[Meticulosity]

I have very little milk because I have been using formula too much. My midwife said "It's a slippery slope" and she was right!

I get about an ounce if I pump once per day.

Can this be fixed? How long will it take? Do I keep pumping even after the milk stops coming out?

If I put my son on the boob, he just freaks, because hardly anything comes out. So, first I need to worry about getting my milk back, then I will need to try to get him to latch again. Any tips for re-latching after an extended period of no latching?

[geogeek]

I usually don't post here, but I have struggled with supply issues for a while. Yes, pump for 5 minutes after you last see any amount of milk coming out. Consider exclusively pumping for a while. I am exclusively pumping because my daughter refuses the breast. You NEED to pump more than one time a day!! Most women need to pump every 3-4 hours around the clock to make enough milk. It IS doable! Marsi is 9 months and getting all milk from my pumping and has since she was 6 months old. It isn't easy, but it is worth it. Consider taking fenugreek and blessed thistle. There is also motherlove more milk plus. Steel cut oatmeal is also good for increasing supply. After your milk supply is established with pumping you can see if you can decrease the number of pumpings in a day. I am still pumping 4x a day for 20-25 minutes at a time. I try to pump right before she wakes up, during her morning and afternoon naps, and right before I go to bed. For a while, to increase the supply, I had to pump in the middle of the night as well. If your cycles have returned, I suggest a Ca/Mg supplement to take after ovulation. If you don't chart and don't know when ovulation occurs, take it through your whole cycle as a supplement every day. I know this is a lot, but since I once was right where you are, I wanted to give you hope that you CAN get your milk supply back with some good work and time.

If he is still feeding from the breast, pump after every nursing session even if nothing comes out, again using the 5 minutes after the last little bit of milk comes out rule.

[bigmommylove]

I would start using herbs asap and start pumping every 2 to 3 hours. Keep offering baby the breast daily. I use Breastea and it works great. I went from pumping 1/2 ounce to 5 ounces now. You have to use it every single day though that you need the extra milk. Do a google search for it, the website is the same name. Once you are pumping that often and on the herbs you should see your milk supply starting to increase within a few days.

[bam99b]

okay so I had a similar issue except with solids and I was trying to get my LO to BF until at least 12 months.

I talked to a lactation expert, I had to pump every 2 hrs for 10 minutes, and if a let down was achieved just 1 additional minute after that. Yes, this means an alarm clock, and it is to be done for 48 to 72 hrs. I know this seems like a lot, but it is just a couple of days. If you can't do every 2 hrs just get as close as you can. like the previous post even if you pump just once at night it will help some.
Your milk producing hormones are highest at night which is why it helps so much to pump at night.

My son would also get very frustrated at the breast if the milk wasn't flowing so when he would wake up from his nap I would pump first, get a let down the go in and latch him on, or just put him in his crib while I would pump to get the let down. If I pumped in front of him he would scream and swat at the flanges and bottles like they were stealing his milk. So it was just less stressful if he wasn't right in front of me, even if he was fussing a little in his crib.

It was a very difficult and emotional time for me, but it took the extra pumping a couple of days, and then I was able to quit pumping for let down after a couple of days and we were back on track. Now I am trying to figure out how to wean!!! Just hang in there, and know that you are doing a great thing for your baby.