Breastfeeding

working/pumping moms - supply dropping?

I went back to work in March and since then my supply has slowly been dropping.  Before then, I'd be able to get at 5 - 8 ounces total per session. Now, I'm lucky if I can get 3 ounces total.  I'm defrosting more and more milk each day.  I'm still pumping 5x a day for 20 minutes each session.  I drink a lot of water a day (well over a gallon). My stress level has increased since going back to work, but I'll be off for the summer in a few weeks as I'm a teacher.

I'm worried because we've tried to give DS formula a couple of times and it has not agreed with him at all (vomiting, diarrhea, etc).

Is there any way to get my supply back to where it used to be?

Re: working/pumping moms - supply dropping?

  • What kind of pump do you  have? I know if the white membranes on my yellow valves of my Medela PISA are old, it causes my pump to lose suction.

    DS #1 born January 2010. DS #2 due June 2014.

  • imageMrs_D_in_KY:
    What kind of pump do you  have? I know if the white membranes on my yellow valves of my Medela PISA are old, it causes my pump to lose suction.

    I have a Medela Freestyle.  I burnt mine out from March until yesterday.  Medela just overnighted me a new pump and I started using that today.  When I was getting a lot more milk before, I was renting a hospital grade pump.  My insurance company would only pay for a Medela pump that I could keep and so I switched to the Freestyle.  I wonder if the pump has something to do with it.

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  • I would definitely think about switching the pump parts.  If that's not the problem, then I would suggest oatmeal with some brewer's yeast and flax seed meal in it.  I started having this every day when my supply started decreasing about 3 weeks after going back to work, and it's been great ever since.  Brewer's yeast and flax seed meal are the special ingredients in the lactation cookies.
  • imagesweetkakes419:
    I would suggest oatmeal with some brewer's yeast and flax seed meal in it.

    How much of each do you put in the oatmeal?

  • I agree with the first answer...check your membranes. I started getting barely anything and then I noticed the membrane was actually breaking. You can easily replace those and it made a difference.

    Also...stress is a HUGE factor for me. I am a teacher as well...when stressed, I never pumped as much. I would actually take my ipod with me and listen to relaxing music and read a magazine to get my mind off of work...it helped me.

    I did try mother's milk tea...not sure it helped a ton but I liked it so I continued. I think it's possible that just the act of having a cup of tea is a bit relaxing, and that was helpful.

    I was worried about this same thing at one point...the more I worried, the less I got.  I decided to try to chill out and it helped. I also added an extra pump session where I pumped for only 5-7 minutes for a few days and that also seemed to help.

  • You could try More Milk Plus.  GL. 

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