Not Ready to Give up on Breastfeeding, but Nearly Dried Up :(

There is a tea you can try. It's called Mother's Milk. You need heat the water, to boiling if possible, and let the tea bag sit in the water 20-30 mins before you drink it. It has several herbs that will help. Also, you can drink 1 beer a day, that is also suppose to help. If the alcohol content bothers you, drink an Odeuls or any non alcholic beer, it will do the same thing.

Have you had your hormone levels checked? While lactating, you produce both prolactin and oxytocin. I know of a Nurse Practitioner that could not produce any breastmilk because she was completely deficient in prolactin. It devestated her, but she physically couldn't do it. It should be a simple blood test.
The best stimulation for producing breast milk is your baby's latching. Breast pumps simply can't replicate it, but I'd recommend you keep trying if that's your desire until you find out physiologically what's going on.

Good luck! If you have to stop, you've done the best thing for your baby up to this point. Be proud of what you have been able to do.

V.,

I have not read that you can restart after stopping without major work - I'd LOVE to know where you read this; I want to dispel anything that is untrue. Oh I hope you get this in time!

Congratulations on breastfeeding your daughter! It is the singular most healthy gift you can give her. For however long you can breastfeed.

Fenugreek coupled with blessed thistle works better than fenugreek alone. Pumping helps - every little bit helps.

I had the same problem after I stopped becoming engorged.

The problem is: to breastfeed - you have to have the TIME to breastfeed. It is not a simple "You feed him for 10 minutes and he's done". Some babies take a LOT longer. My son would take nearly an hour - and since feedings go from start to start instead of end to start, he would be hungry almost immediately! I felt like it didn't end! My husband didn't understand it either and complained about the house not getting done - until he looked at my logs of how LONG I was feeding for.

Baby needs to feed as long as he is hungry. As often has he is hungry.

Supplements WILL ONLY DIMINISH whatever supply you have. So stop them. Drink water. Take your vitamins. Eat regular and a little extra. Try to supplement with an extra serving of veggies in between (like carrot sticks or celery sticks or tomatoes or whatever you like).

Hydrate yourself. During nursing. I learned this one the hard way. I was hydrating AFTER nursing. Way to go. No one explained this to me. I was burning myself out without even knowing it.

Take supplements. Mother's milk tea (without sugar is best, so if you can have it during a meal if you don't like it, just sip it like water; warm is best but any way you drink it would be good).

Your baby is your BEST pump.

Oh and BTW, stress is a great reducer of milk. So if you have a stressful life, there ya go. I try not to be sarcastic and just be supportive but I'm hungry and tired and ... awake at 0200 - 0415 this morning.

I had all your stuff (other symptoms). C. moved into a state of chaos bc DH stopped putting away things and expected me to deal with it all on top of all the other accumulation of 10 years of marriage we have no place to put.

Email me if you want more ideas, support, whatever (anyone) my DS is waking and he's got a cough. DH is not supportive of DS waking, so I am IT for him.

Good luck and I hope for the best for your baby.
M.

PS: A sling would be a creature comfort for your daughter if you don't already have one. When her cries are right next to you - vs the other room - your body responds by making more milk.

V., I had the same problem and had to give up breastfeeding when my daughter was seven months old. It came to a point where 2 hours of pumping resulted in just an ounce and a half of milk.
I tried the Mother's milk Tea but it did not realy help but they also made a tincture that immediately greatly increased my supply for quite a while: here's a link:
http://www.terrafirmabotanicals.com/home/tf1/page_36/herb...
My aunt who breastfed her five kids swore by green papaya and fish soup, which I found very delicious. But I only tried that occasionally, so I can't say whether that worked for me. Here's a link with info on papaya:
http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-diet.aspx
Good luck!

Hi V., it really sounds like you have tried everything and you are to be commended for your commitment to breastfeeding. Once you start supplementing, it can be very difficult to keep up that supply - it is like running down a slippery slope. Pumping can do the same thing. The best way to build up your supply is to breastfeed directly, baby on the breast. By now, your son is about ready to start solids, and for most moms your milk reduces naturally anyway.

There IS a way to bring back up your supply - however it takes tremendous work and the failure rate is high. It involves using supplemental nursing tube attached to your breast, where you feed pumped milk and allow baby to breastfeed on your breast at the same time. Additionally, you pump every 2 hours day and night. I would recommend involving a good lactation consultant for this. It can take up to a month to get it back up.

If this fails, you may need to readjust your perpective. You did successfully feed for 5 months. Maybe it is time to compromise, perhaps focus on getting in 1-2 good feeds a day and the rest formula, so that you are still offering the benefit of your milk and also respecting the fact that your body is making less. That will also relieve some stress and anxiety on your part - which BTW does play a big role in blunting breastfeeding success.

V.-

I have always found that stress reduces my supply so my first bit of advice is to ease up on yourself and the situation. You have given your child a beautiful gift already and if things don't progress/continue they way you imagined, please do not fret over it.

As for help, I am not sure I would be much use. I've always heard stay hydrated (which you say you are) and pump or nurse often (which you were). I have no new information or sage advise.

I am thinking that at 5 months part of what makes BFing so important is the cuddle time so whether it be bottle or breast, enjoy that time and the associated moments.

Best wishes!
~C.

I would keep pumping every couple of hours. I also breastfed and dried up sooner than hoped (due to BC) Drink lots and lots of water!!! PUMP PUMP PUMP the longer you wait inbetween pumping or nursing you dry up...more frequent nursing is best for your milk supply since it stimulates your body to make more. Just stick to it and keep trying...remember keep nursing or pumping if u have to!!! GOOD LUCK i know how it feels to be forced to quit when your not ready and its very depressing. I hope you dont have to go through that.

