https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:34:23 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817733 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:40:37 +0000 Anagram 1817733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: i was the same for the first few weeks of the MSPI diet. You are just in survival mode the first month or so until you slowly start finding more safe foods. I remember posting back when I first started, asking for food recommendations and getting answers like "nuts" and kind of despairing a littke because i was SO HUNGRY all the time and knew that nuts were not going to cut it for me. </p> <p>It gets easier. =) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817710 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:30:46 +0000 Mae 1817710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: yep i have that in cereal and/or oatmeal every day. and any other time I need milk for something. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817701 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:26:50 +0000 avivoca 1817701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: Have you tried a replacement milk, like Almond milk? It's pretty good and lactogenic. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817697 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:23:55 +0000 ShootingStar 1817697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>While I was breastfeeding this happened to me repeatedly. Every time I reduced a pumping session I'd get the same output for a while, and then a while later it would go down. This happened maybe 3 times before I weaned. I also needed a TON of a calories a day to maintain supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817690 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:21:03 +0000 Mae 1817690@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: sigh. I hope i get my period soon then and maybe it goes back up at least a little. If we weren't spending hours every day fighting about eating I would consider going back to 5 pumpings but i just have no time. it took me 3 days to watch one episode of house this week. :/</p> <p>ETA: I'm sure if I was on this diet long term I'd figure it out and eat better/more. right now I don't have the energy to figure everything out so I've just been living on oatmeal, fruit, cereal, chips/salsa, and meat sans bun lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817686 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:17:15 +0000 Anagram 1817686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: hmm...no dairy and soy never affected my diet but everyone is different. Also, i'm a total piggy so I quickly found all kinds of substitute fatty foods with no dairy to replace my previous fatty foods.</p> <p>I think dropping to 4 pumps a day has probably signaled your body to start the periods again. I got my period right after instilled pumping overnight. And then every mo th I would produce less the few days right before my period. Then it would go back to normal. </p> <p>And also, as Adira mentioned....my "magic number" was 5 I guess because my supply dropped (not right away but eventually) when I dropped to 4 pumps at 6 months and never went back up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817668 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:09:18 +0000 Mae 1817668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@matador84: Ped said normal range for a baby her age/weight is 24-32 oz/day. And with all of the feeding problems she's eaten as little as 18oz in a day (I supplement) but then she is soooo cranky and clearly hungry. She seems to need at least 20/day to not by hungry-whiney. I'm not concerned about making her whole diet-- but I do want pumping to be "worth it" and I feel like the lower % of her diet she gets from me, the less worth all the work it is. </p> <p>Also, I only got 13.5 oz yesterday :crying: </p> <p>You know what I was wondering... does dairy have any effect on milk production? I gave that up to see if it was affecting her eating and that is also timed with the biggest drop in production. Or maybe just the calories from it? I haven't tried to eat less but since I'm off dairy and soy a lot of the things I'd usually eat are off the table and I'm almost certainly eating less calories I suppose. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817498 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 03:50:32 +0000 matador84 1817498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you talked to your pedi to see how much she should be taking depending on her weight? You should be able to get by pumping 14 oz a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817443 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 01:08:21 +0000 daniellemybelle 1817443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Be careful with herbs. As others have said, they can cause gas. Also, fenugreek can actually suppress your supply if you have thyroid issues. Do your research. I had some marginal luck with herbs like alfalfa but it wasn't worth the affect on LO's tummy.</p> <p>I have tried everything but for me, the biggest thing has always been TONS of lactogenic calories (oatmeal, almonds, flaxseed, brewer's yeast, protein, all day errday) and rest/stress relief. Sounds like you are having a hard time getting the latter, at least! Water does not make a noticeable difference for me. Some moms with low supply actually report too much water having a detrimental effect. I've heard awesome stories about Gatorade, which is one thing that hasn't been mentioned here. </p> <p>What works for you will be an experiment, unfortunately... Different galactagogues work for different moms. Unless you have IGT, more demand will prompt at least a little bit more supply. So if you add a pump, it's not like you will suddenly have a full supply, but you will probably produce more after a while. But if I were you, I'd choose sanity &amp; rest over an extra pump. It has always been better for my supply.</p> <p>Also, like @Skadi suggested, a lot of mamas have had great success with domperidone. I didn't but I would try it if I were you. It's a very safe drug assuming you have no heart issues (and even then the studies were on elderly men).</p> <p>Good luck :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1817439 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:43:29 +0000 meesker 1817439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Fenugreek helps me, although I've heard it can cause gassy babies, so you may want to be cautious based on Fia's history. Also blessed thistle. I have taken to having a nightly beer after D goes down and I know I have a few hrs before feeding or pumping (way tastier than brewer's yeast). Also, I don't know what your pumping schedule is, but you may get more bang for your buck if you trade your bedtime pump for a MOTN pump because of the milk producing hormones that peak between 2-5 a.m. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815552 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:20:24 +0000 Skadi 1815552@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you can get Domperidone, it has virtually no side effects and has been proven to increase supply by 45%: <a href="http://www.adhb.govt.nz/newborn/Guidelines/Maternal/DomperidoneAndBreastFeeding.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.adhb.govt.nz/newborn/Guidelines/Maternal/DomperidoneAndBreastFeeding.htm</a></p> <p>If you're in the USA, try using inhousepharmacy.biz and pay with an echeck (that way you don't have to get a prescription). