This week I have notice my milk supply decreasing. At work I usually pump every two to three hours. Before this week I could pump from 5 to 10 minutes and get 4ozs sometimes more. Which I thought was really good. This week it's like I get 2 to 2 1/2 ozs and then nothing. So, I called the lacatation lady who gave me some advice and some reasons why it may be decreasing. She stated that if I have been stressed that could cause it. I have had some stress this past week more than ususal but I thought it had gotten better. She stated that being on birth control could cause it. I have been on the real birth control pill not the mini pill since he was one month old out of fear of getting pregnant so soon after having him. She said it could be that it is just now in my system enough to cause my milk supply to decrease. She suggested that I should pump or nurse more frequently and for longer giving my brain the message that it needed to make more milk. She told me if that did not work to try to eat more oatmeal or things that contained oatmeal. There is also some kind of tea that you can buy from health food stores to help.
I find this all to be very interesting. I am going to try the pumping thing. I have Friday's off now so I will be home with him to nurse him more. Then I will try the other suggestions. To me this would not be such a big deal. I kind of feel like if I stop making enough milk I could just supplement and then stop when it is time to stop BUT Nash still really perfers to nurse so I don't want to have to stop if he is not ready to yet. I secretly still enjoy it too and am not ready to stop just yet. So we will see.
3 comments:
Oh, I hope all of that works out for you. I've heard drinking a beer a day or something helps (ha--that one's from my aunt, but I've been told it's a total old wive's tale). I know one of my sisters drank tons and tons of water because she was worried she wouldn't make enough (are you drinking enough water?), and she ended up making so much she had to borrow freezer space at my aunt and uncle's, and she was able to share her milk to supplement our other sister's lower supply. I'm sure I'm going to need plenty of advice in the breastfeeding realm, so take down good notes for me!
You could also take a drug called Reglan. It is an antacid, but its has the side effect of increasing lactation. Your OB could call it in for you. It really worked for me. Nursing more often should also really help. You can also pump for 5-10 minutes after you nurse each time, just to get more stimulation. Also, sometimes your milk supply, as far as how much you get when you pump, will be different depending on the day. Some weekends when I'm at work I will pump about 10oz in a 12 hour shift. Sometimes I only pump 9oz. Sometimes I pump 12-13oz. It may just be a fluke this week. If the low supply continues, try to Reglan. It did wonders for me.
How old is Nash? I didn't breastfeed so maybe I'm a bad person, but I would think it's time to start whining him off the breast milk and working toward baby food and some table food. I think Tate was somewhere around 4-6 mos old when we started adding baby food to his diet. At 1 Tate was completely off formula and drinking whole milk. Within a couple of months we broke him from the bottle too. Don't get me wrong, Tate still drinks lots of milk, but in a sippy cup. I know there are emotions tied to breastfeeding, but try to remember to keep in mind what's best for your little guy.I did a lot of research online and consulted with Tate's doctor to determine when it was appropriate to introduce baby food, milk, etc.
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