Drop in Milk Supply After Less than 2 Weeks.

I have a 11 month old and my milk supply has been great and bad at times. I know when I'm stressed about something or not taking it easy, (as much as possible) my milk supply is sparce. Try not to stress about it as hard as that is. It makes a big difference. Also I know it sounds wierd but drink a beer a night. There was a short peirod where I couldnt pump any milk out at all, I tried everything. A friend told me about the beer thing and I tried it I was desperate and it worked my milk came back. You will get so much advice on this web site and believe me you'll be trying it all and see what works for you. Good luck

Hey K.,

I felt that way too, with my fist baby my milk supply was so abundant that my son only took one breast at a time and I would pump the other and but it in the freezer. Then when it came to my second child she would take both breast every 3 hrs. and I did not have milk to pump and my breast did not feel like a even had milk. My lactation nurse told me that my breast are use to breast feeding my 1st baby and not to worry, so I didn't. I never supplement....
Good Luck and Do Not Worry.

M.

I'm a lactation educator and doula and I wanted to let you know a few things happen at 2 weeks postpartum. One is a growth spurt for baby, this will cause your daughter to nurse more frequently and MANY moms think this is a drop in their supply, in reality, most of the time it's not. It's just your baby nursing more frequently to bulk up your supply even more. The problem is so many moms think it's a drop in supply so they supplement "so that baby is getting enough" and that is what causes a drop in supply. If the Dr. says it's not the antibiotics, I'd tend to believe them at this point. Just nurse your baby as much as she wants and I promise this will resolve itself and pass! The other thing that happens at 2 weeks is that your breasts get more efficient at producing what is needed so it doesn't have to over produce, so you won't get engorged, but don't worry that this means you don't have enough. If you are drinking plenty of fluids and breastfeeding exclusively you will be giving your baby enough milk. If you have already started to supplement, because you thought you weren't giving your daughter enough, here's a great way to fix the problem, you can do this even if you haven't supplemented yet. Have a 24-48 hour babymoon. Like a hunnymoon, but with your baby. Get ready for it by getting a pitcher of water and some snacks to have by your bed, and some good books, diapers and wipes, and anything else you might need in a day or two. Go to bed with your baby and stay there for 24-48 hours. Stay in your PJs. Don't get out of bed unless you have to. Only to go to the bathroom and get a meal, if you can even eat those in bed. This will give you great bonding time with your daughter. It'll help you catch up on any sleep you may be missing while she sleeps, and it'll help you relax, this will also help your milk supply. Don't give her a pacifier the whole time. Nurse her as much as she wants even if she just wants to suck(remember it's only for a day or two). By the end of your babymoon you will have an even greater bond, and you'll have the confidence that you have enough milk for her. One more thing to know. She will also go through a growth spurt at 3 months, so if that happens you'll know it's not that you don't have enough milk, just that she's gonna need more in the coming weeks and months, so she's preparing you for it. Good luck, enjoy that precious baby and let me know if you have any other questions.
Leah

Wow! Lots of great advice from all these moms! I had this problem after c-sections too. I found out too olate that I had low thyroid levels. Maybe your doctor could do a quick blood test for anemia and low thyroid? Doesn't hurt to ask. Good luck to you.
Here are two great sites to read.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/breastfeeding.htm

http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-lms.aspx

Hi K.,

The same thing happened to me when I started taking birth control after my son was 2 months old. I stopped the birth control and I took an herbal supplement for about a month. The supplement that I took was More Milk Plus by Mother Love. My milk supply came back within about 48 hours. I was amazed. I got it at my local health food store. I would contact your local health food store, possibly Elliotts, and see what they have that can help you. The supplement that I took was a liquid that didn't taste very good and by the end of the month I think it did give my son a tummy ache, but my supply rebounded and my son was happy and had plenty of milk. I would also pump after my first feeding in the morning. My son would usually only eat on on breast, so I would pump the other and freeze it for the future. Good luck and congrats on the little one!

I am sorry for your struggle, but my advice seeing how young your baby is.. is to PUMP PUMP PUMP, get a hospital grade double pump and seriously pump until you can't pump anymore. It'll come back, I hope... Once I got to a point were I was back at work and not pumping regularly, my milk seems to deplenish by the day, so good luck, get a goood pump, maybe rent one and PUMP PUMP PUMP.
GOOD LUCK!!
C.

