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Author Topic: Drop in supply at 9 months?  (Read 5288 times)

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Offline 1stimer

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Drop in supply at 9 months?
« on: March 17, 2015, 14:08:57 pm »
Pumping for the day I go to work was going great but just recently I can only get maybe a half oz at a time. Even when I try and express milk with my hand nothing comes out. Ds seems to get what he needs but he's been needing to switch breasts more often. Is this normal? What do I do? I'm going to have to supplement with formula atleast for this Thursday it looks like and I'm not too excited about it so I'm hoping there's something I can do!
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Offline goldmom

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2015, 14:40:37 pm »
If you've been using the same pump, it could be a pump issue. You may need to change some parts out. What type of pump are you using? I find I can pump more when I change parts every few weeks. I've been pumping at work for about 6 months now, and I'm definitely pumping less now than I used to, even with changing parts, and some days are better than others. When I get my period I also see a dip in pumping. DS2's feeds from both sides always, though he has been getting quicker at it, and I usually have way more than he needs in the morning, but I always feel a little short in the evenings.

At 9 months you may even consider using less milk per bottle and save some for days when you pump less if you can. I used to give DS2 7  oz  per bottle and I currently give about 5.5-6 oz (due to not pumping as much, plus he eats a lot of solids including yogurt and cheese).
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Offline newkidontheblock

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2015, 15:01:51 pm »
Spot on advice there from goldmom. I haven't had any issues with pump parts yet (I have the medela swing) but that is definitely the first thing to check out. I do notice quite a dip in my pumping output when AF comes around too. Also consider the times that you are pumping. I get the most first thing in the morning & in the night before going to bed. Since you are also nursing your LO during the day, you won't get too much after the feed.

You could read this link for more information. It also has pointers for increasing your supply.
http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/pumping_decrease/
Just pasting a few points  that could be the reason

Have you reduced the number of pumping or nursing sessions recently, or cut back on nursing/pumping in other ways? Milk production is a demand-supply process. More nursing/pumping results in a greater milk supply. If you consistently decrease nursing or pumping for several days, your overall milk supply will decrease and you can expect to see a decrease in pumped amounts.

Has baby started solids recently? As baby eats more solids and takes in less milk, overall milk supply naturally decreases and you may see a decrease in pumping output. You may not notice a change in nursing pattern, as some babies nurse just as often, but take in less milk during those sessions. If baby started solids early (before around 6 months) or is eating lots of solids early on, you are more likely to notice a drop in supply. A very gradual start to solids around 6 months or later is less likely to affect milk supply.

I also know that you are dealing with a lot at the moment, and are quite stressed out as a result. This could also be affecting your supply. Whatever the reason is, relax, stay hydrated, eat well, and try pumping a bit more frequently and it should normalise

Hugs, hun :-*
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2015, 17:38:13 pm »
Thanks yall...to try and answer some questions ds has been eating more solids but has not decreased the amount t of time he nurses. It does seem he is pulling off quicker so that could very well be part of it. I will do maybe 4.5 oz bottles since he was only doing 5.5 and that was more than enough. I have the Medela pump as well and it may be time to replaces some parts. That pump has gotten a lot of miles on it. I generally try and pump in the morning in but ds doesn't always let me so I sometimes wait until his nap (around 1030). I'm sure the stress doesn't help. I'm going to increase my water intake too...I've been working in the yard recently so even though what I was drinking before was over the necessary amount, I'm out in the sun so I think I need to increase it.
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2015, 12:27:02 pm »
So I went to the Medela site to see what replacement parts they had and I'm not sure what I need. None of the parts really seemed to address a low suction issue....
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Offline goldmom

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2015, 13:00:27 pm »
I have an Ameda, and I need to replace the white flanges every few weeks. I'm not sure what the Medela would need. You should Google some reviews on your pump to see what other mom's say about it - often they'll mention something if it needs replacing.
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Offline *Ali*

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2015, 22:46:59 pm »
I have the Medela swing pump too and have used it with my last two kids.  I've only ever replaced the flange once and that was because I forgot to put water in the steam steriliser and it melted.
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Offline newkidontheblock

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2015, 02:57:17 am »
Lol!
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2015, 12:34:22 pm »
Lol...I'll get some of those and see if it helps...I guess that really is in charge of the suction when I think about it...
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Offline *Ali*

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2015, 21:20:52 pm »
The little yellow valve and the tubing are the other parts that I replaced at the same time which could have an impact.
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Offline goldmom

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2015, 00:42:52 am »
I meant the valves not the flanges  ::). Sorry, if not for Ali's story (;D) I wouldn't have thought you need to change the flanges.
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2015, 01:07:19 am »
Lol well I was thinking valves anyways so it worked out lol...they need easier names for these parts...don't they know how exhausted we are?! ;)
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Offline *Ali*

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #12 on: March 23, 2015, 16:30:36 pm »
Yes it does get confusing doesn't it?

Hope it helps.
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Offline newkidontheblock

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2015, 10:34:13 am »
Hi there. Just wondering..where you able to figure it out? I'm having a similar experience all of a sudden. My morning pumping output has dropped from 5 on one side to 2!Eeks!
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2015, 01:28:29 am »
I haven't switched valves yet but I think it was that ds isn't taking as much at a feed now that he's eating more solids. I've noticed a slight increase since I've been pretty consistent about pumping...I've been trying to get twice a day but I'm thinking the vales are the culprit bc now that I'm paying more attention the suction seems off.
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Offline newkidontheblock

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #15 on: March 29, 2015, 02:38:15 am »
Okay. Meh, can't figure out the problem here. FX it sorts itself out
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Offline lauradj

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2015, 04:34:33 am »
I just saw this now but had to weigh in because I had the same problem when T was only 7 months.  I went from having A TON of milk (literally, the milk bank in our city loved me!), to not getting much at all. 
I tried Fenugreek but it didn't make much of a difference.  We finally discovered that I had asymptomatic hyperthyroiditis (say that 5x fast!).  Basically, pregnancy threw my hormones out of whack and around 7 months they kicked it into overdrive.  It sucked for me because it basically put an end to breastfeeding which broke my heart but I was able to get on synthyroid and this time around I should be fine.  Just a thought if the output issue continues. 
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Offline newkidontheblock

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2015, 04:55:39 am »
Quote from: lauradj on March 29, 2015, 04:34:33 am
asymptomatic hyperthyroiditis (say that 5x fast!).  Basically, pregnancy threw my hormones out of whack and around 7 months they kicked it into overdrive. 
Laura, thanks for the input. I will read up about this. I have felt that pregnancy really affected me more than it should have and I don't feel like myself even 10 months later! Oh, I hope hope hope that this is nothing!
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Offline 1stimer

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Re: Drop in supply at 9 months?
« Reply #18 on: March 30, 2015, 13:41:40 pm »
Oh gosh I wonder if that's part of my problem...I've had thyroid issues since dd and now it's really underactive....completely inactive basically bc it was so over active they had to kill it. I've been spacing out my meds until my insurance kicks in and I feel like my thyroid is even more underactive that usual...crap.
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