Breastmilk Decreasing

by Alison
(Dallas, Texas)

When my son was born 2 years ago, we had a very smooth experience with breastfeeding for the first 2 months, no problems. Around 8-10 weeks, he hit a growth spurt. I rolled him into bed with me so he could nurse as often as he wanted thinking this would help my milk get up to the amount he needed. Slowly in the following weeks my milk dropped and his demands increased. His weight decreased and I tried pumping and taking Fenugreek for 2 weeks, but it was too late. I had to start supplementing at 4 months to get him back to healthy weight. I was originally planning on a full year of solely breastfeeding, as you can imagine, I was emotionally distraught about the situation.
I am about to have our second and I want to know what went wrong after having 2 months of success. Is it that I need to get into a pumping routine early? Is it that I can't produce enough milk as baby's demands increase?
Thanks for your help!
Alison

Answer from the lactation consultant
I wish I could answer your question exactly but it is impossible. There are many factors that could influence supply. Breast anatomy; babies anatomy, latch , suck; hormone levels (including but not limited to estrogen/progesterone/prolactin/oxytocin/thyroid); infection; anemia; fatigue and more.
All this being said, I would suggest you meet with a lactation consultant now to discuss your history and let her do a physical exam. She may be able to help you prevent it from happening again but even if she cannot prevent it, she can help you overcome low supply if it happens again. Fenugreek is just one of many many galactogogues and I have had several women who saw NO improvement using it.
Low supply is a resolvable problem in most cases but you will need good support from a lactation consultant with experience in this area. Call the hospital where you are delivering and ask to speak with the lactation consultant there.
I am in Keller, if you would like me to work with you I can do so as well. Email me directly if you would like to set up an appointment: admin@askthelactationconsultant.com

Liz Pevytoe, RN, IBCLC