Where’s My Milk?!
Panicked by a sudden drop in milk supply? You're not alone. Many moms face this scary situation, often hearing, "My milk dried up overnight!" The good news? It's often preventable, and in many cases, recoverable. Here's what you need to know. Whether you're exclusively pumping or combo breastfeeding (pumping and nursing) adequate breast stimulation is critical to maintain your milk supply. In the first 12-16 weeks your milk supply is mainly determined by the massive surge of hormones along with the breast stimulation that happens immediately after birth. This is the timeframe that you have the training wheels on your milk supply! In this time you need to get breastfeeding or pumping optimized and a schedule honed in and polished up. If your baby or breast pump is not emptying the breast then that is not optimal stimulation for your milk supply. That can mean a shocking "overnight" supply drop leaving families stressed and faced with an immediate need to feed their baby.
If directly nursing, you want to make sure that baby is effectively eating and emptying the breast so that stimulation is optimal for sustaining milk supply. Weighted feeds alone will not catch concerns! If your baby is dealing with oral dysfunction then pumping or hand expressing after a feed might be needed for a short time to ensure the milk supply is protected while actively working on solutions. Working with a skilled IBCLC who has taken specialized oral function classes to aid in helping your baby and protect your supply in those early weeks can have a huge impact on your breastfeeding journey in a positive way. Babies nurse 8-12 times (or more) for around 30 minutes in 24 hours, so naturally when skipping a nursing session or protecting the milk supply with a pump, you would want to achieve the same total number of sessions to empty the breast. Breastfeeding on demand is by far the most beneficial and effective way to nurse and manage a supply over strict schedules as long as baby is effectively feeding.
If exclusively pumping, making sure your pumping situation is optimized is a critical factor in the success of your pumping journey. Flange sizing changes often in the first 4 months and if you don't stay on top of it, your milk supply can suffer. Other factors that can impact your milk supply would be the pump you have, bras being used for pumping, and of course your schedule! Just because the baby isn't coming to the breast doesn't mean you can pump less. Pumping moms still need to pump 8-12 times in 24 hours just as if you were nursing a baby. This can be overwhelming when factoring in pump parts to wash and a baby to bottle feed. A great skill to master in those early weeks (especially with visitors around to help) would be bottle-feeding your baby WHILE pumping. This is a huge game-changing skill most pumping parents learn to maintain their schedule and life! Propping the baby up safely on a pillow or in a bouncer can be a solution for hands-free pumping with flanges. Another option would be to grab a set of wearable cups and hold baby upright or prop baby upright against your chest to bottle feed. Pace feeding not only helps prevent babies from choking at the bottle or being overfed, but it also allows them to feed at their own pace which is usually just the amount of time a pumping mom needs to finish a pumping session before it is time to burp and snuggle baby!
As long as you make sure you have optimal breast stimulation and take care of your health, you shouldn't have to be scratching your head to figure out where your milk supply has gone. Booking with an IBCLC prenatally can help prepare you for most common curve balls for breastfeeding. Be sure to get with an IBCLC if things seem excessively hard or just for your peace of mind once your baby is born, we can help with nursing, bottle feeding, and so much more!
