What can cause supply to drop?

[KLeeCW]

DD is 2 months. BFing has been going strong, we've never had to supplement. Suddenly in the past week DD has been acting ravenous. I assumed she was just going through a growth spurt. Yesterday I pumped because DD was sleeping through a feeding. I barely got 2oz after 20 minutes of pumping and it had been 3 hours since she last ate. Normally when I pump I get at least 4-6oz every 2-3 hours. I thought maybe it was just a fluke, but DD is still starving after each feed and I'm still only pumping 2 oz every 2-3 hours when DD doesn't nurse.

Any idea what can cause a dip in milk supply? Could it be something I've been eating? I haven't gotten a period yet. I can't use fenugreek/mother's milk tea because it bothers DD's reflux. DD is starting to teeth, could that be a cause? BFing was awful with DS due to a rough delivery, a nicu stay and a bad latch, which led to supplementing which killed my ability to produce enough milk. I really want this to work this time. Any thoughts would be really appreciated!

[lecialefty]

It could be your cycle getting ready to come back. Other than that I don't have any ideas.

[VeganCupcake]

You said she slept through a feeding. Are you scheduling feedings? That can cause supply problems. How many times a day does she nurse? You should probably be nursing 8 to 12 times in 24 hours at her age.

Also, herbs like sage can cause a dip in supply, and lots of Thanksgiving foods include sage.

[Madame Medina]

Many things can cause a drop in supply.

One thing you can try is to spend the next 24 hrs in bed shirtless with your little one and nurse on demand. Sometimes we get so busy running around this time of year we miss out on the opportunity to comfort nurse (nursing for no other reason then they just want comfort)

Something else to keep in mind, your little one might be coming up on a growth spurt and those constant cues to nurse could be her way of letting your breast know she is going to need more milk.

[KLeeCW]

Originally Posted by VeganCupcake You said she slept through a feeding. Are you scheduling feedings? That can cause supply problems. How many times a day does she nurse? You should probably be nursing 8 to 12 times in 24 hours at her age. Also, herbs like sage can cause a dip in supply, and lots of Thanksgiving foods include sage.

I feed her on demand. In that instance, I fed her, then she was awake for a solid 2 hour block, then fell asleep for the next 2 hours. I pumped so DH could give her a bottle while I got dinner ready. She always nurses at least 8 times a day, usually 10.

I'm going to look up which herbs can hurt supply, thanks for the tip!

[KLeeCW]

Originally Posted by Madame Medina Many things can cause a drop in supply. One thing you can try is to spend the next 24 hrs in bed shirtless with your little one and nurse on demand. Sometimes we get so busy running around this time of year we miss out on the opportunity to comfort nurse (nursing for no other reason then they just want comfort) Something else to keep in mind, your little one might be coming up on a growth spurt and those constant cues to nurse could be her way of letting your breast know she is going to need more milk.

I'm wondering if this might be a contributing factor. With the holidays, we just traveled several hundred miles. It made for a lot of quick 10 minute nursing sessions. Maybe my breasts werem't getting the stimulation they needed to know to produce more milk. I'm going to attempt to have a nurse-in with DD. Hopefully that helps! Thank you!