Panic button pressed! Need to increase supply!

[Sleepymamaov2]

Help!  DS2 is 5 months old but is as big as a 9 month old.  When we woke up this morning, it was obvious that he'd had a growth spurt since he is now wearing DS1's 9 month clothes, and I discovered that my breasts are unusually soft.  DS2 normally feeds on one breast at a time, but he had drained both of them during the night.  My breasts have been soft all day, and I've been drinking Mother's Milk Tea like crazy.  Normally, the tea works like magic, but my breasts are still soft.

I have been avoiding exercise all together to keep my weight up for breastfeeding.  But, I got cabin fever last week and walked the dog around the neighborhood a couple of times.  A week later, I've noticed some weight loss and my milk supply is down. 

Do you think it's the exercise or is it the growth spurt?  What more can I do to get my supply back up?  I had the same problem when DS1 was 9 months old.  The ped had suggested that I start solids since he's a big baby.  I wanted to wait until 6 months.  What do you think?

Thanks for your advice!

[PatioGardener]

nak

sounds normal, actually!  that's around the time that breasts are supposed to feel soft.  same amount of milk, just different feeling.

i think your baby could also be having a growth spurt, and the answer to that is nurse nurse nurse!

if baby's urine out put has not decreased then you know he's getting enough.

i feel it is important to keep solids until after 6 month (plus signs of readiness).

keep nursing, and i bet in 2 days you feel much more confident in your supply :)

[MoonMum]

As BF is a demand-and supply thing, don't worry, your body will do it right. One thing you could consider is to bf more frequently during the day (if you're not already doing it). A mei tai baby carrier helps a lot to bf in any situation, even on dog walks ;)

[annettemarie]

As per the forum guidelines, I am moving this out to the main forum.

[carepear]

Its normal to be soft.  My breasts are soft all of the time and I just pumped 9 ounces in one sitting.  :) Its normal.

[cappuccinosmom]

It's very normal for bf on demand to lose the whole engorgement experience.  That's a good thing. :)  It means your body and your baby have got the supply and demand thing figured out. 

[Llyra]

The kind of exercise that theoretically could affect supply is WAY more intense than what you're describing. It sounds like you're worried about reduced supply, because you don't feel "full." That full feeling usually goes away after the first few months; from now on, you'll probably only feel that way if baby goes an unusually long time without nursing. That's normal-- it means your body has adjusted to baby's needs. Don't worry about it! Breastmilk is made on a supply and demand basis. If baby needs more, baby will fuss and demand more, and then you nurse more often, and more gets made. So as long as you're feeding on cue, you can't go wrong.

I

[KoalaMommy]

unless he's acting overly hungry and not having enough wet diapers, I wouldn't worry too much.  You could try taking some fenugreek if you wanted to give your supply a little boost, but I'm going to guess all is fine, and I'd go with his cues on starting solids, maybe 6 months, maybe 9, maybe somewhere in between.  He'll let you know when he wants food.  I definitely wouldn't start before 6 months though.

[PatioGardener]

OP, how are things today?

[Sleepymamaov2]

UPDATE:  My supply has returned to it's previous level, although it took a couple of days. I have no idea what caused the drop.  Perhaps my breasts had to adjust for the growth spurt.  But my little cherub is chugging along happily and is maintaining his healthy weight.  I may try to go on walks again this week.  Thanks for the advice!