I think I made a HUGE mistake!!

[angieluvsramon]

over the weekend we went out of town and I ended up giving my son about 5 bottles of formula : and now it seems like my supply has decreased. is that possible?? can it really happen that fast???? please help, I dont want to stop breastfeeding, how do I get my supply back to normal????: Im so dissapointed and sad right now! how could I do something so stupid!!!!!

[tanyalynn]

I'd pretend like kiddo is having a growth spurt, assume he'll want to eat more often and encourage that. I had a noticeable dip in supply when my period came back (seemed most noticeable the first time with my first child, but maybe I was just expecting it later), so I know my supply did drop, but my daughter nursed more frequently (after giving me a funny look cause I think the milk tasted a bit different) and in a couple days, it was fine. I don't know if your supply can drop that fast, but if you take the same type of attitude as if this had been a natural occurrence (growth spurt or your period) you should bounce back.

[angieluvsramon]

so I should try to nurse more? how often should I nurse? it seems like he has a bit of nipple confusion also? uuuggghhh its so frusterating!

[tamagotchi]

Nurse as often as he wants to nurse. Just keep offering. It's great if you can get someone to help with your older child so that you can get some rest in bed with the baby, with lots of skin to skin contact. Make sure you are eating and drinking enough too, that makes a difference to your supply.

[angieluvsramon]

should I also try to pump a few times a day?

[tanyalynn]

I wouldn't pump, mainly cause it's a pain, but also because if your supply is low, then baby really will want all the milk you're making right now, and pumping it just to give it in a bottle is a lot of work if you don't have to do it. If the baby is good at letting you know when he's hungry (I'm assuming he isn't getting anything except milk directly from you), then just be a bit extra aware of when he looks hungry--if he had some sort of pattern before, expect it to be a bit more frequent now, or maybe a bit erratic.

[glorified_rice]

I'll just chime in here and recommend drinking Mother's Milk tea to maybe increase supply a bit. I wouldn't recommend pumping unless you have to for work or something. Just keep offering, even if you don't seem to have any milk. Just let your son suck a lot and that should help stimulate the hormones and get your supply back on track. And I agree with Tanya, just treat it as a natural occurrence. I think that excessive worry or stress could be one of the most detrimental factors when it comes to supply issues. It was in my case, anyway.

[alegna]

Nurse as much as he will and NO BOTTLES. No pacifiers either.

good luck!

-Angela

[mackysmama]

Eat a lot of oatmeal. It really helps with supply. And I would also suggest a day in bed for the two of you, if you can swing it (I notice you also have a toddler). Just lay in bed together for a whole day and nurse, nurse, nurse. Or, carry him in a sling all day at your breast. Give him as much access to your breast as possible. Good luck. You can rebuild your supply in just a few days.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by alegna

Nurse as much as he will and NO BOTTLES. No pacifiers either.

good luck!

-Angela

yeah that. Drink lots of water, avoid caffeine, and salty foods. You could also try fenugreek to up your supply.

[pixiepunk]

ITA w/what most everyone else has said - mother's milk tea and oatmeal and drinking loads of water are what work the best for me. and yeah, no artificial nipples - don't want to add to any confusion he's got going on.

it absolutely can dip that quickly, but luckily it can generally be boosted just as quickly - it's a supply and demand thing. you basically told your body it didn't need to produce hardly any milk for two days... so now you need to tell your body it needs to produce *a lot* - then you might even be a little engorged for a day or so once your supply hits it high point, and then it should be back to normal.