6 month slump

Ugh I'm late for work but real quick - I've hit a 6 month slump. How do I get over this?? I'm going to try to pump every 2 hours and I already nurse whenever possible, may have to pump after nursing though...

He's eating more (went through 15 oz. yesterday AND I went to nurse him at lunch) and I'm producing less.

Also, oatmeal. Is it just plain oatmeal, does it matter which cooking kind?? Can I get the same affect from quick cook oats, or does it have to be the kind you cook for 5 minutes or so to get your supply boosted up?? I've been making oatmeal cookies like crazy to get enough in me, and trying to eat it for breakfast, but doesn't seem to be helping??

I can't take Fenugreek as I take Metformin, any other suggestions??? Thanks!

 

I use steel cut oats. I'm not sure if it matters which type. Have you taken Fenugreek? That always did the trick for me.

 

i think your hormones start to change after 6 months so supply can changes. Try the fenugreek, it couldn't hurt. It never worked for me and gave me GI side effects but lots of women say it has helped them! G.L.

 

During the week I eat Cheerio (whole grain oats) and eat Arnold's Oatnut Bread. And with the 3 day weekend, I wasn't eating either of them and I noticed a dip in my supply. So I think both of them help.

 

Good thought on the Cheerios.. I'll have to try that. Usually I eat Rasin Bran for breakfast.

I can't take Fenugreek becuase it interferes with the Metformin that I already have to take. I think I may be able to do Mothers Milk Tea if it doesn't have FenuGreek in it (will have to look at ingredients) or possibly ask the doc for Reglan I guess.

I've heard a lot of people hit a six month slump. What's with the hormones that change your supply?? What about supply and demand??

Oh, one more question with regards to pumping. I know they say to pump at least 20 minutes, or 10 minutes past the last drop of milk you get out to help boost your supply and trick your body into thinking you need to produce more. I've been pumping for 3.5 months now since I went back to work and always do 20 minutes, but have never produced any milk past about the 10 minute mark. Why not?? If I'm supposed to be tricking my body into producing more, shouldn't it have worked by now??

Sorry for all the crazy questions. I never BF this long with the twins so I'm kind of in uncharted territory now!

 

I just wanted to chime in and say, I feel you. I seem to be having the same problems...my guys are distracted and my supply is tanking. We're at 7 months now, but it started over Christmas.

I hope it starts to get better.

 

So things to think about....
1. Have you examined your pump and replaced any worn parts? sometimes new parts will help.
2. Are you eating adequate calories and taking adequate fluids?
3. Are you getting enough rest?
4. Are you breastfeeding as much as possible?
5. have you recently introduced solids? Are you giving solids before nursing? If you are doing solds, have you thought about having your sitter offer them so that you dont need as much milk during the day?
6. Does your LO take both breast at a feed? can you pump one while the LO nurses the other?

Dont give up! Just examine your situation, see where your at...

 

Hey - we went through a slump then, too. I think it's a combination of lots of stuff - including a growth spurt, but pumping also became less and less effective for me over time, and it was clearly me, not the pump.

Mother's Milk Tea does have fenugreek in it, but you can also try Blessed Thistle capsules or tincture, and/or Goat's Rue capsules or tincture (harder to find). Either way, combine them with fennel, which tastes really nice and isn't too hard to find as a tea. It's supposed to be good for promoting let down.

And that brings me to the question about nothing after 10 minutes of pumping - it sounds like you're not getting a second let down, and there are some things you can do to promote that...Do you massage your breasts before pumping and at the 10 minute mark (or after the milk has stopped flowing the first time)? You can also turn the 'let-down' phase back on if your pump has that feature - the quick sucking can help. Combine those with all of the other relaxation techniques usually recommended for pumping - warm packs, a cup of soothing (fennel) tea, pictures of your little one, deep breathing, visualizing flowing water, etc. Getting a second let down, if you can do it, would begin to help with the supply issues.

We also did a modified nursing marathon around 6 or 7 months after I had mastitis. The LC recommended bring the babies to bed with me and sleeping skin-to-skin. We didn't do it long because it was very difficult for either of us to sleep that way (I did it one baby one night, the other baby the next), but the skin-to-skin contact, especially while you're sleeping, has been proven to increase milk production. And it's a pretty nice treat, sleepless nights aside.

 

QUOTE
1. Have you examined your pump and replaced any worn parts? sometimes new parts will help.
2. Are you eating adequate calories and taking adequate fluids?
3. Are you getting enough rest?
4. Are you breastfeeding as much as possible?
5. have you recently introduced solids? Are you giving solids before nursing? If you are doing solds, have you thought about having your sitter offer them so that you dont need as much milk during the day?
6. Does your LO take both breast at a feed? can you pump one while the LO nurses the other?


1. I've had the entire pump replaced twice since I started using it (problems, etc. it's the freestyle)
2. Don't know. I try to drink a 1/2 gallon of water/day, along with 2-3 cups of milk (not incl. what's in my cereal) I eat what I can when I can but don't keep track of calories. For the most part it's healthy, I basically follow and 80/20 rule (80% healthy, 20% 'fun' food)
3. No. That I can attest to. Baby nurses ever 2 hours at night (or more) and has reflux issues so we're frequently up with him and I usually average 3-4 hours of sleep. That's so hard to get enough rest. I also have 2y.o. twins to chase after
4. He usually only gets 2, maybe 3 bottles a day. I try to go nurse him on my lunchbreak as often as possible. On days I can't make it, he gets 3 bottles. EBF at home and on weekends.
5. Sort of. We've experimented with solids. Usually after a nursing session. But then he gets frustrated, gets hungry again and ends up nursing again, even if it's been only 30 minutes since I last nursed him. Haven't tried at daycare yet during the day.
6. Usually he'll eat off one side, then 2 hours later the other side, and so on. I'll have to try to figure out how to pump when he's feeding. He HATES the pump!! LOL He thinks it's the machine that steals his food, and is taking his mommy away from him! He gets so mad when he even sees the thing, let alone hears it. Maybe I can pump right after I feed him.

QUOTE
And that brings me to the question about nothing after 10 minutes of pumping - it sounds like you're not getting a second let down, and there are some things you can do to promote that...Do you massage your breasts before pumping and at the 10 minute mark (or after the milk has stopped flowing the first time)? You can also turn the 'let-down' phase back on if your pump has that feature - the quick sucking can help. Combine those with all of the other relaxation techniques usually recommended for pumping - warm packs, a cup of soothing (fennel) tea, pictures of your little one, deep breathing, visualizing flowing water, etc. Getting a second let down, if you can do it, would begin to help with the supply issues.


I *try* to massage, but usually at the 15 minute mark. I'll get some extra milk, but that usually amounts to about 1/4 of an oz. for both breasts combined. I've never tried the letdown phase in the middle of pumping. I actually stopped using it at the beginning of pumping too, because nothing would come out. It'll go for 2-3 minutes on like level 5 or 6, and I won't get not one single drop until I switch phases. Is that supposed to happen?? I just go straight for the deep suck phase and put it on level 8 or 9 (the highest) and try to get the most out. Maybe that's my problem too? It doesn't hurt, so I figured it was allright and probably getting the most amount of milk out.

Thanks guys! I did try the cheerios this morning. Don't know if it was those or not, but I pumped 15 oz. today instead of only 8, which is awesome! Hopefully that will continue to work. If it does, I might be in the clear. We'll see what the next couple of days brings, but that's the most amount of milk I've pumped in almost 3 weeks in a single day.