I had been brestfeeding my 2 month old since she was born but suddenly it seems like my milk just stopped coming in! Is there any way to get my milk supply back??”
It’s pretty unusual for a well-established milk supply to up and stop, though supplementing with formula, certain medications, anemia, rapid weight loss and hormonal and thyroid issues can affect supply. Ask your pediatrician or the labor and delivery nurses of the hospital where you delivered your daughter to refer you to a board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), a breastfeeding specialist. The consultant will want to know how often you feed, how many diapers your baby is wetting (there should be at least 6 every 24 hours), if you’ve been supplementing with formula, have any health issues or are taking any medications.
She’ll also be able to check your latch to make sure your baby is getting her whole mouth around your nipple to draw out the most milk. It’s also possible that now that your supply has been established milk production is working so efficiently that you don’t feel as engorged as you felt in the weeks after your supply came in, even though the baby is actually getting plenty of milk. Growth spurts can also make babies seem fussy and insatiable!
If you’re worried about not being able to make enough milk to pump extra bottles, try nursing on one side while pumping on the other. Then next feeding, swap sides. Let your health care provider know if you aren’t able to pump more than a small trickle on either side, even after waiting an hour between feeding and pumping. If your baby gets into hours-long feeding clusters with less than 45 minutes in between sessions, it could be that your milk is not getting enough time to build up milk between feedings. Try waiting 45-60 minutes after a feeding to drink water and replenish before the next round.
Also let your doctor know if your breasts have any lumps, sore or tender spots, red or purple streaks or cracked or bleeding nipples, also signs of a plugged duct or infection.
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