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If you want to reach out off line I can share some tips that will make you a trip to bountiful
Ps. Love the support for women here. 💪💪💪 Rock on Mamas!!!
A pump room is depressing. Add to that you’re at work, which is stressful. It’s no surprise this happens to a lot of us! Don’t beat yourself up or kill yourself trying to pump more. You are badass for even trying! Pump what you can, breastfeed when you can, and if you wanna stop then that’s fine too! Just a warning: my supply dropped slowly to the point i could just stop doing it one day. I’d go slower. The drop in hormones made me crazy emotional. Not to mention it’s emotional to know your breastfeeding days are over. You’ll get through it
Good luck! I know it can be tough, but I promise it’s worth it. Thankfully, I was able to keep it up for 20 months for both kids (4 years apart). It contributed to good immunity but also the attachment and connection I have with each child. For me, that was a very big deal since I work outside of the home. Stay strong 💪🏽
Just curious- were you still pumping for a full 20 months too? I’m concerned that past 12 months, there’s no work protection in place..
If you reach out directly I can tell you how I solved this in one day .
We are all curious!
I stopped pumping at nine months but am still nursing morning and night now at 15, so it doesn’t have to be all/nothing. I’m not sure if the immune benefits are still there at the amount my kid gets now but there’s probably some and it’s definitely comfort for him when we don’t get to spend a ton of time together on week days.
Oh shoot I just reread and saw you were exclusively pumping which is a little different but my point still holds that you can cut down on pumping without quitting entirely if you want to.
This is a really good point, thank you!
The stress of going back to work impacted my supply. I kept pumping to a year, as that was my original goal, based on WHO guidelines but increasingly I topped up with formula. I don’t feel bad about it not being perfect, and I’m glad I stuck with it. Without knowing how old your baby is it’s hard to say if you should double down or ease off. Suggest being kind to yourself, whatever you choose.
How many months is your baby? My supply dipped considerably at around 10 - 11 months. But it seemed to naturally happening in conjunction with my baby eating more solids and taking less milk. If the supply dwindle is happening sooner I would suggest drinking Mothers Milk Teas and making BF cookies (there are recipes online). That helped my supply get a boost after a business trip caused a decline.
Almost 8 months. He’s eating purées a few times a day, which is impacting things for sure. I’ll check out the tea!
Try the supplements by Legendairy. I bought their three most popular formulas and tried them one at a time and noticed a difference. Not huge, but another 3-4oz a day helped me freeze at least a little each day. Also, are you doing massage when you pump? I notice a difference when I do
Definitely agree with the above, particularly about the fact that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I really thought the Upspring fenugreek + blessed thistle capsules were helpful. One additional thought: maybe the suction on your pump is decreasing over time? A few months in, I got replacement tubing, backflow parts, valves, etc, and I noticed an improvement in output. If you haven't replaced yours in a while, it's worth a try.
Oh one last thing. Measure your nipples: they change size over time and you may get more yield with a smaller or bigger piece.
Wish there was fishbowl with my 2! Awesome to see the support.
My supply was terrible from the start. Went on medication. No luck. Went to lactation consultant every week. No luck. Fenugreek, supplements, lactation tea, tons of water. Still nothing. Pumping in between feedings and while on conference calls! I was desperate and hated myself for it.
With baby 2, I went straight to formula supplementation. Such a relief.
It's different for everyone. My sister was a fountain. Hang in there and put your health and sanity first!
Has come to make the decision to quit or continue to eek it out. I had hoped to continue to feed through winter (cold/flu season) for the extra immunity. I’m not sure I’m emotionally ready to stop but also don’t want to put myself through the logistical nightmare of pumping for such a little return. Thoughts/advice from others who went through a similar situation?
Remember it's not all or nothing! If you aren't producing enough for during the day, could you kick your pump to the curb and supplement for the daytime, but hold on to nighttime or morning feedings?
If this is very recent, is it possible your period is returning? That generally causes a dip in supply. If not, and you want to keep going, add in additional pumping breaks to boost supply. If you’re not in the US, you could try taking some domperidone. But there’s no shame in deciding you’re done, either.
This is really helpful... thank you!
You can google me I have some very useful things I did