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815546 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:18:55 +0000 Adira 1815546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: Yeah, my breasts usually had a decent amount in the morning, but I found I had to add more and more pumps during the day to keep my supply up, even though I consistently went 8+ hours overnight without pumping/nursing. And it definitely could be the stress/sleep that's causing your supply to decrease! I hope you're able to figure it out! &lt;3</p> <p>ETA: I wanted to add that since your decrease directly followed a decrease in the number of pumps, that's why I felt like that was your issue. I hope that's not the case because I know how pumping multiple times a day is hard and stressful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815538 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:13:36 +0000 Bubbles 1815538@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cmomma17: that sounds a lot nicer… to me there was a definite biryani tang! :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815532 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:11:27 +0000 Mae 1815532@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: boooo I'm only 3mo pp. lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815529 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:10:57 +0000 Mae 1815529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I have read that. I think it is a speed of producing issue, not a storage issue. I have pumped up to 6.5 ounces before (I used to pump 6-6.5 first pump every morning) so I know my boobs can store that much. Lately I only get like 4.5-5 first thing in the morning. I'm not sure that I have time for another pumping. Maybe once we get LO's eating sorted. Having to feed her while she sleeps now means that I have very little time for other things because my nap time free time has been cut in half. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815528 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:10:47 +0000 avivoca 1815528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: Yep, you are probably gearing up to ovulate. You might not get your period soon (I had EWCM for awhile before my period returned at six months pp). I had to drink A LOT of water, like 100 oz. a day. I'm not a huge fan of avocado on it's own, but it's pretty good in salad with some salt and pepper. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815516 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:07:39 +0000 Mae 1815516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: Hmmmmm I was sort of wondering if I'm going to get my period soon. I haven't yet but I've noticed some EWCM the last few days and that usually happens around ovulation right? (I know the terms but I don't really know the whole deal bc I never TTC....). I already eat oatmeal almost every day (I actually like it, yay lol). I made lactation cookies a while back with flaxseed and brewer's yeast and LO had a baaaaad reaction. She got horrible gas and bad poops for like 3 days. :( I don't like avocado but I could suck it up and try to eat some. </p> <p>@cmomma17: I take moringa supplements and eat a lot of oatmeal. </p> <p>@Smurfette: Already eat a lot of oatmeal but maybe I'll pick up some tea! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815515 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:07:19 +0000 Adira 1815515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In addition to what other's have suggested, I'd suggest adding in another pumping session. It's possible 4 just isn't enough to sustain your normal output. Have you read about the Magic Number?</p> <p><a href="http://media.clinicallactation.org/2-1/CL2-1Mohrbacher.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://media.clinicallactation.org/2-1/CL2-1Mohrbacher.pdf</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815514 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:07:07 +0000 cmomma17 1815514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bubbles: I thought it made me smell like maple syrup! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815512 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:06:21 +0000 Bubbles 1815512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was bfing I used fenugreek to boost supply, it worked quite well but it made me stink of curry! The LC told me if you don't smell of curry you're not taking enough... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815503 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:04:30 +0000 mrsjyw 1815503@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Water. Fenugreek Pills. MMP. Milk Tea. Calc+Mag if AF has returned. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815502 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:03:44 +0000 Smurfette 1815502@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Eat oatmeal like it is going out of style. Mother's milk tea. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815499 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:03:06 +0000 cmomma17 1815499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: Have you tried any supplements like fenugreek? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815466 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 08:53:41 +0000 avivoca 1815466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's possible that your body is gearing up for your period. I notice a steady drop in supply right around the time I'm ovulating and it takes a few days for it to come back up. Something that seemed to help (and it tasted horrible, but I'm not good at making oatmeal) was to eat oatmeal with flaxseed and brewer's yeast in it. I ate a few bites of that before I couldn't eat anymore (I really hate oatmeal) and that day I got five ounces in one pump. Have you tried eating lactation cookies and avocado? Those always help my supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/my-already-low-supply-is-getting-lower-thoughts#post-1815420 Thu, 14 Aug 2014 08:44:00 +0000 Mae 1815420@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I've always had low supply. When I started EP'ing 5 weeks ago, I was pumping 5 times/day and always got 17.5-18.5 oz every single day without fail. After 2 weeks I dropped to 4 pumping/day and supply stayed the exact same (yay!) for 2 weeks. Then a little over a week ago it started getting lower and was 16 oz for a few days then 15 oz and now yesterday I only got 14.5 :( </p> <p>I've been eating and drinking the same and I haven't taken any new meds or been sick. </p> <p>The big differences I think are stress and sleep? 2 weeks ago Fia's eating went to shit (see 10,000 posts about it..) and obviously it has been stressing me out majorly. Like, haven't cried this much since she was a newborn stress. Also because she isn't eating much during the day she's waking up a lot more angry at night, and I've been setting an alarm to get up and dream feed her 1-2/night so she gets enough to eat. Prior to that she'd been STTN and I was getting like 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Now I'm getting 5-6 hours of sleep broken up by at least 2-4 wake ups/alarm feedings. </p> <p>I can't go to bed earlier because I stay up to pump, and I don't want to start pumping MOTN because I'm already up so much trying to feed her it would cut into my already low sleep. </p> <p>Any ideas on how I can get my supply back up? I'm really bummed if I'm going to be getting less than 15/oz/day now :(</p> <p>Oh also!! Randomly around the time this started my boobs started draining unevenly. The left still lets down fast, drains most of what I'll get in under 10 min and then I pump until 20 min to make sure it is really done but rarely get much in the last 10 min. The right boob just drips for like 5 min, then it comes out slower and often is still going at 20 min and I have to extend until 30 min to make sure its done. I had a clogged duct last week but I believe I worked it out. </p>