Dear ilites I am facing a very strange problem. Currently I am nursing my 3.5 months old baby boy. He is my second baby. I breastfed my first baby for two and half years. I had an oversupply in the first three months with this baby. After that some days i feel absolutely empty and my milk lets down after 3-4 minutes of sucking which irritates my baby as he is used to of the milk in abundance but after facing absolute empty days my supply starts to increase to the point that i get plugged ducts because of abundant supply. This cycle has been repeating foe a month now. Its like abundant supply for 2-3 days then good supply for another 2-3 days and then almost empty another 2-3 days. From this point onward supply increases. Has anyone faced such problem? What could be the reason? I am currently staying at home and exclusive breastfeeding , no bottle feeding or pumping.
Hi , I am.also breastfeeding my 2 month old son. I have no idea why you have such issues but I can suggest you to pump the milk when u r having excess let down store the milk in freezer and use it. The storgae instructions are. 6-8 hrs at room temperature 4 hrs after taking it out of fridge and heating. do not refrigerate once taken out from fridge and don't mix fresh breast milk with stored milk. You can get breast milk storage packs which can be used and are easily heated too. It seems breast milk can be stored for 1 week in freezer of normal refrigerator. If it still doesn't help.consult a lactation specialist I dun know where you are staying but you must be having a similar Dr nearby
Thanks for the reply....I dont have a pump and i dont feel the need as I am staying at home. During my empty days also my baby seems quite satisfied but I panic. Its also the delayed let down that concern me. Giving pumped milk to the baby might iterfere with my supply hence not pumping.
Some times it can also be bcz of blocked ducts.. If milk is not emptied properly from each breast.. Monitor your feeding patterns ..is it same everyday... These were suggestions given by lactation specialist in my area as I had severe problem with breastfeeding at the beginning, as I am a new mom with first child.. Like anything wd kids may be this is also a temporary phase ..dun stress too much as it also effects milk supply
Hi .. Pumping milk will infact stabilise and increase your supply.... Babies hav no regular timings for feeds,hencd whenever you are feeling full.. Just pump.. I haven't heard any side effects of pumping... If it is ur personal choice then stick with it.. But try for a week and if u find negative effects ,stop doing it
If you are very much concerned, pl consult doctor. Are you sure that your baby boy is not getting any milk on those days. I have faced similar problem when my boy was around three months. I felt like he needs more milk or food. I was also concerned like you. I never felt that way with my girl. If your baby is OK, dont worry too much. It may be a natural cycle. Every pregnancy is different. Maintain the frequency of feeding ( every two 2-3 hours at least) even when you feel there is no milk, otherwise it will affect milk production. You can also try breast pump. I have tried both breast feeding and pumping for my kids. It helped me a lot. Also make sure you drink lots of water and eat healthy food. I felt a difference when I increased the intake of water and other fluids. If you feel that your baby is affected, try supplementing with formula one or two times per day.But make sure you breast feed first. Baby gets milk even we feel that there is nothing.
Hi fourthaugust, Don't worry. That will further decrease the milk secretion. In addition to breast feeding the baby frequently and taking adequate water and food you can try the following tablets. It is only made up of our regular methi etc. Harmless without any side effects. Cap. Lactare. 1 or 2 capsules 3 times a day. Take it for two days. Even within a day you can see the milk secretion increasing. Try this and let us know. Ganthimathi
Has your period started? I suspect hormones do play a role in supply. My supply used to tank during my period(i got mine within a month both times). Other things that matter are stress, water consumption and adequate calories. If it's cyclical then I suspect it's something to do with your hormones. I used to pump and store for low supply days. I haven't tried lactare but the regular lactogenic agents that are prescribed by moms regularly - Methi dosa, sabbakki(saunf leaves), drumstick leaves, papaya etc. Good luck!
soak methi everyday and eat 2 spoons of methi, it really increase milk supply. Also if you boil funegreek seeds with cracked wheat, dryfruits, jaggery (lapashi/daliya/kheer) its good for you and baby. My mom used to give me that kheer regularly
Thank you so much ladies I appreciate your inputs. I try to stay hydrated and during my low supply days, my baby seems quite satisfied but every time this happens I go into panic mode as i dont understand why this happens