How did people decide that their breast milk supply was gone/diminishing? [Archive]

Hollywood

27-09-2008, 13:43

I didn't put this in a particular section because it's not aimed at any particular group as such.

I'm really just curious as to how those who say "My milk dried up" (or something along those lines), came to that conclusion when they were breastfeeding.

I see it written here often and I was just wondering for my own curiosity how this decision was made, like what symptoms were displayed by the baby?

And in looking back, if you knew what you know now (after perhaps being on Bub Hub a while and reading more about other's experiences), do you think the outcome could have been different?

I hope this thread doesn't go bad :o, like REALLY hope, but I'm just so curious :detective:

So just keep it on-topic please, and keep it nice ;)

westerner

27-09-2008, 13:51

I knew because my son was starving and screaming. I tried things like oats, herbs, feeding all day etc with no luck. My doctor prescribed medication with no improvement. My LC checked attachment, diet, medication, and help me feed 24-7 and pump when not feeding with no improvement. My doctor noted the change in DS weight. The LC still couldn't help to improve it and it diminished to absolutely nothing even with all the help i was seeking.

So Me, my doctor, and a LC decided i had lost my milk and no amount of trying was aiding in getting it back.

My son then thrived on formula.

We feel the minipill contributed to the loss of my milk but thats just a theory we all came to. I did stopped taking it at the time but still no change.

I didnt take the minipill this time and i am still feeding my DD 11 months on.. It may be a coincidence it may not be..

I dont feel the outcome could have been different, i exhausted the many options and consulted the experts out there..

:)

ETA- I forgot to mention this happened when DS was 3 months old..

WorkingClassMum

27-09-2008, 14:02

I had ample milk with DS that I was always dripping and leaking. When I fed DS on one side, it flowed out of the other like a tap, to the extent I would prop a bottle under my opposite side when feeding and I'd easily leak 200 mls. So with DS there was never an issue - he guzzled and grew round and plump - very contented baby.

At first with DD I was again swiming in milk. There was no waiting for my milk to come in - I could have bathed her in milk within hours of her being born. But DD screamed before, during and after a feed. She'd arch her back, scrunch herself up and fight the boob. She was losing weight in front of my eyes. In sheer desparation, after 6 weeks, I gave her formula and for the first time in 6 weeks we both got some sleep. Even trying to eliminate diary, wheat, coffee etc from my diet, my milk dried up before bfeeding could be saved - and she refused to go back on the boob. She'd twist or bite and arch her back. On the last day I got into the shower and realised that my breasts where empty - and I cried for hours. There was nothing left - I was too tied from DD's 24/7 screaming, lack of sleep and the constant vomit. I couldn't even express a teaspoon worth at that stage.

The funny thing is that if I was to start expressing now I could very easily go back to feedinga child - so long as they were'nt intolerent to my diet. I can even today express a few drops, and if I do, tomorrow I could express a teaspoon's worth. I still feel a "let-down" feeling if I hear a very young baby cry.

calden

27-09-2008, 14:03

i always wondered the same thing and only mainly because i guess i was lucky and never had a problem i always had more than enough- but because every professional or experienced ppl in the field (iykwim) told me that its not possible to ever try up. Which gave me the attitute of i didn't believe it when someone said "oh i dried up" or "my breasts were to small" but the amount of ppl that have said it makes me change my mind and why are these professionals being led to believe and leading ppl like me to believe its not possible, i understand why the breastfeeding assoc. might say it and it would be because they don't like talking about the negative issues in bf. my experience only. so am also curious to hear the stories

Chunkydunks

27-09-2008, 16:56

The conclusion that I had very little milk came from DS losing weight rapidly, constantly feeding and I mean every 15 minutes. He'd feed for 10-15 mins on one side and 15 mins later scream and feed on the other side. never ending cycle. My GP told me to comp feed him till my supply returned. I tried expressing between feeds (when I could) and was getting nothing. This was all the advice I was given and being my first child I honestly didn't know where to turn to next. I had no idea about ABA or lactation consultants or the such. It was at this stage that my GP and MCHN said to give him formula.

I still to this day believe to this day that if my GP hadn't recommened me to move him from side feeding to front feeding and her telling me to give him those comp feed this wouldn't have happened.

Lastcenturymum

27-09-2008, 17:04

crying, unable to settle, always hungry and losing weight. Also you get a sense of not feeling as full (so does the baby I guess :D) It also helps to step back and see what is going on in your life as stress can be a big factor.

I think 'dried up' is probably the wrong expression unless there is medication or a major illness involved as it is usually more subtle, but often we aren't aware till it is crisis time.

