Big hug!
Here is Mama of DD who is 5 and still happily nursing...
We have been where you have been.. It is so funny how one can communicate with them and they can communicate back now as
opposed to all the guess work before isn't it?
Anyhow.. I just wanted to tell you my story..:
There has been times when she started reporting to me just the very same way: "mommy, there is NO MILK!" just like that.
I noticed few things that seemed to repeat and that seemed to cause lower
supply:
1. MY PERIOD. I capitalized it as I noticed that around period as in before and during my milk supply just was going south immensly.
2. Being tired. The more tired I was or am the lower milk supply.
Very clear corelation to me.
3. Sleep depravation. Although the times of being up all night constantly nursing are over even nowdays it happens for this or other reason - including silliness of me staying up and wanting to watch this big people movie
that i rented a while ago and never got to watch it.. there goes half of the night..
4. Not eating right .. sometimes I just simply did not get enought good food to be able to produce milk. I noticed that any dieting is not really working and I just have to eat as when I am hungry or undereat then milk supply goes down.
5. Dehydration - I have learned to keep myself hydrated. The easiest way was to obey the thirst. I run for water at slight feeling of thirst and always replenish after nursing and before if possible. Checking for dehydration is super easy - I just monitor my urine.. it is so funny how quickly you can tell..
The trick is to put into the toilet a bit of toilet paper first and then when you pee the urine usually get trapped in it for some funky reason (sorry for being so descriptive but hope this helps) and the color is easily and quickly identifiable as opposed to peeing into just water as it gets bit more tricky...
so if the urine turns darker - there you have it.. needs more water
once properly hydrated urine is always rather light-ish.
6. Sadness and being depressed over any silly little things does affect my supply as well ..
Now if there are times that more then one of the above comes together.. there you have it.. major milk underproduction. I too took Fenugreek for a long while and especially at times when my DD was about your DD age..
and regardless body would do it's thing.
I figured that best thing to do was just try to do what I could and not to stress myself over anything too much because I knew that the more I stressed and got frustrated over not having enough supply the less supply I had.. catch 22.
So now here is in points of how I "attacked the problem"..
:
1. I completly relaxed. I decided that what we had so far was pretty beautiful relationship and even if it ends here then we will have to appreciate the gift we had.. but regardless I am not going to give up so easily and I just want to relax and accept that tere are times from now on when this might be happening .. as it did proven right.. it comes in cycle.. the milk supply thing.. it is not always on the same level the more into nursing we go.. at least it was during my 5 year journey..
2. Keep bottle of water next to us one for me one for DD.. and when the milk was low and she complained I would calmly said.. something like ".. oh sweetie.. the milkies are just tired, mama will make more milk tomorrow and
now if you are thirsty have some water and we will cuddle.. mama needs some rest too as this will help to make more milk tomorrow"
magically enough it is true.. as sometimes just giving it a break a bit did works a charms as body might be just exhosted..
3. When I am really totally undreslept and overworked I just ask my DH to give me a break espeically on weekend near the crisis time and let me rest and do nogthing as this really is the quickest way to let body focus on replenishing the supply. Occassional half day laying flat and watching tv or something does totally the trick. It is really hard work to make milk 24/7. evne if we don't feel it.
3. I made peace with milk. I really despise cow's milk. I always did. Not that I have allergy or somethng and of course we all know the old and famous "you don't need to drink milk to make milk.. " but I realized that I simply have no time to do what cows doo.. they indeed do not drink milk and yet make it by the buckets.. but then again.. they do eat 10 buckets of grass a day don't they? and I hardly can push in myself occassional veggie
so I figured that drinking milk is a good cheat way to get the supply up quickly.
I simply have to make sure to have a full cup of warm, really really warm milk
mlk just before I relaxe and start nurisng. It somehow really helps.
My DD has no reactions to milk either so it is lesser of the all evils. I would rather do it to help my milk supply then to quit nursing till we are ready.
