Low Milk Supply After 4 Months of BF

You beat me! Mine dried up at 3 months...never could get it back. I also got my period back right at that time, so I think my hormones just weren't supporting my milk production.

If baby wants to feed more often or for longer it doesn't mean your supply is low. It could be that baby is having a growth spurt, and is working to increase your supply. Just allow him to feed as often and for as long as he wants and your supply should meet the demand.

He could be going through a growth spurt, and just wants to eat all the time. That's normal, and if you nurse him on demand every time he wants to nurse, then yes, you can absolutely increase your supply. This is exactly how nature intends for it to happen - baby grows, wants to nurse a lot, and that stimulates your body to make more to keep up.

Just keep nursing as much as possible. The more time he spends latched on, the more milk your body will make.

Also - as a side note, right around 3 months is when your body starts to get good at regulating your supply. You will not feel engorged very often anymore this is TOTALLY NORMAL. It does NOT mean that your supply is going down. It just means that your body has figured out how to make what he's eating, and has gotten used to holding that amount. Being engorged (that feeling of fullness, or of your breasts feeling hard) is not normal, and doesn't last more than 3 months - but you can still have a great supply for the next 9 months without feeling engorged.

Can I ask why you are trying to get a 4 month old to use a sippy cup? Are you using it to give her pumped breastmilk or are you putting water or something else in it?
At 4 months a baby should be getting only breastmilk or formula. They do not need extra water and should not be eating solid foods of any kind, not even rice cereal.
What do you mean by you drink 3 bottles of water a day? What size are they? It's not so much about how many bottles but how many over all ounces of water. The general rule is at least half your body weight. So if you weight 100 lbs you need to drink a minimum of 50 ounces. The number of ounces needs to be increased when breastfeeding, if you've been sweating, exercising or due to weather. You need to remember to replace your electrolytes as well with something like a sports drink or other methods of replacing them. Too much water without replacing them can cause health issues as well as drinking too little water.
A baby is far more effective at getting milk from the breast than a breast pump. If you are using how much you pump as a gauge of how much milk you have you are not getting an accurate idea.
Around 4 months is a common growth spurt. A baby will pick up how much and how long they nurse to increase your supply to bring it to where they need it. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more the baby demands the more supply you have.
My best advice is to feed baby when he's hungry, no schedules. Let him nurse from one side for as long as he likes, until he either stops himself or falls asleep and lets go. Offer the other side only if he's hungry after feeding from the first side. If he doesn't want the other side, don't worry and just offer it first the next time he wants to eat.
If you are pumping because you are working and away from him for part of the day you may need to find ways to help you respond to the pump more to get milk to come out. Not everyone can pump. If you have to pump and can't you may need to offer a bottle or 2 of formula while he's away and nurse exclusively while you are together.
I would suggest talking to a lactation consultant or the lovely ladies of the La Leche League. They may be able to help you since they can assess you one on one which is something I can't do online.
I wish you all the best!

My supply dried up at 5 months.
I'd gone back to work and pumping while at work and breastfeeding when at home just didn't keep it up.
I had no trouble in switching to formula - it never bothered him or me.
Our son was slow to take to solid foods so he was on formula till almost his first birthday.
Maybe a lactation consultant can help keep your milk going for a bit longer.

If he's 4 months old, why is he using a sippy cup? I would nurse, nurse, nurse instead of giving him a cup. Talk to a certified LC as well to see what your options are. Kellymom.com also has good tips.

Pumping won't be at true indicator of what a baby gets from you, and after a few months you won't be so heavily engorged as you were early on. Cluster feeding or frequent nursing may be an indicator of a growth spurt. Output will tell you a lot about what the baby's input is.

Nurse often, NOT on a "schedule" and nurse on-demand.
24-7, day and night.
So that your body, produces what your baby needs.
The body is supposed to mirror, how/how often/how much your baby, nurses/needs.

Or see a Lactation Consultant.

A baby that age, does not need a sippy cup. And they typically don't know how to, yet.
And if you use a sippy cup instead of nursing, then yes, your supply will diminish.
Babies don't need water or anything else besides breastmilk or Formula.