Drink Mother's Milk Tea - Traditional Medicinals - available at nicer Safeways, Longs, and health food stores.
Take Fenugreek capsules - 3 @ 3X a day ( Chinese herb)
Eat brown rice, sweet potatoes & apricrots.
Drink a ton of water. I had a rough time nursing - lazy boobs so I did all of the above to get things going. A few sips of a wheat beer help too.

I would look into seeing a lactation consultant, as there could be a number of different things going on. If your baby is not latching well, this could cause your supply to drop. You can boost supply by using a breast pump. Supply and demand. More drawn out, more produced. But if baby's latch remains weak, your supply will continue to diminish. Contact La Leche League for referrals to lactation consultants and pump rentals. If you are in the inner East Bay, you can get both through Alta Bates Hospital. Good luck!

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on your new bundle of joy! And hope you recover from your c-section ASAP (we had one too, ugh).

Do you think it's possible that you are no longer engorged but that there is still enough milk for your baby? I remember that I was really engorged just after my daughter was born but then my breasts weren't as heavy and full feeling anymore, but milk was still coming out when she fed (she got very fat being just breast fed, and we're still at it after a year).

Sounds like you have lots of other great suggestions, and hopefully you can get more from a lactation consultant, or have you tried La Leche League? I'm sure they could help as well. www.llli.org

Good luck! I hope it all goes well!

H.

Keep nursing on demand- definitely at night too. Maybe try for every 3-4 hours, even if she is asleep? I had good luck with More Milk Plus capsules at one time when I thought my supply was decreasing. But it also may be that things are evening out so you feel less engorged. I wonder why you think you are having very little milk? Try not to supplement with formula if you can, as that will definitely cause your supply to decrease.

Congratulations on your new addition! Keep nursing everytime she is awake or wants to be pacified. Then pump when she is sleeping. Good luck!

Go see a lactation consultant as soon as possible. I had the same problem after a c-section. It could be your baby's suck or the infection. It's hard to know. Also, If you could pump after each nursing it would help your supply and you could then give it to your baby in a bottle. Good Luck!

I have heard that taking antibiotics can and will affect your milk supply. But you need to take them. You should be able to find a tea called Mothers Tea, Mothers Milk or something like that at your grocery store. It will be in the natural food section. It is supposed to help increase your milk supply. I know a few women that have used it and it works. Give it a shot.

Hi
I had the same problem after my c section. Nurse and pump like mad, drink plenty of water, take fenugreek and drink that mother's milk tea by the gallon! See a lactation consultant!
Good luck and congratulations!
N

Make sure that your breasts are properly supported at ALL times.

Get FITTED and purchase a few good quality nursing bras for day time wear. (You really do get what you pay for here.) Get a sleep maternity bra to wear at night.

I've noticed a marked drop in my milk supply if I decide to not wear my night bra for just one night (and I've been nursing almost exclusively for 16 months!)

Hi K.-
My sister had this very same problem. THe lactation nurse told her not only to up her protein intake and her liquids, but put her on an herb which is supposed to stimulate it. It took about 3 days or so to show any improvement, but it worked. The lady also told her it makes the milk sweeter. The herb is called fenugreek. My sister's son had a hard time latching, so she pumps to ensure that he will get breastmilk when he can't seem to feed. Just from her experience, I would definately reccommend it. She has been through the ringer with this baby, and this herb has been a huge help. It's always wise to ask a lactation consultant, but I would def. try it.
Hope this helps!
-E. M.

Try to relax. Your milk supply will come back in if you nurse on demand. I nursed my kids for 4 years and 18 months; they both weaned by choice. The best advice I ever got (and we get a lot, don't we?) was nurse on demand. Your milk supply will adjust itself up and down over time. Your body has an inner wisdom. Trust in it.

I have heard that feeding more often (like every two hours) for three days brings milk back full force.

There are certain vitamins that can help with your milk if it gets weak, I think brewers yeast is one of them, and I can't think of the other one.

Hope that helps, good luck
K.

Oh and have you tried pumping in between feedings? 20 minutes on each side with a good hospital strength pump might "trick" your boddy into producing more.