Fortunately I had a good ABA counsellor who encouraged me through the building up the supply by extra short feeds (lots of them!) and trying to rest as much as possible.

stellarella

27-09-2008, 17:54

Chunkydunks

27-09-2008, 18:00

I wasn't worried about his feeding patterns because I was told to expect things like the constant feeding and the sort but what got me majorly stressed was the weightloss that come with it. DS lost 200g in one week at one stage and that was when my GP really pushed formula.

lukaelmo

27-09-2008, 18:06

I had heaps of milk with Luka and easily fed him for over a year. When Felix was born, he was a really quick feeder, as in done in five minutes, whereas Luka would take up to 45 minutes for it all to be over :laughing:!

When Felix was around 7 or 8 months old, I just noticed how cranky he was during and after feeds. When I would try to express, there was just nothing more coming out. I tried the herbs and the cookies, went to a lactation consultant and persisted for a month or so, feeding him all the time to encourage the milk supply.

It just wasn't working, and as you all know, bfing can be a really emotional issue. I was getting more and more upset until I gave in and gave him formula. I tried to do both for as long as I could, but of course with the formula my supply just dried up even more quickly.

So I guess I could tell that I wasn't satisfying him because he was cranky, and because there was nothing to express.

pinkgingham

27-09-2008, 19:01

my milk really didnt come in at all. it was only the colostrum and it wasnt a whole lot but i still tried, i really did because i really wanted it to work. and even though its suppose to be supply and demand for most women, it wasnt working like that for me my kids just werent satisfied and i was feeding like less than every hour and every feed was lasting that long. in between feeds i was expressing. then because i had to comp feed, once my kids get that bottle then thats it for me. they refuse the breast. so my DS was only "breastfed" for a week, and my DD for 3 weeks. if you could call it breastfeeding. i really wanted to breastfeed. i'm still not dealing with it that i wasnt able to. if i ever have anymore kids, i will have to speak to someone about medication to boosy my supply and i only recently heard of lactation cookies and lactation consultants so i would give those a go and hopfully, i would be able to breastfeed like i have always wanted.

~BEXTER~

27-09-2008, 19:29

this happened to me..

singns are

1. cant see the milk in the corner of their mouth

2. cant hear them swollowing milk

3. meant to have the amount of wet nappies as feeds. 6 feeds a day 6 wet nappies a day
and they should be full.

4. dry lips.

5. crying all the time feeding way to long, then being hungry straight after.

6. loosing weight.

i took keiara to doctors and even hospital and they all said she was fine.
went to my aunty who was concerned and we called the breastfeeding line and keiara was deyhydrated (cant spell)

once she was put on formula she slept all night long and gained weight.

sam's mum

27-09-2008, 20:12

for the first 6 - 8 weeks DD2 was fed ebm so I could see that the amount that I was expressing was dropping.

the chn said to go to the gp and get a script for motillium and to take fenugreek. I did both and my supply was hugely boosted.

when my kids are feeding off the boob though, I can't really express much at all, so I wouldn't normally use that as a clue.

miloand4

27-09-2008, 20:34

I had loads of milk with my last bub and fed her even through treatment for cervical cancer. Was going great could express easily no worries. Then I got a really nasty bout of food poisening and my milk just dissapeared. Bub was screaming and screaming not a drop was coming out I tried expressing and there was litterally nothing I then spent the next month trying to reestablish my supply but nothing It was dissapointing because I was going so well and perservered through so much. I had the same problem with all my kids my milk just dissapearing. I would have loved to continue as I hate how much formula costs!!!!! Milk does dry up and it can be incredibly frustrating But it is not a Myth

Chookster

27-09-2008, 21:55

I bfed DS for 9 months but at the same time that I became pg with #2 he started to wake every 20-45mins for feeding. I believe that being pg and with all that waking through the night my body just couldn't get enough rest to make enough milk for him. I kept it up for a while but I felt (physically) that there was nothing there, as a result DS self-weaned quite suddenly at 10-11 months.
That was 4 months ago and DS hasn't kept his growth rate up to his bf days, but who's to say if that would've slowed down anyway??

Hollywood

27-09-2008, 23:04

At the moment Ginger feeds constantly in the evenings. Basically from 4pm to around 9/10pm - if she is not BFing she is screaming and acting as though she is hungry. It is quite literally a matter of her coming off the breast, having a burp, attempting to settle her and then her beginning to cry again and root for the nipple until she gets it...repeat about 30 times til she finally falls asleep.

Oscar was the same except he did it 24/7 and spent the first 6 weeks of life attached to my nipple, whereas Ginger just has her Witching Hour period.

