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February 2012 Moms
Sept07b2b
member
I could just cry (BF and supply related)
Sept07b2b
member
So I have been having major supply issues for a while. I work full-time, so I pump. Over the past couple weeks my supply has been really hurting. I usually nurse LO in the morning then pump on my way to work (around 7:30) and then pump 2 x at work. I used to pump again before going to bed, but I dropped that pump a couple weeks ago, since I was only getting 2 oz, and it was really messing with my evenings. I absolutely hated having to watch the clock, pump at the latest possible time, then wash my parts, put milk away, etc. right before going to bed.
So lately I'll get about 3 oz from each pump. Sometimes 4 from my first pump of the day if I'm lucky. My LO eats 16 oz while I'm gone, so I have been supplementing with my freezer stash for the amount I'm short.
This morning I decided that instead of pumping on my way to work, I'll pump at 9:30am in the office, hoping that I'll get more from that first pump, but I just pumped, and I only got 2.5 oz!!! I'm SOOOO upset!! I just don't understand what is going on!!! Presumably, I would have gotten at least 2.5 oz from pumping if I had pumped on my way to work at 7:30, so why didn't I get more since I waited 2 hours more!? My LO seems perfectly content to nurse on the weekends, but I just can't pump enough, and it's just getting worse!
I am almost out of my frozen stash, so I'll have to start supplementing with formula. I have no problem with formula, so it's not that, but I just feel like what's the point anymore! At what point is it not worth it anymore? 
Sorry for my vent. I'm just having a hard day.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: I could just cry (BF and supply related)
I also pump at work and found this website helpful:
https://www.workandpump.com/supply.htm
Also, supplementing is never an all or nothing thing. I have recently started giving DS 4oz of formula at daycare along with the 7 1/2 oz of BM. It has taken such a load off my mind and I am building up my freezer stash a bit, which I never really had before. I also found this helpful:
https://www.workandpump.com/nothing.htm#Smart_supplementing
Have you tried eating oatmeal? Maybe drink a beer at night?
We're in the homestretch now but it's so frustrating when your body stops cooperating.
How much more is left in your freezer stash? If you're just talking a couple of ounces a day I'd be inclined to ask your pediatrician if you can supplement with WCM and just mix that into the bottle with BM (so if they get a 5 ounce bottle, 4 ounces of BM and 1 ounce of WCM). I don't know if that's an option, but with how old our babies are it might be worth asking.
My Colton...Growing up so fast!
And Coralee, his baby sister...On the way!
It's really common for this to happen right around this time. I remember going through it with DD and having to pump like a madwoman for the last few months. I was able to keep up by taking the More Milk Plus and eating lactation cookies, drinking tons and tons of water, and getting her to nurse as much as I could when we were together. Eventually (around 10-11 months) I started just sending what I pumped and letting her nurse more in the evenings and eat more solids at day care. We made it through, but it is hard. I haven't hit the dip in supply yet this time (knock on wood) but I'm expecting it. Hang in there, you're doing great! If you have to supplement a little it is not the end of the world, of course.
And to answer your question on the waiting, part of what's going on at this age is that your body is starting to switch to on-demand production instead of producing milk all the time and storing it, so the only way to get more milk is to pump more frequently. You won't have as much "on tap" as you used to because that's just the way the body produces milk for older babies and toddlers. They should start dropping bottles and replacing with solids gradually over the next few months.
I know exactly how you feel. I almost had to buy some formula yesterday to feed DD. Instead I sent her a really big lunch, half a banana, string cheese and diluted juice. So instead of her usual 4 bottles of about 15oz total she had three (about 11 oz) and did just fine. I think at this point if you LO will take a large meal instead of a bottle it would be worth discussing with your pedi. I made sure to send her the string cheese to substitute the dairy and fat from the milk. I'm sure greek yogurt would have been a great substitute as well. (She still nurses over night so I wasn't too concerned with the lack of a serving)
I had food poisoning on Tuesday and my supply has hit rock bottom, but I just didn't want to take the chance of sending formula and her refusing it and being hungry. I pumped every two hours yesterday at work to get my supply going, once right after she went down at 7pm and again at 11pm before I went to bed. This morning and last night before bed I pumped 3 oz which is up from the 1.5-2oz I had been pumping the last two days. So I am seeing a slight increase. I also drank Mother's milk tea and lots of water.
I just feel like I am too close to the home stretch to add formula and then switch to WCM in acouple months. I will talk to her pedi next Friday at her 9 month appointment to get her opinion on supplementing a bottle when I can't pump enough. I'm sure a dairy serving will suffice with a couple ounces of water as a filler. GL!
Thank you all for your responses!!! I know I don't post here often, but everyone is always so supportive, and this is just evidence of this!!!! It's so nice to hear that I'm not alone!
I only have about 15 oz left in my freezer stash and at this pace, it will get me exactly to my LO's 9 month birthday, so if I have to start supplementing, I think I'll be ok with it. I just don't want it to be a downward spiral where I just keep supplementing and it hurts my supply even more!
I just find it funny because everyone always talks about how hard BF is at the beginning and how it gets so much easier, but no one ever talks about how hard it gets at the end if you're a working mother!!
I guess I'll just keep at it and do the best I can! I had this same problem with my son, but we had all kinds of issues with BF from the beginning, so I wasn't surprised and actually ended up quitting BF at 9 months. He had already had quite a bit of formula in his life, so I wasn't worried about him taking it, and he was already eating lots of solids. I promised myself I wouldn't do that with this one, since BF came SO much easier for us, and I never had any issues (how ironic!).
I think my biggest frustration is that she still isn't really into solids. I was really hoping that once she started eating more, it would take some of the pressure off, but that hasn't happened yet. She won't eat any purees, and at this point is basically eating crackers, cheerios, and occassionally will eat small pieces of what we eat. She's just REALLY picky!
Oh well. I'll just keep telling myself we're in the home stretch!!!
And maybe I'll just suck it up and start pumping before going to bed again. ugh!
Same issues here. My supply went from 15-18 oz a day to 8-10. I started eating more and taking lots of fenugreek and that has helped. I also added a pump session at the end of the day (I only get 1-2 oz, but at least I think it will ramp up supply a bit.
I've now started to supplement with a bottle of formula a day- I want to only slowly use the freezer stash.