I have a 4 and a half month old and my milk is pretty much gone. I’ve always had a low supply, but it’s been dwindling to basically nothing and I just feel a little heartbroken.
I’ve done all the things: don’t skip meals, eat more protien, drink at least two litres of water, oats, chia, brewers yeast, blessed thistle, fenugreek, lactation teas… nothing helps, nothing works.
[name_f]My[/name_f] baby won’t nurse anymore because my let down is so slow and there’s so little that she just gets frustrated and upset. I pump the tiny bit of milk that I have for her, but the other day three double sided / 30 min sessions only got me 29 millilitres total. It’s so depressing. I kind of just want to call it quits, but then I feel terrible because I know even a tiny bit is beneficial for her. Pumping is so time consuming though.
sigh
I figured I’d share my feelings, as I am sure there’s others with breastfeeding woes and frustrations. [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to vent / share / ask for help here. Maybe we can help each other feel less defeated.
Aw I’m sorry.
[name_f]My[/name_f] sister-in-law did all the things with her two babies and ended up switching to formula after about two months EB. Her kiddos both had tongue and lip ties, so that didn’t help, but with her second they got it addressed right away and the outcome was still the same. She felt good about making it two months, as the first couple months are the most crucial for EB. Sometimes it just doesn’t work as it should
Some places have breastmilk donation groups, if that’s something you’d be comfortable pursuing.
I’m so sorry you’re struggling! <3 Breastfeeding brings up so many emotions both positive and negative I feel like.
When my son was born, I had a really hard time breastfeeding. I was always an under supplier and my son had a lot of trouble latching. I ended up basically exclusively pumping but I couldn’t keep up with what he needed to eat. I ended up stopping pumping around 6 weeks. He also had a dairy allergy and we thought possibly other allergies so I felt like I was causing him discomfort by not knowing what I was eating that was bothering him.
I felt really guilty at first and felt like I failed as a mom because everyone says how good breastmilk is for babies. [name_f]My[/name_f] mental health dramatically improved after I stopped pumping. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband liked being able to give our son bottles and have that bonding time with him too. And all that time I was spending pumping I got back to do something I enjoyed again instead of locked away in a room pumping on a schedule.
It really does suck and I’m sorry you’re experiencing it. Thank you for sharing though because, like you said, maybe it’ll help validate the experience for other people <3
Sometimes it’s just completely out of your control what the outcome is. [name_m]Just[/name_m] wanted to come on and say you’re doing great! The fact that you’ve made it to 4 months is amazing.
And your little P will benefit greatly from what you’ve done for her. And if you come to a time where you feel like you have to stop, it’s not going to take away any benefit she’s already gotten.
This is so common. Breastfeeding is great but the benefits aren’t worth running yourself into the ground for. [name_m]Four[/name_m] months is more than most people, be proud of your accomplishment and enjoy your time with baby. They really do grow up so fast!
I have heard about this happening to many and am experiencing my own lower supply (my second started solids and is loving them so he is less interested in feeding) in comparison to the newborn days. It is frustrating and I have talked to many moms who express feelings of failure if they don’t breastfeed or find it difficult and will beat themselves up about it. There is a lot of propaganda to tell us breast is best.
[name_f]My[/name_f] friend had twins some months ago and tried to breastfeed for three weeks in the NICU. One day a nurse found her sobbing while pumping the 10 mL that she could, looked at her and said, “Are you done? You are allowed to be done. You have tried, but you can be done if you want.” Hearing someone say it was okay…that was what she needed.
So I’ll repeat it if that is what anyone needs to hear. [name_m]Fed[/name_m] is best. You can be done.
I have 6 children, and the only one I’ve been able to breastfeed (properly or at all) is my youngest. He’ll be 10 months old soon and I’ve stopped breastfeeding a couple of weeks ago because it became too difficult for several reasons. The reasons I didn’t breastfeed my older children are immensely complicated and I won’t go into detail, but… I’ve felt immense guilt over it, and sometimes I still do. I’ve also learned, however, to accept I did the best I could at the time, and what I thought was best for my children.
What I’m saying is: you’re doing the best you can, and you’re doing great I know it might not be how you wanted it to turn out, but try and be kind to yourself. And even though you want it to be different, there’s no point in stressing yourself out. It doesn’t help you or your sweet daughter. You got this
I wanted to say that sometimes it helps if we look less at the challenge we’re facing and more at our response to the challenge, because that is where we’ll see our strength, courage and self-compassion
It may or may not be right for you, but I’ve called the Australian Breastfeeding Association Helpline on a few occasions and each time found them really supportive and caring. It needn’t be for any reason other than a listening ear.
Same thing happened to me, I breastfed him for three months, and although I did all the things I had to supplement with a bit of formula (long story but it was medically absolutely necessary to supplement with a couple of formula bottles a day). At 3 months my supply completely disappeared, from there I spent 6 weeks “power pumping” like crazy, and still my supply never came back it was very sad for me but now time has passed I’m just happy I got to experience and enjoy breastfeeding for a while
Also, I don’t think it’s necessary your case but, don’t be certain that your milk supply disappeared just because you’re getting such a small amount when pumping, sometimes pumping just stops working but the baby is able to get a lot more when sucking.
[name_f]My[/name_f] first had a lot of trouble latching so I was doing the pump and bottle feed for months which is so completely exhausting and takes double the amount of time so I definitely understand you there. I had a huge oversupply in the fridge so I was trying to get a 6 hour stretch of sleep at night every [name_m]Saturday[/name_m] and have hubby pick up one of the nighttime feeds for me. Well that made my milk build up too much leak everywhere and then I developed mastitis fever and later an abscess. I still have that hard mass in my boob to this day as I didn’t want surgery to have it removed. The mastitis caused my milk to be extremely painful to get out and it slowly waned I was mixing formula and breast milk until it was completely gone when my son was around 5 months. Breastfeeding struggles are very common and I’m sorry you are going through some of your own. Don’t feel guilty, you have given her everything you have! You’re doing a great job!
I know it might not be how you wanted it to turn out, but try and be kind to yourself. And even though you want it to be different, there’s no point in stressing yourself out. It doesn’t help you or your sweet daughter. You got this 
it was very sad for me but now time has passed I’m just happy I got to experience and enjoy breastfeeding for a while