FREAKING OUT PLS RESPOND FAST!

[anielasmommy]

ok so i have been pumping 1hr to 1.5hrs everyday recently after DDs first feed and usually one in the afternoon. so i skipped one day...then yesterday i tired to pump and could not get anything but DD was in a mood and i didnt have time to deal with it. Now this morning i pumped for 20 mins and literally could not even cover the bottom of the bottle im talking like not even 1/4 of an oz! that was from both breasts! whats going on? am i drying up? can that really happen? my friend said one day she just woke up and her milk was gone! DD is always nursed. i have just been trying to build a supply since i need to be going to work soon and now im all nervous that my milk is going downhill here. she nursed x4 last night and i thought maybe something was up but now im wondering if there just wasnt enough milk? i have been building my supply so thats why im freaking out so badly. she was losing weight so i started feeding her every 2-3hrs and pumping. now shes eating every 4hrs again (starting today it was every 3.5 yesterday) and she eats very little solids still. Shes 8 m/o and we just started her on some solids. so i would think i would have MORE milk to be pumped since we are back to 4hr feeds at the 1.5 or 2hr mark but ive got nothing! IS IT TIME TO PANIC? shes never had formula and cant even have it b/c of her allergies!

[skatty]

No don't panic, keep pumping today whenever you have time, drink loads of water and try and eat some oats that helps when things dry up a bit. I pumped for almost a year and really the more you pump the more you get but I still had sessions where I couldn't get much. Maybe because you are back down to 4 hourly feeds again your breasts aren't holding so much, as your lo gets older they make more on demand but one thing that wont help is stressing! Eat and drink well and maybe try and relax and pump to a cute movie or somthing 

[simcar]

I couldn't produce enough milk for either of my two by 7mths.  It happens.  Life is busy, there are stresses etc.  But you will work things out... if you can't make milk, you can't and yes maybe it's time.  BUT yes pumping should bring you back up to speed so certainly don't give up but you can not let your child go without... can you not find a formula that she can take?  Work on the solids, try everything - she'll come around!!

[anielasmommy]

she has too many intolerances for formula the Dr said TG i breastfed b/c another woman who's baby is similar has to pay women for them to be on a strict diet and for their milk. so formula is a no go.

[anna*]

At about 10 months, I couldn't get any milk from pumping any more, BUT there was still plenty of supply there for BF.

[Jiinx]

It's true. I think it's common for a pump to produce very little. Babies are much much more efficient.

And, I believe, our breasts start storing less and producing milk more on a supply/demand basis.

I'm constantly worried that I have very little milk to provide to my daughter. My breasts always feel "soft"..but she STTN and eats solids well enough.

[hatshetsut]

Same here. Your body does adjust to the pump, meaning after a while it isn't 'fooled' any more. It realizes it isn't a baby sucking and you don't produce as much when pumping. Plus, the more you stress about it, then less you will produce when pumping. I'm sure your DD is getting enough if she isn't waking hungry.

Mother's Milk tea helped me when I decreased my pumping amount in later months of BF.

[tanya032009]

Hey there- I had the same experience. The pump was just a NO GO...I used a manual one, and blamed it on that...but I really think my body just became smart enough to know the difference. There really seemed to be enough supply for DS though...and here I am still BFing at 11.5 mos! I would go much more on your DD than a pump yield. Oatmeal also worked wonders for me...I was on a dairy free diet and it helped fill me up and keep my milk supply strong!

And...and I too always felt like my breasts were too "soft", so unlike the early months of BFing...again..I think it's just nature's way of adapting to your babies' needs!

Good luck hun...allergy/restricted diets are so so tough! You're doing great!

[shivi]

at 4.5 mths after Oscar I was back in work and pumping MASSIVE amounts like 10-12 oz per 15 min session.

By 7 mths we had dropped the 11am feed for lunch only and I was simply pumping for the DF - once I stopped pumping and thenh tried again (went to DF on the brest for a while) it was gone but we kept the feeding relationship going till he self weaned at 16 mths.

With Emma I haven't pumped since she was tiny and there was still plenty of milk there for all feeds. (now bedtime only).
I went back to work at 7.5 mths this time and didn't pump at all.....as she had dropped the 11am feed. We did 7,3,7 and DF at 11pm directly off the breast (never got her to take a bottle well....).

I definately think its a supply/demand issue at this stage though visualising Oscar or taking the vest he just slept in to work the next morning (if sweaty only of course LOL) and smelling it while I pumped really DID help with my letdown and supply from 6-7 mths....

S x

[anielasmommy]

TY ladies. i feel a little better lol. Aniela eats every 4hrs round the clock so i know when i get a job there wont be any feed skipping lol shes all about her milk. im really struggling trying to get her to eat solids...i hardly have any milk in my freezer and dont feel safe not having a backup or even milk for her if i EVER go out lol and have someone watch her. i will just keep trying i suppose

[lyeats44]

I recently started back at work and have had a few moments of panic like you... I usually bf from one side at her first feed of the day (becuase Im usually pretty full from the night) and then pump the other side to get a full bottle.  But some mornings, there just isnt any milk there.  I dont know if its becuase I wasnt drinking enough water, or maybe my boobs werent going to be fooled by the pump that day, but my supply has always returned.

Try and relax if you can... You are doing a fantastic job!! 

[skatty]

Here are loads of links from Kellymom on pumping and working, I hope all works out ok, there are lots of things you can try, as I said before eating aots really helped me, drinking loads and pumping often, whenever I read a book, watched TV etc to get supply up. Some people also use fenugreek but i didn't try that. I understand the pressure, Leorah was MSPI and wouldn't drink allergy free formula though by about 11 months she was eating more solids and started to drink some fortified rice milk.

[Kimberlina]

Just seeing if I can help - do you pump during your LO's feed or after? I found that I had to pump DURING, else nothing happened!!! (Then again, we switched to formula at 3 weeks, so what do I know?!)

[anielasmommy]

there is no way i could pump during shes way too big and then wouldnt the 2nd breast not have milk? thats really too bad you quit BFing...

[skatty]

OOps, here's those links 

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bf-links-pumping.html