8m, milk supply, and bottles

[TJ]

I'm so frustrated!  Since P was born, I've had a more than adequate supply.  I probably have 700 oz. or more of frozen milk.  AF returned around 6m, and my supply took a little dip, then picked right back up.  She showed her ugly face again 2 weeks ago, but my supply isn't rebounding this time.  I'm eating oatmeal with flax and brewer's yeast, I'm drinking mother's milk tea and 100 oz. of water a day, and I'm drinking a dark beer each night.  But I'm just not pumping enough for P's 3 bottles each day.

She has been taking three 4oz. bottles a day (I'm gone almost 12 hrs) since I went back to work at 3m.  She is 8 months now, and currently having cheerios once a day, and a fruit or veggie once a day.  Her milk intake should stay the same though right?  Bc the food doesn't really count right now, it's just for fun. 

I know I have plenty of frozen milk, and I probably wouldn't need more than 2 extra bags of milk per week to cover the deficit.  But I'm so worried about blowing through my stash, or my supply never recovering since I'm supplementing with frozen milk, or P not getting enough on weekends when I EBF and don't give bottles.

Somebody hold my hand. 

[Crisco Salad]

Hugs, TJ. I could have written your post almost word for word. Except, I don't have nearly that much frozen. I think I only have about 250 oz. J has been taking 16 oz while I've been gone and I just can't keep up anymore.

I have no advice, just wanted to say I'm here with you.

[brandiewine11]

Just wondering...have you changed your pump membranes and checked for leaks? Does she seem satisfied when you are nursing on the weekends?

[rrrrrachel]

Her milk consumption may start tapering if she's eating lots of solids, but it shouldn't drop precipitously or anything. Can you power pump? Are you pumping for one let down or two? Have you tried doing lots of skin to skin and snuggles and rest when you're home? I know that's a tall order when you have older kids.

[ovenrack]

I have no real advice, but H's milk consumption definitely declined after he started really eating solids. I know "food before one is just for fun," but it isn't like he stopped - he just loves eating and dropped a nursing session pretty quick.

So my take on it is, don't assume her milk consumption will stay exactly the same, and don't assume your small production slowdown will remain a thing.

And, here, have a hug. And a donut. Or a doughnut.

[TJ]

Jan 26, 2015 15:36:12 GMT -5 Crisco Salad said:

Hugs, TJ. I could have written your post almost word for word. Except, I don't have nearly that much frozen. I think I only have about 250 oz. J has been taking 16 oz while I've been gone and I just can't keep up anymore.

I have no advice, just wanted to say I'm here with you.

Thanks.  And I didn't mean this to be insensitive to those without freezer stashes.  I know I'm lucky to have one.  I still have PTSD from not enough supply for my first, so I get panicky when I have a bad pump.  And I want to fix it if I can!

[TJ]

Jan 26, 2015 15:37:18 GMT -5 brandiewine11 said:

Just wondering...have you changed your pump membranes and checked for leaks? Does she seem satisfied when you are nursing on the weekends?

brandiewine11 My membranes still feel thick and firm -- I switch between 3 sets.  I will go ahead and swap them all out tonight though just in case.  I don't see or hear any leaks in the tubing, etc. 

As far as satisfaction, it's sooo hard to tell.  She's got 3 teeth coming in, so she's fussy.  She wakes up 6 times a night, and only nursing will get her back to sleep.  But is that from teething?  Hunger?  Being a baby?  Her hunger for solids has definitely picked up quite suddenly.  But is it bc my milk supply is low?  Or has she just finally gotten the taste for it? 

All in all, she's a happy, healthy baby who is gaining weight.  And that's what matters, right?

[TJ]

Jan 26, 2015 15:38:17 GMT -5 rrrrrachel said:

Her milk consumption may start tapering if she's eating lots of solids, but it shouldn't drop precipitously or anything. Can you power pump? Are you pumping for one let down or two? Have you tried doing lots of skin to skin and snuggles and rest when you're home? I know that's a tall order when you have older kids.

25 minutes, and more like 4-5 letdowns.  I've always kinda been like that, smaller more frequent letdowns.

There is no resting when I'm home.  I have a feeling the stress and anxiety and lack of sleep are probably affecting my supply as well.

