Breastfeeding Supply Issues

I used an herbal supplement called fenugreek recommended to me by a lactation consultant when my milk supply started to dwindle. I used it & it worked, it helped to boost my milk supply & I didn't have to use it for long, Maybe a week if I remember correctly.

I see you have a lot of other responses, and most of this has probably been said before, so I'll be brief, but I am happy for you too that you're still breastfeeding. My daughter is 9 mo and I'm still BF-ing and pumping and recently went to germany for a few days and so needed to bank up a bunch of milk. I had a nice conversation with a La Leche League person about my dwindling supplies and she was really helpful. Here's the short version: Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle capsules - 9-12 of each a day. more, shorter pumping sessions at work. prepare more, smaller portions for daycare. maybe the baby is just finishing larger bottles at daycare because it's there or the care-giver is using clean-plate-club mentality. I realized my daughter was drinking a lot at daycare and then skipping an evening feeding with me, so I was losing the stimulation from her. Sorry my thoughts are jumbled. but maybe some of this could help. good luck and, like at least one other person said here, try not to stress about it.

Ok, so first -- way to go for being so dedicated to your daughter and her health! You can keep doing this, don't let anyone discourage you!

Ah, yes, the pump. It's a love-hate relationship, isn't it?

FYI: I very very recently moved cities and now work from home most of the time, so I'm not pumping on a daily basis anymore. That's why most everything I'm about to say is past tense :-)

I went back to work after my daughter was born (now 9 months) and I found pumping to be a challenge. At first, I got so much milk. After a few months, my supply seemed to be dwindling. I got some great advice from some already mentioned sites (workandpump, kellymom), and some from friends as well.

Stress can definitely be a factor. A big factor. And the more you stress, the less milk you'll pump, and then the more you'll stress... it's a losing cyclical battle.

Liquids is also a big one. And eating enough! I also found that pumping consistently at the same time each day helped my production at the pump. And you're possibly undergoing hormonal changes now? Has your cycle come back yet? I think that can affect how much milk you're producing/pumping. I believe it may dip and recover based on your hormone levels once your cycle returns.

And another big one -- responding to the pump. At one point I wasn't pumping much milk. But I actually had plenty of milk! I would have FULL breasts, and just not be able to pump much. It was so frustrating! I could hand-express and get milk, and then I'd stop, and get nothing (or very little) from the pump by itself. And then my body started making less milk b/c it thought I didn't need it anymore during the day. Ach lamon! Some women (like me) do stop responding after awhile, and you have to figure out how to "trick" your body into making milk for the pump again or getting the milk out with the pump! This may be your problem, not your supply.

If that is the case, maybe try a different pump (I hear manuals can sometimes get a LOT of milk when a double-electric starts to fail since you can control the stimulation, similar to hand-expressing). I also started massaging while pumping. I would use my hands-free to hold the pump/bottles in place, and then use my hands to firmly stroke along the ducts down towards the bottles. I usually got more milk this way!

Oh, and I had to stop watching the bottles fill (or not fill!). I also did extra pumping sessions at night in order to get more milk if I needed it.

If it IS your supply, I second all the advice about the tea. If you don't like licorice, you can get tea from here that doesn't have it in it:

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Mamas-Milk-Tea

That is actually the tea I used. It was great b/c it's cheaper in bulk, and I drank a LOT of it. I would make a pitcher and leave it in the fridge. I also bought tea-sacs and used them to make individual teabags for work, and then I drank a couple cups of hot tea a day at work.

There are other places you can get tea as well (which have already been mentioned). One that hasn't been mentioned yet is the milkmaid tea from earth mama angel baby:
http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/milkmaid_tea.html

And, there are other supplements as well. Motherlove makes some:
http://www.motherlove.com/products_extracts.php

Some of those are so strong they're supposed to be able to help non-lactating people (such as adopting mothers) lactate! I think you can buy them at Whole Foods. I can get them at a local health store in my city as well.

Also, in order to make sure I kept my supply up, I let her have unrestricted access when I was at home (granted, she was younger than your babe and you said you took out a session already. You have to judge for yourself whether that fits in with your overall plans). I also co-sleep so she eats often during the night (also might not be something you're interested in), which definitely helped keep up my supply.

Regardless, I found that making sure I had LOTS of capacity for milk (along with helping the pump with stimulation) was the key for me. That way, I gave the pump the best chance at getting enough milk. I never had trouble with too much milk (clogged ducts or anything), doing that. YMMV.

Try one idea, try them all -- I'd love to help more if I can. Best of luck!!!!

Nice work R.!! I totally understand the frustration! I would also try the Fenugreek and perhaps even Blessed Thisle (also a natural herb). It might also be helpful for you to check out www.kellymom.com and www.workandpump.com for other tips & suggestions! Make sure you're staying well hydrated - drinking & eating enough too. Also, keep in mind that it's all supply & demand. So if during the weekend maybne your daughter skipped a feeding, your body thought maybe you didn't need to make as much milk, then if you were right back at work and pumping, it might have been harder to produce as much for the pump than if you were actually nursing her. You could also add in an extra pumping to help boost your supply, maybe one a day on the weekend or your non-work days. I remember with my son that by the time we were into the 11th month of nursing, if not sooner, I felt like my supply was dropping too... But we always managed to get by and nursed for 15 months. My daughter is now 6 months and so far so good, hoping to nurse her even longer. Hang in there & good luck!

