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HELP! Ds is 3 1/2 mos old and my milk is drying up!
I dont know what is happening. Yesterday I noticed he was getting a wee bit fussy when eating, like he wasnt satisfied. Today has been the same way except now he isnt even getting 'boob drunk' aka falling asleep from a full belly. He is cluster nursing and Im pumping after he nurses. Ive increased my water and I ate a ton of oatmeal the past couple of days. Im planning on going to the store in the AM to get some fenugreek. My boobs just feel so deflated though. I just cant handle it if I lose my milk.
But really, what could be causing this in the first place? The only thing that is different with me is my face completely broke out and my hair got all oily like it used to before I was pg.
Please tell me that despite only being able to squirt a few little sprays into the pump that I can recover from this
__________________ ~Dishka's Feedback~
Jessica
Loving Joe for Eternity
And our Babies:
MegynJames Mark
Abigail and a new little one on the way EDD 7-13-09
Could it be a growth spurt? When dd2 was about 4 months old I swore my milk was drying up. She was nursing constantly and was fussy. A few days later my body caught up and everything was fine.
Have you breastfed before? Because what you're talking about sounds like the typical 3-month growth spurt to me. Many babies go through a big growth time at around 3 months, and the cluster nursing is your baby's way of increasing your milk supply.
The best thing you can do is to relax, do nothing but concentrate on nursing your baby for the next couple of days, and let your body do it's work.
What you're able to get out of a pump is not indicative of your supply. A baby is way more efficient than any pump. I was not able to pump much at all, yet I nursed all 4 of my babies, never ever supplementing with a bottle of formula (or anything else, for that matter).
You can do it, mama!
__________________
Laura
Mom to Steven (7/23/93), Elizabeth (12/15/95), Madelyn
(12/11/98) and Caroline (2/25/02)
Missing my husband and best friend Scott since 9/13/08. Mom, lactivist, heirloom seamstress and OB nurse.
Have you breastfed before? Because what you're talking about sounds like the typical 3-month growth spurt to me. Many babies go through a big growth time at around 3 months, and the cluster nursing is your baby's way of increasing your milk supply.
The best thing you can do is to relax, do nothing but concentrate on nursing your baby for the next couple of days, and let your body do it's work.
What you're able to get out of a pump is not indicative of your supply. A baby is way more efficient than any pump.
I'm not sure that I'm the best person to answer you, but I'll give it a go. First, just because you are not letting down to a pump and producing a ton of milk for the pump , it does not mean that that is how much milk you are giving your baby. Often, a mother is able to produce much more for the real baby than a pump.
Second, as your baby becomes a more efficient sucker and your body has begun to regulate itself, your breasts will soften and feel less full. This just means that you are not storing so much milk, but are producing on demand.
Third, if you are worrying about how much your dc is getting, I would recommend that you not switch breasts mid-feeding (I don't know that you do that) so that your baby can get the hind milk. Also, I would not limit the length of time that you spend nursing. let him go as long as possible on one side.
Fourth, remember that the more you nurse the more you produce.
lastly, your hormones are going to continue to change as you are postpartum (I know it's months already, but that's okay) and your body is reacting to that.
If I didn't answer your questions the right way, I apologize. It's a bit late for me and I've got a pregnant brain.
HTH
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tyuipos?? NAK
Rivka; mother of A, N, and R & the twins
Thanks
I have nursed my other 2, both for over a year. But Megyn was tough to nurse and the problems started out similar to this. I guess thats why Im a bit freaked out. We nurse on demand and I dont clock watch or anything. The reason the pump thing is freaking me out was I used to be able to pump between feedings and could get at least 3 oz but usually 4 or 5 (was storing up for an upcoming surgery...just in case ya know?) It's very possible that he is having a growth spurt. And because I am feeding him whenever he wants maybe thats why my boobs dont feel very full...because they dont have time to get to that full feeling. Or as Rivka pointed out, Im not storing as much anymore in general.
Im just really upset, which surely is not helping.
Location: Is she smart, so well-read are there books, are there novels by her bed? And is she the sort that you've always said could satisfy your head?
Posts: 19,543
from what you described sounds like a normal growth spurt.
try not to focus on what has happened in the past...it could be that you received incorrect information then that led to other problems, yk?
trust me...growth spurt. do the fenugreek and oatmeal if you feel you must (make sure you aren't ingesting any peppermint or peppermint oil too...lots of mamas use altoids and dont' realize it can reduce supply) but generally just take it easy for a week and let your body adjust to your baby's needs.
the softer breast thing happens around 3-4 months for most women if it happens at all...it's a hormonal shift indicating that lactation has matured...but bc it happens in conjunction with babe's growth spurt we get calls all the time about moms "losing supply" at the 3-4 m mark...i would bet anything that you are ok.
lay off the pump for a bit. your body is adjusting what it does and just bc you used to get more does not mean you are making less...it could very well mean that your baby is drinking more though (aka growth spurt!)
you've gotten great advice~
and...is he having lots of wet dipes and normal bm's?
if he is nursing tons you won't feel full
__________________
"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
It sounds like a growth spurt to me. Keep nursing at every opportunity, and take your herbs. Don't take any benedryl or other allergy meds or anything with antihistimine in it.
good luck, Mama, I hope it all works out.
__________________ Katie,
Wife to Matt my knight, Mom to Zachary my c/s baby and Lorelei my UBAC baby
Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
-- Elizabeth Stone
I dont know what is happening. Yesterday I noticed he was getting a wee bit fussy when eating, like he wasnt satisfied. Today has been the same way except now he isnt even getting 'boob drunk' aka falling asleep from a full belly. He is cluster nursing and Im pumping after he nurses. Ive increased my water and I ate a ton of oatmeal the past couple of days. Im planning on going to the store in the AM to get some fenugreek. My boobs just feel so deflated though. I just cant handle it if I lose my milk. 
James 
Mark 
and a new little one on the way 
EDD 7-13-09
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