My Milk Production Seems to Be Decreasing

I had this problem and I called the local lactation consultant at the hospital and she said to take fenugreek, 3-4 pills 3 times a day. The only side effect that I have is smelling like maple syrup, but that's okay, at least I don't feel like my baby is starving or straining to get milk from me.

I always noticed that my milk would decrease when I got overly tired or stressed. Waking up at night and trying to work full time can do it to you. I say try to get more rest if you can.

This started to happen to me this summer, when I was dehydrated. I stepped up my water consumption and noticed an increase in two or three days.

Good luck!

I have had the same struggles. I would pump extra at night after my son would go to bed. I also ate steel cut oats for breakfast every morning and tried to be religious about taking my vitamins (have heard it helps to keep your Iron store up while nursing and I am often anemic). He was EBF until about 8 months. At that point, I just became too exhausted to keep up all of the extra pumping it was taking to keep up my supply and I started to supplement with formula. I travel a lot for my job and the extended times apart really wreak havoc on the supply. He's 10.5 months now and averages 4-6 ounces of formula a day, along with his breastmilk. For me, this is a good compromise since the majority is BM. However I can also understand that once you have gone so long (7 months is fantastic!) you start to feel passionate about continuing with no formula. My other suggestion is to drink water, water and more water.

There are 2 suggestions I have:
1) Try drinking much more water! I can't emphasize this enough. Milk is nearly all water...seems contradictory, but it's true!
2) Try a natural herb called Fenugreek. It doesn't contain any medicines and you can generally find it in a GNC or natural foods store. Maybe even Walmart.
You should also look at your stress levels, they can directly affect your production. Ihope it all goes well for you. And remember, if you have tried your best, you are not a failure if you use formula.

This is a common complaint of women who nurse over six months of age. Some people take Fenugreek to help with the problem. It does have side effects that you should be aware of. Just talk to a lactation consultant and look on the web!

Hi Jamie! I struggled with this through all three of my babies breastfeeding, and only with the last one did I finally get it figured out. Basically, you need to take 1 weekend....from Friday when you get off work, until Monday morning, and do nothing but pump and feed the baby. It's been a few years for me, so I can't remember exactly how I did it, but I believe that I pumped for about 3-5 minutes on each side before he ate, then completely pumped dry afterwards. He will be eating more frequently, but your body will respond. You will not starve him by pumping. It will get tiring, but so worth it when you do not feel like you need to take prescription meds (which do not work, IMHO) or start supplementing with formula. Make sure you are drinking lots of water. I was able to breastfeed my son, and give milk to my friend who could not breastfeed, for almost a year doing this. I went on to breastfeed my son until he was about 22 months old. NO formula, NO meds. Just pump and feed. If you have a hubby, make sure he understands what you are doing, so he can be supportive.
Good luck! If you have more questions, or need more support, please let me know :)

I nurse my babies to well over a year old and anytime I feel like my production is getting low, I start eating oatmeal every day. I don't know why it works but it does! Also the Mother's Milk Tea works well, but I enjoy eating oatmeal better. Good luck and stick with it, there are so many benefits to nursing over a year.

I had the same problem around the same time. I tried everything--drinking lots of water, pumping more, eating more, etc, etc. I finally tried using an herbal supplement called fenugreek. I talked to both my doctor and pharmacist, as well as a breast feeding consultant, and they advised it was safe and many people use it. It did help, but in the end, I ended up quitting around 9 months--my doctor told me I had lost too much weight to sustain myself and my milk supply. If I were you, I would take the medicine--if your doctor says it's ok, then it is ok, and it will help.

This might not be what you want to hear but maybe it would be okay to stop nursing now? He's seven months old - you've done a great job of nursing him up to now. Many babies don't get half that much time. I mean...why fight with your body?

Hi Jamie -

I had the same thing happen to me, but I couldn't even make it 7 months. I was only able to do for about 3 before I couldn't keep up with what my daughter needed. I worked with the lactaction specialist at the hospital and she gave me some suggestions - none of which worked. One of those was the fenugreek that others have mentioned; it did not seem to work for me and gave me TERRIBLE cramps when I first started taking it. I found out about this same time that my mom also had problems having enough milk when she nursed us (there are 6 of us), so it may have something to do with your genetics. I ended up weaning my daughter over to formula when she was about 3 months old.