I know how hard this is because I had low milk supply with both my kids (both c-sections and NICU babies). I got some boost from fenegreek but it was taking a lot (9 capsules a day). I went on domperidone (prescribed by a doctor here in ordered from New Zealand)which also helped.

I can give you the information for the breastfeeding specialist I saw in Westchester (NY) if you are in the area. Her name is Dr. Mona Gabbay. She doesn't take insurance anyway. The only thing I didn't try and wish I had was a breastfeeding supplimenter (you tape a tiny tube to your breast so the baby can get breastmilk and formula at the same time). I think you can get them at some pharmacies without a prescription or sometimes a lactation consultant or LaLeche Leader might have one.

My experience with my oldest was pumping almost exclusively until 10 weeks and then trying to get him to nurse. He nursed a little and got mostly formula until 5 months and then lost interest. With my daughter who is one week from her 1 birthday I pumped exclusively for 10 months. She never nursed well because of her nose being narrow on the inside so she couldn't really breathe and nurse. I wanted her to get breastmilk so I pumped and never got too much (an ounce or two at most). My milk dried up completely at 10 months when my period came back. I could have gone back on the domperidone but didn't.

I guess the question is how much you want to work at it for the small amount of breastmilk you are getting. You have to figure it out for yourself. I ended up pumping 2-3 times a day for months (even when some people thought I was crazy). I thought it was important for her to get a little bit for the immunities as long as I could manage. If you are just done with struggling and feeling frustrated don't feel bad about stopping. You did your best as long as you could manage and it is a crazy busy time of year.

Oh, the one kind of fun thing I forgot was lactation cookies. I'm not sure how much they help but I loved the taste. Basically oatmeal cookies with a tablespoon of brewers yeast and 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal (in 4 tbs of water). Some say steel cut oats are better for the milk but I mixed half steel cut and half regular rolled oats. I made mine with some chocolate ships and they were so good. (I can email an exact recipe if you want it).

You don't mention your age, but I just learned from my cousin that milk production goes down as our age goes up. She just had her first child at 40 and produced almost no milk at all. The lactation consultant told her that was a perfectly normal function of age and there was basically nothing to be done. It was a great relief to her, since she had been trying so hard to no avail.

Have you thought about trying domperidone? It is a medication that helps with milk supply...it helped me quite a bit when I was in a similar situation. You can order it from inhousepharmacy.com - it is sold under the brand name Motilium. It is a drug that was originally developed for some sort of gastrointestinal usage, but actually has the side effect of increasing prolactin levels and thus increasing milk supply. You don't need a prescription if you go through the website listed above. I have been taking it for nearly two years, and have had no side effects at all. It is also safe for your baby as well. Let me know if you'd like more information!

R.

sORRY I clicked on send before i could write something..
What i have done is tried to get more sleep.. I know it is hard.. Also, I would have a beer here or there.. due to the yeast in the beer that is what would produce more milk. it really worked. Also, I drank whole milk alot of milk. Also, alot of soup. Also, I just pumped and pumped and pumped. I breast fed alot because i pumped so so so much. So, keep pumping and keep drinking a lot of water. Also, wear a nursing bra all the time. So, make sure you have tons of them. The more tight and together you are up there the more you will produce. It works..

I completely feel for you! Nursing is so rewarding! I took Blessed Thistle in the begining and I think it really helped me. I really don't think pumping does anything for supply because it just sucks the supply out and does not stimulate the let-down. At least this was true for me and I am sure lots of other women. Are you sure your baby is not getting anything? I couldn't pump more than 1 or 2 ounces ever and I am still nursing (although only a few times a day) at 21 months (I know, its a little crazy but he loves it so much!) Always nurse first, 10-15 minutes on each side and then offer the bottle. This is what the nurse at the hospital told me to do and not stress while my milk was coming in. Don't feel like a failure!

I wasn't able to breastfeed w/either of my daughters because I take lithium & it could pass into my milk supply, but I honestly don't think giving formula is a horrible thing if your body won't produce the milk. It's nothing you have done - my younger cousin was going through this over the summer. Like it was something she did wrong, she tried everything just like you but sometimes our bodies don't allow us to do what we want.

It sounds like you've been through it all trying this and trying that. Why not give into formula feeding & then you may be able to enjoy things a little more. I'm not trying to undermine how you are feeling, I just think that you have pretty much exhausted any and all options. Good luck!

I had a problem with nursing but found that herbal supplement helped, Fenugreek and it really helped a great deal. Stress can reduce it and I also learned that garlic and peanuts increases and lot s of water but that did not work because I drank so much water I felt like I was floating but didn't help. Parsley decreases milk supply and it's good for weaning. So, Fenugreek was great for me, release stress, eat (natural peanut butter) because I was allergic to peanuts and the other junky pb and so I got Teddy Bear or Nautre's Place and helped with increasing. Garlic I was told and I think it helped too. Check the health food stores about the tea bags to help too....speacial ones. Let us know how it went! I also know that pumping did not tell me how good my milk supply was going and it did NOT help me with producing more, it made it decrease so I gave up on pumping.

I had a C-Section as well, which gave us a rocky start b/c my milk was slow to come in...Since then, I've had to boost it back up two times - both times due to my child sleeping for longer periods.

Since nursing frequency was what caused the supply to go low, I boosted up my nursing/pumping frequency - somedays every hour, every two hours - making sure to pump at night as well. The first time my supply came back within 1 week. This last time, I followed the same protocol, but took Domperidone in addition. My supply came back in four days. I now make sure I pump at night to maintain my supply.

Hello V.:

Alternative methods to use to increase/balance supply include Herbal Care and Reflexology. Please consult with specialist in those areas. Feel free to consult with my office as this is our field of care.

All the best,
N.
www.wholecreations.com/wombfull.html
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