Milk Supply Going down When Pumping... Augh!

I was able to breastfeed my 4 children full time but when it came to pumping could not a any out. don't panic talk to the dr. Good luck!!!

My son is 8 months old as well and my supply has decreased, too. I'm not worried about it. The same thing happened when I was pumping for my now 3 year old. I used to pump 8 ounces and now I pump 5 or 6. I don't pump all the time (maybe twice a week) and I've used the same hospital grade Medela pump with great success. I'm inclined to believe that my body is just making the amount of milk my son needs now that he's also getting solid foods. He doesn't act hungry and he's a nice size (22 pounds). Listen to your baby's cues before you worry too much. Does she seem hungry? If we weren't pumping, we'd have no idea how many ounces we were producing, so it's really up to the baby to let us know if something isn't right. Good luck to you!

Hi, I pumped exclusively for over a year with my daughter. In order to keep the breast milk flowing you need to pump frequently enough AND empty the breasts at each feed/pump. I would recommend that you increase your pumping frequency and even pump in the middle of the night at least once (often when the prolactin/oxytocin is the highest) to stimulate the breasts. It is all about supply and demand when breastfeeding. If your breasts have milk in them throughout the day and aren't emptied fully, it will send feedback to the brain saying that your child no longer needs as much and will decrease production. It might take a few days to get back up to your previous levels of production, but it should happen, particuarly if you are catching it early. Of course you should also make sure that your nutrition and hydration are also adequeate to support milk production. Also make sure you aren't taking any meds such as sudafed that might decrease production. Good luck to you. Feel free to email directly with any further questions. Good for you for breastfeeding so long!!!!

I heard recently that there's a new pump on the market that duplicates natural nursing more effectivly. It starts off strong and then gets slower and harder at the end (when it's harder to get the creamy milk out). I do not know what it's called, but you might look into a better pump.

My milk supply never went down when my son started solid food (5 months, he had 4 teeth and really wanted to eat). My supply didn't really go down until my son was about 2.5 or so. I have a feeling that your pump isn't getting all the milk out. Good luck!

To establish my lower breast milk supply, I have successfully used an organic lactation tea called Healthy nursing tea which instantly boosted my supply with no side effects.

Well, keep in mind that NO pump is just as effective as your baby in emptying the breast, so when she's nursing, she'll likely still have enough milk.
That said, your supply will eventually decrease as your baby eats more solids.
If you feel like you can't keep up with the demand, try nursing her as much as possible when you're home. At that age I would do nursing vacations with my daughter, so on the weekends I stayed in bed with her until noon and just nursed and cuddled all morning.
Also frequency of pumping is important, so if she needs three bottles, you should pump at least 3 times, possibly 4 to keep up.

At 14 months I stopped pumping altogether - I still breastfeed mornings, evenings and weekends, but she's so busy being a toddler now, that she doesn't drink any more bottles and get's regular milk from a cup.

Just because you can't get very much pumping does not mean that you don't have milk. THe baby is much more effective at getting the milk. Stress and hormonal imbalance can actually cause your supply to drop.

You can try changing the diaphram(i think that's what it's called) on the pump, they wear out frequently.

There is a yahoo group for moms who pump
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpMoms/?v=1&t=...

Also http://www.lowmilksupply.org/

your body knows the difference between the pump and the baby sucking. i wouldn't assume that you aren't producing as much...

Here are the tips I was given to "up" my supply by my Doula. Make sure you are drinking enough water(easy to forget to do--especially if drinking any caffeine), drink "Mother's Milk Tea"(surprisingly tasty) , eat oatmeal for breakfast 5 times a week(I added lots of different fruit to make it interesting), eat nut meats(I ate lots of Almonds and Pecans for "snacks"--filling and good for you). It worked really well and never had a problem since--pumping or nursing.

Same thing happened to me but at 6 months. I started taking fenugreek for just a couple of days, let day care do all of the solid food, and pumped as much as possible. I still have to supplement with formula but only have to do a bottle every other day or so. It was a really hard thing to deal with because I really wanted to do breast milk only. But I wanted to make sure that my daughter was getting as much milk as she needed. If it helps, at best, I am able to pump about 15 ounces a day in 3 pumping sessions at work. I might be able to eek out another 2-3 if I pump after she has gone to bed for the night.

Your supply will go down as your daughter takes in more solids. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are losing your supply. Is she getting frustrated while breastfeeding, or is the only difference you've noticed while pumping?
One other thought, I noticed an increase in milk pumped after I changed the valves on my breast pump. I don't know how often those need to be changed, but it did make a difference for me.
Good luck!

Continue pumping after your first let down, and while nothing is coming out. You will have a second let down, and this will increase your supply in the future. It is helpful to pump or nurse at the same time daily. For me, I wouldn't have any milk collection between 16-20 minutes, then my second let down would occur from 20-24 minutes in. good luck!

A.,
My supply went down at 8 or 9 months each time my 3 boys went to solids. I found that I was able to maintain my milk with an increase of water and fenugreek (natural herb found in the natural foods section.) The longest I was able to produce milk was only 13 months, and I certainly blame the pump for creating an unnatural system. I knew I was done when I was only able to produce 2 ozs after pumping 15 minutes. Happily, my boys were done nursing and went on to solids and sippy cups.
Good-luck with everything.

Your milk supply can go down when you are pumping, you should talk to a Lactation consultant, they can help you with ways to get your milk supply flowing again. I know there are certain foods and vitamins that help, they can also help you know how much milk you should be producing. But good job for you still nursing even though you are working. I know that most lactaion nurse/consultants are free to talk, either at your hospital or peditrition's office. I love my lactation nurse, she has taught me so much about nursing, it is so worth it.

The same thing happened to me! Pumping is just not the same as the "real" thing. I simply started supplementing with formula, but kept breastfeeding as well. My daughter was totally fine with the combination. You might try that if you are ok with adding formula in. I know some people aren't though. If you don't like that idea then you need to start pumping every time after you breastfeed your daughter. It should help stimulate your milk supply.