There are lots of other good suggestions to try here and good luck in what ever you decide to do.

J.

I had that problem at one point as well. I was instructed to pump on the opposite side, while baby nurses. Also to pump in between feeding if he went more than 2 hours with out eating while he was with me. It seemed as though I was never going to be saving enough milk. I would try that before taking meds. That seems odd to me as well. Some believe that if you have a glass of wine that will increase producion as well. That depends on your beliefs about alcohol and nursing. I was against that and then I spoke with a lactation consultant and she explained more and I also did that. All of the above helped me. Good Luck

If it were me I would go pick up some tea they have one called mothers milk (I found it in Fred Meyers health food section) that's designed for that it has fennel in it which is great for helping with milk production also fennel in capsules or fenugreek in capsules helps, not sure if you are already doing this or not but drink tons of water if it were me I would cut out everything (soda,coffee etc.) but water

a couple of things could be causing it, number one: make sure you are not pregnant as the hormone changes will decrease your supply.
also if you have just started back on/or changed birth control pills/patch, whatever...those hormones can decrease your supply

other things you can try are some herbs like fenugreek..i used "motherlove more-milk plus" you can get it at whole foods and on the internet. it is safe for the nursing baby. you have to take alot of it though, as i remember it was 2 or 3 pills 3 times a day...and the weird side effect is your sweat smells like maple syrup (that is how you know you are taking enough)

dark green leafy veggies and those green health drinks (i like naked's green machine- it looks awful, but actually tastes quite sweet) will increase your supply...just make sure not to eat anything with parsely in it as that will decrease milk.

eat whole oats and oatmeal (the real cook-on-the-stove kind, not instant)

nurse as much as you can while with baby, and have lots of skin-skin contact
pump after you nurse - every time for at least 15-20 minutes - the added stimulation will tell your body you need more milk

it is tough, i had the same issues, going back to work full time killed my milk supply and it is a constant battle to keep it up. even if you have to supplement at some point with formula, some breast milk is better than none

GOOD LUCK!

Focus on nursing and take Healthy Nursing Tea by secrets of tea;)

Hi Jaimie-

It's very frustrating when your milk supply goes down and you're trying so hard to maintain it for your little one. I had the problem on and off thru the year I nursed. When you go back to work, it's just very hard. My Ob/GYN prescribed something called Regalan which is a medication used for nausea. It has many, many side effects. When I read the literature, it seemed so silly to even try it so I didn't. Then I was recommended More Milk from a lactation consultant and I feel it helped (even though there is no medical proof herbs work, I could tell a difference). Depending on where you live, it's sometimes hard to find but you can order it online. It's totally safe and has no weird side effects. I felt like it started to work within a couple of days.

Here's a link:
http://www.motherlove.com/product_more_milk_plus_veg.php

Good luck!
D.

I had that same problem when I was trying to pump when I went back to work. Things went fine for a few weeks and then I could barely pump 4 ounces. My doctor prescribed a medication for me which is probably very similar to the one your doctor recommended. It worked really well and very fast. Within a two-three days I was back to normal. With the medication I was on, you could stop taking it once your milk production was back to normal. I saved the extra pills for other times when my milk supply went down. This happened at least three or four times and then throughout a few months, but then I started supplementing with formula. I hope that helps a little bit. Good luck.

Hi J.... I think you have some great ideas, taking advantage of pumping while he is nursing is good, and letting him suckle longer will increase your milk production. Also, make sure you are drinking more water, as this could simply be the culprit. Good luck!
Gwyne

Are herbal teas safe to drink while I'm breastfeeding? I've heard that some can even increase my milk supply.
While the herbal teas that you find in your grocery store are not likely to have any medicinal effects, larger doses of other herbs should be used with caution.

Remember that herbs are drugs. In fact, many commercial drugs originated from herbs. You should use the same care when taking an herb as you would in taking an over-the-counter or prescription drug. In fact, use even more caution when taking an herb, because most herbs are not regulated by the FDA. Neither their safety nor their effectiveness have been established by a large body of research.

