Tanking Supply

ashleyandbrian

So I have been EBFing my kiddo since he was born 14 weeks ago and all of a sudden my supply seems to be going into the dumper. I used to be able to pump 5 oz off my left and about 3.5-4 off my right and now I'm barely getting 4 out of both combined! My biggest problem is that I'm going back to work for a month starting Monday and I'm scared that my dwindling supply will keep dwindling down to nothing!! I've been trying to pump my supply up, I've been eating oatmeal for bfast and I just feel like the little guy isn't getting enough food! He even starting crying this morning after feeding on my right side so I put him on the left (I normally feed only on one side at a time) and he quieted right down...  :-(

 My supply is usually so good that I don't need to feed on both sides, but now I'm wondering if i should switch to feeding on both sides or if I should just try and feed one at a time to get my supply up.

 Has anyone had this happen? I'm back down to my pre-preggo weight, but I am drinking a ton of water and eating well... Is there anything else I can do?

 

HELP!!! 

kds24

Don't worry, this is very normal and it's probably just regulating.  I wish I knew this was going to happen so I could have taken advantage of all those earlier pumping sessions, but DS and my supply have been doing just fine (until the past couple of weeks, but that's a different story b/c he's older).  Here's some more info to hopefully put your mind at ease: https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/breast-fullness.html

meghann0409

Is there a growth spurt around that time?

If you look further down, there is a post titled, :"I had to supplement..." with good advice!

Good luck - syat positive!!

JulieandBen

This helped me the other day.

My breasts feel empty! Has my milk supply decreased?

By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC

It is normal for a mother's breasts to begin to feel less full, soft, even empty, after the first 6-12 weeks.

Many mothers have concerns about milk supply after the early weeks because they notice a drop in pumped amounts or they notice that their breasts feel "soft" or "empty". It is normal for your breasts to feel mostly soft after the first weeks, although if there has been a long stretch without nursing or pumping they might feel a little full and heavy.

The feeling of fullness (sometimes even engorgement) that nursing mothers notice during the early weeks of breastfeeding is really not the norm at all, but means that mom's breasts haven't yet adjusted to the amount of milk that baby needs. At some point, typically around 6-12 weeks (if a mom has oversupply it may take longer), your milk supply will begin to regulate and your breasts will begin to feel less full, soft, or even empty. You may stop leaking, you may stop feeling let-down (or feel it less), and if you pump you may notice that you're not getting as much milk. This doesn't mean that milk supply has dropped, but that your body has figured out how much milk is being removed from the breast and is no longer making too much. This change may come about gradually or seem rather sudden. Many people are not aware that these breast changes are normal because so many mothers stop breastfeeding early on and never see this change (or mistakenly interpret this change as a sign that milk supply has dried up and wean because of this change).

Here's what I found out about pumping.

What is normal when it comes to pumping output and changes in pumping output?

Most moms who are nursing full-time are able to pump around 1/2 to 2 ounces total (for both breasts) per pumping session. Moms who pump more milk per session may have an oversupply of milk, or may respond better than average to the pump, or may have been able to increase pump output with practice. Many moms think that they should be able to pump 4-8 ounces per pumping session, but even 4 ounces is an unusually large pumping output.

It is quite normal to need to pump 2-3 times to get enough milk for one feeding for baby (remember that the pump cannot get as much milk as a baby who nurses effectively).

Many moms are able to pump more milk per session when they are separated from baby. Milk pumped when you are nursing full-time is "extra" milk -- over and beyond what baby needs. Don't get discouraged if you are trying to build up a freezer stash when nursing full time and don't get much milk per pumping session -- this is perfectly normal and expected.

It is very common to have more milk than baby needs in the early weeks, which regulates down to baby's needs over the first few weeks or months. When your milk supply regulates (this change may occur either gradually or rather suddenly), it is normal for pumping output to decrease. For moms who have oversupply, this change often occurs later (6-9+ months postpartum rather than 6-12 weeks).

It is normal for pumping output to vary from session to session and day to day. Having an occasional low volume day is not unusual.

During a growth spurt, don't be surprised if baby drinks more expressed milk than usual, making it harder for mom to provide enough expressed milk. Growth spurts are temporary - try increasing nursing and adding a pumping session or two at home until the growth spurt is over. Remember that the amount of milk that you pump is not a measure of your milk supply!