There is "nursing mother' tea out there by 'traditional medicine' that really worked well to boost my supply. Also,
eating sage and parsley will diminish supply (seriously) so don't eat it. Maybe your baby is starting to wean herself, and that is what is going on? Maybe she could have water with her meals? That's OK to do! You sound stressed out - nursing to 11 months is fantastic!
Take it easy,
H.

I understand your feelings. I went through the same thing. I had a huge supply until around 11 months. I increased my water intake and started taking feenugreek to help boost my supply, but I think it was just time. We stopped nursing around 13 months and had to start supplementing a little bit with formula around 11 months. My daughter was fine with the switch, I was the one that had the problem with not wanting to end. She was still into nursing, but would get frustrated with the decreased flow and would then get very distracted. As much as I was sad to see this phase end, I have enjoyed my new freedom. My body was just done. Good luck. You are doing a great job.

At 11 months she's just naturally going to be having other foods as her main nutrients. You can SO easily keep breastfeeding morning and night, and enjoy that bonding and the nutrition she gets, but now you can be more free and less tied to the pump. It's the best of both worlds at this point! My daughter is 20 months, I retired the pump fully at about 19 months, she's still wanting to nurse 3x a day, but I'm now weaning down to 1-2x. There was a recent post about mother's milk supply being there years after weaning even. If you could pump 15 oz, I think you have had a terrific supply!

R.,

You said you just stopped nursing at dinner time. Can you pump then to add to the amount you get during the pumps at work? Then your body wouldn't think it should be producting less than it was.

Also you can talk to the ladies of La Leche League. www.llli.org This is a great organization that advicates breastfeeding. You can call and speak to one of the ladies listed for your local area from 9am to 9pm -7 days a week. They also have monthly meetings you can go to. In my area there are 2 meetings a month - 1 in the day and 1 at night.

Good luck,
L.

I struggled with pumping from the time I went back to work. I was always an ineffective producer to the pump. But, you CAN continue to nurse until she is 18 months - unless she just starts to outright reject you. Your production to a plastic suction cup has little to do with her. She is old enough that she doesn't need the BM during the day. It was around one year that I stopped pumping and just nursed her when I was home with her.

If you are adamant about continuing the labor of love while laboring at work, you can go the route of oatmeal for breakfast every day, mother's milk teas, and all those other recommendations, but they only marginally worked for me. Even if you stop pumping at work, you will still produce for her on her demand.

My first daughter (now 3) only nursed 3 times a day at a year. A few months later she was only nursing morning and night and then from about 16-18 mos. nursed only in the evening before she decided to stop. Your daughter may just not need as much breastmilk now but the two of you may still be able to continue to nurse until 18 mos. If you are worried that she is not getting enough nutrients you can always check with her doctor. Good luck and congratulations on making it so far!!

R.,
I think what you are experiencing is normal and part of the weening process, possibly. It could be that your daughter isn't drinking as much when she nurses due to also having solid foods and not growing as much as she was earlier. (Therefore your body produces less.) She also could be weening herself, like my daughter did at 12 months. Your body will produce enough milk that she needs as long as you are keeping yourself hydrated and nourished. Any other changes in your life (stress, work, family, etc.) that may have hindered your supply? I know when i was stressed at work, I could not pump and my supply seemed low, too, but I nursed just fine at home. Does your daughter often stop nursing at the breast and turn to look around the room and then resume nursing for a bit? She may begin to ween herself, which is a natural process of her independence, whereas some kids could nurse forever. My daughter just started to drink less, nurse in bits and pieces, and seemed more interested in the world around her than nursing. Yes, they still find comfort in it, but not the nourishment they once craved. I began dropping feedings that she didn't want at 12 months and she started cows milk at her doctor's approval during meals. The last nursing we kept was in the morning and one day just handed me a book instead of wanting to nurse. It is a little heartbreaking, but my body adjusted and our quality time happened at other times.
R. you have done GREAT lasting so long!! Don't feel like you've done anything wrong if she and your body began to ween. You've gone longer than many women and your daughter is healthy and beautiful. Talk to your doctor about what steps he/she would recommend. Good luck!

HI--I just started to have this same problem recently with my baby (14 mos). I personally have a lot of issues with formula, so instead I started supplementing her breastmilk during the day with goat's milk, and she loves it. Now we can still get our morning and evening feedings, i can choose which days i want to pump, and she loves the milk she gets at daycare. You can get organic goat's milk at whole foods, the stuff is full of great nutrients and there aren't the same issues of the hormones in cow's milk--bc the animals are smaller and closer to a human's size. she loves the stuff and i feel great about giving it to her. good luck!

