Pumping.... supply is drying up. UPDATE!!

[wtbmummy]

How do you know/what do you do if you think your supply is drying up?

I express (but dont bf) I do so 3 times a day giving 6oz a day roughly. However its dropped to 3oz last couple of days n today.... i have expressed twice and each time got less than 0.5oz!!!!

Does this mean I can no longer express at all for my baby girl? She has been combo fed all this time. She is 5weeks today.

I just want to cry I overcome a lot to express and now it seems I cant!

I tried bf but baby girl never got the hang of latching due to having a bottle first. So expressing was working well for us as she was still getting breastmilk and I felt so happy.

Is there anyway I can keep expressing or am I just going to get more sore. Im very very upset

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

call La Leche League. ITS FREE!!!!!

 

[lenorajoy]

I'm so sorry you're struggling! I wish I had some advice for you. I agree, contact a professional, they should be able to help! Best of luck, and I hope you're able to continue pumping for your baby. I know how devastating it is to struggle with supply issues.

 

[IchigoMewMew]

I know obviously it takes time to pump but have you tried doing it more often? A 5 week old would usually bf far more than 3 times a day maybe your body is getting a bit confused? I agree with pp about phoning le leche league or finding a breastfeeding consultant or support group. Did you have her latch assessed or just assume it was due to the bottle? She could have a tongue or lip tie which caused her problems. My DD had an 80% tie it took her a while to latch without help she had to learn her own special way to do it without using her tongue. Hope you can get your supply back up again

 

[Smille24]

I agree, contact a lactation consultant asap. Also, as the pp said you should be pumping as many times a day as she's eating so about every 2 hrs. You can try mothers milk tea or fenugreek in the meantime to help boost your supply.

My dd1 had lip tie and she had major latch issues. I ended up giving up and formula feeding. It wasn't until later at her first dentist appt that we figured it out.

Good luck!

 

[lenorajoy]

I know in my particular case fenugreek made DD gassy and miserable, so I had to quit taking it. And of course most of the teas sold to boost milk supply are mainly fenugreek! A ton of women have success with moringa/malunggay boosting their supply, and it's pretty cheap on Amazon. I've been taking it for over a week now and haven't really found an increase personally, but it seems to work for most women. Nothing I've tried has worked yet, but I seem to be part of that minority.

Best of luck!

 

[wtbmummy]

I think i may try the fenugreek as had a few people mention it now. Where sells it please?

With baby girl being poorly in n out of hospital n now ds has had his tonsilectomy things are a bit crazy n im sooo tired.
Last night i tried to pump middle of the night feed at 12.30am but was just to tired to keep my eyes open however the next feed maddie is always awake for 30mins to an hour. This is at 4-5am. Today it was 5am. I did a quick 10min pump each side n got half oz. Not a lot but as i have never pumped at that time thought was ok. Then pumped at 10am 15mins each side n ended up with 1.5oz. I used to get 3oz every 9-10am pump. Fingers crossed the fenugreek helps i will get some this weekend.

Fingers crossed it works ladies.

Any tips on how much i should take or what time of day etc....

 

[Smille24]

If you're in the US, walmart sells it in the vitamin isle. Below is a link for information on dosage. I take 3 capsules 3x a day when I need a boost. It has helped me. Also lots of water and oatmeal can help.

https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/herbs/fenugreek/

 

[lenorajoy]

I've noticed when I first pump at a new time that my body isn't used to, the same thing happens to me. I don't get much at that new pumping time and the next pumping session is less than I'm used to. But if you stick with it, you do end up getting more at both pumping sessions.

 

[wtbmummy]

Thank you for all your advice ladies. Yesterday my fenugreek arrived. I took 3 capsules n when i pumped couple hours later actually got just under 1oz. This morning i have pumped and again have got just under an oz! Much better than less than 0.5oz. I have taken 3more capsules this morning so will see if the after lunch pump is any better. So far i feel im seeing a good increase xx

 

[lenorajoy]

I really hope it does the trick for you and agrees with LO's tummy!

 

[wtbmummy]

Well tonight I am laying here with a very unhappy baby and I am the one crying

So the fenugreek worked and it doubled my supply. From 1-2oz a day i cant believe i used to get 7-9oz a day as this is just silly! But then it trailed off again and i was getting 1.5oz. (In an entire 24hrs) so i upped the fenugreek to 5tabs 3times a day. Yet today I only got 1oz! 1 tiny little flipping oz for over an hours pumping

I am devestated as I just cany justify the time it takes for the amount I am getting so I have decided today that I will not be pumping anymore!!

