ugh!!!

[@llli*cjackord]

ds is now 9 months old and after resuming menstruation at 3 months pp, it just feels like the 2 weeks prior to af, i have no milk at all. he has hardly any wet diapers and i've now resorted to supplementing. this last time was absolutely terrible, and i find it so frustrating! i've tried more milk plus, special blend, fenugreek, pumping, nursing around the clock, calcium/magnesium supplements-- that's everything i can think of! two days after starting i have a monstrous oversupply. what in the world?

does this happen to anyone else? i'm just at a complete and total loss... i can't find any information on why and i hate that i can't just nurse my son. it doesn't make sense that breastfeeding is so difficult!

[@llli*brigidanddeclan.mum]

my periods came back right away and i also have the low supply for a few days. i was told by my midwife at my six week visit that it drops because of hormones and that pumping will not bring it back until your hormones level out. she told me to try the fenugreek a week before i expect to start the monthly monster but i am not at all regular so i never really know when that will be. i also started taking the mini pill to help with the hormones but dont know if that works yet. good luck! and i hope others have some better suggestions as well

[@llli*esthervegan]

Some mothers find that if they continue with night time nursing they do not ovulate nor menstruate.. exclusive breastfeeding for many mothers prevents the return of fertility due to delayed ovulation. . more than one factor might have been contributing to your drop in milk supply, your babies lack of urine output and the return to ovulation. breastfeeding your baby is worth all the effort, the pumping , the nutritional supplements you take b/c even though it is not easy, breastmilk is the way you want to feed your baby.
your instinct to feed your baby formula when you had a sudden drop in milk supply was the right thing to do given the circumstance.
It might take some detective work on your part to figure out what your body needs in order to prevent the drop in milk supply.

[@llli*cjackord]

nope, we co-sleep. have since birth. he eats whenever he wants. at the time that i started again, he was still bfing every 1.5 hrs. i was just "lucky" and started back again early. he's only recently started sleeping from 8pm-6am without waking (only God knows how i got a kid who sleeps so well...), so i'm pretty sure that lack of bfing isn't the culprit. i'm also staying at home with him, so i'm not missing any chances to bf.

i started pumping my oversupply at the start of af to have on hand... so i haven't had to give formula. i just wish it didn't have to be difficult! staying up late for 2 weeks every month to pump for the next 2 weeks is a bummer! what did women do before breast pumps?!?

@brigid-- thanks for the info... i KNEW it had to be hormonal (and that pumping wasn't doing anything but leaving me sore). it just doesn't make sense that all of the sudden i wake up with no milk. did fenugreek work for you at all? i'm finding that more milk special blend, oatmeal, and romaine lettuce (of all things) really seem to be the winning combination. but if i miss a dose, i'm back on empty. =[ even still, it's just giving me some milk instead of a decent supply. lame!

[@llli*brigidanddeclan.mum]

no i didnt have any luck with fenugreek because i cant get the timing right since i never know when to start taking it. are you taking any birth control? i really think the mini pill is helping with my hormones because i have started to lose weight and have not had a period since i started it (it has only been one missed period so i dont know if this is something that will last but i hope so!!!)