Hmmmm, so yeah I'm not posting this because I think I have no milk....just to demonstrate that a screaming, hungry babe, feeding constantly isn't an indicator of supply issues.

I just wanted to post this so that anyone reading this thread, who is still BFing and thinking that their baby isn't getting enough milk due to the above mentioned signs will not go away and decide to supplement.

I'm not posting to try and disregard the experiences of people who have posted in this thread. Just want to make that clear :thumbsup:

I could have written some of that word for word :laughing: I remember one day DS was attached from 4pm to 10pm with only 15 minute breaks here and there. I was a bit worried and called the BFing clinic at the hospital. They reassured me that this was normal in the early weeks so I just kept going and eventually the situation improved.

DS was below his birth weight at 2 weeks (he was 4.375kg at birth mind you) and took another week or so after that to go back up, but he eventually did and now he's a very healthy 19 month old in the 85th percentile for weight and 90th for height.

It's interesting to hear the stories, thanks for sharing.

leeniebum

28-09-2008, 00:00

with DD my milk started to dry up. so i gave up expressing as it was getting less and less each time. with i had a good supply but couldnt continue feeding as it was impossible to feed him and look after my dd at the same time they are 15 months apart so i guess you get that.

Ana Gram

28-09-2008, 10:10

I had to go on a large dose of steroids and that pretty much wiped out my milk supply overnight. But as I was exclusively expressing, I could see how much my supply was diminishing before that.

Lil Mamma

28-09-2008, 13:20

Being unable to breastfeed is something quite upsetting for a lot of mums. It may be difficult for some mums who have always had good milk supply to understand what its like having little or no milk.

I was adament that I would breastfeed both my boys for as long as possible, but had to give them formula after a good few months of trying. I would try expressing, keeping baby on the boob practically all day to get my milk supply up, but hardly any milk would come out. I saw specialists, I tried fenugreek, and the midwives all said I was breastfeeding correctly. You name it I tried it. The most I could express was 20ml. It got to the stage that my babies were constantly crying, not sleeping, losing weight and had a pink tinge in their urine, which indicates that they are hungry. As soon as I saw this, I did not hesitate to give either of them formula, there was no way they were going to starve because of my inability to breastfeed.

If a health professional claimed it is impossible not to breastfeed, I would seriously question their expertise.

stellarella

28-09-2008, 13:30

Bit OT here but pink urine in newborns is normal, it is caused by a substance called "urates" in the urine. It looks pink/red on the nappy.

A dehydrated baby will have dark coloured urine though.

MissSparkle

28-09-2008, 14:06

DS2 had bad reflux and used to fuss alot at the breat. After 2 months of screaming through breastfeeds he'd hardly gained any weight since birth and on observation Dr realised he wasn't actually drinking much at all n my supply had gotten so low...I couldnt build it up coz I can't express (nothing comes out even if its in there) and DS2 wouldnt drink enough to build it back up. So I had to put him on the bottle n he's rapidly gained weight since.

Lil Mamma

28-09-2008, 22:25

Bit OT here but pink urine in newborns is normal, it is caused by a substance called "urates" in the urine. It looks pink/red on the nappy.

A dehydrated baby will have dark coloured urine though.

at the time, i called the nurse who said it was most likely because he was hungry, given that i was having trouble with low milk supply. i had a look online as well and got the impression that it is normal but more likely to occur when the baby is getting dehydrated.
http://www.cyh.sa.gov.au/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=304&id=2272#8

iamLilysmummy

28-09-2008, 23:12

wen lily was 5 days old.. i decided its time to stop trying... lily was getting more and more yellow (jaundice) and was loosing weigh really fast.. i was told to keep going.. but in my heart i new it wasnt doing lily any good.. so i went straight to the shop and brought formula... 2 days later u could hardly tell she was jaundice.. and she thrived everyday after... :) it was the best choice.. shes 14 months now

Sheer Bliss

29-09-2008, 06:35

I thought i was loosing my supply with DS. He is 17months old and only feeds twice a day. I never feel full anymore, I never leak anymore and i can't express a drop (ok, well maybe 2 drops come out, but thats about it) But he still feeds every night and every morning, i hear him gulping once the let-down starts (althought that is a bit slow these days) and his nappies are soaked every morning, then after his morning feed, the next nappy is usually drenched too.

If i'd have read this thread 6months ago, I would have thought that i was loosing supply, but now I know that it is not true, things just change as they become older.

