Breastfeeding Mothers Losing Milk Supply

“My 3month old EBF twins were not gaining enough weight (production dropped after having leftover placenta surgically removed from uterus) and i’ve been giving them about 2 bottles of pumped milk after breastfeeding a day to help with weigh gain. Yesterday we were out and about so their naps in the afternoon were crap. They did not drink from me very well either because they were so tired. They went to bed at around 10pm which is 3 hours later then normal and slept until 7.30am 🤯. I obviousely w”

“I feel like the only person in this position. I’m still nursing my second baby, who is about 16 months. I have not had a period since she was born. I’m at the point where I just really want it to come back because I don’t feel like myself. I have had no sex drive since she was born. I talked to my ob/gyn about it a few months ago and she wasn’t concerned. I had the same issue with my first baby, but I think my period came back at 15 months. Is there anything I can do, outside of weaning, to get”

“I’m breastfeeding almost 14w old twins. My supply has been okay i would say but has dropped a bit since two weeks. Last week i was in surgery for placenta removal since there appeared to be some pieces still stuck in my uterus. My midwife told me that could the the reason for my supply drop. I’m wondering if anyone has been through something similar and got their supply up again? My twins were slowing down in weight gain but seem to be catching up slowly. They were also sleeping long stretches b”

“I’m 14 weeks pp and have been exclusively breastfeeding with very little pumping/bottle feeding. I’ve also been an over producer up until fairly recently. Last week, I got my period and on Sunday, I got the stomach bug. Both of these things have significantly impacted my supply and I’m barely getting two ounces when I pump. My baby seems really hungry by the end of the day and my boobs feel completely empty. We are giving him a bottle right before bed to make sure he gets enough and I pump but I”

“I am two weeks postpartum and EBF. I use a Haakaa to collect milk from my letdown from the opposite breast my son is feeding on during the day. At night he tends to feed more so I do not collect extra milk. Each feed I am consistently getting an ounce to an ounce and a half until two days ago when I noticed a significant decrease in the amount I have been able to collect per feed- about a half an oz per feed. My son is feeding every 2-2.5 hours a day on both breasts. I alternate my breasts each”

“Hey yall! I got the unlucky draw of cards and started my period yesterday, and I’m only 3 months postpartum. My baby is EBF, sometimes bottle fed with a pumped bottle. I’m not sure how this will affect anything, if it will at all. What are your guys’s experience with feeding after getting your period back? How was your supply? Supplements? Horror stories? I wanna hear it all! submitted by /u/Trick-Frame-7447 [link] [comments]”

“Has anyone experienced delayed milk production/milk coming in after 10days pp? I have been triple feeding (nursing, pumping, and supplemental formula) trying to get my milk in and really haven’t made any progress now hitting day 10. I maybe produce half a mL hand expressing and nothing quantifiable in the pump. I have heard my LO swallowing during feeds but now she is basically refusing the breast and I can only assume it’s because she isn’t getting much and is frustrated. I’m on the verge of gi”

“I was EBF but baby developed jaundice and had to be supplemented with formula. Also wasnt latching well and my nipples were cracked. So i was pumping and formula feeding. Now baby is stable and I would like to return to EBF. How do I do this and make sure shes receiving enough milk from me? How do I reintroduce the breast without compromising her health? Should I breastfeed first on each breast and if shes still hungry supplement? Any tips would help. Thank you! submitted by /u/Impos”

“My baby is 10 weeks old and I am currently pumping to empty my breast after feeding my baby to maintain/increase my supply cause it happened once before that my baby wasn't transfering milk suffiently enough which I didnt know and I didn't pump to empty my breasts after feeding him and my supply tanked and baby was not gaining weight. After power pumping and pumping after feeding him, my supply has increased again, and now I breast feed him almost exclusively with sometimes a bottle in t”

“Hi, FTM w/ a 5 mo LO, breastfeeding everyday except the one day I work. The day I work I will pump while at work to maintain supply. The past two weeks my baby has basically gone back to feeding like a newborn again, every 2 hours including waking two hourly in the night. Last weight check they were gaining fine according to their growth chart and enough wet diapers, so I know they're getting enough. My period returned at 12 weeks pp, and was due this past week but has not come back. I wonde”

“Baby was born 4 weeks premature and was given formula at hospital, and I used their pump to stimulate. Milk came in days later and not much at that. I’m pumping a max of 200ml a day at 13 days postpartum. Today was 150, but baby was on boob quite a bit. Right now the schedule is breast, pump, feed, but baby is not waking up for feeds despite taking off layer, diaper change, cool cloth… I think she gets full, and I’m just spilling my milk now trying to give her top ups. She’s coming tomorrow but”

