How do you know you are having supply problems?

[intorainbowz]

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[wednesday]

I would say trust your instincts...any time a mom worries about her supply, a million people will insist that baby is just going through a growth spurt, and the amount you can pump doesn't indicate how much you really have, etc.

Well--after I had been back at work and pumping a couple months my supply really tanked. I started having a hard time pumping much at work, and when I would get home and try to nurse him, he would nurse and nurse and nurse, and pull off crying, and I'd switch breasts over and over, and he still wouldn't seem satisfied. He'd want to nurse every hour the rest of the evening and all night long.

It took dom, and pumping every two hours at work without fail, and night-nursing all night long to keep my supply up at a level that could satisfy DS' hunger. But I wasted several weeks of a lot of discomfort on both our parts because of listening to the people who said frequent nursing and poor pumping output does not mean low supply. Yes it does!

FWIW I blame the Mirena I got at 5 months PP for my supply problems.

[TurboClaudia]

see this page for more info:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/lo...ly.html#supply

and the page to see if your babe is getting enough milk:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html

~claudia

[Geofizz]

On the Ameda, check that it's put together properly and that you have a secure fit between the tubing and the base. Also check the white valves for cracks, and consider just replacing them for good measure (just a few bucks + shipping).

Also, I've noticed that I get into a habit about how high to turn up the pump. As my baby gets older, the suction from him increases, and my boobs seem to come to expect that higher suction. I've discovered that if I turn up the suction strength, a strength that priviously would have been painful suddenly is ok, and my take home supply recovers some.