Ok, bear with me here, I haven’t made any decisions yet. Here is the background story…
DS will be 6 months old next week. I had an oversupply when DS was first born. I probably could have fed triplets. My body responded well to the pump and I was able to get up to about 300 oz in my freezer at one point. (I have a Medela PIS.) Unfortunately, because of the nature of the work I was doing, I was unable to pump consistently at work. Inconsistent pumping, teamed up with the return on my cycles, proved disastrous for my supply. There have been a few times during AF where I have actually had to supplement from my freezer supply and give DS a bottle myself.
I have tried nearly everything to get my supply back up to what it once was…fenugreek, Brewer’s yeast, oatmeal, Mother’s Milk tea, and tons of water. I do just fine if I’m with DS all day - I can feed him with no supplements. This is probably a good time to admit that I started solids three weeks ago to take some of the pressure of my boobs. I felt like it delayed the decision I have to make now by a few weeks. I never intended on giving solids before 6 months. I never intended on ever feeding him cereals - but cereals sounded better than formula at the time. It’s not ideal, but DS now gets cereals once a day as well as pureed fruit or veggie once a day.
I have been off work three weeks now but I go back next week. My current problem is that I don’t respond hardly at all to the pump anymore. I was away from DS for an entire day last week and was able to pump regularly but I only yielded 4 oz total. Meanwhile, DS drank 20 oz that day! I can pump for an hour and a half straight sometimes and never trigger a letdown. Even when I do get a letdown, I only net about 2 oz total. I used to get 10+oz in one pumping session. It’s so depressing, particularly because I can feel that my breasts are still full but I can’t get any more milk to come out.
I’m at a loss. I’m so depressed over this that it no longer feels like it’s worth it. I’m down to 70 oz in the freezer. At the rate we’re going, that’s bound to be depleted in my first week back at work. I’m tempted to just throw in the towel during the day and just go with formula. My supply at night and in the morning is still abundant. If I give up day feeding all together will I still be able to continue with night & morning feeding or will it all eventually dry up?
I forgot to add that I’ve ordered Domperidone but have yet to receive it. I’m going to give that a try. My hope is that it will make my breasts so full that I’ll be able to pump more in a session and maybe I’ll be able to save my BFing relationship completely.
Any and all advice and experience is welcome!
ETA: My pump is a Medela PIS & DS will be 6 months old next week.
DS will be 6 months old next week. I had an oversupply when DS was first born. I probably could have fed triplets. My body responded well to the pump and I was able to get up to about 300 oz in my freezer at one point. (I have a Medela PIS.) Unfortunately, because of the nature of the work I was doing, I was unable to pump consistently at work. Inconsistent pumping, teamed up with the return on my cycles, proved disastrous for my supply. There have been a few times during AF where I have actually had to supplement from my freezer supply and give DS a bottle myself.
I have tried nearly everything to get my supply back up to what it once was…fenugreek, Brewer’s yeast, oatmeal, Mother’s Milk tea, and tons of water. I do just fine if I’m with DS all day - I can feed him with no supplements. This is probably a good time to admit that I started solids three weeks ago to take some of the pressure of my boobs. I felt like it delayed the decision I have to make now by a few weeks. I never intended on giving solids before 6 months. I never intended on ever feeding him cereals - but cereals sounded better than formula at the time. It’s not ideal, but DS now gets cereals once a day as well as pureed fruit or veggie once a day.
I have been off work three weeks now but I go back next week. My current problem is that I don’t respond hardly at all to the pump anymore. I was away from DS for an entire day last week and was able to pump regularly but I only yielded 4 oz total. Meanwhile, DS drank 20 oz that day! I can pump for an hour and a half straight sometimes and never trigger a letdown. Even when I do get a letdown, I only net about 2 oz total. I used to get 10+oz in one pumping session. It’s so depressing, particularly because I can feel that my breasts are still full but I can’t get any more milk to come out.
I’m at a loss. I’m so depressed over this that it no longer feels like it’s worth it. I’m down to 70 oz in the freezer. At the rate we’re going, that’s bound to be depleted in my first week back at work. I’m tempted to just throw in the towel during the day and just go with formula. My supply at night and in the morning is still abundant. If I give up day feeding all together will I still be able to continue with night & morning feeding or will it all eventually dry up?
I forgot to add that I’ve ordered Domperidone but have yet to receive it. I’m going to give that a try. My hope is that it will make my breasts so full that I’ll be able to pump more in a session and maybe I’ll be able to save my BFing relationship completely.
Any and all advice and experience is welcome!
ETA: My pump is a Medela PIS & DS will be 6 months old next week.
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