Yet another pumping/supply question!

TheAnalyticalMommy · September 2014

Just a heads up... this is a bit long. Sorry!!

I've posted on here quite a few times about pumping output. I have gone from an oversupply to not being able to pump enough. LO is nearly 8 months old and has 2 meals a day plus BM. I keep the meals somewhat small to try and keep him from replacing feedings. I also have him eat them at daycare so he will nurse at home in hopes that it will help my supply.

Well, it's either not working, or he is nursing less.

I went from pumping enough for 5 oz bottles, to just enough for 4 oz bottles to now just enough for 3 oz bottles. My least output is also on Mondays and I don't pump on the weekends.

I'm wondering if my supply is going down (and is the least on Mondays) becasue little one is taking less each time he nurses. Maybe he is drinking 4 oz bottles at daycare because it's "there" vs actually needing the 4 oz and would be satisfieid after 3.

Is that possible? 3oz bottles at 7 months seems like a small amount but i guess it's possible.

I'm trying to understand what's happening. I don't usually have time to powerpump at night and can barely fit my 3 pumping sessions in during the day. Sometimes if I have time, I'll do my 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break, and pump another 10-20 minutes at work but i can't do the full hour powerpumping session. I also drink Mother's milk tea and lactation cookies. Yet my supply continues to steadily decrease.

Thoughts? Advice?

TIA!!

TheAnalyticalMommy · September 2014

oh I should also mention I have a decent freezer staff (about 300oz) but i haven't been contributing to it for a while so I worry that if i start pulling from it daily that i won't get to my 1 year goal.

eggmankate · September 2014

Are you me? I could've written this....I know you and I have been posting and commenting on related topics lately. The only difference is my DD is almost 10 months. I, too, wonder if DD is getting too much at daycare simply because it's available. Just today my mom told me that DD didn't finish her morning bottle so maybe I'm finally going to put less in her bottles now that she's showing signs of not wanting it.

I was very frustrated for awhile because none of this is intuitive. I felt like spoon-feeding DD purees means that I'm not letting her decide how much to eat and when to cut back on milk so that's why I panicked when my supply decreased because I didn't know if I was feeding her the "right" balance of solids v. milk. My Pedi told me I should trust DD will know how much milk she needs and that I should continue to offer solids and let her determine the right balance. We decided to switch to baby-led weaning in which she feeds herself with her hands so that way it's all in her control how much to eat. In the beginning she learned how to gum up the food and swallow hence spitting out a lot. As she got older she swallowed more food and then now begins the gradual weaning process. So now that my supply is dropping I know that it's baby-led and not because I'm dictating how much she eats with purees. Even though "under 1 just for fun" has some validity I do think that babies wean gradually between 6-12 months which is exactly what I'm witnessing. The bulk of her calories are still from breastmilk.

TheAnalyticalMommy · September 2014

OMG i almost choked on my almond when I read the "are you me" line! Too funny! I've been thinking about switching completely to BLW once I finish the frozen purees in my freezer. He's about about 2-3 more weeks of it left (I made a really big batch of food last time... went a bit over board).

I might drop him down to 4-3oz bottles and see what happens but i just worry that 9 oz might be too little and that if he finally starts STTN he will want more in his bottles again. When he dropped from 5 oz bottles to 4, i knew he was ready because i spread the same amount amoung more bottles and he didn't finish his last bottle. I guess I'll try that again!

eggmankate · September 2014

Yeah I'm not super helpful--but doing BLW did help me feel more assured. This week I'm pumping 3oz and my supply just keeps going down down down. I was surprised to hear my mom say that just today she wasn't interested in drinking her typical amount--I hope that continues. But yes, it stresses me out still because I have 2 months to go.

I agree with PP--can you pump after a feed on weekends? I'm pumped after the mid-morning feed since 8 weeks old on weekends. I get a few ounces to help me supplement during the work week.

I think ultimately what matters (and I need to take my own advice) is if LO is happy, gaining weight on the curve, and having enough wet diapers. I'm told that I just have to try it and see how DD does with less milk in the bottles and weigh 2 weeks and 4 weeks later.

Also, when you hear how much other babies are drinking at daycare you don't always know the time length they are at daycare, how much they nurse at home or overnight. Sine your LO is nursing overnight perhaps that is why intake seems smaller ay daycare.

TheAnalyticalMommy · September 2014

Sorry for not being clear theresat858. I meant to say that I could spread his 12 oz out amoung 4 bottles vice 3 and see if he just drinks 3 of those 3oz bottles (that's where i got the 9 oz).

I can definitely try to start pumping on the weekends but as it is, I have a hard enough time finding the time to shower on the weekends let alone pump!

eggmankate · September 2014

To clarify--I pump maybe 10-12 minutes v. 20 minutes on the weekends. I get 2-4 ounces. It is a major bummer and it's entirely up to you based on how much work you want to put into it. 300oz is a lot and that'll surely tide you over for awhile. My goal is to make it a year and I'm going to get pretty darn close, but if I fall short I'm so close to the home stretch that I'd be OK with it. Pedi told me I could do 50% cow's milk starting at 10 months IF I needed to. I won't need to do it at 10 moths, but it's nice to know I can start it earlier than a year if I need to.

eggmankate · September 2014

Maybe this will help

This is Dr. Jack Newman's website regarding baby feeding at daycare as the approach the 1 year age mark. So helpful!

https://nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:what-to-feed-the-baby-when-the-mother-is-working-outside-the-home&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

TheAnalyticalMommy · October 2014

That is a great artticle! Thanks!

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