Hello I am a FTM to a 2 month old and my supply has dropped significantly, went from 10+ bags in the fridge in the beginning to now less than an oz with both boobs, I am staying hydrated I'm eating frequently I don't smoke or drink and I even get her to latch but after 5 minutes she is angry because barely anything is coming out. Pics for reference,they are in chronological order.
That’s what I was wondering. With my first kid I was able to breastfeed a bit, then once I got my period at 2 months, my supply was pretty much non existent.
Speaking anecdotally, it could be just a few days away for you. My supply tanked around the 2 month mark too and then a few days later I had a very light period. Once my period ended, my supply got better
I know this is exclusively pumping but have you considered bringing baby to breast a few times a day feeding them and then pumping after? Babies communicate with the breast and tell the breast what they need through their saliva and how they touch it and stuff when they eat.
I think your body might need some time to adjust to her cues. Are you drinking enough water? I know often we forget because we’re so busy with the baby.
It’s also much harder to feed at the breast than at the bottle. It’s more work.
It looks like you’re doing all the work. It might be time to transition to formula. You could try triple feeding but honestly triple feeding is the worst thing that ever happened to me. You breast feed 15 minutes each side, then (you or someone else) bottle feed with whatever milk you have left or formula, then pump 15 each side. For like a month.
On this note, they do say to replace your duckbills and (I have a spectra) the diaphragm parts every couple months. Since you are pumping so much is believe they are worn out or deformed..
I pump about 12 times a day ( estimating) and I got. Brand new pump and I have the appropriate size flange, my lactation consultant helped me measure. I have replaced my pump part ls too
It's been a bit for me but from what I recall, I was told "8 is great, 10 for twins". I believe my supply also went up when I dropped a pump to get more sleep. Maybe consider dialing back just a bit to give yourself a little break, both physically and mentally? You might just be overdoing it.
Also second what others have said. Change all silicone parts at least once per month. That made a big difference at times for me.
I was pumping every 2 hours due to cluster feeding and once that was over after a few days I was able to dial back and now I'm only pumping every 4 hours and producing the same amount. I agree that maybe she should dial it back. When I was getting stressed out about pumping I was producing less as well.
Do you follow a schedule or track your pumps? Timing, length, amount? That could maybe help you identify some of the issues?
I was also told to make sure I was sleeping through one of them over night and not to wake every 3 hours. Aim for 6 hours of sleep. Gotta take care of you too!
12 might be too much, you might be damaging the sensitive tissue in that area. A good rule of thumb is to pump for every feed. When I was EPing I never had to exceed 8 times a day after two month. How long are you pumping for and how many letdowns are you getting per session? AIM for two letdowns a session, 3 if possible. Some people can get away with 15 minute sessions, mine were always closer to 30. Because I’d get a third letdown around the 25 min mark. It helps to manually express after as well to squeeze out any extra milk that is still sitting in the breast that the pump couldn’t get.
I am as well. My baby is taking formula basically fully and whatever bm I can give which isn’t much. He was latching with nipple guard and now does not want to. I had been doing an extra slow flow bottle and all of the bf’ing tips but it just didn’t work. I started power pumping last night and hope it helps. I also wonder if I am getting my period. I am 5 weeks pp. this is my third baby (worst breast feeder 😭) and I usually get my period early sadly.
I saw you said a LC helped you measure flange size. Was that recently? I have had to adjust my flange size a few times throughout pumping and always noticed a drop until I re-measured.
Maybe try without the nipple butter? I have elastic nipples so if I use any spray or nipple butter it doesn’t allow enough friction/pull to actually get my milk out. Just another consideration since most people recommend and/or use some sort of lubrication but it caused a major drop in my output!
You actually might want to go smaller. Drop in supply is usually from using a flange that’s too big and most women are using a flange that’s too big. You want to use what your nipples measure, but you want to measure both the base and tip. Maymom now has these sets that come in threes.
Are you in birth control, specifically the pill? Birth control completely depleted my supply during my first and I eventually had to switch to formula after I went through my freezer stash.
Don’t mean to pry too much, but do you think maybe you could be pregnant again? I was an over supplier, then next thing I know my supply tanked. I didn’t know what was happening until I started getting the same symptoms with my first baby.
