HELP! my milk supply seems to be getting lower and lower! I work M/W/F, so I pump (2x) on the days I work for the next daycare day. Each time I pump I have only been getting 2 oz out of each side! My 10 month old eats two or sometimes 3 bottles of 6oz, so this is obviously not working! I feel like I am always behind on milk production and scrambling to keep up. Also, my 10 month old slowed down on her growth curve a bit (she is only in 10%tile for weight) at her 9mo checkup. I thought it was because she started to crawl at 7months, but now I am worrying (a lot) that she might not be getting enough milk. she does nurse a lot and wakes up at least 2x during the night to nurse (not sure if that is hunger or behavior).
We are doing oatmeal cereal or organic baby food a couple times a day. I started cheerios and would do more table foods, but she has a bad gag reflex and the few times I have tried anything other than cheerios (bannana, avacado, very tiny piece of chicken) she gags and pukes up everything she has just eaten (which was an entire baby food pouchs). So its not like my milk supply is going down because she is eating solids, because she's not, really.
A few weekends ago I pumped after almost every feeding for a couple days to try to increase supply. It did nothing but make my nipples hurt. and annoy my husband who washes the bottles & pump parts (thats his way of contributing to breastfeeding).
I don't want to supplement with formula because my baby has a dairy intolerance thru my breastmilk (spits up like crazy and has tummy aches when I drink milk/cheese, so I am totally dairy free right now), so could she even use formula?
With my first child, I used to pump 5oz out of each side, every time, easy peasy! what is the deal?!! I am exhausted and totally sleep deprived, so that might have something to do with it? This is so frustrating, now I see why moms give up breastfeeding.
any ideas or words of encouragement???
this just happened to me last week. Go to the store and buy mothers milk tea (its by the tea section) and drink it 4-5 times a day for a few days. You will be back to normal in no time!
There are alot of questions packed into this post A.K. SO first I would say, calm down take a deep breath! Please consider talking to your pediatrician about the whole enchilada. Your milk supply can be dwindling due to your health and stress levels. Her spitting up has way too many potential causes for on-line advice. You need a doctor to discuss your alternatives. Being unable to continue after ten months is not the end of the world. You need to do what is best for you and your baby. But, get good medical advice first.
Good luck!
Sharon E. gave you great advice.
Talk to your doc and your pediatrician about any questions about which formula you might be able to use.
Your baby needs to be fed, "how" is not worth making yourself sick over!
Good luck!
You have done AMAZING breastfeeding your baby for 10 months. She is, or should be, getting most of her nutrition from solid food now, or really soon anyway. I wouldn't even call it "giving up breastfeeding" as you have already done plenty!! There ARE formulas out there for those sensitive to dairy and your little one will be just fine with them! I really think you should just close this chapter and let it go... your baby needs a rested, happy mama much more than she needs your breastmilk at this point. :)
I have a 3 1/2 year old that's not quite weaned And I really, really think you're at the toughest age nursing wise!
The first, easiest thing to do is shuffle your daughters feeding schedule so she gets ALL of the solids and juices she takes during your work hours, that will cut down on the amount of bottles she drinks while you're gone AND increase the number of times she's nursing while you're home, which will help increase your supply.
Are you using a pump in style? Are you using the shields that came with it? I HIGHLY reccomend going to Target or Babies r Us and getting the SoftFit shields and/or the larger ones. Also try changing up your pump settings. When I pumped at home I'd just set the bottles, shields and all in the fridge between sessions and then wash at the end of the day.
You can also pump at naptime on your days off. And this weekend GET SOME SLEEP! EVERYTHING is always worse when you're tired!
And you can always call/go to LLL-- they're always helpful and you can find the leader/meeting near you at http://www.llli.org/webus.html
Fenugreek and More Milk Plus are two herbal supplements that worked great for me. You can adjust the dose according to how often you nurse and how full you need to be. Fenugreek is inexpensive and can be found in just about any pharmacy. But at high doses it made me dizzy. So I switched to the more expensive, but more powerful, More Milk Plus, which has a combination of herbs, including a lower dose of fenugreek. Then when I was only nursing the baby a couple times a day, I switched back to fenugreek. I wish I had known about herbal supplements for increasing milk supply with my first baby. Poor kid was so hungry. Instead I ended up following every breastfeeding session with a bottle of formula. He had so much gas from it all. Ah well, we all make mistakes with the first one, right?
I had trouble pumping enough for my daughter when she was about that age, and she was a tiny thing too (still is). I just sent what I had and told her care giver to give breast milk first. Then she had formula there if she needed more before I got there. They do make lactose free formula.
You could also try taking fenugreek, found at GNC or health food stores. It is an herb that has been known to increase milk production, but be fore warned you (and possibly your baby) will start to smell like maple syrup! You should take 3 pills 3x/day. Could you try to squeeze in another pumping session at work? Or if she sleeps thru (or nearly thru) the night try pumping right before you go to bed. Often times I had more than enough at the first nursing session of the day and could pump right after that and get a decent amount.
There is no need to give up nursing completely, and if she is not taking many solids yet it is still a very important form of calories and nutrition for her. Nurse as much as you can and pump as much as you can and supplement with lactose free formula as needed.
Also, if she is otherwise happy, healthy and hitting her milestones. I wouldn't worry about being in the 10% on the growth charts. You may even want to check which charts your doc is using. Some of the older charts were developed using predominantly white, formula fed, children from Ohio. Not exactly a good measuring stick. Many breastfed babies are a little smaller (2 of my 4 were this way), it does not mean she is starving.
You are doing great, don't give up yet, hang in there!
The MAIN thing, is that your baby gets enough intake and on-demand.
For the 1st year of life, breastmilk or Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition. NOT solids and not other liquids.
Solids, is not as nutritionally dense, as breastmilk or solids.
Plus, your baby is not taking solids well. Not ready for 'table' foods. Just keep with purees or mashed... food. Mashed. Not chunks.
DO NOT give your baby, table foods... when she is not ready.
She will choke or aspirate on the food. That is not good.
Just feed her, purees.
A baby that age does not have to... eat 'table' foods like adults. Yet.
She is only 10 months old.
See a Lactation Consultant.
Talk to your Pediatrician, about dairy free Formula.
I think you're doing fine. Both my boys fell off the growth chart around 9mo (my youngest is 9mo old, my oldest is 4yrs old). Both were /are breastfed. And we currently do Stage 3 foods for breakfast & dinner with the baby. I work 2 days a wk (used to do 2-3), 12hr shifts. I don't remember with my oldest, but I did find that with my youngest I wasn't pumping as much as I used to. But he gets what he needs, plus we have frozen milk as backup. A pump is not going to get as much as the baby will. Honestly, my baby takes probably about 15oz from bottles in the 12 (well, more like 14hrs total) that I'm gone. He usually nurses in the wee hrs of the morning and at bedtime on those days. But when I'm home he nurses every 2-3hrs during the day. As long as she doesn't seem still hungry after you nurse her, I think she's ok. Drink plenty of water, get some rest (when you can), and you can try some of the stuff some other moms mentioned. I wouldn't go to formula just because of the weight at this point. Maybe you can contact a lactation consultant or La Leche League near you. Or if you are on facebook, look for breastfeeding groups (I'm in a couple now & they are very encouraging). Good luck & try not to stress (that doesn't help the supply either)!