DS was also loosing lots of weight after birth (he was premmie) and it would have been easy to assume that I had no milk and give up(but he was even loosing weight when he was being tube fed formula too). I was induced, had PE, and a heomorage after the birth. It took until day 8 when we were home from hospital until my milk came in. Even then I had doubts that it was in properly, as i never got the 'full' feeling or engorgement like with DD. The paed picked up younge tie when he was 7 days old, and stretched it before we went home. Once that was fixed, my milk came in. He thrived after that 300-400g weigth gains every week, on breastmilk alone!! So sometimes it can be a combination of things that is stopping a baby from gettign enough milk, and assuming the mum can't produce it within the first week is a mistake IMO.

Deserama

29-09-2008, 08:22

I don't believe that anyone 'dries up' per se, that's a very old fashioned term really. I think the more accurate description is to say that your milk supply is low.

Anyway for me, my baby was showing signs of dehydration, constantly crying and losing weight, she also had not done a poo since hospital and we'd been out for 5 days. My milk supply was low because I was using nipple sheilds so therefore, my nipples were not getting proper stimulous.

I was able to build my milk supply up though, by feeding round the clock and by expressing after feeds. It worked even though I had 4 other children to take care of and I was so unbelievably tired I was losing my eyesight!

Egall

29-09-2008, 10:53

I decided that my milk supply was insufficient in consultation with my doctor when my DS was 4 months of age. My DS had not been gaining weight sufficiently over a number of months (yes, even according to the new WHO charts - he had slipped from the tenth percentile down to the third) plus, he was taking ages to feed and feeding frequently and still not gaining weight at a desirable rate. I started to supplement with formula on my doctor's advice, and he gained a kilo in a month! I managed to do both breast and bottle feeding for another 4 months. Then one evening after he had had a breast feed he screamed and screamed as though he hadn't been fed at all (unfortunately we were driving on a freeway at the time and couldn't pull over for what seemed the longest time) and the next morning I tried to breastfeed him again, and there was just nothing there, he kept pulling off and crying. I realised it was over.

No, I don't think I could have done anything differently. I was happy that I managed to supplement breast with bottle for a good four months, despite the LCs saying I wouldn't be able to do both for more than a month. You know, I didn't find them very helpful at all. they wouldn't give any advice on how to supplement, they just said not to, just keep breastfeeding all day long - well, I had tried that - heaps - and it didn't make any difference, I just got run down and sick and still had a hungry baby. Thank goodness I had a sensible doctor who had more to say than just 'breast is best'!

Benji

29-09-2008, 10:57

I have been feeding DS for 2.5 yrs now and I feel as though my supply has dropped significantly. He went from 3, to 2, to 1 feed per day. Now that it's one per day it hurts to feed him, I get no let downs and if I express in the shower I only get a few drips.

I would assume he's still getting a few mLs, which I'm happy with but yeah... very uncomfortable! He's just not interested in any feeds beside the morning feed.

naiwen

29-09-2008, 11:15

I was pumping exclusively so it was pretty obvious really.

ComeBackKid

29-09-2008, 11:18

I didn't 'decide' anything - my milk supply was decreasing.

A screaming, hungry baby and producing no milk was a pretty clear indication that I had no milk.

I didn't randomly decide.

babekizzy

12-12-2008, 15:44

Hard to make a choice for prefer breastfeed or not prefer to give any child....

I have, twice, stopped from breastfeeding for my DS1 and DS2. Because I have been given the doctor's advice to stop breastfeed when my DS1 was 6 months old....before I fell pregnant again with number 2.

Then.... I was back to breastfeed my DS2 again when the birth of my DS2. It went continued through nearly 7 months....I became very sick with gaseteritimitis (sort of like stomach pain, vomit, etc). I went to doctor and he gave me the advice to stop breastfeed my DS2 (AGAIN!!). And I took the special strong medication to ease the pain and stop from being sick with gaseteritimitis.

My DS1 was full of term drinking the formula milk until 1 year old. Then my DS2 is currently on formula milk he seems liked it....

If next baby, I must continue to breastfeed for a year without stop! I enjoy breastfeeding my children....but how shameful of that stopped breastfeed in short periods.

When I feel there had full milk supplies inside the breasts....I had to express the milk out until it dissolved inside the breast which is ending of the breast milk supply.

UmmInayah

12-12-2008, 16:06

No, I don't think I could have done anything differently. I was happy that I managed to supplement breast with bottle for a good four months, despite the LCs saying I wouldn't be able to do both for more than a month. You know, I didn't find them very helpful at all. they wouldn't give any advice on how to supplement, they just said not to, just keep breastfeeding all day long - well, I had tried that - heaps - and it didn't make any difference, I just got run down and sick and still had a hungry baby. Thank goodness I had a sensible doctor who had more to say than just 'breast is best'!

