Very alarmed today, supply dropped almost in half!

[@llli*leemami]

Hello ladies, first time posting in this part of the forum.

This morning almost cried when I saw the milk output after a 35 min pumping session - only 2.5 oz total.

My baby is taking 4 oz bottles at daycare and at home (while I am at work, my mom picks the baby up at noon). She eats the whole 4 oz about every 2 1/2 hours, and she gets a snack of solids in between bottles, in the morning, lunch and evening.

She is 8 months old and everything is going great with her milestones and weight.

After I get off work, I nurse all evening and thru the night (usually twice at night).

I pump at work every 2 hours for a total of 4 pumping sessions. I was getting at least 3 oz every time, maybe a little more the first session. But today, on the first session I only got 2.5 oz and I got very concerned. I have no idea what is going on!!! I thought I was doing great keeping my supply up. I even started taking fenugreek last week because I saw a slight drop in supply and then it got back to normal.

I have not got my period yet...

I feel like I need to go today and get formula, which I probably need to do anyway because I don't have much in the freezer, maybe an ounce or two...

I want to cry!!

[@llli*krasota]

Your cycles may be returning. Some women take cal-mag to help with the supply dip and sore nipples that happen with hormonal stuff like this. Good news: it's a cycle, so your supply should notch back up. Try to get in some extra pumping or nursing sessions to stimulate your supply if you're really worried. I think 8m is also a common time to see a bit of a dip.

How long are you away from her? How many total ounces is she taking in that time? Four ounces every 2.5h might be a bit of overfeeding.

[@llli*leemami]

I am away 9 hours, from 7:30 until 5. I usually nurse around 5:30 - 6ish depending on when she wakes up, and then "fill up the tank" before I take her to daycare around 7ish.

Then I pump at work at 9am.

The thing is that she does get hungry about every 2.5hrs, at least when I am with her. And when she was not at daycare (we just started this month), if we gave her less than 4oz she got super mad!

And the DCPs in her room sometimes tell me that she seems like she's hungry in between bottles and she gets some baby food then... but you never know, you can't really tell what they do over there and that makes me worry all the time and feel miserable about leaving my baby with total strangers that don't know her... but anyway...

So... it's definitely my cycles? should I be expecting a period soon?? I need to be prepared! Man, I was happy without worrying about that stuff I thought that if I continued BFing during the night, it was very likely that my period was not going to come, I guess that's not always the case?


Thanks!!

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

My first thought on reading your post was also that you may be about to get your period. Definitely possible. Sounds like you're doing all the right things in terms of pumping frequency and duration, and nursing lots at home. I agree with krasota that some extra pumping or nursing might help get you through. If you don't get your period in the next few days, another possibility to consider is pump malfunction. Some moms find changing the replaceable parts helps. Pump motors can also wear down. Some pumps have less staying power than others.
4 ounces every 2.5 hours is on the high side, and hard to keep up with. Would you consider leaving 3 oz bottles with 1 oz toppers if needed? So the DCP could try and see what happens with a 3 oz bottle, but has the additional oz if needed?

[@llli*leemami]

Thank you!

I do check the pump membranes every day, cause it happened to me once that the membrane was broken and it took forever to pump that day.

I also pump every night after I put the baby in bed, since that seemed to helped me a week ago or so when the supply dropped a little.

I really can't pump anymore at work, I'm actually behind in my work because I'm spending at least 30 min every time, sometimes longer to actually get the 4 oz or at least 3.5.

I'll try to talk to the ladies at the daycare and see... would it work if she eats 3oz and then get solids? I know the first nutrient source is the BM but since she's eating solids pretty good, maybe that will finish filling her up if she has a little hole in her belly

I'm concern about tomorrow's feedings while I'm at work... I don't have enough in the freezer to complete the bottles!

Thanks again ladies...

[@llli*manitobamommy]

When I went back to work at 8 months, my DD would NOT take a bottle. We ended up (with advice from Dr. Newman, the breastfeeding guru) just feeding her solids while I was gone and making up for it with nursing when I was home (lots of night nursing). I'm not suggesting you do this, but just to say that if she is doing well with solids and you are getting lots of nursing in when you are home, I wouldn't worry much about doing some solid replacement during the day rather than using formula. That said, it DOES sound like they are overfeeding a bit at the daycare. It is possible that giving them the option to give some solids might get them to back off a bit with the overfeeding. Especially if she likes to sit and play with the food.

[@llli*still.here]

if she is doing well with solids and you are getting lots of nursing in when you are home, I wouldn't worry much about doing some solid replacement during the day rather than using formula. That said, it DOES sound like they are overfeeding a bit at the daycare. It is possible that giving them the option to give some solids might get them to back off a bit with the overfeeding. Especially if she likes to sit and play with the food.

that's what I was thinking, too. You might also consider breaking the bottles up into slightly smaller amounts. Sometimes just taking a few minutes break gives a baby time to realize that they are full. If they give her slightly less milk per bottle and follow up with some solids to keep her from fussing about not having more milk it might give you that little bit of leeway you need.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

I agree... saving an ounce each feeding could make a big difference.

[@llli*krasota]

I replace my membranes monthly, but I'm EPing. They do get worn down, though, and need replacing every so often. My period does cause a supply dip, but a drastic dip would make me look at pump parts first, now that I think about it.

As for your period, it varies from woman to woman. My son nursed at night (frequently, too) until he self nightweaned at 32-34mo. My period returned at 10mo.

My period returned on my due date with DD, but I wasn't pumping at night (massively abundant supply, so I slept as I was spending all day, every day in the NICU). That makes it . . . 12 weeks.

[@llli*lllmeg]

It sounds like you had an 'off' day. It happens! Don't panic. You are not a machine, there is going to be normal variations in pump output.

If it's more than a temporary blip, is the problem a issue of pump output or a supply dip? That's the question.

You have lots of great suggestions already, here is my two pennies-

I suggest, thoughly trouble shoot your pump. Change the membranes out, even if you just did. Examine all tubing and connections, get the suction tested if you can.

Find ways to nurse more frequently when with baby-even one more time a day or a little nurse-a-thon on your day off will help overall production.

And check this for ideas for how to decrease possible overfeeding with bottles http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfedbaby.pdf