Help! My Milk Is Gone!

First of all, we need to know how old your baby is. Secondly, milk doesn't just disappear overnight. Even when a breastfeeding mother weans her child, her breasts will produce milk for weeks afterwards, sometimes up to a year. Thirdly, you cannot gauge how much milk you produce by how much milk you pump. How a baby sucks at the breast is far superior pumping than a breast pump. You indicate that your baby is frustrated at the breast. We need to establish why: (1) how old is he, (2) is he teething (3) have you introduced solids.

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Okay, I see you updated some info. Is he gaining weight? How many wet/soiled diapers is he producing? Teething is a huge factor! If you give a baby a bottle, the contents of the bottle will continuously drip out so this is what happens: put bottle in baby's mouth, milk drips out, causes baby to swallow, and baby continues to swallow as milk drips out. There really is no "work" in drinking from a bottle. Baby just swallows. Easy breezy. Now, on the breast, baby wants milk, he has to suck. Is he sucking? Do you see him swallowing? My baby is going to be 12 months old in a few days. She just got 4 teeth all at once. Poor baby is miserable and cranky and sometimes she just wants to suckle, not nurse. The best I can offer is that you contact a certified lactation consultant. I can mostly promise that your milk doesn't just dry up overnight. Just because you may not feel a let down, just because baby is acting frustrated, and just because you pump a couple of ounces~ these are not indicators that your milk is gone. Sometimes babies go on a nursing strike. My first born went on a strike when she was about 12 months old. It sends a new mommy into a crazy, "oh my goodness, what should I do" paranoid state of mind. Just keep offering your breasts and it also helps if you are able to lie down in a quiet darkened room with your baby. A 9 mth old gets quite distracted and that could also be a valid reason. Don't give up and don't rely on the bottle either because I can tell you that the more you offer the bottle, the less milk you make and the less milk you make, well, you know what happens. It's a downward spiral. Keep pumping regularly, stay hydrated, and try to not stress about it.

There could be many reasons why the baby is frustrated. Maybe he's not hungry. Wait a while. He could be teething and uncomfortable.

To truly understand what is going on, we really need more info. My advice to you is to call your local hospital and ask if there are any certified lactation consultants on staff. If not, contact your pediatrician and ask if they know of any certified lactation consultants. If all else fails, look for LLL (La Leche League) in your area to help you locate a consultant who is certified.

I had the same problem. Just like Ava said, I tried everything and nothing worked. My lactation consultant said that happens a lot when you get your period back. After three months of total frustration I gave up. Sometimes your body will just make up it's mind for you. :/

The more you pump/nurse, the more your body will make.

Even if nothing is coming out, continue to pump for 10-15 minutes after you think you're done. Your body creates the supply to keep up with the demand.

I'd STOP taking all the things you're taking and let your body do what's natural. And RELAX; stress has a huge impact on your milk production.

I had a dip in supply when my period came back, but i kept breast feeding and it came back.
i know it is unnerving when baby gets frustraited, but your breast knows the difference between baby and pump. try to bf first then pump After the feeding.
if possible, take a couple days off of work and spend it at home toppless with your naked baby in your arms. the skin to skin contact is a trigger for your body as well.
Keep taking fenugreek, and drink LOTS AND LOTS of water!
I have also heard rumors of a shot your doc can give to bring your milk in. I have no idea what it is called. try to look it up and talk to you doctor. dont wait to long.

I don't know what else might be happening over there. Did you spend time away from your baby? Did you miss some feedings/pumpings because you were too busy to stop? Sometimes your body might be making the decision for you. Sometimes you just might not understand the process enough to know how to respond to the changes.

At about eight to nine weeks I spent the night away from baby. I had no idea about how the milk supply worked. I just leaked all evening and overnight (soaked through pads, pajamas, sheet). The next day, I had trouble. It took a lactation consultant (best friend ever!) and experience and intuition to right that ship. I agree that stress is gonna do you in. Try to relax...and do a hard reset on your body. Stop taking EVERYTHING that you're taking. Make some ginger tea (put ginger root in the kettle and some in your cup), and dip a chamomile tea bag. This will help your body do ALL the other things that it does (head to toe plumbing) and help you to take a few peaceful breaths. In the meantime, WEAR YOUR BABY (can't stress that one enough). Get a sling and wear that baby like a favorite piece of jewelry. I mean it--don't put him down unless you have to. If you can, put him right on your skin, right at your bare breast. (Yeah, walk around the house like that.) Pump every two to three hours for about 10 minutes on each side. (If you have a small hand pump, use that.) When he wants to eat, offer him the breast. Let him work at it for a while before offering him a bottle (if he doesn't get enough). Pump for about five minutes on each breast after. My baby got frustrated (during that time that I told you about). It took a few days to get back on track. At 15 months, my body is still adjusting to meet his needs. My husband likes to remind me of how I was afraid and insecure at first. I talked with my LC every day for a while. I remember getting up in the middle of the night and checking out some stuff online, because my gut was telling me that it wasn't what others said it was. My gut was right.

It could be your period that's bringing about change. It could be change that's bringing about your period. Calm down; regroup (hard reset); go back in. You're not done.

ETA: I tied to stay away from caffeine at first, because it can be dehydrating. For some reason, though, I pump a good two ounces more an hour or so following a cup of coffee chased with a bottle of water. Go figure.

I think sometimes it just happens. I never had enough milk to exclusively breastfeed, but I pumped and fed as much as possible for four months with my first. My milk supply was always the same, and then at four months it just dried up completely -could barely squeeze a few drops out! Nothing changed -it just happened. And yes, it basically happened overnight. It was like my body said, "Enough!" One day I managed to get what I usually got and the next day I got about an ounce out of each breast the whole day. I got my period at about 6 weeks post-partum, so I had my period several times while doing what breastfeeding I could. Neither of my grandmothers or my mother ever had much or any milk, and I think through using a pump I was able to keep the little bit I had for that long -but it just went away.

At 9 months I would continue to give him what you have and just feed him solids for his age group and formula if he's absolutely not getting enough breastmilk with the food.

I don't know how to send you a miracle but I will send you my info & it has been the same with all four of the babies that I nursed. At 3months, my milk simply, 'went away' it took about a week to do so, my body just said, 'that's all you get'. I transitioned easily with the exception of having to add a pinch of sugar to the bottle so they would take it.( I KNOW you mama's are going to say that's not a good thing but all my girlz are healthy adults and still have all of their teeth!)

I hope you find the answer you are searching for, but if you don't, it's gonna be OK, I promise..

That happens sometimes when u have your period. Also at 9 months the baby should be eating three small meals a day in addition to nursing. That way she won't need as much milk especially late at night. It will give you more time to build up your supply in the morning.

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That happens sometimes when u have your period. Also at 9 months the baby should be eating three small meals a day in addition to nursing. That way she won't need as much milk especially late at night. It will give you more time to build up your supply in the morning.

Well, your period could do it. That can cause a drop, though temporary. You could also be stressed. And remember that a pump is not a 100% an indicator of what you can produce.

kellymom.com has info on getting through a nursing strike, and dealing with things like teething.