“I knew this day would come, but it doesn’t make it any better 🥲 I was hoping I’d go a little longer but oh well 🫠 Moms who’ve had their period come back, did your supply dip during it or did it not change at all? Do you get those same contraction pains as right after birth when you breastfeed on your period? submitted by /u/WapbutDap-DryAssPusy [link] [comments]”

“I’m 4 months pp, EBF. My supply has definitely regulated. I have no interest in pumping, and I feed the babe on demand. My question is, will I ever be in risk of losing my supply the way we’re going? Bf on demand & sleeping through the night? (10 hours last night woohoo!) Im not really talking about external factors, but just the routine of BFing. Supply and demand should mean I will have enough for him right? I want to BF as long as possible so I want to make sure I’m not missing anything i”

“Background: EBF for 9 months now, have a “just enough” supply, period started again 2 months ago. My period was supposed to start a week ago, and I was experiencing the usual dip in my supply in the days before but I was taking it in stride and supplementing with my frozen stash from when I was briefly oversupplying. However, this period is late (I am not pregnant, have not had sex) and my supply is still low and baby is getting super frustrated at the breast. I’m growing concerned that my suppl”

“Hi all, I'm scheduled to have minor surgery towards the end of the month. I'll be out of the hospital on the same day. I was told by the surgeon to pump and dump for a day or two after the surgery. However, two questions: How have people dealt with the day of surgery? How did you deal with the pain post op while taking care of baby and pumping? submitted by /u/rascalthefluff [link] [comments]”

“I’m 6 weeks pp tomorrow, and I’m still trying to understand how breastfeeding and pumping works. I’m used to pumping as I exclusively pumped for about 3-4 weeks after giving birth then switched to direct nursing. Since latching was successful when we stared EBF, I decided to drop my pumping sessions to only mornings, whenever I feel engorged, and evenings. However, on week 5, my LO decided to refuse both breasts during evenings, then after a day or two, she started refusing both the whole day. S”

“So, i’ve apparently had some placente left in my uterus. I’m now 12 weeks postpartum and went into surgery today to have the placenta removed. It was under complete anesthesia but was able to keep breastfeeding right up until they took me away and was allowed to continue right after if i was up for it. Since i was a bit nauseous still i pumped instead, and got quite a small amount (granted, i was not sitting fully upright, my pump has been acting up also and i’m afraid one of them did not sit co”

“Hi there! I largely weaned my daughter last December and dropped the last night feed in mid March. It was a horrible experience, and I was in terrible pain for a really long time. In June, I had my prolactin tested and my levels remained elevated at 41. They asked me to retest in a few months. I did so this week and my levels have increased to 54. I have no idea what a typical fall would be post weaning. I'm not feeding my daughter but there's definitely some milk there. Typical? Not typ”

“I have an 8 month old and just returned to work this week, 9-5ish M-Th. I will exclusively breastfeed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Will my supply decrease if my pumping output does not match my baby’s milk intake while I am at work? I currently have following schedule and not sure if I can pump more at work. I luckily have a freezer stash that we can use to supplement and hopeful as my baby gets to 9-10 months, milk consumption will decrease a bit. I have currently blocked off 9-10, 12-1 and 3-4”

“I’ve been pumping after motn feeds for 9 weeks and this last week or so it seems like my supply has dipped. I am doing so to create a stash for back to work, as well as to (hopefully) be done bf before a year but continue to feed pumped milk. Has anyone been through anything similar where their motn supply has dipped around 8-10 weeks? Advice for improving? I still feel full sometimes so I’m wondering if it’s more of a letdown issue. I have become growingly anxious about it which probably does n”

“I’ve just found out that I’m pregnant with baby no2 and I’m nervous because my 17 month old is still breastfeeding. So my worries are technically two fold, how would pregnancy affect my milk supply and quality of breastmilk for my firstborn? I don’t want him to have to experience discomfort because of this. Is it at all possible to wean before our second arrives or I should just let him wean naturally? I’m just worried he might continue to bf way past I give birth and I don’t even know how one c”

“Hi, sorry for this being all over the place. (Short story if you don’t want to read - I’m questioning milk supply while on BC (mirena iud) I am a first time mom to a beautiful little boy. He just turned 4 months the other day and so far has been exclusively breast fed- as in no bottle, strictly from the tap. My boyfriend (of about 4 years) and I tmi didn’t really get intimate while I was pregnant and then after my son I assumed we would again since my body was “back to normal” in most ways. Howe”

