sudden loss of bmilk - need advice

[rookie]

My baby has been nursing really well for four months and I have had plenty (at times too much) bmilk for her. That has remained true throughout the day but I have had a sudden loss of bmilk for the last PM feeding every night for the last three nights.

 

She is very unhappy and hungry at this feeding now because I am just not producing anything. I have no idea what has happened.

 

So, I have upped my water and food intake dramatically and nothing. I have kept putting her on to nurse and nothing. This is now day four and I just went through the same issue again and it is awful to know that she is hungry and nothing is happening. We tried for 30 minutes before giving up. She is sucking her thumb now.

 

What could have happened? What can I do?

[misidawnrn]

for the next week, eat oatmeal, drink lots of fluids and pump for 10 minutes after each feeding. That will increase your milk supply. You can also add the herbs Blessed thistle 3 caps 3x/day and Fenugreek 3 caps 3x/day. They are both galactologues. Hope that helps.

[Hedgehog]

Is she four months old? Classic growth spurt time, according to all I read. Keep feeding as often as you can, eat well, drink lots, don't do too much and your body will "catch up" with your baby's needs. It's quite normal and nothing to worry about. Typical growth spurts are at 10 days, 6 weeks and 4 months. Hang in there! :grouphug:

[Jennifer in MI]

My guess would be a growth spurt. Keep nursing as often as possible. It will help increase your milk supply. :grouphug:

[Pink Fairy]

I would look in the phone book for the local La Leche League group and get input from the leader. :grouphug:'s, and I hope you can figure out what's going on soon!

[Heather in OK]

Have your cycles come back yet? For some women, when it's time for her period to start, the milk supply goes down a bit.

[Sandy in Indy]

You could also get "Mother's Milk Tea, " an herbal tea by Traditional Medicinals.

[coffeegal]

Have your cycles come back yet? For some women, when it's time for her period to start, the milk supply goes down a bit.

 

My milk plummets when I turn up pregnant. You can be fertile before your cycles return. :blush:

[rookie]

I have not had a period but have felt like I was going to get one. Hmm.

 

I am definitely NOT pregnant! :)

 

Why would baby's growth spurt show up as a loss of milk for me? - I cannot figure this out. :confused:

 

I will follow advice, thanks.

[Nakia]

I'm not trying to be snarky at all, but how do you know you have no breast milk at this feeding? It doesn't make sense to me that you would have plenty of milk all day and then nothing in the evening.

[Jennifer in MI]

I have not had a period but have felt like I was going to get one. Hmm.

 

I am definitely NOT pregnant! :)

 

Why would baby's growth spurt show up as a loss of milk for me? - I cannot figure this out. :confused:

 

I will follow advice, thanks.

 

Baby's growth spurt just means that she is growing and demanding more milk. It takes a few days for your body to adjust and start making more. Many women think they are losing their supply as baby starts to nurse more and seems insatiable. But, they are simply cuing your body to make more milk. And, it will happen. It takes a few days for supply to catch up with demand during a growth spurt!

[HollyDay]

Any thyroid troubles? When my milk supply suddenly dropped with my youngest, that was the suspected culprit.

[rookie]

I'm not trying to be snarky at all, but how do you know you have no breast milk at this feeding? It doesn't make sense to me that you would have plenty of milk all day and then nothing in the evening.

 

 

Well, my nursing experience has been similiar with the five dc: I get palpably full and feel uncomfortable let down before and during feeding. I can hear the baby gulping down the milk and if baby lets go there is milk streaming out. This has always been the case. It was like that until four nights ago when I could not feel any milk at the start of the feeding, no letdown during the feeding, and baby is fussing/wriggling/pulling and when she lets go there is no milk there. She latches on again and within a minute of vigoroud sucking/pulling starts crying again. She is clearly not getting what she wants. This is the last evening feed before she sleeps through the night.

 

It does not make sense to me either. That is why I am frantically trying to figure out what has happened and what to do.

[rookie]

Baby's growth spurt just means that she is growing and demanding more milk. It takes a few days for your body to adjust and start making more. Many women think they are losing their supply as baby starts to nurse more and seems insatiable. But, they are simply cuing your body to make more milk. And, it will happen. It takes a few days for supply to catch up with demand during a growth spurt!

 

I hope that you are right!

