Milk supply gone :(

I had issues she would latch but instantly fall asleep ended up dropping 2 percentile and she was already tiny had to top her up with formula after every feed. Bought myself an expensive electric pump with the plan to pump after feeding but was always so exhausted. When I did pump I had about 2oz and she was having 4-5oz bottles. At Christmas she just completely stopped latching and only wanted her bottle and I’m just proud that I managed as long as I did. She’s happy healthy and loves her bottle

Your milk supply isn't reflected in how much you pump. My 20month old is still bfeeding but I stopped being able to pump much at about 12 weeks pp. Keep feeding from the breast 😊

Awww don’t be too hard on yourself girly! There’s only so much you can do! I also had an emergency c section with a premature baby who couldn’t latch … I had to pump every hour just to create enough milk for his feeds but then his appetite went up and my milk dropped so I had to go fully over to formula! It can’t be helped xx

I’ve had rubbish breastfeeding journeys with both my babies and like you had a lot of stress in and out of hospital with my baby boy in December/January and I think it messed up my supply. I combi feed now as he’s not gaining enough weight so it’s taken some pressure off but I still feel rubbish about it. I was graced with DD/E cups and they are blooming useless 😂 Some things I think might have help me recently, coconut water, electrolyte tablets and flaxseed on my cereal. I pump about 50ml at a time, that’s all I get and my left boob never more than 10ml

If you want to keep breastfeeding I'd really reccomend taking fennegreek and keep feeding from the breast.. my supply went up massively withing about 48 hours of talking it. Having her feed will also help bring your supply back up.

I don't know your exact situation but pumping large amounts isn't reflective of your supply - it's a sign of an oversupply pumping huge amounts. I have only ever been able to pump 30mls max but my baby who was 9th percentile and dropped to 3rd percentile after birth is now at 11 months 91st. The problem with breastfeeding is you don't see how much they are taking. It's also totally normal for breastfed babies in the early days to feed very often it's nature's way of getting your supply up but often we feel like we don't have enough, or don't have the support to manage it Please don't put pressure on yourself and you have done an amazing job giving your baby any breast milk after a difficult start for you. I just wanted to try and reassure you it is very normal. I had a very difficult start with similar blood loss so a big delay to my milk coming in, undiagnosed tongue tie and feeding plans with pumping and tops up so I know how difficult it can be.

@Liza that’s so similar to what happened with me! She was born 6lb 4oz which I’ve been told is good for a premature but was still so tiny, like I said because she had jaundice she was so sleepy all the time so it was only around week 3/4 I managed to work out the best way for her to latch, but then after about 30s she’d just fall asleep. I don’t think it helped that I have softer nipples than most cos by that point she was used to bottles. I too spent about £140 on a momcozy breast pump that I think I used about 4 times and just gave up cos I was always so tired, also started to make me really sad when I’d be sat there pumping for 20-25 mins and end up with a teaspoon from each boob 😭

I was struggling with the latch as well to the point that my nipples cracked badly and baby lost 11% of birth weight and milk supply became basically non existent. I got help by the NHS breastfeeding support team, fixed the latch, pump 4 or 5 times a day, breastfeed 3 times and use formula when needed and by doing this for a week I've gone from getting 60ml in a 30 minutes pump session from both breasts to getting a bit over 150ml. It's though, especially when you need to pump at night but you can definitely get that milk supply back up. It's a bit like a workout x Baby is now over birth weight and I use the expressed milk to bottle feed at night and so that my husband can support as well as I'm not super keen on just using formula x

@Emily my girl was 6lb 4oz too! But she was only 20 minutes early from her due date 🤣

What a coincidence! 😄 mine decided to give us a scare and arrive 1st feb when she wasn’t due til 24th 🥴 my waters went at 4am and were full of blood from a stress-induced ruptured placenta…so not the most ideal birth 😭🤣 x

So I’m gonna have to be controversial here - I started having this issue around the same time and was told by my HV “don’t worry, pumping isn’t reflective of how much baby is getting”, however she was very fussy on the breast and becoming inconsolable. She then started to lose weight… Turns out, I wasn’t producing enough!! So trust your gut xx

It is entirely your choice, but there is a medication you can get to help kick start it again - speak to your gp/midwife urgently if you would like to try and get it back. Again if you want it back you need to pump more and more regularly to kick start it again. It is possible and bring baby to your breast every few hours whether they latch or not. I left it too long and it was too late to try and restart it. But it is possible!! I struggled with my breastfeeding journey too, born early, jaundice, trouble latching. Ended up giving formula instead☺️xx

Just to add to my comment, a friend of mine stopped making enough and started the medication and her supply came back better than ever! So if you are willing and want to it’s worth a try. Either way, formula is great and gives you so much more freedom! A fed baby is all that matters x

@Heidi thank you 😌 a friend told me to try exclusively bf for a whole day so she can try and help up my supply with cluster feeding etc but early afternoon , after hours of inconsolable crying, I had to face the fact that I was just starving her and it wasn’t fair. I quickly gave her a bottle of formula and she was as happy as ever with a full tummy drifting off to sleep. Another friend told me her milk just never came in, not even a drop - Which made me feel a bit better. I just can’t help but feel like I didn’t try hard enough and was just lazy with it 😕

Totally valid, sometimes it just the way it happens! I had an EMCS, baby ended up in the NICU with brain damage, we had to withdraw care on day 9 of life so I gave up pumping and couldn’t manage to eat for a week. We were lucky and he surprised us all by living but by that point my supply was too far gone & I was never able to get more than 20ml per day. I was so disappointed in myself but you gave your baby the best start and one positive is it takes so much off your plate so try not to feel too down about it 💖

Bless you ❤️ that must’ve been so tough but I’m glad you’re out the other side. One thing I’m grateful for is when I was able to keep up with her feeds / pumping it was all colostrum so she got all the good stuff when she really needed it. It was only when my milk turned white / she started wanting more that my supply started dropping

Have a read of this x https://www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com/blog/low-milk-supply-101

And this x https://www.facebook.com/share/1XwPgogfX1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

My son stopped latching at 8 weeks and i cried for 3 days, I was so upset because it’s the only thing I really wanted to do. I then decided to exclusively pump and have done for 9 months or so until supply issues and IT WAS HARD! I felt completely trapped in pumping and sometimes like I couldn’t enjoy my time because it was always in the back of my mind. Definitely do what’s best for you, you could probably get your supply back if you pumped every 2 hours but again only if that’s best for you. You’ve given your baby 8 weeks of you milk and that’s great, no matter what you decide you should be so proud of yourself!

I feel you 100%! With my first I was so set on breastfeeding and realised I actually had no milk which then gave me no other option but to formula feed which made me feel so shitty about myself as I felt like I had let my baby down. With my second, I decided I didn’t wanna go through that this time and so I was going to formula feed until I was told to express my milk as I also had a premature baby and emergency section and my breast milk would be good for him so I did and realised I had loads of milk this time until I started pumping more and more but less milk was coming out. I had the worst breast pain ever!! So had to get some tablets from the GP and be put on antibiotics but then realised maybe it’s for the best. As long as baby is having some sort of milk, it doesn’t matter what it is xx

@Emily oh I completely empathise, I felt so defeated and almost ashamed for needing formula. But when I saw how much more settled she was and the rapid weight gain (along with reflux relief), I knew I had made the right choice ❤️ don’t stress, just do what’s right for your baby xxx

You can continue breastfeeding, I couldn't pump a drop, I couldn't get colostrum and my baby just built supply and fed on me constantly every hour of every day and night, currently still breastfeeding and he's two years three months. If you want to you can restart and your supply will be enough, you can choose to offer formula also