Hello. I have been nursing my son since he was born, he is about 7 months, and havent had a problem with my milk supply. He has been eating baby food for about 2 months now, but I am concerned b/c my milk supply seems to be decreasing now that he is eating jar food 3 times a day. I am sure this is normal, but I just want to make sure. He has always been a good nurser and still is, but my breast seem to be shrinking and when I pumped the other day, I didnt get as much as I normally do.He usually nurses about 5-7 times a day for about 10 mins each time. Is this ok??
Thanks in advance, ladies!
K.
Totally normal. Its just supply and demand. The demand is not as high any more so the supply starts to go down. Congrats on keeping up with the BF.
You are doing great! Totally normally. Your breasts are just adjusting.
He doesn't drink as much milk anymore because he is on jar food so your breast are responding to his change. If you were still producing lots of milk and he wasn't drinking it then you would become engorged. It is perfectly normal!
If he isn't needing as much milk, your supply will go down - which is normal. I went through a phase w/ my youngest where he would only nurse for about 5 min at a time every 3 hours during the day around 7-8 mo. and a long nurse at bedtime & in the morning. He started eating cereal when he was only 3 1/2 mo old & jarred food by 5 mo. He was getting enough, eventhough I wondered... I even called my sister (who teaches nursing classes) to double check if everything was ok because he just didn't seem to want to nurse that long anymore.
I did learn, that if I ate oatmeal my milk supply would increase. So, when he seemed to need more then I was producing I would eat oarmeal (even instant packs) for snacks & breakfast and oatmeal rasin cookie w/ my normal lunch.
Congratz on the baby boy!
you are fine. my son is 6 months old and the same thing has happened to me. if you have any concerns you may call your local hospital and ask for the lactation specialist. i always call the one at bay front medical center. their phone number is ###-###-####. just ask for lactation and they will transfer you. if no one answers leave a message and they will call you back.
Try drinking more water and juicing greens (kale,parsley, spinach with apple).
Sounds normal. How about pumping after breastfeeding several times a day to keep up supply. May give you a little boost.
This is normal, the less you nurse, the less milk your body produces. You can increase the quantity and quality with the following:
* Fenugreek herbal supplements (1-2 capsules per meal) - only if OK'd by your doctor if you have a history of diabetes. Otherwise, high protein meals and milk help. You can try fenugreek tea as well but this was less effective.
* Avoid spearmint or any type of mint that may lower supply.
* Keep pumping. Don't let more than 4 hours pass without pumping or nursing & pumping.
* Keep your weight up. I got used to the belly fat and upper arms, thinking of it as padding for my son. I've kept on 20 lbs on purpose to help with breastfeeding, by eating 2200 calories a day (chicken, cheese, PBJ sandwiches, juices, mixed green salad, Nesquick cocoa w/ whole milk and Kushi granola bars are the basis of my diet). If you add Ensure to your diet, the fat content of the milk will go up.
Breast size is not indicative of milk supply. Flat chested women are able to sufficiently nurse their children.
Are you only pumping or is he latching on to your breasts? Nature is a beautiful thing, your body will produce what your child needs. As a matter of fact, your body will produce the correct antibodies needed if your child is sick. Nature is fascinating. I often wonder why anyone would choose to use artificial breast milk but that's another story.
Breast size does often change, inflate and deflate during times of nursing. When you first deliver your breasts are usually engorged, this tends to settle down, do you also notice that you don't get that 'letting down' tingling feeling anymore?
Good for you continuing to nursing your son! Enjoy this time.
That sounds perfectly normal - your bm will diminish as the baby starts eating more solids which reduces his overall need for bm. If you are concerned about continued decrease in you bm, you can add an extra pumping session, or as another mom suggested, pump after you nurse. Congrats on continuing to BF your baby!!!
Sounds about right... =)
It's normal. Once you begin introducing solids, your baby will nurse less and remember: breastfeeding is a supply/demand relationship. Your body will supply for the demands made by your baby. You nurse more, you make more. You nurse less, you make less. Also to note, a baby is a much better "pump" than any artificial pump so if you are needing to pump for those times when you are away from your baby, you might consider pumping more often just so that you can make up for the times he isn't nursing much or as often.