[NanceXToo]

I agree with what the others have said. I think you should also check out this link:

 

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

[juelle]

1. Don't panic!!!! You know that worrying about it will inhibit letdown. Try relaxation/breathing/envisioning the milk flowing into her little mouth.

 

2. I second all the Mother's Milk Tea/fenugreek/extra water/food stuff.

 

3. I remember with one (not sure which) having that trouble in the evening around the 4 month mark. It was a combo of getting dehydrated, being tired, and a growth spurt on ds's part. A passing phase. All of them nursed past 14 months.

 

If she's getting dehydrated, you could let her suck on a cup or bottle. But the situation will probably resolve with the good advice you've had already. Take care of yourself and it will work out.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to you and your precious little one.

[LibraryLover]

Has she been getting bottles?

 

If not, do not worry, just give yourself some time & space to nurse the day and night away. It takes about 24 hours to increase milk supply.

Edited October 13, 2010 by LibraryLover

[SnowWhite]

I seem to remember "switch nursing" (going from one side to the other and back again, like 5-10 min per side, switching back and forth) was recommended to increase supply during growth spurts. Oatmeal is also GREAT advice.

[ktgrok]

Yup, switch nursing really helps. Also are you taking any medication at all or rinking any herbal teas?

 

I seem to remember "switch nursing" (going from one side to the other and back again, like 5-10 min per side, switching back and forth) was recommended to increase supply during growth spurts. Oatmeal is also GREAT advice.

[rookie]

Has she been getting bottles?

 

If not, do not worry, just give yourself some time & soace to nurse the day and night away. It takes about 24 hours to increase milk supply.

 

No bottles at all. No paci either. She does suck her thumb though! :)

[rookie]

I seem to remember "switch nursing" (going from one side to the other and back again, like 5-10 min per side, switching back and forth) was recommended to increase supply during growth spurts. Oatmeal is also GREAT advice.

 

Okay. Will try. Thanks.

[rookie]

1. Don't panic!!!! You know that worrying about it will inhibit letdown. Try relaxation/breathing/envisioning the milk flowing into her little mouth.

 

2. I second all the Mother's Milk Tea/fenugreek/extra water/food stuff.

 

3. I remember with one (not sure which) having that trouble in the evening around the 4 month mark. It was a combo of getting dehydrated, being tired, and a growth spurt on ds's part. A passing phase. All of them nursed past 14 months.

 

If she's getting dehydrated, you could let her suck on a cup or bottle. But the situation will probably resolve with the good advice you've had already. Take care of yourself and it will work out.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to you and your precious little one.

 

You are right. Panic never helps - I tell my kids all of the time.

Maybe I am tired. There has been a lot of running around lately and even thought I have stopped to nurse, I have felt rushed. I will sit tight all day tomorrow. Thanks.

[Nakia]

Well, my nursing experience has been similiar with the five dc: I get palpably full and feel uncomfortable let down before and during feeding. I can hear the baby gulping down the milk and if baby lets go there is milk streaming out. This has always been the case. It was like that until four nights ago when I could not feel any milk at the start of the feeding, no letdown during the feeding, and baby is fussing/wriggling/pulling and when she lets go there is no milk there. She latches on again and within a minute of vigoroud sucking/pulling starts crying again. She is clearly not getting what she wants. This is the last evening feed before she sleeps through the night.

 

It does not make sense to me either. That is why I am frantically trying to figure out what has happened and what to do.

 

Oh, okay. I think you've gotten great advice. Hang in there (I know you will), try the suggestions here, and let us know how things are going. :grouphug: It will get better within a few days.

[kmacnchs]

You are right. Panic never helps - I tell my kids all of the time.

Maybe I am tired. There has been a lot of running around lately and even thought I have stopped to nurse, I have felt rushed. I will sit tight all day tomorrow. Thanks.

 

I was gonna say those 2 things - my milk supply goes down in the afternoon b/c of running around so much, not resting enough, etc...take a look at your days lately - do you need to have an afternoon rest time (for the kids and esp. YOU)? Maybe that would help your supply at night?

[justasque]

Are you taking any medications? Allergy medications, bc pills?

 

Get your thyroid checked if it continues - low thyroid can limit milk supply but it's easily fixed with meds.

 

Stress? Fatigue? Illness?

 

Do you nurse in a different position in the evening? Is it possible baby has a cold and her nose is stuffed up so that nursing and breathing at the same time is difficult?

