Help Breastfeeding mummies?

Question

My breast milk is dropping. Help. I decided to breastfeed my son to 1 year. What can I do to help? He is now only 6 months old another 6 months to go.

Answer 1

Your supply probably isn't dropping, just his feeding habits are changing, also you could be pushing too much solid food.

Best article ever on the best breastfeeding website:

Is your milk supply really low?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

Just an excerpt please read the whole article, it isn't big but it needs it's formatting:
What if you're not quite sure about baby's current weight gain (perhaps baby hasn't had a weight check lately)? If baby is having an adequate number of wet and dirty diapers then the following things do NOT mean that you have a low milk supply:
*Your breasts don't leak milk, or only leak a little, or stop leaking.
*Your breasts suddenly seem softer.
*You never feel a let-down sensation, or it doesn't seem as strong as before.
*You get very little or no milk when you pump
*Your baby nurses frequently.
*Your baby suddenly increases the frequency and/or length of nursings
*Your baby nurses more often and is fussy in the evening.
*Your baby doesn't nurse as long as she did previously
*Your baby is fussy.
*Your baby guzzles down a bottle of formula or expressed milk after nursing.

(More on each at the link.)

Answer 2

My supply started to drop after I was on antibiotics. It was awful since my son would nurse for an hour before he was full, normally he's a 10 minute nurser if that. I started to pump while he was nursing in the mornings. Within three days, it was back up to normal. If pumping didn't work, I was going to try More Milk Plus, which some of my friends said worked wonders. It's so tough. I really hope you find a good solution soon.

Answer 3

Things change when you introduce solids, and what you perceive to be a drop may not be a drop at all. If you really are concerned, try adding additional feeding to bring up your milk supply (i.e., if you are on a four hour schedule, go down to a three hour schedule for a few days). I have also sucessfully used herbs to increase my milk supply. Talk to someone who is qualified to give you advice about this if you are interested; I'm not an herbalist. Whatever you do, avoid formula unless you are ready to wean. The less you feed your baby, the less milk you will produce.

Answer 4

I liked the 2nd and 3rd answers you recevied.

Let your baby nurse more often. If you don't have her on a schedule, put her on one where the feedings are evenly spaced. When I was worried about milk supply I would nurse her every two hours, on both sides. Also, make sure you are drinking enough water. It's easy to forget. Eating oatmeal will increase your milk supply temporarily, if you think there are just specific times your supply is getting low.

Answer 5

I agree with Heather, when you introduce solids your baby tends not to nurse as much or as often. Increase the number of times you nurse and try pumping a bit...I breast fed for 10 months, then went to my frozen breast milk mixed with whole milk to make the transition easier. Try to find a Lactation Consultant...they are always very helpful and (most importantly) supportive of what you are trying to do for your baby.

I hope you can continue...all 3 of my children are very healthy! I have to believe my breast-feeding them has something to do with that! Good Luck!

Answer 6

Some times the milk Dries up and their is nothing you can do about it. I breast feed 3 children at different times and my milk always dried up at around 6 months old. Some times the dr. can recommend vitiams to help the milk produce.

Answer 7

I drank tea that helps boost milk supply (made by Traditional Medicinals) and lots of gatorade for two days and I really noticed a difference. I also pumped an hour or two after my baby's last feeding of the day so my body would keep producing.

Answer 8

The best thing that worked for me was to keep myself hydrated. Drink plenty of water and milk. I also would pump in between feedings for about ten minutes just to produce more milk. after about a week of that I was back to normal. Good Luck and Stick with it!

Answer 9

Congrats if you have'been breast feeding, you can milk yourself and place the milk in bottles and put them on the fridge. It can last 3 days. After that if you don't use it trow it away.

Answer 10

What exactly makes you feel like your supply is dropping? Fussy, still-hungry baby? Slow (or no) weight gain? Too few wet/poopy diapers? Have you recently started, or increased solids? Are you taking any meds, esp. hormonal birth control? Working outside the home, and/or pumping?

I know, I know-- *you're* supposed to be the one asking the questions! LOL Decreased supply can be tricky, though-- sometimes there's an obvious cause, and fixing the problem can save you a lot of trouble further down the line. For instance, if you just got a Depo shot two weeks ago, and now your supply is going down noticeably, that could be the cause. You'd need to know that, so that no only could you work on nursing more often (maybe pumping too) to increase supply, but also so that you could make a decision if you are going to continue on the Depo when your next shot comes due. BCPs you can choose to immediately stop taking, at least, but knowing that they could be the cause is key to getting your supply back.