Take it easy on yourself! She is getting older and may be taking in a lot more at each feeding than she used to, which leaves you with less. She's getting plenty of nutrition, right? Keep those nursing sessions as pleasant and rewarding as possible, and don't worry about a freezer stash for a bottle. She can get plenty from you directly. If you stop pumping at work, you will be plenty full when you get home, and can enjoy a wonderful bonding with her. Don't blame yourself, and don't stress. Just enjoy her many milestones and changes with joy.

Buy some "Mother's Milk Tea" from Traditional Medicinals, and also eat oatmeal for breakfast and/or lunch. That should help stimulate your supply! :) GOOD FOR YOU for nursing this long - you and your daughter are very lucky to have such a great relationship!

I had supply issues and I used Mother's Milk Tea which you can get at health food stores. I also used Fenugreek, an herbal supplement that is fairly inexpensive that you can get a health food stores but you have to take a lot of it (I took 6 pills daily), but it worked really well for me. Good luck, I know how hard that can be!

i didn't read all your responses, but i had the same problem last month. it was definately from stress and it drastically reduced my supply. i got so scared i would have to supplement and i didn't want to do that at only 4 months. i had to literally rest and i lounged in my pj's all day for a couple days. no cleaning nothing. drank one guinness and the next day i was good to go. anytime i feel stressed or like i am trying to juggle too much, i try to slow down my activities. good luck and good job on going for so long. C.

R.,

Wow you are my hero! You have put so much into the health of your child. I am a stay at home mom who was fortunate enough to never really have to pump. But let me tell you at 12 months I was done. I continued the night time feeding for another month or so but that was more to taper my supply than for my son. The experts say 6 months is great, but a year is awesome...especially for a working mom. I would say stop stressing, stop pumping, and just continue to do feedings when you are around. Besides that your baby should be fine to drink regular cows milk (barring any allergies of course). I think you are trying too hard to be super mom. Enjoy the fact that your child has benefitted greatly from you, now try and relax.

Just a thought, hope it helps.

H. Z. (SAHM 5, almost 4 and 15 month old boys)

I'm going to paste the answer I offered to a few others not too long ago. The good news is that in her "so what happened" section, she said that the Reglan worked! Good luck.

Please ask your doctor or nurse/infant warm line about using Reglan. Reglan is a drug given to cancer patients and sometimes to pregnant women suffering from morning sickness as an anti-nausea drug, and has the unrelated, unexplained side effect of drastically increasing milk supply.
When my kids were about 6 months old my supply dropped. With my daughter (my first) I had been exclusively pumping (we just never got the breast feeding thing down right) and so I could easily see how much I was getting. I went from pumping about 64 ounces a day to about 20 a day for no apparent reason. MY OB prescribed the Reglan and I started on a pretty high dose - a couple of pills a day (can't remember exactly). Within about 3 days I was back up to 64 ounces and more with way less effort than I had ever had.
It was such a pleasure! I was even able to actually breastfeed her some, because I guess it was so easy for her to get the milk too. After just a few days I cut back on the quantity of Reglan and got to the point where I was just taking one pill every few days. I would take a pill, it would be smooth sailing and then when I saw that I was slowing down (usually after a couple days) I would just take another pill.
I can't recommend this enough! Also, in all fairness, there is a trace amount of the drug which is detectable in the milk, but the benefits of that clearly outweighed the negatives - not to mention that the drug is safe for kids anyway. And my kids are older now and perfectly healthy!
So good luck.

You are working so hard and doing a great job. I gave up after 5 months and I'm still upset. What helped my supply issue the most was fenugreek, and fennel seed which is what mothers milk tea is made mostly of. You have to like black licorice to stomach the tea. You can get all herbal suppliments and a natural food store and sometimes in the natural food section at Hanafords. Try and pump as much as posible in between feedings.
Good luck and relax if you can
D.

I know of some tea that could help with your problem. There are 3 that I know of and have used. Breastfeeding tea from Traditional Medicinals, Fenugreek seed tea, and Rasberry leaf tea from Alvita. I have had good success with these teas. I have successfully breastfed all 5 of my children. I am currently nursing a 6 month old now and have been using these teas some. I hope you can find these near you. I get mine in Lancaster at a health store. The only other advice I could give is to nurse/pump more frequently to increase the amount of milk you make. As you start solids your baby may be taking less milk so you may be responding to less demand. Good luck on your continued breastfeeding.

L.

I agree with the others who suggested Fenugreek. It's great and best of all really does work. It is fantastic that you have kept up this far with nursing and working. If that's where your heart is don't let anyone convince you to quit before you are ready to. I nursed my first dd (and worked too) for at least 2 years (was only planning on 18 months, but she didn't want to give it up.) She was so healthy because of it - she had maybe 2 colds before she started preschool at 3. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Hi R.! Congrats on starting your baby off so well! Your supply maybe dwindling due to the skipped feeding. It makes a big difference some times. You could pump that feeding, or pump another time to help increase your supply. I tried mothers milk tea, and it did help. Believe it or not oatmeal helps too, and it is so easy! I ate oatmeal everyday with my first baby to get my supply up after going to work. And he nursed till he was 2&1/2!! #2 nursed till 2y and # 3, we will see she is only 5mon.
Good Luck!! You can do it!!! And your babe will benefit soooo much!!!
M.