 

Growth spurt is the most likely, I'm guessing.

 

The more your baby nurses, the more milk you will make. It may seem like she isn't getting much if anything, but her continual sucking will tell your body that you need to up your supply, so keep at it, even if you think she isn't getting anything.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Around 3-4 months, your body makes a shift from hormone-driven milk production to supply-and-demand milk production. Many women find this means that they don't feel as full between feedings, don't feel their letdowns as strongly, they leak less, etc.

 

So I suspect that's what is going on with you, combined with a growth spurt on the baby's part. Just go with it for a few days. Eat a healthy diet, drink to thirst, try to get some extra rest if possible, let baby nurse as frequently as she'd like. She'll probably be content in a few days again :)

 

An excerpt from http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/breast-fullness.html

After the first 6 weeks to 3 months (or sometimes later - this varies for different mothers), the high baseline prolactin level that is the norm in the early weeks gradually decreases to the lower baseline that is the norm for later lactation. Around this time, mom's breasts may feel less full, leaking may decrease or stop, let-down may become less noticeable, and pumping output may decrease. These are all normal changes and, on their own, do not mean that milk supply has decreased.

Edited October 13, 2010 by LemonPie

[LibraryLover]

No bottles at all. No paci either. She does suck her thumb though! :)

 

 

 

How many wet diapers has she had in the past 3 hours, say?

Edited October 18, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Terabith]

Eat lots of oatmeal. LOTS. Drink Mother's Milk tea, or find a source for fenugreek. Brewer's yeast and flax seed are also good for building supply. Try these "mother's milk cookies." http://www.milkmakers.com/ (The founder is a friend of mine.)

 

Cluster nurse as much as possible. You want to encourage frequent nursing.

 

I assume that you aren't taking decongestants. That will kill supply.

[Mrs Mungo]

Around 3-4 months, your body makes a shift from hormone-driven milk production to supply-and-demand milk production. Many women find this means that they don't feel as full between feedings, don't feel their letdowns as strongly, they leak less, etc.

 

I tend to agree with this.

 

The thumb should not count towards eating, as there are no fats or nutition etc to keep her tummy full.

 

How many wet diapers has she had in the past 3 hours, say?

 

But I agree with LibraryLover as well. Counting output is by far the best way to measure input. A four month old should have at least 5-6 wet diapers per day. Pour a quarter cup of water in a diaper and see how heavy it is, there should be at least 5-6 diapers that are that heavy per day. More good info for older babies: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enoughmilk-older.html

 

You have lots of good info on how to boost supply, so I won't go on about that. :)

[texasmama]

Milk supply in general tends to be lowest in the evening (for everyone). I agree to have a day or two when you mostly just nurse and rest. (Don't laugh...I know it is hard, but it will be worth it!):001_smile: The herbs mentioned should help, as well.

[Alphabetika]

Is she four months old? Classic growth spurt time, according to all I read. Keep feeding as often as you can, eat well, drink lots, don't do too much and your body will "catch up" with your baby's needs. It's quite normal and nothing to worry about. Typical growth spurts are at 10 days, 6 weeks and 4 months. Hang in there! :grouphug:

 

:iagree:I found that with #2 and #3, the same thing happened - we had to "catch up" to each other when it came to nursing, pretty much at the times mentioned above. Everything will be okay!

[Carol in Cal.]

Mother's Milk tea, a lot of it--every two hours would not be too much.

 

Also, take a nap in the afternoon for at least 1/2 hour, it does not have to be very long.

 

Drink a lot of extra water.

 

Overfeeding is how your supply goes up. Probably right around the time you decide you can't possibly keep up with her, suddenly you will have enough again. She is at the right age for a growth spurt, so she's trying to increase your supply right now.

 

Also, are you taking Sudafed or any antihistimines or any vitamins that you were not before? Sudafed and also the immune booster vitamins in Jamba Juice used to knock down my supply for about a day.

[rookie]

Thank you all.

 

I followed most of the advice - I would have followed all but could not go shopping for the supplements/tea. So, lots of oatmeal, water, relaxed day, and nursing. There was a slight improvement this evening which is encouraging. I will keep at it tomorrow as well.

 

Oh, I am not on any meds at all. I think it may be related to changing hormones, stress, and exhaustion. Must rest, must :chillpill:.