4.I avoid religiously drinking ICE COLD drinks. The more ice cold drinks I drink the slower milk supply is. No logic to it but it is totally related somehow in my case. I only drink room - temperature drinks and water at minimu and per season but never even i sommer cold drinks especially with ice.
Body somehow needs more energy to produce milk and coldness somehow does not agree in my case. Tried it MANY Times enough to know that it just does not go together in my case. IT might not be totally no milk but it just is less much less...
5. I kicked up SERIOUSLY my mulitivitamin take.. but wait!!!! none of the pills stuff. I just figured out that the best thing is fresh. So I just dump into the blender every day!.. first thing in the morning a handfull of strawberries, blueberries, banana and what is at hand.. add half cup water and two sppons of sugar if needed and this is a NECTAR. I drink it every day and so does my DD and my energy and milk production went THROUGH the roof.
I do it for a long time now and the times when I was really exhosted for no reason are history. It also does miracle to my milk supply.
6. I try not to worry aobut anything too much what life brings as this effect the milk like nobody's business.. things tend to resolve in time anyways..
Yet.. being relaxed and detached while I nurse is most important to the let down as it always was for us from day one.. you know what i mean..
7. I feed my little one boiled /cooked cerial as oatmeal or farina before bed time.. not too much but enough to take edge from nursing so she nurses for comfort and stuff but not entirely out of hunger. My milk supply adjusted to that and now it is easier to produce what is needed and expected and yet when nursing for years I think it is fair to treat mother's body gently as it takes lots of resources from one to make large supply of milk for such a long time. My dd nurses for a long time at bedtime and I know I have enought to supply.
8. I never really pumped so I can't say.. many experienced mom might feel up this and I am sure they will as I just can't say. I only pumped at first when I did not know better as to help myself cut the supply after coming from hospital as I was producing huge amount of milk.. little I know that it was opposite.. and I did not need to pump for my DD as I did not work outside of the house and being around I always nursed her on demand without pumping but I understand your situation being different and I don't know how to increase pumping part as you seem to need it.
The only thing I can share is that my friend did work and she could not pump at work and somehow it did not work for her at home either and so she just
"scheaduled" her body to feed when she was around and available and the child and the body was just adjusted to that scheadule. Again, this is not my experience so I just don't know anything first hand.
9. In Europe .. Germany, England.. France.. the trick that I have heard of is a
normal regular tea with milk.. it is called sometimes English tea or Bavarian tea.. and this somehow stimulates the milk production. I am not sure if I would do it for a long time as I don't do tea for caffeine reasons and I am pretty sure they did not use for this decaf tea as this is truly american invention of the last few decades wheras the remedy is ancient.
Licorcie.. candies and what not.. supposedly also makes miracles.. but then again. I would research if it is safe.
Lastly... whenever the low supply strikes.. do check your period callendar and see if you are not in the second phase.. before or during the period as this will give you also some perspective on the supply and hormon interconnection. My is very strong and during some periods is worse then during others.
I was trying to help so I apologise for the lenghty answer but I wanted to share my experience in hope that maybe you will find in it something that would help you.
Above all really relax... because the more you worry aobut the low milk supply the lower it really will be... Try it..
Trust your body,.. like you did for such a long time.. trust yourself and the nature.. I figured that low supply is some sign of nature that your body needs something. Now the puzzle is in front of you and within you and you just need to find what your body need.. is it time.. rest.. relax.. food.. water.. milk.. or wait out the hormonal shift..
Have a blessed day and congratulation on your journey so far!
We just celebrated our 5th year and come to think of it..
I was panicky as nothing was going right at the hospital and I
was praying to God to help me to make for just two weeks or whatever..
now I look back and I want to cry happy I can't believer we made it
thas far.
B.C.
Several times recently on my lower-flow side she's patted my breast, looked up, and said "It's not working!!!". Last night, in case I somehow didn't understand (she is very thoughtful about explaining things to me!) she popped off while doing her bedtime nursing several times to tell me "It's not working! No happy milkies coming out!" I have also seen reduced output at my evening pumping session.
