Help! Milk Supply Dropping!

Mother's Milk Tea worked overnight for me and I woke up completely engorged. Brew a cup and place a saucer on top for 15 minutes. Drink ONLY HALF. Next morning if you don't have supply back take the rest. They give it in the NICU with preemies... I learned this back in April when my daughter and I were apart for the first couple days of her life. I got some and took it, next day I woke to my milk having come in and I never had to give her a bottle after that night. :)

Fenugreek!! It helps so much. It takes a few days sometimes, but you will know when it has kicked in!!

I have really bad milk supply. My LC suggested me Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea which is natural tea and helped me to milk supply back up...and still using enormously;)
I hope It`ll help you.
HAVE A GOOD DAY;)

when i was not producing milk i was told drinking a dark brown beer would increase production. so pump a couple of bottles pre-drinking beer and drinnk about a thirty two ounce to a forty ounce pump the alcohol out ur system maybe a twenty four hour period and hopefully ur flow should be back to normal.

One thing to keep in mind is to remain as calm and relaxed as possible thorugh this anxiety producing time. Your milk supply is likely to suffer if you are stressed. One thing that has helped others I know who have had a similar problem, is to try to nurse your baby at times when her instincts will take over a little bit and you are relaxed (at night in the bath tub perhaps. You don't have to wake her to do it, but see if the last thing before bed you is spend this time with her in a warm bath (which will help let down a little even at 15 months) and she is sleepy and will latch well with less frustration (hopefully).

Keep pumping as often as you can to build your supply
Try Fenugreek herb to help produce milk.

The other thing to keep in mind is that your body is producing less milk now due to your baby's age. Nursings will be less and less as your baby is eating other foods. Women's bodies usually adapt fine, it is our minds that think there is something wrong.

Do you ever feel full anymore...like you need her to feed? Feed her then of course.. I don't know if any of this is helpful, but hopefully this will work itself out and you can enjoy many more months/years of nursing your baby. H.

You could try Malta Goya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta_(soft_drink)

Hi!
I suggest fennugreek capsules. I don't think it matters how far along you are in the breastfeeding phase, you can take it to up your supply. Do check with your doctor first to make sure, but as far as I know, it works miracles. It does make your milk a little sweeter, but my sister- she took it for a few months, and her supply was so big that she had a month's worth in the freezer when she started to ween her son.
Hope this helps!

It would really help to know what exactly you did when pumping. What pump did you use? Have you tried manually pumping? This is done basically how you milk a cow. If you need details, I can write again. When I used to pump with an actual pump, it didn't work. It just wasn't natural. It helps to watch your baby sleep or have a picture of her in front of you. Have you considered waking her? I know it's great to have a full night's sleep but if you're losing milk and need to be up to pump anyway, then what's the point? Don't worry about her losing sleep, she would take longer naps. Then there are herbs you can use or tea like mother's milk tea, a tincture called Mother's Milk, hops and barley are great for lactation, hence, the old-fashioned ideas of drinking a beer. If you go to a natural foods store, you can find these. Hope this all helps. If you need more info, just write back.

the herb fenugreek is known for helping. I thought my milk supply was dropping once and bought some.Alfalfa is what my friend takes. You will smell like syrup for awhile, but it don't stink. Also eat oatmeal for breakfast. I wean mine at a year, so I have never had the problem that you have. I H. this helps and I love to hear of people who breastfeed. For me there is no other alternative.

First off CONGRATZ on nursing to 15 months. My last one nursed the longest, but only made it to 10 months. When I had issues with him wanting more and me not seeming to have enought I ate oatmeal... for breakfast, as a snack, made cookies, had oatmeal bars - whatever way I felt like eating it. It did suprise me that I did start feeling fuller. Sometime I would eat instant oatmeal for a bedtime snack, in the morning I was hurting & ready for my boy to nurse.

Good luck on continueing to nurse your little one.

I'm still nursing and my son is 20 months. We have also gone through periods of 'drought' when he was either going through growth spurs or I worked out extra hard or I was behind on water. We just hung in there and my supply in time seemed to kick in to meet his needs. Just keep going momma. I get a ton of 'you're still nursing comments' with raised eyebrows but my guy just isn't ready to wean and we only get this relatively short period of time to give them this awesome nutritional and emotional support. My midwife actually recommended a Guinness beer at night and I think it helps a lot. Lots of carbs, helps me relax. She's English so it's a little more excepted outside of the US. You'll get even more raised eyebrows. :)

if your child is 15 months old it's time to wean her.

Domperidone http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidonewhere.shtml

or you can use Mother's Milk capsules from El Camino Hospital. When you start using this, I would use the breastpump every few hours to keep stimulating your ducts to help build your milk supply again.

FENUGREEK.....It helps so much. Also just keep pumping. It takes awhile for your body to respond but it will. I recently took a 2.5 week vacation and didn't pump the whole trip since my son was with me and nursing. When we got home I paid the price. I used to pump 6-8 ounces 2xs per day and 4-5 once. When we first got back I pumped for 2 hours and got 1 ounce. I am finally getting much closer to what I used to pump. If it really important to you just don't give up....If you keep it up the milk will come.

