HELP with major dip in supply

[Erica92]

DS is 3 months old and in the beginning we struggled with OVER supply and active letdown. around 6 weeks I introdcued the bottle just so that he would take one and I started giving him one a day (normally his dreamfeed around 10pm)

Within the past week or so he just hasn't been nursing well, he starts and then just kind of lingers but doesn't actively suck and I've notcied that my pumping output (I pump right before I give him that late night bottle) as decreased.

Today I went to nurse him before his afternoon nap and he just suckled and fell asleep but I've been having an issue with him only napping 30ish minutes and so I though what the heck I'll give him a bottle and see what happends, well he sucked down 6 oz and slept 3.5 hours. After giving him that bottle I pumped (since I normally would have nursed him and only got 3 oz) leading me to believe that Im not not making enough---

WHAT should I Do- Should I start pumping like every hour, after every feeding? - Part of me wants to just give up and go to bottles but I HATE the idea of giving formula and giving up on nursing..

HELP, need advice, suggestions etc...

ps- I pumped and bottle fed my twins until about 3 months when around the same time my supply coudln't keep up with their demand..... coincidence or something Im doing wrong

[Carlyle]

kellymom.com is a great resource. I'm no expert, but I'd recommend just giving up the bottles at this point until you get back to smooth sailing. I *think* that 3 months is usually a growth spurt, and you'll need the supply/demand thing to even out your supply (i.e. you'll need your son's nursing to cue your body to make more milk. I never responded well to the pump--despite much trying as I was pumping extra milk for a friend's baby who was losing weight. You may be the same.) Eat lots of oatmeal, it's good for supply. I also used this lactation tea, which worked wonders: http://www.westernbotanicals.com/cfp...glish=1&type=4

But really, i think that the most important thing for you is giving up the bottles. It may just be coincidence for you that he slept that long after a bottle, but even if it's not...are you willing to sacrifice your nursing relationship for a bit more sleep? If you are, no problem, but if not, I think it's worth giving up the bottles for a while.

Good luck!

[PatioGardener]

I agree with the PP. I'd ditch the bottles for a while.

Babies will often take more then they actually need from a bottle, so he may actually have overfed several ounces with that last bottle.

Also know that your supply will settle down at about 3 months, so what you see might be normal regulation.

This may be the grumbling beginnings of a nursing strike. I hope it isn't and things go back to normal for you asap!

ETA: You may not have a dip in supply, but a dip in pumped milk. Sometimes the pump loses suction and moms pump less.

[jenmk]

Just wanted to add . . . you're not doing anything wrong.

Have you talked to a lactation consultant or La Leche leader? I've just gotten through quite a spell of trouble with my 4th baby who's 3.5 months, and had wonderful guidance from an IBCLC.

Have you had anyone evaluate your baby's suck? My baby wasn't sucking correctly, so she wasn't getting enough even though she was nursing a lot. I taught her how to suck better and it's been an amazing change. An IBCLC might be able to help you with that . . . I actually went to see a chiropractor with special certification for treating babies and children and she's the one who found the suck problem and showed me how to help my LO.

Hang in there, mama. And, seriously, contact someone for help.

[Baby_Cakes]

First, ditch the bottles. They're making you think you aren't producing enough milk. The best way for you to increase your production (if you really even need to) is to let your baby nurse for as long and as often as he needs to. By just giving the bottle and pumping, sure, you're ensuring he's getting "enough" milk in ounces, but your breasts are not learning how much to make for a feeding.

This is right about the time your milk is going to "level out", and they won't be as full or leaky. It's a huge misconception that this means your aren't making enough milk.

You'll always get less from a pump than what baby gets. They are much better at getting milk out of boobs than pumps are. So try not to use that as an indicator of how much milk you're making.