Back to topGALACTOGOGUES
While many herbs are credited with the ability to increase milk production, none have been proven to do so. The claims that some herbs act as galactogogues (milk-makers) are based on anecdotal reports, meaning people are describing their impression of what happened. This kind of evidence is not as reliable as controlled scientific studies, especially in regards to milk supply which mothers may evaluate in highly subjective ways. This does not mean that galactogogues don't work or they're not safe, it just means they have not been studied.

The two most popular galactogogues are:

Fennel
Fenugreek seeds
These are usually sold in the form of tea. Since these two ingredients do have a milk-enhancing reputation, there may be some merit in their claims, and they seem to be harmless.

Other herbs that have been used as galactogogues are:

Milk thistle
Motherwort
Asparagus racemosus
Red raspberry
Chamomile
Herbs and teas that should be used with caution because of possible harmful side effects are:

Comfrey tea
Sassafras tea
Ginseng tea
Licorice tea
Be especially careful if these herbs are taken in excessive amounts.

THE BOTTOM LINE ON HERBS
While some herbs may increase milk supply through a pharmacological action, we believe that for many women galactogogues have mainly a placebo effect. Any substance that a mother believes will increase her milk supply probably will. Also, consider the ritual effect. The mother takes time to prepare the tea just for herself, takes time to drink it, and therefore takes time to relax. Under these circumstances, she probably will make more milk and/or worry less about her milk supply. However, the most reliable method of increasing your milk supply is to nurse your baby more often.

This is what got when I went on to ask dr sears.

are you exclusively pumping? that can cause a decrease in milk production overtime.

other ideas:
Pump wearing out. Most pumps that you would buy in a store are only meant to last 6months, you may need to replace it.

Cycles returning. The change in hormones can cause a decrease in milk production for the week or so prior to a period.

Pregnancy. Sorry had to throw this one out there...if you are pg you can still nurse your son through the pregnancy.

There are a couple of different drugs/meds that can help with low supply issues. Domperidone, and Reglan. I don't know too much about Domperidone, but Reglan is an anti-nausea medication that is frequently given to pregnant women with bad morning sickness and is considered safe to boost milk supply.

You can also start eating/drinking foods that help increase lactation. Oatmeal is an easy one to start doing. Mothers Milk tea is another option that I use.

Kudos to you for nursing AND working that is a HUGE accomplishment

Have you tried fenugreek? I am nursing twins (5 months old), and that seems to help a lot. It is herbal, and you can get it as a tea or as a pill. Even hospital mid-wives recommend it. Also, even though my babies sleep through the night, I get up in the middle of the night to pump in order to get extra milk. this is a pain! but then I don't have to stress out when I don't pump enough milk at another session while I'm at work. Last but not least, try to fully relax when you pump, and not think about how much you are getting. I surround myself with pictures of my babies, read a trashy magazine like star or In touch, and/or listen to my I-Pod while I pump.
Pumping on one side sounds like a good idea, too, but I don't know much about that since I feed my twins simultaneously.
I hope this helps!
C. (mother of 5 month old twin boys, an angel baby boy, and 3 step-sons)

I would love to hear what answers you got, my son is almost 7 months and I am noticing the same thing! There is an herb that the lady at Campbell's Nutrician told me about and I have been taking that, it has seemed to help (I can get the name of it for you, if you're interested), but I am not near as "full" as I used to be and I'm only pumping 3 oz. bottles, where I used to pump up to 8 oz. at a time! Are you exclusively breast feeding or is your son getting food also? I've heard that the introduction of food slows it down a bit..but my little guy has not started solids yet! It's so scary and frustrating!!

jamie..........not sure if this is too late but go to the health food store and get some raspberry leaves. you can find them in capsule form and they will help with the production of your milk. i almost lost my milk because of work and stress and this helped me greatly. it is natural and my sister who is a OB advised me to get on them anyway.

hey jamie i had the same problem when my younest way nursing and they gave me something called reglin i think it how it spelled it worked wonders for me i had enuff milk for my daughter and the frezzer it is safe i did the reserch so good luck and keep brestfeading as long as you can

Okay this may sound crazy but I worked for me. Eating oatmeal. I can't remember what is in it that increased your milk but a lactation consultant was the one who told me to try it.
B.

