The issue is pretty obviously just lack of demand (15 ounces at one time to begin with? OMG.) Three times a day isn’t really enough to keep anyone’s supply up with pumping, unfortunately, as you’ve found out. You might recover some of your supply if you’re able to pump more often, but it would probably need to be at least twice as often to make any significant difference, and it might not work.
You may yet be able to get your daughter to nurse again – google “nursing strike” and see if anything you find looks like it might be applicable to you. If she does, your supply could still rebound to the point where it’s sufficient for a one year old. This also may not work, but assuming you want your daughter to nurse/get breastmilk on an ongoing basis, as it seems you do, I believe it’s probably your best shot.
Calling La Leche would probably be helpful for in-person help. If you have the money or good insurance you could also try looking for a lactation consultant. If you want me to help you get contact information for those, or more detailed help with finding information or anything, send me a PM. I went through the process of becoming a La Leche leader myself a few years ago (though never followed through with actually doing it), so I could probably help you out if you hit any snags.
Don’t let people make you feel silly for wanting this.
Oh, and while the advice of several posters on teas and foods and such certainly won’t hurt, I don’t thikn it’s likely to make much of a difference by itself. It doesn’t touch the real issue.
I wouldn’t pump for an hour at a time. My understanding is that the hormone surge that increases production mostly occurs at the onset of pumping/nursing. You might do better to pump more often, but for much less time (like ten minutes) each time.
And I’d call your pediatrician. They can give you guidance as far as switching to cow’s milk two weeks early.
Try it, but don’t hurt yourself. Putting yourself in pain is the LAST thing you want if you’re trying to maintain a supply.
I had a Swing when my daughter was born, and the darn thing couldn’t extract a single drop from me during the two weeks I was trying to breastfeed her. We coughed up the cash to buy a PumpInStyle, and it magically began to extract whole ounces at a time–sometimes multiple ones. So, for whatever reason, the big pumps manage to extract milk without causing the nipple trauma that comes with just turning up suction. I later read that the Swing is designed for occasional pumping by women with well-established milk supplies. I guess that’s why it didn’t work for me.
Caffeine is a diuretic so that might make your body less willing to throw away fluids on breastmilk.
Really, at this point I’d give up - you’re spending nonhappy time doing the pumping when you could be looking after / playing with your daughter, 2 weeks is not going to make a huge difference. If you keep water freely available (or juice if needed but dilute it, the stuff is really just empty calories) she won’t dehydrate especially since it’s not hot outdoors. The nutrition she might be getting from a few ounces of breastmilk a day can easily be met by other foods.
One thing I did to try to encourage Moon Unit to nurse was as soon as she refused the breast, she didn’t get bottles at all (except for the few bottles of stored breastmilk). Water etc. was in a sippy cup.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Two weeks shouldn’t make a difference; as stated earlier, call your pediatrician to allay any fears. If I were in the same situation, I’d start transitioning her now - offer her a cup of milk, then the breastmilk - otherwise, you’ll have to keep pumping for hours on end only to wind up frustrated.
Also, one very important thing to remember: *you can’t argue with a baby/toddler who’s decided she’s done. *Same for your body. When it’s done, it’s done. That’s not to say that comfort nursing is out, but there’s no point in holding out for two more weeks just to say you’ve made it to a year. Just my two cents, of course.
Honestly, I think you are torturing yourself for no real benefit. Your child needs you interacting with her, not sitting around causing yourself unecessary pain. It would be great if it was still working and she was still interested. But it’s not, and she’s not, and there are more important things you could be focusing that time and effort on.
It’s OK to just give yourself a break and move on to toddlerhood.
Try water at different temperatures in a sippy cup. Celtling needs her water freezing cold with lots of ice. One of nephews will only drink it warm. Just resist the urge to give her super-sweet juices, as thta sets her up with a sweet-tooth that can cause all kinds of feeding problems. Fruit juice is really just empty calories. Give her orange slices and a cup of water instead of orange juice.
Children all have their own rhythms and rates of growth. She may go full speed ahead in one direction and be a bit behind in another. It’s OK. The key is to be in touch enough to adjust to her timetable. Don’t let some arbitrary list of “perfect” dates and milestones run your decisionmaking.
She is her own little human with her own little brain and her own little preferences. Pick your battles verrrrryyyyy carefully. LOL!
Hi, and welcome to the Straight Dope. The best way to begin interacting here is to jump into threads that interest you and post your opinions and thoughts on the topic. If you have some advice for the person who started the thread (whom we call the OP, for Original Post), please share.
I hope you’ll look around and feel comfortable enough to become a contributing member. Again, welcome!
She picked a weekend away to go on strike By the time I made it back to a pump to express, my chest was rock solid with milk and spraying across the room if you looked at it hard enough! I filled three bottles without pausing… blessed relief…
(yet I still couldn’t get the hang of manual expressing. weird body…)
Ah, I’d hoped it might be working partly the other way - if I gave my body a few hours to produce more milk, I might have more luck filling a bottle. I certainly seem to get most in the mornings after it builds up over night.
No such luck!
The articles I found made it seem like if she wasn’t back on after a week, then it wasn’t going to happen. I still offer her a boob every so often just in case, which is why I know she points and laughs now. That’s cute in it’s own way
I’m in Scotland, the La Leche lot aren’t big over here. Is it still worth sending you a PM?
Thank you! I was a bit thrown by the people who seemed to think I’m looking for advice on whether to express, rather than how to. Thankfully I’m secure in my decision.
Of course, I was sure she wouldn’t get formula at all and I’d pump enough for her - right up until the words “free bar” on my all inclusive holiday last week, followed by her getting her first bottle of formula the morning after
I got 5oz in 50 mins this morning - a definite improvement on yesterday, woo! She still chose that 50 mins to fill her nappy, but it didn’t leak this morning, so things are looking better all round
Sorry if I seem to be pressuring the other way. I’m in the US, where the breast-feeding Nazi’s will literally attack you in the supermarket if they see you with a can of formula and harass you all they way to the car about the horrendous disservice you are doing to your child by not breast feeding until Kindergarten.
There are quite a few American Mothers who need someone to let them know it’s really OK to just let it go. The last thing I want to do is come across as the anti-Leche league. LOL!
You should pat yourself on the back. You’ve nursed your daughter for nearly a year. That’s great. I am pumping because my baby never latched. She’s nearly seven months. I’d be delighted if I got her breast milk that long.
This is true. My son quit nursing at 5 1/2 month because he was hospitalized with a sever respiratory virus. The same virus made me very sick, but not hospitalized. I can’t tell you how many people thought I should be pumping, but throwing out the milk (because of the virus) so I could keep up my supply and then start breast feeding again. I just couldn’t do it. I was too sick and too worried about my kid to worry about the correctness of breastfeeding. Even 13 yrs later during “how long did you breastfeed” discussions, I still get, “you could have pumped” lectures.
Go me. I had such a crummy time trying to breastfeed that when I decided to just go with formula, the breastfeeding consultant told me that was the right decision.
By the time I made it back to a pump to express, my chest was rock solid with milk and spraying across the room if you looked at it hard enough! I filled three bottles without pausing… blessed relief…
