no more feeding through the night resulting in low breastmilk

[Ayden's Mom]

Hello,

My 9 month ds is now going through the night without breastfeeding.  My milk dropped significantly within a short time of him going through the night without feeding, and I've compensated by giving him more solids.  Now, the poor little guy can be constipated, probably because of shortage of fluid.  I think I remember Tracy wriitng that at this age, a baby should have something like 24 oz or more per day.  I KNOW that my ds is getting much much less than that (maybe 10 oz).  In fact, after the first feed in the morning, the three other feeds can be for as little as 1 to 2 minutes, with what seems like just a little bit of milk. 

I am taking fenugreek, but it doesn't seem to help.  I know that I could pump, but it is a real challenge, as I also have a 3 year old son at home, and pumping always falls to the bottom of the list of priorities. 

So, my question is....It's been more than a week now, should my body have already compensated?  And, are there any other suggestions to increase my milk supply aside from pumping?  My ds does continue to suck while there is no milk, but it doesn't seem to make any difference in increasing the supply.

Thanks as always!
Maureen

[Samuel's mum]

Your body will compensate but not if he's been filling up on the solids as a substitute. And I'm afraid fenugreek also won't do anything unless it's accompanied by demand from the breast - either from him or pumping. Sorry

I think it sounds as though you really may need to schedule a bit of pumping even if it's in the evenings in front of the tv when everyone's in bed as a start. And also reduce the solids for a couple of days and hopefully that will increase his feeding time at the breast. If he's full from solids he may be comfort sucking or just connecting with mummy and not stimulating your supply as you need.

I can appreciate time to pump seems impossible but it may only take 2-3 days for things to really improve. As you say 10oz doesn't do it. Milk should be the primary source of nutrition for the first 12 months. Pumping may seems like a hassle but so will having to move to bottles and wash/sterilize/make up formulas.

It sounds like you need to do a mini version of a relactation to get your supply back up and running and I'm afraid increasing demand from the breast is really the only way to do that.

You could always buy one of these:
http://www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk/Easy-Expression-Bustier/prodnum/1/areanum/197
I'm not being entirely serious but handsfree pumping is achieved by some!!

Good Luck.

[Elizabeth410]

I agree with Samuel's mom, increasing demand from the breast is the only way to increase your supply. Maybe you could try nursing him more often for the next couple of days? I read somewhere (can't remember where) that breastfeeding every hour or so is a good way to increase supply. Good luck!

[sophiesmam]

Oh does this happen to everyone? ? My dd is 10 weeks and has slept from 11pm to 8am for the last three nights. I give her a pacifier if she wakes at night (usually wakes once and falls quickly to sleep)  but i wud feed her instead or express if it keeps my supply up  

[Samuel's mum]

sophiesmam - don't panic. Althought you might see a slight dip in supply it should even out as an exclusively breastfed baby will increase their daytime demand to compensate. If she's naturally ready to sleep through, and you are not offering a supplement or anything else in the day - your supply should adjust. The only other issue might be if she is showing clear hunger cues at night which are being ignored - but it doesn't sound like that's the case if she's waking once and going back to sleep easily. If she was hungry she would struggle to get back to sleep and probably wake again not long after.

[sophiesmam]

Phew id hate to jeopardise our feeding as i do enjoy it

[grantsmom]

The hands free pumping bra is great! I have to pump 2-3 times a day at work. It comes in so handy. A friend told me about it and it has been one of the best suggestions.

[sophiesmam]

Girls i duno if any of u have tried o make ur own by cuttin a small hole in an old bra (pre pregnancy bras work great be cause der usually slightly tight)......Havent tried it yet but am going to do so tonight....will keep u updated

[Antoinesmom]

Remember that they do get better feeders with time. He may get more than you think in those few minutes.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Girls i duno if any of u have tried o make ur own by cuttin a small hole in an old bra (pre pregnancy bras work great be cause der usually slightly tight)......Havent tried it yet but am going to do so tonight....will keep u updated

Now THAT'S a great idea!  Let us know if it works!

[sophiesmam]

Girls re making ur own hands free using an old bra, tried it last night and it does work yay yay. D only problem was i cut d holes a lil big and when d bottles filled up it pulled jus a lil. Let me know if anyone else has tried it

[Ayden's Mom]

I think I know the answer to increasing supply is to pump, pump, pump....but, it is such a challenge for me to get it in, especially when there are a thousand other things for me to do when I have a little time, such as eat a meal, have quality time with either of my boys, do some dishes, make the next meal, etc, etc.  You all probably know what I mean.  I'm not making excuses, I am simply admitting that I'm not prioritizing properly...

About our schedule, I always give breastmilk after ds wakes in the morning and after his two naps, then before bedtime.  I let him continue sucking until he decides he's tired of not getting any milk.  I feed solids 30-60 minutes after milk, and he will almost a cup of food!

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions, it's great to have the encouragement to pump.  But another question - if I pump and increase my supply, does that mean my supply will maintain itself on its own, or will I need to pump indefinitely?

As a side note, I asked my pediatrician about it, and he said that aside from pumping, I'd have to take some drugs.  No thanks.  But, he did say that I could give my son milk (in our case, fortified soymilk) instead of formula if I wanted to.  He said that formula does give a few more minerals than soymilk, but the minerals should be provided through the solids and soymilk should be fine.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I don't have any ideas about the soymilk.

As for meds - you said you're already taking fenugreek - have you tried it in combination with Blessed Thistle - apparently they work better together than alone.  He's probably talking about domperidone - I know lots of moms who've used it, but I can understand your reticence. I'd try the second herb first...