Some moms will have the *perception* that their supply is reduced, due to fussy/dissatisfied, seemingly hungry behaviors with the baby, perhaps also their breasts don't feel as full, or seem as heavy, or fill up as much between feedings the way they did when their infant was younger. This can be attributed to many things, including growth spurts in the baby (6m is a prime time for these, BTW), coupled with the mother's body "settling" into a more efficient supply-demand production mode. More milk is produced on-the-spot, and less between feedings, once the body figures out your baby's need and rythms. This can happen after only a few *weeks* with subsequent babies, but the first time around it can take many months. I've known many moms who quit nursing at this point, mistakenly thinking they'd "lost their milk", with no other sign to go by except a baby having a growth spurt, and breasts that didn't seem as full as they used to. I'd hate to see this happen to you!

You can tell if your baby really *isn't* getting enough. He may have fewer wet and poopy diapers than usual-- less than 5-6 a day wet dipes; # of poopy dipes varies greatly between babies, so whatever seems unusual for *your* baby should be noted. Perhaps baby's weight gain has slowed, although this itself isn't necessarily proof that you have less milk-- lots of babies' gain slows down drastically at this point. My own babies always dropped from the 50th percentile to about the *5th* at this point, but not due to milk supply issues, just genetics-- they're just petite-framed children. But still, when they *may* be a supply problem, it's good to note how the baby is gaining. A complete lack of weight gain would definitely be telling, and weight *loss* a cause for immediate concern.

You can counteract any actual drop in supply by simply nursing your baby more frequently-- whenever he shows an interest, in fact. If he is sleeping through the night, consider waking him once during the early morning hours for a feed. The lactating body produces its highest levels of lactation-supporting hormones (Prolactin being the most essential) during the early morning hours while the body rests. Taking advantage of those hormones during this window of opportunity can help increase supply moreso than at other times of the day.

Make sure you are getting enough fluids. After the initial postpartum phase, many moms start forgetting to take care of themselves as well as they did while pregnant & postpartum. If you aren't taking your prenatal vitamins any more, consider starting up again.

If you've recently begun taking any medications or supplements, talk to your doctor about the possibility of the meds affecting milk production. Also, there are medications (and a few herbal remedies as well) for increasing milk supply. Fenugreek is a common herb to use; ask your doctor if they have any info on its use, or do an online search. I personally loved the Traditional Medicinals "Mother's Milk" tea someone already mentioned. Fenugreek is one of its main ingred., and I had a noticeable increase in supply when I used it (many times over many years). I do know women who used it and saw little or no difference, though, so its effectiveness varies from person to person, or perhaps according to the cause behind the low supply.

If he's eating solids now, consider cutting back for a few weeks (or stopping altogether if you've just introduced them) and going back to nursing more. Breastfeed *before* solid meals, so that the solids aren't filling up his tummy and replacing the more nutrition-dense breastmilk with empty calories. Solids aren't really nutritionally necessary for breastfed babies, they're mostly just a learning experience and fun activity. Babies' main source of nutrition should still be milk for their entire first year.

I'm probably forgetting a few things, but go through the checklist and see if any of these things are going on. In the meanwhile, you can tell if your baby really *is* getting enough milk, by just watching for adequate wet & poopy diapers. 5-6 wet is the minimum-- that's not # of diaper changes, that's counting EVERY time your baby wets, assuming that the diaper is changed every time. A full diaper may have been wet in 2, 3, or even more times, so try changing every time he wets and counting that way for a more accurate assessment. Most babies are going to have FAR more than 5-6 pees a day. So if it does get that low, you'll know that he's not getting quite enough fluids. Poops, again, depend on his current patterns. If he's a twice-a-day pooper, and suddenly is only going once every other day, it could be suggestive of low supply.

If a week or two of more frequent feedings, better fluid intake, and less solids doesn't do the trick, and you don't think any of the other possible causes apply, consider seeing a lactation consultant, or call a local La Leche League leader (their help is FREE, BTW). There are still other options, such as pumping between feedings, using a supplemental nursing device, plus exploring other possible root causes.

I know this was a super-long post (sorry). But if you forget the rest, at least take this much from it-- nurse, nurse, nurse! As often as the baby wants. He is the best stimulant for increasing your supply, if it is indeed lower. I hope that it turns out that you were worried over nothing, though; that he's putting out plenty of diapers and gaining steadily (even if slower than before), and it's just a growth spurt making you question how things are working in there. Best of luck to you, and congrats for making it to 6 months!!!