[ovenrack]

Jan 26, 2015 16:27:49 GMT -5 TJ said:

Jan 26, 2015 15:37:18 GMT -5 brandiewine11 said:

Just wondering...have you changed your pump membranes and checked for leaks? Does she seem satisfied when you are nursing on the weekends?

brandiewine11 My membranes still feel thick and firm -- I switch between 3 sets.  I will go ahead and swap them all out tonight though just in case.  I don't see or hear any leaks in the tubing, etc. 

As far as satisfaction, it's sooo hard to tell.  She's got 3 teeth coming in, so she's fussy.  She wakes up 6 times a night, and only nursing will get her back to sleep.  But is that from teething?  Hunger?  Being a baby?  Her hunger for solids has definitely picked up quite suddenly.  But is it bc my milk supply is low?  Or has she just finally gotten the taste for it? 

All in all, she's a happy, healthy baby who is gaining weight.  And that's what matters, right?

1) TWSS

2) yes.

[TJ]

Jan 26, 2015 16:22:17 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

I have no real advice, but H's milk consumption definitely declined after he started really eating solids. I know "food before one is just for fun," but it isn't like he stopped - he just loves eating and dropped a nursing session pretty quick.

So my take on it is, don't assume her milk consumption will stay exactly the same, and don't assume your small production slowdown will remain a thing.

And, here, have a hug. And a donut. Or a doughnut.

ovenrack Those taste just about as good as the dairy, soy, gluten, nut free donuts I have in my freezer!  Thank you though. 

[ovenrack]

Jan 26, 2015 16:30:09 GMT -5 TJ said:

Jan 26, 2015 16:22:17 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

I have no real advice, but H's milk consumption definitely declined after he started really eating solids. I know "food before one is just for fun," but it isn't like he stopped - he just loves eating and dropped a nursing session pretty quick.

So my take on it is, don't assume her milk consumption will stay exactly the same, and don't assume your small production slowdown will remain a thing.

And, here, have a hug. And a donut. Or a doughnut.

ovenrack Those taste just about as good as the dairy, soy, gluten, nut free donuts I have in my freezer!  Thank you though. 

I actually just baked all those for you, and they're all dairy/soy/gluten/nut free, a calorie free.  

So you're good!

[welly01]

When I started falling behind, I added a pump session before bed. It SUCKS, but it can help you make up the deficit if you're concerned. I know its hard, but with 700 oz, I wouldn't be concerned. You can also add pump sessions on the weekends. Again, it SUCKS, but its an option to make up during the week. You could also try Fenugreek. Have you tried adding more calories? Lactation cookies always helped my supply, but I honestly think it was the extra calories, not the oatmeal, brewer's yeast, etc.

How far is your commute to work (I've lost track of when/if y'all have moved)? I pumped in the car with DS and its the only reason I made it to 1 year.

[SAK]

I have nothing useful to add other than an encouraging

[MapleMe]

I soo understand the PTSD and fear of running out of milk. But I'm with Welly in that you can always add another session at any point, if you need it. I have a daily pump session to make up the deficit for the three days that she's at daycare. Especially because you know that your supply will dip every month, give yourself an allowable cushion. Say, "if my stash goes below 650oz, I will add an extra pump session until it goes back over 700, but until then I'm in a good place." Or something similar. Also, definitely check your pump. I struggled so much with both the Medela freestyle and the Medela manual pump. The Avent manual that I'm using now has so many fewer parts to break. Switch out any replaceable parts and see if that helps.

[CurlieWhirlie]

Can I join this hand-holding session? M is almost 10 months and I am barely able to pump 12oz a day for him. When AF comes around it dips lower, and when work is hectic and I have to skip a session I feel terrible. I have no freezer stash — with my first, I had oversupply issues, and I had to throw out a lot of my freezer stash, which felt like a waste. So I didn't stock up with this baby, and lo and behold I don't have oversupply issues this time, I have just-exactly-enough supply issues, which makes it oh so easy to drop below what he's consuming. I know what you mean about the stressed out, panicky feeling when you have a bad pump session.

Sometimes, occasionally when it's needed, we supplement with formula. Like, take a 3oz bottle of BM and add 1oz of formula to it. Not very often, but occasionally. M totally doesn't mind, as he will literally eat anything you give him and ask for more. I still feel guilty about it, though, like it's a failure of my body to provide for him. But you know, if we were in the wild, and with our babies all the time instead of working, we probably wouldn't have supply issues at all. I have a friend who really wasn't able to breastfeed her baby without supplementing heavily with formula, like the baby really wasn't growing and it was scary, and that is not our situation. So let's try to look at it that way when we're feeling bad about the loss of a couple of ounces.