Have you tried Fenugreek? You can find it in healthfood and vitamin stores.

So sorry to hear your frustration. Have you heard of La Leche League? They are amazing and so helpful. Here is their website and they have many local reps that go out of their way to help. They have a book and some answers on their website too.

http://lllnorcal.org/groups/OaklandBerkeleyCA.html

Good luck, and no matter how it all turns out, you have done an awesome job breastfeeding for 15 months. That's more than what many moms do nowadays (unfortunately).

Best,
S.

Congrats on nursing this long! We stopped at 14 months...and its been a month and I miss it so much...I ask myself why did I give it up? PEER PRESSURE!!! But I would say at this age its ok if you go through droughts...he should be eating solids and stuff now so breastfeeding is not purely for nutritional value anymore...its more for bonding and emotional in my opinion. So dont worry, just enjoy every moment and "go with it" whatever that may be! But I also recomend "Mothers Milk Tes"... only the kind in the pink and white box...its the only one FDA approved and it tastes the best I think. Fenugreek makes you smell like maple syrup so I could never stick with it long enough to see if it worked.

With Love ~ C.

I drink Mother's Milk Tea and take 3 Fenugreek capsules in the a.m. and with dinner to keep up with my greedy little 2 mo. old daughter.
Fenugreek is a chinese herb you can find it at any health food store and GNC carries it too.
Mother's Milk Tea is easy to find too even Safeway carries it.
Pumping will help too - it takes your body a while to adjust to the new routine.
You may want to pump in the middle of the night for a week or two to get your "girls" back to work. ;)

Thank you so much for posting this (and all those who posted in support of it)! I have been going through the same thing with my 16 month old and, like several commented, have been feeling peer pressure about stopping. I'm not ready just yet and it's great to know there is a supportive community out there!

Hi- I wouldn't worry too much about your milk supply at this stage. You could try the herbs people are suggesting but your daughter is getting nutrition from other places and she will be fine. Not sure how long she has seemed frustrated but your body may just need more time adjusting to her new schedule. Both my girls decreased their nursing at a little past 1 year and my supply had to adjust. One weaned herself by 20 months and the other I nursed to a little past 2 years. Please don't listen to people telling you when to stop. You'll know when it's right for your family and anyone judging you for nursing at 15 months is just plain wrong. I know very few people who quit by a year. It doesn't sound like you need the info but maybe other Moms would like to read what medical professionals say about it.

http://parenting.families.com/blog/breastfeeding-how-long...

You could call your local La Leche League to confirm but I bet your body will adjust on it's own. Good Luck!

Hi, I am currently reading a book called "Mother Food" by Hilary Jacobson. It has tons of info about milk supply and what to eat when you are breastfeeding. Hope this helps...

Hi there!
I hope you are doing good.
What I suggest is that you drink alot of teas, and oat meal and stuff like that and even if she doesn't eat at night you will have enough milk for a while... It worked for me.... I hope that helps you, have a great day,

T. =)

I can feel your reluctance to let go of this bonding but your child is getting big and has bigger needs. As she sleeps longer and grows her body needs more to do all the things like running and jumping and playing and milk is a nice thirst quencher but just not enough to sustain her needs any more. It is not personal just that she is growing. You can increase your milk supply by pumping in between and drinking alot of water but she will turn away and move on to other things and want to be a big girl with a sippy cup sitting at a table. Your body and her body dictates the time to let go and you can find other things in her life to have bonding with her. Evolution provided her with teeth for a reason, hands to pick up food and cups to sustain her nutritionally. she is growing physically and mentally and will move on in phases.. Are you trying to continue nursing for you or for her. Just a thought

Cut back on red meat and start drinking a LOT, especially "Mother's Milk" herbal tea. Combination helped me when my milk supply wss low and my 1st just a baby. I went on to nurse #1 for 4 years and #2 for 5 years (tandem nursing for 6 months). You may be dehydrated in the morning, so drinking a lot before bed (though it may mean getting up to pee, could help you get going again).

After reading the answers after mine, I have to add -- hang in there you nursing moms who are being told to quit (you weren't very helpful, Tiffany) -- The worldwide AVERAGE for nursing is 7 years -- we are wayyyy behind in the U.S. Nursing through toddler years doesn't mean nursing all the time -- it is mainly for comfort, love and "mama convenience" -- as it is a "cure-all" for hurts, tantrums, exhaustion, etc. By age 1 1/2, it was pretty much once at night, occasionally in the morning and rarely during the day -- as needed! The two I nursed to ages 4 & 5 respectively are extremely healthy, intelligent 15 and 11 year old girls -- rarely ever get sick, emotionally well adjusted and though we have a close relationship -- they are VERY independent. I am very lucky to have raised them in the "nursing capital" of the U.S. -- Davis, CA -- where there is much support and encouragement for longer term nursing in this well-educated city. Good luck to all you nursing moms -- I miss that very special time in our lives -- though both my girls are still up for good cuddles now and then!