Guest guest Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 hey all: Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated during the day, or at least I think I do... thanks for suggestions.. laurie laurie Find out what made the Top Searches of 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 Laurie, The more you nurse, the more you make. The less baby nurses, the less milk you make. Pumping doesn't stimulate production as well as a baby nursing. But, pumping is better than nothing. SO, to keep supply up, nurse baby as much as possible and pump when you can when youre not with baby. See if there is a La Leche league in your area, they are wonderful, sooo informative and helpful. Good luck! Jen Laurie Martin wrote: >hey all: Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated during the day, or at least I think I do... thanks for suggestions.. laurie > > > >laurie > > > > >Find out what made the Top Searches of 2003 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 , Laurie Martin <lam2rn4> wrote: > hey all: Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated during the day, or at least I think I do... thanks for suggestions.. laurie Fenugreek worked well for me. Some people swear by oatmeal or Mother's Milk tea (I think you can get it from Medicinal whatsis - sorry I'm blanking on the name). You can also check the LLL website - they have info on galactagogues. In any case, keep offering, keep nursing - she may well be getting it out even if you can't express any by hand. Are you pumping for her at all, or just nursing evenings and weekends? Supply and demand, you know ... but you may well have more than you think. I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have (although I am not a LLL leader or LC). Be well, Hadass, extended breastfeeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 >Laurie Martin wrote: > >Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated during the day, or at least I think I do... > Do you pump at work? If you're away from her during the day, you should be pumping every 3-4 hours. You can also try pumping at home, maybe while she's sleeping. Milk supply will increase if the demand is there. So, if you're pumping, that tells your body the demand is there, so your body will make more milk. Let us know how it goes. Sheri Still nursing her 3-year-old!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 > Laurie Martin <lam2rn4 > milk supply > > hey all: Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I > had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then > my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is > hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her > longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated > during the day, or at least I think I do... thanks for suggestions.. laurie Laurie, I don't know if you have considered the following so sorry if I'm telling you something you already know.... At around that age (anywhere between 5 months and 1 year) your body switches from " making milk for the sake of it " to " making milk based only on the child's level of nursing. " (There's a name for this switch, but I don't remember.) This will feel like your supply has decreased, but actually, it has just gotten more refined. That was when my breasts went from full and solid (or sometimes engorged) to uh, soft and small..... (Trying not to say " flabby " here....) When your daughter nurses, does she seem satisfied? If your dd isn't nursing as much as before, your body will slow down production. If she seems to get enough milk, I wouldn't worry about the supply. If she seems to still want more but there's no milk, let her hang on and suck for as long as she wants. She may get a second or third let-down after 45 minutes to an hour, or she may not, but at least she'll be telling your body that she needs more milk. Try not to worry - even if your supply is lower, it all works on supply and demand, so let her " demand " more and the supply will follow. HTH. Let us know how it goes. ~Doh -------- " If you're going through Hell, keep going. " ~Winston Churchill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 No suggestions but yes my milk supply also started to diminish (when pumping but not when actually breastfeeding), around the 1 year mark. Slowely her daytime bottles started to transition to part whole milk and part breast milk as I was not able to supply enough to feed her just on breastmilk. I continued to breastfeed on weekends and evenings though until she was almost 2, at which point she weened herself. Sigh. I would have kept going...... , Laurie Martin <lam2rn4> wrote: > hey all: Just wondering if anyone had trouble with diminished milk supply. I had to return to work when my daughter was only 5 months old, and since then my milk supply has slowly started to diminish and now.. it seems like it is hardly there at all and she is inly 10 months old! I want to breast feed her longer.. help!! any suggestions or am I just unlucky. I keep well hydrated during the day, or at least I think I do... thanks for suggestions.. laurie > > > > laurie > > > > > Find out what made the Top Searches of 2003 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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