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Power pumping help!

bumpuser5078523bumpuser5078523 member
in Breastfeeding
Long story short, I am having issues with a sudden drop in supply (due to hormones of AF) and your last resort is pumping and feeding a ton. Herbs didn't work, and my oatmeal and flax seed aren't working, either.

I tried to feed or pump every 20 minutes for a few hours tonight but my supply isn't growing. It's like he just eats less and less and gets really mad. When I pump, I literally get a teaspoon from each side and that's it. I was feeding for 5 minutes on each side, any longer and he starts to bite out of frustration. I pump for 10 minutes.

I don't want to add too much unneeded info, so ask any questions you need.

Logan is 4.5 months. Sleeps 10 hours at night and eats every 2-3 hours during the day. I went from having an oversupply to not enough in two weeks time. I have been trying things for almost a week. :( I'm getting frustrated and worried.
Chad and Fawn

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Re: Power pumping help!

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    madhousewiferymadhousewifery
    AmyG* said:

    Standard answer is calcium/magnesium supplement.

    increase nursing and pumping.

    increase water intake, including things for dehydration like gatorade or chicken noodle soup.

    continue mother's milk tea, fenugreek, blessed thistle, alfalfa, oatmeal, lactation cookies, etc.

    The thing that stands out to me is that baby is sleeping 10 hours at night.  Going over 10 hours between feeds or pumps signals your body that you are nursing a much older baby that is taking in a lot of solids--and supply for the whole day may go down due to that, because your hormones will change with that kind of long STTN

    Whatever you are doing to improve supply will take at least 3-5 days to up your supply-- like if baby is going thru a growth spurt they don't get extra milk right away, it takes 3-5 days for their extra nursing to up your supply.  you need to do the power pumping several times a day for several days before seeing much change.  You should also do a pumping session somewhere in the middle of that 10 hour sleep, even if it's 2 hours after baby goes to bed, or an hour before baby gets up.

     

    Well put! Also, when you pump and nothing is coming out, do you continue to let the pump go? A lot of ladies just turn it off once the milk stops and I've found that for myself and others, that step really helped. It tells your body that more is needed at a time or sometimes it can even cause a second let down. Massaging while pumping can help too. I found that it was more helpful to have a few good long sessions during the day (and if LO is going 10 hours at night, having 1 or 2 sessions in there as well) rather than multiple short ones. 

    Water, water, water. For real, drink more water than you think your body can possibly hold. You'll pee a lot, but it will help! Good luck! :)

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    bumpuser5078523bumpuser5078523 member
    I noticed my supply was a little better today! He has had enough to eat so far. I went to an LC and she worked on his latch, since its shallow. It will help him get more out of each side. I'm going to keep up with my supplements, just in case. I am also going to power pump if I drop down again, it seemed to help. :)
    Chad and Fawn

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