And good job too......

My gorgeous girl started getting quite windy but not to bad. Then she started being very sick with every bottle of milk. I mean even over an hour later still being sick! Dr gave us gaviscon for her but the wind has gotten worse to point she screams n the reflux has gotten worse also!

Only today do I realise...... It is the flipping fenugreek!! And shes only having couple of oz of bm a day so dread to think how bad she would be if I had gotten more of a supply!!!

In trying to take something to improve my supply to stop me feeling like I have failed my daughter I have actually been giving her something that has been making her ill!!

To say I feel like a rottern mother right now is an understatement so i cant produce the milk for her and i have been making her have wind and reflux too

I have said i am going to stop but i still just dont feel ready to stop. Its crazy. Im getting nothing so its pointless so why cant my brain n heart just accept that I can no longer pump?????

 

[kajastarlight]

don't beat yourself up. As parents we make the best choice we can with the information we have. Sometimes that choice turns out to be not the best thing. But you haven't failed her. You won't be failing her if you stop the supplement and go back to just pumping her out an oz or so and you won't be failing her to switch to 100% formula. You are doing a great job, Mama. Don't forget that!

 

[lenorajoy]

HUGE HUGE wtb!! Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. It's an awful feeling! I've been exactly where you are and I don't wish that on anyone. Try to breathe and remember you're doing everything you can and that's all anyone can do. It isn't our fault our bodies don't do what they're supposed to and what most women seem to find easy. Fenugreek left me in the same spot, though I didn't take it long enough to see if my milk supply decreased. I noticed the gassiness in DD right away and that was the only thing that had changed. I wonder now if there was a connection between taking the fenugreek and DD's reflux, too... I guess we'll never know.

BUT I'd suggest you give moringa a try. It seems to work wonders for a lot of women, specifically those that haven't had success with fenugreek. I know if you're anything like me (based on how you're feeling, I'd say you are), you'll try anything to make this work. For me moringa was the next step. I found it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYQVFGA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd start out taking 2 pills 3x a day and see how it goes. A smaller dose wasn't enough for me to notice a difference and a higher dose gave DD and I diarrhea. Best of luck and try to keep your chin up, dear! I know it's so very heartbreaking. And know that if it doesn't ever work out to have DD exclusively on breastmilk, you will eventually come to terms with it and you won't cry every time she needs formula, I promise. It took months, but I've finally gotten there.

 

[Smille24]

I am sorry the fenugreek did not work out. It causes me gas, but I haven't seen any impact on my baby. Every baby is different.

I know how you are feeling. My dd ebf until she about 6 months (when she got teeth). We started going through nursing strikes and I had to give bottles. Pumping is not easy and it is harder to get enough milk for the next meal. I am exclusively pumping now and my supply has tanked some days (especially if I don't drink enough water). I was devastated like you and beat myself up over it, but if I have to supplement formula I will. A fed baby is best no matter how you feed them.

 

[LaurelH]

Found this... "Moms who work outside the home and pump their milk sometimes find, after a few weeks or months, that pumping produces less and less milk. Their milk supply is indeed dwindling, and the culprit is likely to be their pump. Pumps that cycle at a lower speed than a baby nurses (fewer than 60 cycles per minute) and are used more than twice a day may cause your milk supply to gradually become mismatched to your baby's needs, and produce less milk than your baby wants. A hospital-grade electric pump will fix the problem, and can be rented from a lactation consultant or hospital pharmacy."

Perhaps rent a hospital grade pump and see what happens?

xx

 

[lenorajoy]

Found this... "Moms who work outside the home and pump their milk sometimes find, after a few weeks or months, that pumping produces less and less milk. Their milk supply is indeed dwindling, and the culprit is likely to be their pump. Pumps that cycle at a lower speed than a baby nurses (fewer than 60 cycles per minute) and are used more than twice a day may cause your milk supply to gradually become mismatched to your baby's needs, and produce less milk than your baby wants. A hospital-grade electric pump will fix the problem, and can be rented from a lactation consultant or hospital pharmacy."

Perhaps rent a hospital grade pump and see what happens?

xx

This makes sense! I respond so much better to a manual pump because I can control the speed and strength of suction. I've actually been able to build my supply recently after switching from electric to manual. I find I get the same amount or more in a shorter time using my manual pump vs electric. Do you own or have you tried a manual pump?