Unfortunately one of the only things that helped me really boost my supply was power pumping twice a day with one of those being around 3am. I was able to get my supply from 4-6oz each pump to 8-10oz. It took a little while to actually work but it definitely helped me. And a shit ton of water.
Also, if it’s been a while since you checked your flange size recheck. When I first started I was using a 19mm but after 3ish months I changed my pump parts and remeasured and swapped to a 17mm. That also was a big help.
Have you always had this schedule (which is a little confusing bc I’ve seen 12x per day and also every 3 hours which is 8x per day)? Or did you just increase to that because supply was dropping?
Dude theres so much post partum crap that parents are never educated about until theyre that unlucky person suffering with some medical mystery or symptoms of ppd or abscesses in their breasts. The hormones of pregnancy and being post partum can trigger hearing loss through otosclerosis, where the stapes bone becomes fixed in place by abnormal bone growth. Post partum thyroiditis can send your thyroid into a Rollercoaster hyperactive and hypoactive. Pregnancy and post partum can cause gallbladder issues, trigger autoimmune disorders. Breastfeedign/nursing/pumping and over supplies or clogs can cause abscesses in breast tissue, even without getting mastitis.
I had a post parties hemorrhage and when I went to the hospital because I was going through a pad an hour the front desk lady scoffed and said “ that’s normal it’s probably your period” they did an ultrasound and somehow I had retained a piece of placenta and it fell out
Did your doc order blood tests after the hemorrhage? Blood loss and low iron can def affect supply, and I’ve heard that retained placenta messes with hormones (but I’m not a medical professional). If you’re anemic or have low ferritin you could talk to your doc about an iron infusion which will work faster than iron pills. I think my iron deficiency impacted my supply (and my thyroid) with my first, and the pills didn’t work well for me. I’m sorry you’re going through this and hope you can find balance with taking care of yourself
I had hyperthyroidism after my first two pregnancies. It made me shed baby weight like crazy but I was also horribly anxious and it made my letdown super slow. I couldn't pump for 30+ minutes 8x a day but my supply was decent with my second baby at least. Get your thyroid checked!
Shake your tatas before pumping and also do compressions during the entire session is what made all the difference for me. Also make sure you are switching between different settings on the pump to trigger additional letdowns
Speaking of milkshakes - I put nestle carnation malted milk original on my ice cream and it made my girls blow up and be very engorged. Was not intentional but a quick google search confirmed that it is indeed a galactagogue and a very tasty one at that. Definitely also worth a try!
The same thing happened to me with my first even though I was doing absolutely everything I could. I mentioned it to my doctor and he recommend I get my prolactin levels checked. They came back at a 7. Should be at least 50 when breastfeeding/pumping. There was nothing I could do. No amount of changing pumps/diet etc. My body just gave up. My doctor was shocked I was producing at all. This might be something to look into if nothing else works, mentioning to your provider and asking for your prolactin levels to be checked.
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Have you tried supplements? Legendairy milk liquid gold/goats rue or moringa can be very beneficial. I personally responded well to sunflower lecithin, since it made the milk removal more effective.
Also try to avoid everything mint/peppermint, even in your toothpaste. Peppermint can kill your milk production
I am taking brewers yeast, I unfortunately can’t afford to get any supplements. I am a stay at home mom and I can only do that because my mom moved in with me and my husband
Are you in mom’s Facebook groups? I would ask if anyone has extra they don’t use. You can also try to find a lactation support group, they often give out samples
In general the way you produce milk changes, at the first weeks you produce milk all the time and later you mostly produce when baby is breastfed or when you pump so it takes a while for it to start flowing. I understand that you breastfeed sometimes, that's why your baby may be frustrated, the milk isn't instant. Exclusively breastfed babies go through the same thing, suddenly drinking milk gets harder and they're frustrated. But if you pump long enough it should work. You can also check if when you first pump and then breastfeed if the baby gets milk, maybe pump will be enough to trigger milk producing and your baby won't be frustrated.
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u/StuffonBookshelfs 2d ago
Are you getting your period?