8 months, how can i tell whats wrong?

[x-li-x]

ok so noah is 8 months ow, lately he has been so wingy n miserable, i thought teeth at first but no sign, n then i though growth spurt, n then i moved onto milk supply, ive recently lost weight, though in a healthy way still drinking lots of water yet my boobs have become much smaller n now feel saggy rather than full if that makes sense, not in the sens eof feeling full, if you get what im getting at.
i noticed i could no longer pump anything or hand express, n hand expressing use to work well for me, n now not even a drop.

well today hes been a nightmare wont nap, so unhappy, feeds but comes off winging, nap time he cried for hour n half settled for ten then that was it, bedtime, hes been crying for an hour until i gave up n mad ehim a bottle ( stored milk) he drank just under 5 ounces , left some, n has settled straight down, content.

this must be my supply right? ive nearly finished a 180bottle of fenugreek n no change

does like supply doesnt it, ive been battleing weeks now n its just got worse, is this the end of breastfeeding for us? or would you say its something else, i cant help but feel this is it.

 

[Rachel_C]

It's very normal for your boobs to stop feeling full. It's just that your supply has fully regulated and they are able to produce milk as it's needed, rather than having to save it all up in advance. It's also normal for you not to be able to express easily, even if you could before.

As long as LO is weeing and pooing as usual, I wouldn't give expressed milk if you're worried about supply. It might be that he's having a growth spurt and needs more milk but the only way to increase it is to keep putting him to the breast. He might not like it as much as a nice easy bottle, but it'll only get worse if you give bottles instead - the more bottles you give, the more he'll realise bottles are easy so the less he'll feed from you, which means less milk. Can you keep him on the breast for as long as possible over the weekend? Perhaps get your OH to look after your other kids as much as possible and you and LO spend some time on the sofa? Keep your top off and let him feed as much as he wants, even if you think he's only comfort sucking let him. Some baths together, lots of skin to skin etc... just the kinds of things you'd do with a newborn really!

 

[x-li-x]

It's very normal for your boobs to stop feeling full. It's just that your supply has fully regulated and they are able to produce milk as it's needed, rather than having to save it all up in advance. It's also normal for you not to be able to express easily, even if you could before.

As long as LO is weeing and pooing as usual, I wouldn't give expressed milk if you're worried about supply. It might be that he's having a growth spurt and needs more milk but the only way to increase it is to keep putting him to the breast. He might not like it as much as a nice easy bottle, but it'll only get worse if you give bottles instead - the more bottles you give, the more he'll realise bottles are easy so the less he'll feed from you, which means less milk. Can you keep him on the breast for as long as possible over the weekend? Perhaps get your OH to look after your other kids as much as possible and you and LO spend some time on the sofa? Keep your top off and let him feed as much as he wants, even if you think he's only comfort sucking let him. Some baths together, lots of skin to skin etc... just the kinds of things you'd do with a newborn really!

Thank you so much for your reply, ive been very worried abotu all of this as the last thing i want is it to end now, i may start eating aots again too, only stopped as i was trying to loose a bit of weight.

I will definately try all the things you have suggested, may be hard as hubby is currently deployed and i have two other children, but im determined to make it work so i will work something out.

I dont stress has helped with hubby being away and us all being in germany no where near family plus loosing weight even though i did healthily doesnt seem to have agree 9plus the one area that lost the most was my boobs)

 

[Flake-y]

It won't be your supply. Your boobs make exactly the amount your baby needs, low supply is extremely rare. My boobs went soft around 8-9 months too, it's completely normal. And pumping is never an indicator of how much milk you're making, the baby is so much better at getting milk out than a plastic machine. In fact, I think at that stage I was lucky to get a few drops from pumping too. Unless you're a regular pumper & your boobs are used to responding to the pump, you prob won't get much.

Just put baby on the boob as often as he wants, & always offer both sides. Sometimes babies go through a fussy/grumpy stage, & we're always looking for a reason, there's not always a clear answer though!

 

[New Mrs W]

My boobs are soft and much smaller now too. Don't think it's anything to do with my supply though. Keep going, it may just be a phase xxx