After breastfeeding for 10 months, my wife is having a very difficult time with her let-down. Any solutions?

Question

Two months ago, we reduced breastfeeding down to 4 times per day, so her milk production is much lower than it was. But, for the past few days she has had a big increase in anxiety about weaning down to 1x or 2x per day, and she suddenly was unable to have her let-down. So, our baby would try and try but hardly get any milk. This causes both of them to get stressed out and this stress seems to make it even more difficult for my wife to have her let-down.

So now, of the 4-5 times that she tries to nurse per day, she only gets a let-down 1 or 2 times. This is causing more anxiety because she has had mastitis a few times and is worried that the stagnant milk will turn into mastitis. Her first period since pregnancy was 2 wks ago.

Ideally, she would nurse 1x or 2x a day until the baby is 18 months old. But if this continues, she'll probably have to quit nursing altogether.

Our question is:
- have you ever heard of this problem for late stage breastfeeding?
- any ideas for solutions

Wow... thanks for all the replies. Something I didn't mention is that my wife is probably underweight... Also, she knows for sure when she is getting a let-down, since she can watch as the baby swallows the milk. When she doesn't get the let-down, the breasts are still 80% full after 10-20 min. Usually they are empty after just 5 min on each side. (It is easy to tell if they are full or not since she is so petite).

So, I think it is anxiety related, since that is always an issue with her anyway. I think it is also related to her low weight.

After reading your answers so far, it sounds like the lower nursing frequency is also a contributing factor.... but it is not the only factor, since everything was fine (re: the let-down), then one day, anxiety built up into this self-reinforcing problem which now prevents a let-down most of the time. We called our local LLL, and they did not believe her.

She mainly wants to know if others have been through this. she feels alone.

Answer 1

What do you mean by "trouble with let-down"? It is *normal* to no longer feel a let-down after some time; that doesn't mean it isn't happening!

When your baby was born, her breasts didn't know that she didn't have twins or even triplets. They overproduced. After some period of time, the milk production adjusts itself so that there is *enough* milk instead of too much. (This can happen 2 weeks or a year after the birth.) Some signs of this are no longer feeling full, never leaking, not feeling the let-down, and not pumping much milk (even if she pumped a lot earlier on). It can also cause the baby to be fussier at the breast because he has to work harder to get the milk than when it just pours out on its own.

If this is the case, she doesn't need to do *anything*. The baby will get used to the change in the flow within a few days to 2 weeks. And there will be plenty of milk.

The exception to the above is if there was a hormonal change. Is it possible that your wife is pregnant? Is she using hormonal birth control? Either of these can cause a decrease in milk supply. Pregnancy changes are usually irreversible (until the new baby is born), but if the problem is with birth control, changing to a different method (natural family planning, IUD *without* hormones, or barrier method) will usually bring the milk back to where it was previously.

Answer 2

Breastfeeding is an ever evolving relationship that will continue to change over time. What's going on may be caused by a combination of: lower nursing frequency, starting her period and stress. I got plugged ducts at 10 months out of the blue after a fairly easy nursing experience. I would recommend a couple things:
- If at all possible give her a day or two of complete pampering where she can relax in bed with the baby. Have someone bring her food and do all the chores.
- Have her try nursing while in a nice warm bath. Sounds strange I know! The most important hormone needed for let down is oxytocin which is completely inhibited by stress. Warm water is a great stress reliever.
- As she sits down to nurse she needs to take nice deep breaths, close her eyes and relax. Think about how much she loves her baby, this will really help her body to produce the hormones needed for let down.
- There a couple variables that can inhibit letdown such as: caffeine, smoking, alcohol and some medications. Make sure these are completely out of the equation. However, even something as simple as being too cold can affect a nursing mom.
- As silly as it sounds it would probably be beneficial for her to spend some time topless, with your baby naked to a diaper. Skin to skin contact for a mom with her child does amazing things to increase breastfeeding effectiveness.
- Fennel and a homeopathic called Rescue Remedy have found to be helpful with let down.

My last bit of advice is to consult a professional lactation consultant who can evaluate her individual situation. It might also be helpful to visit a La Leche League meeting to get support from other breastfeeding moms.

Answer 3

Okay, firstly, I'd like to say please ignore some of these comments about your wife needing to quit breastfeeding. That is a load of nonsense. Angelhimm, heather and McMommy Tracycovildvd and Mjaple seem to all be insane.

If you are trying to wean and your wife doesn't want to increase nursing sessions but maintain her supply, she will have a few options ---pump every couple of hours or take fenugreek. i take 5 capsules of 610 mg Fenugreek a day to make sure that as my daughter eats solids, she can still drink as much milk as she wants. It is working great. At first, it upset my stomach but not anymore. Be sure that she is drinking enough water and taking prenatal pills still as well as eating a healthy diet with 500 extra calories a day. Also, the worry she is experienceing does not help. Or hire a good lactation consultant to work through this so that she can continue to nurse. good luck!!

Answer 4

Yes, I've heard of this. The stress is causing her milk production to reduce itself. I had this with my 9 year old, although a LOT earlier in my breastfeeding. Just as I got a bacterial infection from a nasty ear infection, I stressed over it & noticed my milk production lessened. I worried over it a lot & even went to see a lactation consultant & La Leche League. In the end, I decided to let the milk dry up on its own. I had frozen breastmilk in the freezer as when I first started out, I had an abundance of milk. I was lucky to have done this & my son was able to stay on breastmilk until he was 5 months old (this infection started when he was barely 6 weeks old). Your wife can also try to express the milk in the warm shower. She can also try a breast pump to stimulate her breasts.

Answer 5

There's an herbal tea called mothers milk that might help.
She could try a warm washcloth, and maybe rub her shoulders or having her take a bubble bath with music and candles to help her relax.

Check with La Leche League, they know all the tricks.

edit: PLEASE call LLL,
there's a lot of bad, moronic advice being given here. If your wife wants to bf through 18 months, tell her to stick to her guns. There are health benefits for both mother and baby for doing so.

Answer 6

Yeah, I've heard that too. 'If you're doing it right, it won't hurt'. Don't worry, you're doing just fine. I had 'inverted' nipples, and it hurt, especially the left one, when my son first latched on everytime because he was stretching out the tissue so much. I had more problems than that so he didn't even do a real nurse (nipple in baby's mouth) until about a month and a half, and I don't know when the pain went away totally. But, it does. It's been long enough that you would know if you were not doing something right, but not THAT long. Give it more time. You're doing great!

Answer 7

it is common for moms to have difficulty breastfeeding after a while. If she was wanting to wean, then take advantage of this to do so. Or she could try pumping to stimulate the milk? I work in a daycare infant room, and lots of the moms have said that has happened to them, too. They usually just wean off the breast at that time.

Answer 8

Time to quit breast feeding. Babies should be drinking out of a cup at 1 year old. Get the pills from your doctor to dry up her breast milk

Answer 9

Sounds like the ducts are clogged.Try putting a hot towel on the breast for about 5 min. several times a day.Tell her to make sure she massages the entire breast prior to attempting to feed.Good luck!!1 Congratulations on the new baby!!!

Answer 10

Sometimes you have to listen to your body. Breast feeding for so long may be too stressful for her body. If you have questions you should call her OB and talk with the nurse. She may need to go in and see the doctor to be sure something hormonal isn't going on. Good luck.