“Hi I’m a FTM and totally shocked my period randomly returned today 7 weeks PP I thought periods don’t return till much later on My supply also randomly dropped too Is this normal? Anyone else go through this? submitted by /u/lavenderclosets [link] [comments]”

“Hi I’m a FTM and totally shocked my period randomly returned today 7 weeks PP I thought periods don’t return till much later on My supply also randomly dropped too Is this normal? Anyone else go through this? submitted by /u/lavenderclosets [link] [comments]”

“Is there anything I need to know or plan for now that my period is back? I exclusively breastfeed, will this have an impact on my supply? And to confirm this means I’m back to being fertile again too? submitted by /u/DuchessOfConcord [link] [comments]”

“I’m exclusively breast feeding and got my period a week ago. I was quite shocked I got it so soon. It’s over now and I’m still producing less milk. I was pumping 6-8oz in one session in the night when my husband gives a bottle but the past week I’ve pumped maybe a half oz from each breast. My breasts don’t feel full of milk anymore and are soft. When he’s breast feeding though I can tell he’s definitely getting milk and he will spit up a ton still. I can feel the milk come down and when I pull h”

“Help! My supply has completely tanked after 9 months without any warning. LO is taking in more solids, but our nursing sessions and my pumping schedule hasn’t changed. Is there something I can do to work it back up?! submitted by /u/Dry-Helicopter692 [link] [comments]”

“Because this bleeding/ periods my supply keeps dipping and i am just so frustrated my dr said this is normal but whoever i discussed this with said it didnt happen to them. I had to introduce formula to my baby because of under supply and my baby not gaining weight as per his chart. submitted by /u/lahorikuri1401 [link] [comments]”

“I’m pretty sure I started my period at almost 11w pp. I am combo feeding and pumping as well. Is this normal? Any specific things I should do to ensure my milk supply doesn’t drop? submitted by /u/soul_in_an_earthsuit [link] [comments]”

“I am 6 weeks postpartum with my second child. With my first, my period returned at 14 months. We have been ebf on demand, contact napping, co-sleeping (not bed sharing). My lochia bleeding stopped at 4 weeks pp. Yesterday I had some cramping that I assumed was from doing too many pelvic exercises as I did a lot yesterday. Today I have had some spotting. Is this my period returning? Should I be concerned? submitted by /u/Banana_Pow [link] [comments]”

“TLDR: will one missed pump to replace feed ruin my supply? Almost 5 months pp. I mostly breastfeed, with one bottle of pumped milk right before I lay her down for the night- it’s the only time I pump usually. Otherwise she feeds on demand. Our AC has been out since Sunday. It was 105* here today and she has fed more than usual, she also has had a slight fever. Between her and my older son I haven’t slept in like… well however many nights that is. She’s had her bottle from last nights pump. I hav”

“I had twins in June via C-section at 32w and 5d. They were in the nicu for 28 and 39 days and they were on breast milk up until the day I brought my 2nd twin home. My milk came in and tons of it but from the c section, stress, and having to exclusively pump so they could have their milk fortified, my milk slowly dwindled my nipples cracked and damaged from the constant friction and bled. I started using my nipple butter and powered through to try to stop my supply from dipping any further and I”

“STM Also had a fast flow, slight oversupply issue with my first one, but successfully breastfed for a year My second one is 7 weeks and a few days and since last evening seems to be REALLLY offended when let down happens. I tend to spray (no matter the time of day) every time let down happens. In the past she would make do, and pop off, I would catch the excess in cloth but had to latch back on quickly cause she was impatient. But she still managed to feed. Since yesterday in the evenings she’s”

“TLDR: supply dipped after clogged ducts in my « good » breast Baby was transferring well, gaining weight, and had lots of dirty diapers, but I quickly got nasty crevasses. I powered through and improved latch with the help of my LC, and baby was doing well. Last weekend, I got some clogged ducts in my left breast. Unfortunately, it’s my breast that produces about 85% of what baby needs. I also had chills, a headache, and mild nausea. I just didn’t feel well at all. I started ibuprofen. About 24”

“Currently 14 months postpartum and still no period. We cosleep and he still nurses a couple times a night. Just curious when others got their periods back and if that’s normal? submitted by /u/Maui_Monk_91 [link] [comments]”

“My LO is 5.5 months and yesterday I woke up to one breast almost pre-pregnancy size and the other feeling significantly smaller. I’d been breastfeeding and pumping so my partner could feed when needed. I typically get 3-5 ounces but now I’m getting 1-2 sometimes and other times I only get a few drops. LO is getting frustrated and I’ve had to dip into my little freezer stash. I’m trying not to panic…is there anything I can do?! Breastfeeding has been such a journey and I’m finally at a place I fe”