I wouldn't assume an LC to know about supplementing feeds either. They're not supplement consultants, they're lactation consultants.

Shmeegle

12-12-2008, 17:56

I wouldn't assume an LC to know about supplementing feeds either. They're not supplement consultants, they're lactation consultants.
Actually the lc at my hospital said it was her job to provide info on all types of feeding. A lot of women use formula to top their babies up at one time or another. If I had not been so 'scared' of using formula and gave my poor sore boobs a break I would probably still be breast feeding!! :rolleyes:

joolz79

13-12-2008, 09:06

My problem was more with low supply initially than supply diminishing.
With DS1 it was mainly the weight loss, he lost just over 10% of his birth weight in the first 3 days. The midwife on duty when I left hospital said if I didn't try to feed him more often he'd be put in the special care unit and fed through a tube. I was already feeding him (or trying to) every 2 hours. He wouldn't stay awake for feeds, I had the midwives by my side almost the whle time I was there. When we got home I started trying to get him to take formula from a bottle as often as possible, just so I knew he was getting something as I was so scared he'd be put back in hospital. I expressed in between.
My milk didn't come in until day 6. I truly believe if that midwife had been more helpful and less mean I would have given breastfeeding a better go.
Also with both my sons the only way I knew my milk had come in was that when I expressed it was milk and not colostrum. My boobs maybe felt slightly firmer than normal but certainly in no way close to engorged.
Now with DS2 I have just gotten to the stage with a lot of feeding and expressing that he has 90% of his feeds from the breast. If I miss a feed now my breasts feel much fuller than they did initially when milk initially came in.

Mahjong

13-12-2008, 09:08

DS1 was loosing weight despite hanging off me every half an hour and feeding. Being my first baby though, I didn't realise that there was methods to help boost my supply, didn't have much support professional wise

DS2 - Didn't so much have a supply issue - this time I was armed with information (thanks to some lovely BH'ers :D), just 4 bouts of mastitis in a month was enough to kill the breastfeeding relationship, sitting in the shower shivering with the water on full hot was enough to tell me it wasn't working :(

Sheer Bliss

13-12-2008, 10:39

With DD, i thought my milk was drying up......after a few visits and discussions with my CHN we came to the conclusion that I was worried about comments the MIL had said behind my back, an upcoming holiday and so stressing too much. DD simply wasn't getting the letdown, getting frustrated and crying and starting the vicious cycle that did end up decreasing my supply. Relaxing was they key (easier said than done) but once i started relaxing the milk was flowing, my supply increased and DD fed beautifully again for another 4months. Friends told me it was time to put her on the bottle, as she obviously wasn't getting enough and i didn't have enough milk.

DS, my day 4, still no engorgement (he was in the humidicrib until day 3) despite hand expressing colostrum. Then he was on the boob ecery 3-4hrs and still no engorgement. I really felt my milk hadn't come in and wasn't going to. It would have been very easy to say that i had no milk and go tot he bottle. But we got the paed to give him a thorough check, and discovered a slight tounge tie. He wasn't getting a good enough hold on the breast, despite it 'looking' right. Once that was fixed up, my milk came in well a few days later, with the help of some pumping after feeds. And he successfully fed until 19months.

Sheer Bliss

13-12-2008, 10:48

em1984

13-12-2008, 18:42

Ive gotta say, I can really understand how breastfeeding can be given up in the early days. 3 days after having my bubba, my milk hadnt come in and his jaundice was getting progressively worse. On top of that my nipples were bleeding severly and i was in agony. The midwives got me to try and express, and i was only able to get like 3 ml or something. They then told me I was going to have to supplement with formula. I was in tears, felt like my body wasnt working and worst of all I felt like I was starving my beautiful bubba. I think thats the worst part of it, when you think its you that is making them scream in 'hunger' it just tops it all off. The midwives told me his jaundice would only get worse if they didnt supplement. So i reluctantly agreed. Then seeing my bubba being fed by someone other than me, while i sat helplessly across the room, It was just an awful feeling. So I can see, being at that point and feeling like this, how easy it would be to just say bugger it, its not going to work etc, god i nearly did at one point. It was only after getting wise words from my aunty who is a mchn and lc who just said keep going it will happen, probably when you get home. And she was right, I persisted and on day 6, a day after i got home, my milk came in by the bucket load and i was able to chuck the formula. I dont say this to minimise or argue with others experiences, Just to give my own experience and that i truly understand how hard it can be and how much you can place these high expectations on your body and not get the result you expect...