I had the same problem once I started to work more. The advice I got was to pump after each nursing for a while to increase milk supply. I think I usually would do that for about a week or so at a time and that seemed to help. Although not much would come out after nursing, it slowly started to increase. I was lucky enough to have a good supply built up in the freezer from when I was on maternity leave that I didn't need to supplement at all. I also have heard good things about the herb Fenugreek for milk supply. I actually bought that as well, but didn't end up needing it after the extra pumping. Good luck to you.

Hi, Jamie.

Here is a link to the LLL site that almost describes your situation to a T. I hope it has some ideas for you that will help:

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug96p118.html

Here is another link to a great resource online called KellyMom about low milk supply and things you can try:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

Congratulations on giving your baby the very best! And good for you for not jumping on the medication band wagon when there are defintely other alternatives out there.

Peace,
K.

I believe mine did the same thing, but I don't think I was drinking enough fluids. So, the only advice I have is to make sure you are drinking enough -especially, water.

Jamie,

Take the medication. It's probably for Reglan or the generic, metroclopramide. My milk production started going down after my son was 3 weeks old because he wasn't latching on properly or feeding long enough. I went on the medication, and started pumping 40 ounces a day, easily. There were no side effects for me or my baby, and it gave me a chance to pump for 11 months! Then we put him on cow's milk, so it's been great. I went off the pills when we decided to get him on whole milk, and my milk was gone almost immediately. I was never engorged or anything. I stopped having the "let down" feeling after about 3 days, and that was it! Those are miracle pills, and they are very convenient. You don't have to stress about trying to increase your pumping, your water intake, or anything else you may be doing "wrong". I know I stressed about what else I could be doing (naturally) to increase my production, but that kind of stress doesn't do anyone any good, and it will impede your production anyway, so the answer for me was the medication. I highly reccommend you give them a try. Good luck.

I had to pump for 2 months when my daughter refused to nurse. I could barely pump anything. My best luck seemed to be with a hospital grade pump (which you can rent for about $40 a month & WIC also pays for it). It seemed to be the strongest most efficient, the amount you can pump is not an indication of you milk supply. When my daughter went back to nursing 2 months later even though I could only pump 16 oz (2-3 oz after a 45 min session) I could nurse her just fine. If you pump both sides at same time you produce more also.

in the old days a mom could drink one beer a day to increase production.?

Call your local La Leche league leaders. If you are in Canyon County. Call Tammie at ###-###-#### or J. at ###-###-####. La Leche leaders are trained to answer breastfeeding troubleshooting questions with scientifically based information.

May sound bad but my doc had me drink a beer just one but a beer. the hops help the production.

I had the same problem with my son. Things that can encourage milk production are

Mother's Milk Tea (Health food store)

Drinking alot of water

Pumping more frequently.

The more you pump/the more is produced.

Also if you choose the pump and dump method many woman swear that a can of beer does the trick.

I hope that this helps
Good Luck!

A.

have you tried fenugreek? you can buy it from the health food store. I warn you, you will smell like maple syrup! I tried it when my production went down. it's hard to know if it helped, it seemed to, but who knows. i was told about fenugreek from a lactation consultant and some of the women i work with. good luck.
and the beer thing is definetly not recommended anymore. the idea behind it is that by drinking you are relaxing allowing the milk to flow more readily. my son was 7 1/2 months old when he weened himself from the breast, i continued to pump but the production slowed and he started with formula -which isn't the worse thng in the world, some children never get the opportunity to nurse or have breast milk. you have done a good job!
M.

Try fenugreek capsules. It worked for me- i started taking it after my son turned one to keep up with his demand. The only side effect I noticed was the maple sugar smell. Yes-you will smell like maple sugar! You can find these at any natural food store or nutrional supplement store. I would also continue to pump and nurse as oftn as you can. Good luck!

I took the prescription with both of my children. It worked great! Within 24 hours my production had doubled. I was nervous about it too, but I truly trust my O.B. and I checked with the pediatrician who gave me the ok. too... There are also some herbs that you can try - Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I don't remember the exact amounts but it was more than what the bottle said. They are more potent than "Mother's Milk Tea" which contains the same herbs, but not in high enough doses to do much good. Both the herbs and the prescription worked for me. I used the herbs first and then the prescription when the herbs weren't enough!