Diminishing milk supply

kristaschuetzle · August 2015

My son is three months and out of no where my milk supply has been drying up! I know it's all about supply and demand, but I have been pumping immediately after and in between feedings, and STILL no improvement. I've also tried the lactation cookies and not a lot of luck so far. Any other moms with this problem??

CordeliaD87 · August 2015

I've noticed a decrease also. I think mine is due to my pure hatred of pumping and being back at work. I only pump at work and until I get 6-8 oz instead of until I'm empty

Buckles0528 · August 2015

I just was googling this thinking I had a problem also. Apparently at 3 months your body has really figured it out and its very common to not get anything while pumping but still be adequate to feed baby, since they're more efficient than a pump. I'll try to find the article when it's not 4:30am.

michellemybelle915 · August 2015

I had this problem too (especially after going back to work!). For me the problem was too big flanges while pumping.. I ordered smaller ones and my milk supply doubled while pumping, so you can give that a try!

SmrBrd2012 · August 2015

I'm noticing this too, just a day after LO turned 3 months. One of my boobs has drastically decreased supply and they just don't seem as full anymore. I'm not happy about it since I'm already not making enough to feed LO EBF.

aklove14 · August 2015

Crazy I was just going to make a post asking moms if they've tried fenugreek supplements to increase milk supply. My milk has decreased ever since I started back working and pumping more it's like I don't get half as much milk as I use to and I've gotten so down about it I've even considered supplementing my baby girl with formula. I don't want to do that and would like to continue BF but I also don't want to be completely stressed about it. I've tried eating tons of oats, mothers milk tea, lactation cookies, but nothing has increased my supply so far that's why I was looking into the fenugreek supplements. If any moms have had this problem and overcame it please share what you did

sailaplay · August 2015

Most moms have an oversupply for the first 3 months and that supply regulates down at 3 months ish. You stop feeling full, stop leaking and will likely get less from the pump. This isn't usually a sign of drying up but a regular transition. To increase supply, you have to increase demand, usually by adding pumping sessions.

kristaschuetzle · August 2015

So glad to hear I'm not alone! My son will be headed to daycare next week and it looks like I will eventually have to start supplementing with formula. I've been incredibly down about it as well, feeling like this is the one thing I should be able to do for my child, and I can't even pump enough milk for him!
Thanks for all of your input!

erin79 · August 2015

kristaschuetzle said:

So glad to hear I'm not alone! My son will be headed to daycare next week and it looks like I will eventually have to start supplementing with formula. I've been incredibly down about it as well, feeling like this is the one thing I should be able to do for my child, and I can't even pump enough milk for him! Thanks for all of your input!

Unfortunately, this happened to me with my first, and it will happen again with this baby. With my first, I had to pump a couple times on the weekend, and dig into my freezer stash to have enough to send to daycare. Around 8 months, my supply REALLY dropped (very common with working moms who pump), where I was only pumping about half of what he needed each day, and there was no way to make that up, so I had to start sending some formula to daycare. I was still able to BF at home and all weekend with no problem, so don't feel like you're totally losing out on nursing. You just need some help.

greenerin12 · August 2015

My baby was in NICU for 5 weeks so I had no choice other than to pump. I will be going back to work on Monday, so I wanted to rev up my supply to make sure I could send breastmilk to daycare without stressing. My lactation consultant told me about Lactiful. It's a little pricey, but well worth it to increase your supply. Also, there is a money back guarantee. There is also a booklet that accompanies the supplements to help get you back on track. Another product recommended was Milky! which is the little tea shots you drink. I've been on Lactiful since Tuesday, and it's looking good. Good Luck!!

michellemybelle915 · August 2015

I've been eating oatmeal every morning, taking the Honest Co lactation pills and Milk Flow Berry drink, but what *really* made the difference was getting smaller flanges for my pump.. It almost instantly started pumping double the amount of milk now that I have flanges that are the right size for my nips.. So ladies please take that into consideration! You may need to just change sizes!

Edit: my brain forgets words sometimes :P

mars8k · August 2015

Are you sure your supply is low? I read an article that says even if you get nothing while pumping and have a very fussy baby as long as lo is gaining weight you're fine.

Maybe your lo just started to drink more and your production hasn't caught up yet, i'd only be concerned if lo stopped gaining weight, i used to stress about supply too as i felt a decrease also around 3 months then i read that article

kby721 · August 2015

How did you ladies know your flanges were the incorrect size? Is there a way to measure?

michellemybelle915 · August 2015

kbradley721 said:
How did you ladies know your flanges were the incorrect size? Is there a way to measure?

I think the medela site has a diagram that shows how the flange should fit.. But basically you can measure the diameter of your nipple and you should be using a flange 2mm-4mm bigger than that

tjurado10 · August 2015

I feel as if this also happened to me just this week my boobs don't seem to ever be as full as they used too. I've read though it's because by 3 months your milk supply has regulated

jrhartobrien · August 2015

I've found this website to be really helpful for trouble shooting breastfeeding issues: https://kellymom.com/hot-topics/pumping_decrease/

Also, I highly recommend reading La Leche League International's "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding." Also a lot of great tips and tips.

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