“My baby is almost 2 months old long story short when she was born she spent sometime in the nicu and I pumped to get my supply in. So anyways my partner and I and our baby went away for the weekend we have 3 cats they were left with plenty of food and water. My partner got home an hour ago a day before us to our fridge and freezer open all our food on the ground most of it ripped into and all my breast milk including when my milk first came in and I cried to my daughter saying I did it, gone all”

“I haven’t nursed or pumped at all since around January/February of this year, and had NO drops or leakage or signs of lactation since then (at the end of our journey, pumping was a drastic drop in supply that tapered everything off for like a month). I haven’t had a drop, even when I’ve tried lightly hand expressing out of curiosity, since early February. Out of nowhere today, I had a few clear drops leaking from my right side and a small ache in my breast. Don’t think I’m pregnant. Just getting”

“I’m 3 weeks postpartum after a C-section and really struggling with low supply. My baby had a shallow painful latch that caused nipple trauma, so I switched mostly to pumping. I was once getting 40–60 mL in some sessions, but after more nipple/areola pain my supply dropped a lot. I’m now pumping about 7*/day with a Spectra S1 on low suction. I’ve tried 15, 16, 17 and 19 mm flanges and currently use 17 mm. My left breast is producing almost nothing, right produces a little, and I sometimes get pi”

“Has anyone successfully kept breastfeeding after their period started back up? I’m 6 weeks pp and EBF and my period started yesterday. I want my supply to stay the same/increase and hoping my period doesn’t change that. submitted by /u/Big_Construction_389 [link] [comments]”

“Hey! I EBF my twins and have noticed in the last few days they are very unsatisfied after feeds and my boobs don’t feel like they’re producing. Any ideas why this might be happening? And what can I do? I’m continuing to latch them both but ideally don’t want them to start bottles again. Could they possibly be having a growth spurt? Thanks submitted by /u/Infinite_Spot_2491 [link] [comments]”

“I’m a SAHM with my 4mo girl, I’ve always fed on demand with the occasional bottle of expressed milk given by her dad or grandma. About a month ago I got a kyleena IUD inserted and two weeks after that my supply started tanking (non stop spotting). Baby has been fussy at breast because she isn’t getting a lot, we’ve had to start supplementing feeds with a bottle after because she’s no longer gaining weight:((( I’ve been power pumping and seeing a lactation consultant as well as a ped nurse for he”

“Has anyone successfully gotten their milk supply back on a breast after an I&D for a breast abscess? I had a severe case of mastitis around 4 weeks pp and ended up needing an I&D on my left breast. I wasn’t able to nurse or pump on that side for about 6 weeks. I’m finally cleared to start pumping and trying to relatch, but I’m getting less than 1/4 oz when I pump. My right side is producing around 2 oz, and we’re currently 40/60 breastmilk/formula. I’d really like to reduce the formula i”

“My baby is 9.5 months old, exclusively breastfed. He sleeps through the night (mostly) and nurses 5 times a day. I had my first period in June when I was 7 months postpartum. Seemed like a completely normal period. Now it's September and I haven't had another one. Is that normal? I know cycles can get messed up when breastfeeding but I'm almost on cycle day 90 now. Is this something I should contact the doctor for or just wait it out until I wean? With my first child I got one period”

“If you get your baby, got back to breast after six 6 weeks or later, did you see any drop in their percentile submitted by /u/Prestigious_Jelly875 [link] [comments]”

“Has anyone experienced anovulatory cycles while breastfeeding? I’m 14 m PP and still breastfeeding ALOT through the night and at naps. My cycles have been so weird. I typically “ovulate” according to my Oura ring on cycle day 27ish and have been starting my period anywhere between 6-9 days later. That impossible to be a real period and from what I’ve gathered from reading it’s probably an anovulatory cycle. Has anyone experienced this? Did it get better? We want to try for baby number 2 in 6 mon”

“I’m 11 months pp and still haven’t gotten my period back yet. I’d like to wean at 1 year so I can hopefully get my period and start trying for #2 since we had to do IVF for first baby. I’m torn because I want to keep breastfeeding but I don’t want to waste any time as I’m older as well. When did you wean and if you didn’t get your period back yet how soon did you get it? Any regrets of weaning too early or too late? submitted by /u/Front_Cucumber_5815 [link] [comments]”

