[sunnygir1]

<p>Please bear with me for a minute, there are a few factors at work:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My ds is 15 months.  He still nurses a lot day and night.  He is in daycare 2 days a week for 6-8 hours, and I don't pump.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He has been sick a lot lately, starting the Monday before Thanksgiving, with a series of bugs, stomach, then fever, now stomach again.  For a while there he was barely eating and survived mostly on breast milk for 14+ days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The last week or so he's been doing this thing where he will start to nurse, then arch back and fuss.  I can usually get him back to the breast to try again.  It seems like he is frustrated that the milk isn't coming quickly enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Like I said, he has another stomach bug, so we had a couple relatively long stretches of no nursing in the last 24 hours, and my breasts got quite full and heavy, so I know there's still a lot of milk in there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The other factor is that I just finished menstruating, and I think I've read that milk supply can vary during a woman's menstrual cycle.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've been trying to eat well and drink enough water to keep my supply up (remarkably difficult while holding a 22 pound baby for days at a time!)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Any thoughts or experience on this would be appreciated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>TIA</p>

 

[maddymama]

<p>Hi Mama,</p>
<p>How frustrating for you and your son!  I'm so glad that you have breastmilk to help him through these rough patches.  It might be that your milk is slower to let down, but it might also be an ear infection or something like that.  When DD1 would fuss at the breast, it meant she had an ear infection.  Have you seen a pediatrician to rule out anything medical?  Have you taken antibiotics recently?  Could it be thrush?  Have you tried any new foods recently?  Could it be a sensitivity to food?</p>
<p>Is your LO peeing and pooping enough?</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>~maddymama</p>

 

[sunnygir1]

<p>Thank you for the ideas.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The third day of his fever we went to the doctor and his ears were not infected at that point, but it's been a couple months.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We haven't been on antibiotics, but I'll also check the thrush idea -- he's been okay, but has had it in the past.  I'm pretty sure it's not a food thing, because nothing's changed recently.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fine peeing and pooping, but has had some diarrhea off and on, so maybe stomach cramps?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It has gotten better, so I'm hoping it just had to do with being sick.</p>