How fast will you see a drop in supply if you're not eating enough?

katie4253

I am on WW and was eating the EBF number of points.  For the past few days I have been eating the BFing points for that of a BFing mom who is supplementing and eating solids. 

So far, I haven't noticed a drop in my supply.  I've been eating the lower number of points since Monday.  Do you think I would have seen a drop by now?  I am losing SO much faster on the lower # of points, but it isn't worth it if it will tank my supply.  

I EP so I know exactly how much I pump each day.  

AimeeL85

I don't think your supply will drop. I can't say for sure but I have read that our bodies are capable of making sufficient and even perfectly nutritious milk even in times of famine.

MWoodside

Be careful with that.  My BFF lost her supply way earlier than she would have liked for exactly this reason.  You need to get a certain amount of calories for your milk to contain what your baby needs.

If I were you I'd eat the recommended BFing mom points & up the exercise. 

crysmike

If I let my calories drop, I notice a dip in my supply within 24 hours. Like PP said - Be careful with that! Regardless of points - I would just listen to your body, and feed it when it's hungry.

missbobbijean

I'm going through this right now... I work 3x per week and have decided to not pump during the work day. It is too hard for me to find enough time and I have a good enough freezer stash. I have also started to count cals the last few days and have notice a little bit more of a drop since then. LO's 6 mo appt was today and the Dr confirmed what I was thinking. My body is not producing as much and LO is nursing 2x as much to get enough to eat. He said to start feeding a few bottles a day to decrease the amount of time I spend nursing if I do not want to increase my pumping or cals. It's a tough decision to make so I'm still thinking it over. I feel guilty decreasing but yet it's making life so much easier... Ugh...

shaindelr

I think this might be a case where everyone is different. I had a day a few weeks ago where I was super busy and "forgot" to eat. I literally had a breakfast smoothie and a Starbucks iced coffee and forgot to eat all day. My supply seemed to reduce for a few days afterwards.

I'm having oatmeal for breakfast most days and taking Fenugreek capsules at every meal and am back where I was, but it really felt like one day of not eating messed me up for about a week.

TessieF

I'm also on WW and eating the daily points as if I was supplementing, even though I'm EPing.  I have been doing it for two weeks and if anything, my supply has increased (I'm 8 weeks pp and my supply has been gradually increasing since about week 3).   I also haven't been eating the weekly points, although I will if any special occasions arise.  I have lost 7.5 pounds in the 2 weeks since joining, although I'm sure it will slow down after the first two weeks. I don't ever really feel hungry probably because of the free fruit - I have been eating a ton.

jmmiller28

I joined WW to try and lose those last 10 pounds.  My supply tanked almost immediately!  It was worrisome for me because BFing is a priority for me and I felt horrible knowing that I was ruining my supply so selfishly.  I stopped WW, took Fenugreek, power pumped, and I was back on track in a couple weeks.  I had lost about 10 pounds when all this happened, and I noticed the tanking start almost immediately once I started dropping weight.  I was pumping 15-18 ounces at work each day and I tanked to 5-8 ounces!  Since I stopped WW, my weight settled back at about +5 pounds from my lowest WW weight and that seems to be where my body is happiest.  I guess my advice is if BF is a priority, just don't mess with your weight right now.  There's plenty of time to hit the gym when you are done nursing!