Diminishing supply?

ArmyMedic7588 · May 2014

So long story short I have to pump and supplement. LO hasn't wanted to latch on (though we still try, but I need to find a CLC to figure out what we're doing wrong). This past weekend we had a lot going in with a friend's wedding and even though I pumped it wasn't as often as I should've. Monday I went back to pumping every 2-3 hrs. But ever since this weekend messing up my schedule my supply had gone down more and more every day. Even though I keep pumping frequently. I don't know what's going on. I know that if I let it go too long between pumps supply will drop. But after going back on schedule shouldn't it go back up again? Did I screw up my supply?

tips or tricks ladies? Thanks!!

SMM1986 · May 2014

I am worried about my supply dropping (I EP and supplement) and I have been thinking of trying fenugreek and/or mother's milk tea. I've heard oatmeal can help too (not the instant packets).

SMM1986 · May 2014

How long is it supposed to take that stuff to kick in?
Are you drinking a lot of water?

kalette · May 2014

Once you are done pumping, set your bottles aside, and do some breast compressions trying to draw milk down as if to hand express (even if they feel empty) then turn the pump back on (push the letdown button if you have that kind) and try to get one final letdown.

Also... Cheerios. Something about oats.

jessicastanley · May 2014

With oatmeal I've found steel cut oats work the best. Eat them an hour before feeding/pumping. I've done fenugreek too but I liked the oatmeal more.

ArmyMedic7588 · May 2014

I'll try the oatmeal for now. I have a double pump and do it for 20mins. I'm wondering if I'm not getting much because my nipples are cracked so I've had to turn down the dial a little so it doesn't hurt so much/crack them more. But I'm barely even moving the dial down so I didn't expect it would change out put that much. I try and drink more water now and being on iron supplements I should probably have even more. Thanks ladies. Guess I have a few things to check out!! Still gonna try to see a CLC, but la leche league never called me back

cowpoly959 · May 2014

I'm wondering about this too. I have been doing one pump in the morning after first feed and normally get 2+ ounces. Today I didn't even get one? LO does seem to be cluster feeding again at almost four weeks. I thought we had a growth spurt last week. Could this be another one? I didn't realize I should pump after milk stops coming out. I usually only pump for 5 minutes and I stop producing.

hbird0723 · May 2014

I've also used mothers milk tea and noticed a difference after the first cup. However the left side has gone down again and the tea hasn't helped much. My SIL used fenugreek and said it worked really well for her.

Crazijewel · May 2014

When supply and demand seem to not be working either up your demand or try one of these: Mother's Milk Tea, oats, fenugreek, and check out kellymom.com for a ton of resources With my first I almost lost my supply but fenugreek helped bring it all back. I also pumped for 30-40 minutes bc I wanted my body to think my demand was higher.

ArmyMedic7588 · May 2014

Thanks again ladies. I've been working on it and have been pretty stable between 1-3 oz (depends on the time of day and the amount of time since last pump obviously). @Bliz1712 I'm sure the flange size is right. The LC in the hospital did check that when I started using the pump at L&D. I don't have the suction turned up very high on the pump, never have. It's usually between 1/4-1/2 because since day one it hurt if I turned it up too much. And I've been dealing with cracks since the first week, so any higher makes them worse. But the doesn't explain why I would have dimished supply if I always had the level there.

I did get my hands free bra in today and finally tried it out. Not sure if it's because it was a little longer than normal between pumpings or because the bra actually kept the flanges in place better, but I got 3 oz out of each side which was almost double of what I'd normally get at that time.

I'm gonna try the fenugreek next I think. I can get that at a drug store right?

cowpoly959 · May 2014

I bought fenugreek off amazon for a great price

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