What, are you giving your baby in the sippy cup?
He should be nursing directly, from breast.
And use, BOTH breasts per each nursing session.

Learning to use a sippy cup, especially at that age... is not necessary.

You just need to nurse.

Since... you do not have enough breastmilk/production... then what is your baby having? If your baby is NOT getting enough intake of breastmilk in the meantime, then he will not be nourished enough and is getting a lack of nutrients. And even dehydrated. So then, you need to... provide Formula. Since you are not producing enough, in the meantime.
A baby, needs to have... sufficient intake, daily, 24/7, day and night. If baby is always hungry and not getting enough intake via breastmilk, then he will cry and have constant hunger.
That happened to a baby of a woman I know.
Her baby was constantly crying and hungry. Because she did not have enough breastmilk. The Doc told her, she had to give her baby Formula... at that point, because, getting insufficient intake, DAILY, was negatively affecting her baby and his nutrition. And dehydration sets in. Her baby was constantly hungry, but she was just trying to breastfeed only. But it was not enough. So her baby's nutrition and intake, took a toll. Daily.

The thing is: in the MEANTIME, how is your baby getting sufficient daily, intake, of breastmilk?
How long, will his lack of getting enough, go on?
A baby just needs to feed, and that is either breastmilk or Formula.

I agree with Canuck but have a side note...to me it sounds like you need more nutrition out of actual fruits and vegetables and not rely on the capsules. You could already be doing that but I am just basing it off of what I read.

It sounds like you're eating and drinking the right things, but how big are the water bottles? You may need to drink more. Also, nurse as much as possible. 4 months old seems really young for a sippy-I would expect him to drink from a bottle but not a sippy.

It sounds like a growth spurt. So many questions going around my peer counselor brain :)

- Why are giving a sippy?
- What are you putting in the sippy cup?
- How many times per 24 hours is baby feeding from the breast? He should still be feeding AT LEAST 8-12 times per 24 hours, and right now at 4mo, 16+ is more realistic.
- How long is he feeding on one breast before he starts to get impatient?
- Before this behavior, was he feeding on one breast per feeding, or has he always fed on both breasts?
- How many wet and poopy diapers is he having per 24 hours? He should be having 6+ wet diapers and consistent poopy diapers (even if they're not every day, which is normal).
- Arw you pumping/hand expressing in between feedings to get more stimulation? What you demand is what you'll supply, so if he's only feeding from the breast 6 times per day, and you aren't pumping in addition, you absolutely will see a severe decrease in supply. Even taking fenugreek isn't going to increase your supply if you aren't demanding more.

Feed him when when he gives his hunger cues, not based on the clock, and you should be fine.

As for the water and nutrition, it doesn't have a huge impact on supply. In fact, if you're forcing yourself to drink and you drink too much, your body will work hard to get rid of the excess, which will also decrease your supply. Drink when you're thirsty, and eat healthy foods (high-protein and healthy data) when hungry.

Lose the sippy, don't pump if you don't have to, and just nurse, nurse, nurse! Just because he is hungry more frequently doesn't mean your supply is low, it just means he's hungry again and growing. Nurse on demand, baby is much more efficient than a pump (assuming you are pumping milk to put in the sippy?) Babies this age ONLY need breastmilk or formula, no water, so there's really no need for a sippy cup for another few months.

Very good suggestions from moms already. It's all about supply and demand. If you start providing supplements by means of a sippy cup (even if it is expressed milk), then this is less stimulation for your breasts, which equals less production. To increase the production, you need to increase the stimulation. A pump is never as stimulating as the baby. Pump if you must (at work or whenever), but when you are with your baby, try to nurse exclusively.

I won't continue to reiterate what others have already said, BUT I wanted to throw out a couple more items to check. Could you be pregnant? If you get pregnant while nursing, this can cause a major drop in your milk supply. Some women incorrectly assume that they cannot get pregnant while they are breastfeeding. Many a baby has been made under this incorrect assumption! Another culprit of low supply could be something as simple as taking an antihistamine. Have you been taking any sort of allergy medicine? That can really dry up your supply, too.

Good luck with things!