[starrsgirl]

I posted a few weeks ago saying I noticed a drastic decrease in milk output during my 1x pumping (I work 4 nights a week and pump after I get home from work.) I wasn't too concerned because LO seemed to be getting plenty of milk during the day and I didn't really care about building up a freezer stash or anything.

Now, however, I think I am noticing an overall decrease in milk supply. Emmett BFs every 3-4 hours while he is awake, but no longer nurses at night. I have noticed that he is suddenly on the boob much, much longer. Also, although he is sucking, he is not swallowing very often. When he unlatches, he is very angry and hungry acting and will try to nurse again and again, always unlatching in frustration. My pumping output continues to be low as well.

DH had BM to give LO in a bottle tonight and accidently spilled it (3 oz was what I pumped yesterday). So, he had to give LO our "emergency" formula....the kid downed 8oz.

If my supply is truly dropping, where do I go from here to make sure LO gets enough to eat? I'm NOT particularly interested in re-building my supply as I was planning to start gradually weaning at 12 months. I definitely don't mind BFing a few times a day, but given his age, I'm worried I'm not providing enough nutrition for him. He does eat solids, but not a ton and I know most of his calories should still come from milk. Should I offer him formula after each BFing session? Or maybe just once a day? Or not offer it at all? I hate to go down the formula route and kill my supply altogether but at the same time, don't want to beef up my supply like I was feeding a newborn. And most importantly, I don't want LO to be hungry all day like he's acting.

[mgm78]

i would check out the three day nursing sabattical in the stickies here, or power pump 1-2x's a day. a lot of moms think their kids are self weaning at 9-10 months or their supply is low, but feeding habits change over time. I would try drinking at least 100 oz of water a day and nursing as much as possible. Have you been eating steel cut or old fashioned oatmeal? have you tried fenugreek or mother's milk tea or any other supplements?

[lunarmagic]

I'll mention that you don't need to increase your supply to what it was way back when, just do enough to bring it back up to what he needs for now.

My supply fluctuates, as does Kate's demand. Two weeks ago she was barely nursing much at all, but now she's sick and possibly growth-spurting and she's eating all. the. time. Best thing I've found for getting supply back up is to simply let her nurse as much as she wants. It always sorts itself out. I really avoid giving a bottle of breastmilk unless I can pump the same amount.... I want to make sure she's getting everything she can out of me to encourage my body to produce more milk to keep up!

[starrsgirl]

Thanks for the thoughts. I should have mentioned that part of the reason I think my supply is dropping is that I have increased my workouts. I often work out twice per day with at least 1 workout being fairly intense. I will try to keep LO on the boob as much as possible but I am unsure if that will be enough to bring my supply back up without cutting back on the workouts. I eat plenty of calories and a high fat diet, but for some reason, the working out always seems to kill the supply (even when I drink a TON of water). (It was very frustrating in the first 6 months, but after 6 months when Emmett started doing solids, I allowed myself to start working out again and doing more than just walking.)

So at this point, I don't want to stop working out because 1) it makes me a happier mom and 2) I have to work out for my job. But I am just worried I'm starving my kid.

I'm going to see how this weekend goes. He still seems to be having enough wet diapers so maybe he's OK and I'm worried about nothing.

[mgm78]

are you eating enough to make up for the workouts? I do endurance events and have had no issue with my supply. During the events I will have a drop because my body is working so hard at the task at hand, but as soon as i am done it picks right back up and i see no supply issues with my training, including my long runs which can be 4-6 hours long.

[starrsgirl]

Originally Posted by mgm78

are you eating enough to make up for the workouts? I do endurance events and have had no issue with my supply. During the events I will have a drop because my body is working so hard at the task at hand, but as soon as i am done it picks right back up and i see no supply issues with my training, including my long runs which can be 4-6 hours long.

Interesting! I may have to ping you some questions. I used to be a competitive distance runner, but not so much anymore. My workouts are usually 1 1/2 hours in the morning and 45 mins to 1 hour at night. It's almost like my body is working hard to recover all day and I don't see the supply come back up. The drops are definitely linked to working out. Yesterday was my off day, and I was completely fine. It's so weird how it happens so quickly....as in one day will be different from the next depending on my schedule.

Did your supply always come right back up? Or did your body have to learn to do that? I ask because maybe my body is still adjusting to the new demand?

(Edited to add I believe I am eating plenty to make up for the workouts. I don't count calories at all or limit calories because of nursing. I eat at least 3-4 full meals a day plus at least 3 snacks. I'm not actively losing weight....baby weight is coming off slowly at about a pound a month.)

[mgm78]

maybe your body will get used to the exercise. i cannot remember any noticable dip except when my calories were too low. also drink at least 100 oz water/day and see if that helps.