Hi Moms,
I had Mirena inserted 6 weeks ago and have noticed that my milk supply has diminished considerably. I am suffering from the extended spotting irregularity that is mentioned in all of the literature concerning Mirena. I'm starting to believe this may have something to do with my current supply issues. Nothing else has changed with my diet, lifestyle or sleep habits. Same goes for my twins.
My question is - have any other nursing moms experienced this? Was there anything you could do about it, or do you just have to wait it out till my body normalizes again?
And I appreciate any and all comments, but I do not need to be told to contact my local lactation consultation. I have already done that. I am looking for other experiences fellow moms may have had with this.
Thanks,
N.
I do not have experience with nursing and birth control. I do know that my sister, best friend and i all noticed a big drop in our milk supply when we got our periods. Maybe that has a little something to do with it? The only things i can think of is to drink massive amounts of water and mothers milk tea. God bless you for nursing 10 month old twins!!
I went on Nuvaring when my third was 9 months and sure enough my milk supply considerably dropped. Anything hormonal has the risk of decreasing your milk supply. I was ready to be done nursing anyway so it wasn't an issue for me. You could try pumping several times a day and see if you can bolster you milk supply any. Good luck
Hi N.,
I'm not sure if it's the Mirena that's causing your milk supply to drop. It could be the age of the babies and the fact that there's 2. Consider yourself lucky--I was only able to breastfeed until my twins were about 6 1/2 months old. After that, my supply got very low and I had to start substituting with formula. As for the Mirena--did you choose the one w/ or w/out hormones? Although I personally am not using the Mirena, my sister is. She chose the one w/, just as an added measure of precaution. That could be another factor in your supply dropping. Hopefully you can get this issue resolved quickly! Best of luck to you!
I had Mirena inserted 6 weeks post partum and I nursed well for a year.
I noticed the other poster stated that you are nursing 10 month old twins. If that is the case, then you milk supply may be diminishing on its own as your body gets ready to wean. I know this is not the case for everyone, but I have SEVERAL friends whose supply really dried up as they passed 9 months post partum.
Overall, my experience with the birth control is positive. I do have weird spotting, which can be "annoying' as it is not expected. But not as "annoying" as a baby surprise!
Dear N.,
I have nursed all three of my children. I have never used anything like that but, you have twins, God Bless You. Twins are such a different story because you have to be supermom. You may be spotting because your body is maxing out with the twins. The doctor could have done something. Your twins might be getting to the stage where life if more interesting than breastfeeding. I would ask the doctor if this was normal. I know I have never experienced spotting and that it was at least two months before I became regular again.
Make sure you are getting your rest because the more mobile they are, supermom is going to kick into high gear. Good luck, N..
E.
I had Mirena put in at 6 weeks and didn't notice a drop in milk supply. Now, granted, I never had the world's greatest milk supply to start out with, but I don't think Mirena changed that. However, at 9-10 months I did notice a drop in milk supply because I wasn't nursing /pumping as much since he was eating more and more solids. I am not a LC, but it also may be that nursing twins has just been harder on your body and you are not going to be able to continue to produce that much milk forever. (And BTW, WOW!!! You are my hero-- nursing twins to 10 months? You rock!!!)
SO, I don't think (personally) that it is the Mirena. But everyone's body is different. I've never had my period on it, so I can't discuss the "period effect" but I've heard others mention it before...
Any hormonal birthcontrol *can* effect milk supply. the progestroen only types effect it the least in most people, but since everyone is different, it will effect everyone differently.
Also, your supply does regulate from what it was when it first came in. When it first comes in, there is no regulation, you have no 'off' switch (not that you will till you are finished nursing), but your body learns how much to produce by what is being taken out. Having a full feeling is not good. That is what tells your body to produce LESS milk.
Your baby should be having 8-10 diapers (wet or dirty, does not matter), and a very wet diaper counts as 2. Pour 2 tablespoons of water in a diaper, and that is what is considered a normal wet diaper. As long as the diaper count is ok, your supply is fine, and it is just that your supply has regulated.
If the diaper count is NOT fine, then feel free to PM me, and I will be happy to try and help you increase your supply.
Oh, and as for my experience - I was on the mini pill for several months. It is basically the same hormones as the Mirena. It did not seem to change my supply, but I did have horrid mood swings, almost dehibilating cramps, and extremely heavy periods,(which I have never had in my life) so I decided to stop taking it.