[rockiesnugget]

Do you think the added moving stress on top of normal life stress could be a factor? I like MapleMe suggestion to give yourself a cushion and not add a pumping session until you hit x amount in freezer.

[Nik Pal]

M just started daycare, and suddenly (or so it seems), my freezer stash is gone. I only work 2-3 days per week, so I gu I'll have to add pumping sessions when I'm home, but I get the panic of dropping supply.

[sarenu]

Hugs.

Hang in there.

The only thing I can offer I keep having her nurse as much as possible, especially on the weekends, and get some rest.

I used to close my eyes and take deep relaxing breaths when I pumped.

Maybe try to pump on the weekends once in the morning?

[unaveragejane]

Hugs, TJ! I think stress and no sleep are huge factors here. Hopefully getting the house sold and surviving the move will ease things up a bit.

[clldll]

I typed out a long response with suggestions and lots of hand-holding and encouragement. Then I got interrupted at work and then life. Now everyone has pretty much said what I was going to say.

So I'll just say ((hugs)) mama. Milk stress is the worst. Remember it's not the end of the world if you have to supplement. You gave her 8 glorious months of nothing but BM. What a gift!!!

But I do think you have lots of reason to hope that you can keep up with just BM. My supply dipped after a business trip at 6 months. It never recovered to what it was pre-trip, but it did recover enough that we made it past a year with just BM. I just added an extra pump or a power pump every once in a while. You got this mama!!

[mooncharm]

Sorry you're stressing

I had a supply dip around 8mos, too. And I hear that's fairly common. I pump 1-2x/d more than A feeds (some odd days I pump 3x extra) to make up for my supply challenges at work. Adding a session or two was a huge help. And I figure if it equals out by the end of the week I will be fine.

TJ - tagging you so you get the notification

[rrrrrachel]

Are you exercising more or restricting calories?

[TJ]

Jan 26, 2015 21:06:50 GMT -5 rrrrrachel said:

Are you exercising more or restricting calories?

Hahahahahahaha.




No.

[TJ]

Did I mention that MH's response was "well I guess the body is just gonna do what the body does." Does this infuriate anyone else? Yeah, my body might TRY to do something... but I will force it to behave damn it! Bring on all the galactagogues!!

[kmmd]

Hugs TJ. I know at that age Evs dietician had her eating a fair bit of solid food but she was still drinking a lot of milk so I say you're right about that one.

This is a last resort kind of thing in my books but since you've tried everything already have you thought about domperidone to increase supply?

Other than that I have nothing to offer. Just hugs. You have enough food worries without this!

[rockiesnugget]

I know you said that you aren't restricting calories or exercising, but have you been trying to eat healthier and cut out or cut back on fatty foods (good and bad)? I tried eating healthy at one point and no matter how many calories I ate extra to account for breastfeeding my supply dipped because it needed the fatty foods.

[TJ]

Jan 27, 2015 9:07:07 GMT -5 rockiesnugget said:

I know you said that you aren't restricting calories or exercising, but have you been trying to eat healthier and cut out or cut back on fatty foods (good and bad)? I tried eating healthy at one point and no matter how many calories I ate extra to account for breastfeeding my supply dipped because it needed the fatty foods.

Haha, still nope.  I mean, I'm on a pretty regimented diet just due to food restrictions.  But there are plenty of calories, and plenty of (mostly good) fat.

kmmd I've thought about it, and I have some.  I don't think we're at a place yet where I need to go there.  If it drops much more, or I start going through my stash too quickly, I will keep it in mind for sure.

[rugger]

Hugs, TJ! We had a dip a few weeks ago and my freezer stash is gone! I was also lazy and didn't start pumping early enough to build up a good amount of extra supply (and I'm kicking myself for it). AF hasn't returned here, but MIL (I can blame her, right??) seems to have torn through my extra stash and I'm struggling to keep up as is, so I'm paranoid about when AF does return.

I've definitely been stressed and lacking sleep, too. Like P, the only thing that gets A to go back to sleep is nursing, so I'm up 3-5 times a night usually. The before-bed pump session definitely helped, so maybe give that a try? Even if it's just 1-2oz, that will eventually add up.

Sorry, I know this wasn't very helpful, but know that you're not the only one going through it. I'll just hold your hand from way over here on the east coast and tell you it'll be ok. She's happy and healthy, so that's waht really matters!