Milk production WAY down! Help!

[nickaucher]

Oh no! In the last 2 days my milk production has gone way down. It is 5:30am and usually I am bursting by now if she hasn't eaten. But my breasts feel completely empty. Yesterday she cried after I fed her everytime, like she was still hungry. And she started fussing like 30 minutes before I usually feed her. I posted recently about changing one feeding over to fomula, and did experiment with this 2 days ago. I was out getting my car serviced, and it took longer then I thought, so I just skipped the feeding and didn't pump. I did feel full when I normally would have fed. I also have been taking Mucinex (active ingredient- guaifenesin), because I have a cold. Could this make my milk production go down?

It's funny because I have been thinking the last few days of switching mostly to formula and just nursing in the morning and maybe at dinner time. But now that the decision has been made for me, I feel upset. Help!

-Nicole

[Samuel's mum]

I've done a bit of searching on that medication. Guaifenesin is lactation category risk L2. L1 is the 'safest'. L2 is 'safer' so you should be fine.
It might be that feeling unwell is a more likely issue and perhaps dehydration is the cause. Make sure you drink plenty and try and rest.
Also you may want to think about pumping to stimulate your supply. Some mums find that their supply maintains fine with some supplementing but if they reduce breastfeeding beyond a certain amount then they seem to find their supply tapers off quicker than they anticipated. Not everyone is able to maintain mixed feeding in the way they'd hoped to.
Is it at all possible she might be having a growth spurt too?
You are doing the right thing by offering the breast first for your breastfeeds- supplement after the breastfeeds if you really feel you need to. But you could also go back to the first breast to stimulate a new letdown - she will get something. This will help your supply too.

[nickaucher]

You may be right about the dehydration. I am going to try to drink more today.  I don't think I am going to be able to pump with a toddler around, but I will try to put her back on the first breast.  She also is so distracted when she is nursing it is hard to know when she is done.  I thought that maybe she was having a growth spurt.  But everytime she has had one in the past, she has been up in the night nursing and last night she slept all the way through.  Which ended up making me feel better about my supply, b/c if she didn't get enough yesterday, she surely would have been up in the night.  Thanks.

-Nicole

[nwmm]

I have heard that cold & allergy medicine can dry you up.

[Samuel's mum]

Yes, that's true. Allergy medicines and some cold medicines which contain antihistamines (like benadryl) are believed to have a 'drying effect' - though the evidence is 'anecdotal' rather than scientifically proven. In decongestants one called pseudoephedrine - as an active ingredient for a decongestant- seems to be one of the worst and can have dramatic effects on milk production. If you think about it logically anything designed to 'dry up' certain bits of your body is likely to effect elsewhere. As far as I know though Guaifenesin is an expectorant so works a little differently. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[nickaucher]

I have tried drinking more in the last day. During the day my milk production seems to be somewhat better. But this morning it was still low. Sometimes she wakes up at 5-6am, and then goes back to sleep until 7-7:30am. I usually feed her from one side at each feeding. But the last 3 mornings I could tell I was not as full, and one side did not satisfy her. I don't know what to do about that except to feed her from both sides at 5-6am. But then I feel like she will get her full feeding then, and not when she gets up at 7am.

-Nicole

[nwmm]

Hello.

I am no expert so I don't want to butt in, but my Dr. said medication can affect all of us in different ways.  I took something that caused my supply to go waaay down.  It was not supposed to, but after talking to my Dr. he said it "can affect all of us in different ways."  It did go back up when I stopped taking it.

I have had good luck with Mother's Love  - - More Milk Plus.  It has the fenugeek that is in most of the herbal milk booster products.

[nickaucher]

Well, my dd woke up at 6am this morning, and I was really worried about my milk production. I didn't feel full at all, whereas a week or two ago I would have been bursting at the seams. But we went for the 6 month check-up this morning, and the ped didn't seem too concerned. I told him how she has been really wanting solids lately, and he said that is fine. He said that some babies seem to get more calories from milk and others from solids and that is okay. She gets distracted so easily when nursing (2.5 year old brother), and I had been noticing for a few weeks that she would pull off and want to be done nursing but there was milk on her mouth and she obviously could get more if she wanted. So, maybe her not finishing the breasts at each feeding told my body to produce less. Anyhow, my doctor isn't too concerned and I am going to try not to be. Although, it is reasurring to feel full, so you know your baby is getting enough. I may try the mother's milk tea though. Thanks for all the input.

-Nicole