Low milk supply/pcos

[henrysmomma]

My daughter just turned two months today. We have been doing pretty well overall with breast-feeding up until about the last week I would say. We have been feeding between every 2 to 3 hours and baby seems relatively satisfied. Starting over the last couple of days, She has started to get very very fussy and does not seem satisfied. Her naps of been getting shorter and shorter are no other apparent reason. She is very fussy at the breast and literally my breast feel like pancakes. This is my second child and I am noticing the same precursors as to when I dried up with my first. I have polycystic ovary syndrome and was told by several of my doctors got a hormonal switch will take place and your milk supply will deplete very quickly. That being said I am one of those really odd women that tend to lose massive amounts of weight during pregnancy and that weight-loss continues into breast-feeding. With my first I started gaining weight back and then I was unable to breast-feed. This postpartum experience is headed in the same direction.

Are there any other pcos mamas out there that had the same experience?  Last night was horrible and I went back to bed bawling because I feel that this is exactly what happened last time. I am so pro breastfeeding that it breaks my heart to admit to myself that I think we might be nearing the end.

 I am just not sure where to go from here, should we use the frozen breastmilk first to top off after feeding when she seems unsatisfied? Or maybe top off with formula after feeding?

Breaks my heart but once again I will have to cut off breast-feeding early of my body is not wanting to cooperate. I am taking blessed this'll supplements, drinking mothers milk tea, drinking close to a gallon of water a day and doing everything else that I can to increase my supply on a daily basis. I have been doing those things for over a month now and efforts to extend the period of time that I am able to feed my baby the way I want.

Any suggestions? I am at a loss. It's a sad day here.

[amayzie]

Oh dear honey!! I also have PCOS but had a different experience to you- but isn't it a kick in the teeth, you have NO idea how it's going to affect your supply or when it will come in or IF it will come in at all! I was lucky and had the opposite issue- but hormones are a PAIN!! Do you have a pump to express? They say that pumping in the early hours of the morning and even pumping on empty is also good for supply. You could pump an extra feed perhaps (or even a little bit) and then top her up?

Big hugs anyway... It's awful when things don't work as they should...

[henrysmomma]

Thank you so much for your response. The crazy part is that I start out with an oversupply so I pump and pump and pump and get all that I can for the freezer. And then later on I gain weight and then my supply keeps dipping and then one day it kind it just dries out.  It is very frustrating; dealing with infertility for eight years event tonight, the one thing I really want to do (which is breast-feed) gets taken away for me too.

I work from home and could make breast-feeding work until a year or more so it just really is frustrating. My fertility doctor, who happens to be one of the world's leading experts on PC OS, told me at my last visit that hormones in formula has been linked to pcos development and women. I really don't want that same outcome for my daughter.

[*Ali*]

Hugs. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be to want to BF and not be able to.

Have you seen our PCOS Support thread? PCOS Support Thread It's not ver active these days but has some great info and links on there. Feel free to post and see if it gets revived.

I wonder, is PCOS affecting supply something you could get support from a lactation consultant on?

Personally I think I would stick with the breast milk as long as possible and deplete the freezer stash before resorting to formula.

[henrysmomma]

I have been working with the lactation consultant and she feels that we have reached the end of what we can do. She thought it would be a good idea to consult a doc to see about reglan or other hormone replacement therapies to aid in the production. I called my fertility specialist because he is apparently a leading expert on pcos but when his nurse called me back, he apparently knows nothing about what happens with pcos after delivery. Um, ok. Back to trying to get reglan, or trying to get, from my other md.

 I will continue to feed her and then starting tonight, I'll top her off with formula and breastmilk. Sad day!!

[*Ali*]

GS. I know some people have success with domperidome so may be worth asking about that.