“7 months pp and wondering if re-lactation can happen? I was down bad after a terrible spinal headache landed me in the hospital soon after my C-section. I could not breast feeding after; not sure if it was stress or lack of experience to be honest. It’s now just a thought, but is re-lactation possible so late in the game? submitted by /u/Effective_Hearing703 [link] [comments]”

“My baby has not been taking milk the same since I’ve been in the hospital. I went in for emergency surgery and I was fine for a few days. I had to be on antibiotics while in the hospital but my doctor assured me it was safe to resume breastfeeding as soon as I returned home. I haven’t taken any of the pain meds as I only had gallbladder removal and I haven’t had any issues with pain. He’s been extremely fussy. I didn’t eat for several days and my milk supply plummeted. I’ve been making just enou”

“I’m six months postpartum and had a major open abdominal myomectomy on Friday to remove an almost 19 cm fibroid. Before surgery, breastfeeding was well established and I could typically pump around 6 oz and was exclusively breastfeeding. Since surgery, my output has dropped to closer to 2 oz, my letdown is slower, and my baby sometimes gets frustrated at the breast. I’m back to triple feeding—nursing, offering a bottle, and pumping—but I’m still recovering from a large abdominal surgery, exhaust”

“So recently I got my period back and I have noticed that my supply is dipping during my evening feed (and even day time pumping) - the one where he feeds after I get home from work and he is about to sleep! He’s so frustrated. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried power pumping at work 1-2x a day for the last couple of days (4-5days) but I am getting so exhausted and so tired. Anyone with tips on how to fix this? I pump in morning when I’m going to work at 7am, then at 10:30, 1:00, 4:00 on the way”

“hi all, i hit 12 weeks on monday and have noticed my pump output dropping since last week. i replaced the duckbills and membranes and things got marginally better, but im still like 1oz shy of where i used to be (now pumping 3oz a session, used to do at least 4 and sometimes 5 each time). i dont pump all that often because i am still on maternity leave and nursing on demand most of the time. my LO has great diapers and weight gain and always seems satisfied after nursing. tonight we gave her a 3”

“I’m three weeks postpartum and originally thought I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed due to a surgery I had. Today I pumped to try again and got a tiny bit. Is there a way to build up a supply? I’m not sure what to do moving forward! submitted by /u/No_Addendum_7741 [link] [comments]”

“So recently I got my period back and I have noticed that my supply is dipping during my evening feed (and even day time pumping) - the one where he feeds after I get home from work and he is about to sleep! He’s so frustrated. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried power pumping at work 1-2x a day for the last couple of days (4-5days) but I am getting so exhausted and so tired. Anyone with tips on how to fix this? I pump in morning when I’m going to work at 7am, then at 10:30, 1:00, 4:00 on the way”

“I had my 6 week follow up today with an older midwife whom I had never seen before. She seemed nice enough but I explained that i need to be done pumping. I had a lot of complications postpartum, postpartum preeclampsia, pulmonary edema, blood clots in my arm. I didn't get to enjoy most of the first 3 weeks and with my husband going back to work this week and me shortly after, I need to be done pumping for my mental and physical health. I feel guilty but I've come to terms with it. But w”

“I got my period 4 months postpartum and my supply reeally drops during it. When I pump I get at least 30% less and my baby will feed for less than 5 minutes. Yesterday I fed her 9 times and she was still hungry (at this age 6/8 times are enough) What do you guys do to increase supply during your periods? submitted by /u/GullibleWarthog7081 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, Im a little over 6 months PP and EBF, I’ve been having what seems to be a period for the last 12-13 days and I just was wondering if anyone else experienced this too while exclusively nursing. Baby has started solids but is still nursing the same frequency as before solids. My cycle is still irregular and this would only be my second period postpartum. My first period postpartum seemed normal and similar to pre baby periods in terms of flow and length, but this time has been differe”

“I am feeding my daughter who is 11 months old, she still feeds A LOT. Anywho, this weekend I went out without her for the first time, other than brief periods where no feeds would be missed. I left when she woke up from her nap, and she refused a feed before I left. By the time I got back, it had been 6 hours without feeding, and I didn't pump. I bought my pump and intended to. I asked my fiance to let me know if she had a bottle of breastmilk at all, she usually won't take a bottle. Any”

“So I’m having a total hip replacement next month and I’ve been stressing about what I’m going to do with breastfeeding afterward. I exclusively breastfeed and have been trying to pump/ Hakka and build up a small freezer stash because I assumed I wouldn’t be able to nurse while taking the stronger pain meds after surgery. I talked to my OB yesterday and she basically told me not to stress about it and that I can continue breastfeeding after surgery even while taking the pain medication they presc”