS as soon as you pick him up from nursery and then again at bedtime.

HTH

Thanks for that. I've been pumping three times a day, then down to two times a day, since I came back to work nearly six months ago, so it would be nice to stop if I could. I do feeds when I get home at 5pm, then throughout the evening whenever he asks, sometimes three times in total before the bedtime feed. I also co-sleep, so he feeds twice at night usually.

The problem is that sometimes I do work in the evenings and have to work late, so will I have trouble keeping up my supply if I stop pumping?

Thanks again for the advice.

Well all boobs are different I guess but I could go away overkight at that point and no have supply issues. I can go away for a whole weekend these day (DD2 is 23 months)but don't often get the chance.

He is still feeding loads evening and night so this alone should keep your supply going IMO. Def stop the two/ three times a day! How about, if you have to work late, pump at the time you usually do a feed? For instance when DD2 was little I would pump on the train home after a whole day in London and get 5 ozs which was a miracle for me!

I am completely in awe of pumping on the train...how in the world does that work? I hear you about the weekend away...still haven't done that myself.

Gloomy seat at back of quiet train! Only time I met anyone she was a bfing councillor and had been in London delivering a lecture on safe EBM storage to the Institute of clinical excellence - how weird is that????

Is your DS feeding a lot during the night when he's waking? Maybe that's why there's a bit less there during the day? I usually find that if DS2 adds extra feeds in when he's ill, then the milk catches up a couple of days later (usually by the time he's a bit better, and doesn't want as much ), and I'm suddenly full of milk!

If you're working really hard, and not getting as much sleep as normal, make sure you're looking after yourself. You'll still make the milk anyway, but you'll feel better if you're eating well, and drinking lots at the same time Think bananas and porridge, and you'll be fine!