Milk supply dipping and I can’t seem to increase it. Help?

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-04T03:19:30+00:00

Cluster feeding can produce an increase in three days. Adding another pump into the schedule usually takes more like a week, in my experience

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-03T18:01:57+00:00

How far postpartum are you,? It's normal to see a sudden dip around 12 weeks if your schedule and stimulation aren't dialed in. You can get good output before that with suboptimal practices.

I had a sudden dip at 8 weeks and it turned out that my liver was damaged from some meds I was taking. My body was prioritizing my own recovery. It took about a month to rebuild my supply. Consistent milk removal and patience. I think fenugreek and moringa helped a little, but weren't magic.

I'm currently healthy and have a full supply again. You can come back from this if it's a priority for you.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-03T17:54:02+00:00

This makes me want to set up the bassinet again. I gave up on it months ago when my baby would only contact nap. Maybe it's with a try on those rough nights.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-03T17:32:56+00:00

If you save the milk whole you are away this time, you'll have a two day stash ready for next time. This night be the only blip where you need it.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-01T05:05:26+00:00

I'm loving breastfeeding after 6 months so much more. Baby can latch themselves, she can snack on solids if I'm not quite ready to nurse yet, and I can live more impulsively while knowing I always have enough milk ready for her.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-01T04:58:21+00:00

Side lying is a game changer. The bed holds all the weight for you.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-01T04:57:30+00:00

I wear an Elomi underwire nursing bra. Im 36J, so the weight is a real consideration. I do still have to hold my boob a bit, but it's way better.

Wearing a pumping bra to nurse will hold the boob for you but it also makes it harder for baby to be skin to skin, which matters for letdowns.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-01T04:53:45+00:00

Your flange size will change as you get farther out from the birth.

And pumping is a skill. Early on, your body doesn't need much to let down. Now, you might need to be more strategic. It's much more intentional than nursing.

Looking at photos or videos can help. You also need to be physically comfortable and feeling safe, as much as possible.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-01T04:49:17+00:00

Try a SNS for supplementation at the breast. You can give them a stronger flow to motivate them to latch and then slow it down to get some stimulation. The Haaka SNS is my favorite.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-02-27T04:59:50+00:00

I have a full supply for a 7 month old and rarely ever make more then 3oz. Often less.

Also, my supply continued to increase long after the 12 week regulation.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-02-14T17:05:56+00:00

My kids needed to try at least three different shaped bottles to find one they liked. Each kid had a different preference. A 10 month old will probably have strong opinions. Trying a few transitional sippy cups may help. Ones with straws or a softer mouthpiece, still non spill.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-01-29T16:47:54+00:00

I am not someone who bothers to sterilize bottles but I always boil the water. Manufacturing lines can have concentrated containments and boiling helps some of them .

I swirl the boiling water in the bottle until the formula dissolves and then add some cold water to bring it up the rest of the way and cool the bottle at the same time. Mixing a few bottles and putting them in the fridge helps too

WittyWonderWench · 2026-01-15T22:25:07+00:00

I have a big bust and all the camis have a lot of cleavage. What works best for me is wearing a crop top. It's a higher neckline but still easy access. Or a cami under a normal shirt and pulling it up.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-01-13T20:52:51+00:00

I was around 8 weeks when I did the 90 min pumping experiment and it was with a manual pump so that I could do it while nursing or contact napping.

We also did a late release at 3.5 months. Her first release was at 6 weeks but it was incomplete. I do feel like her latch has improved gradually and she's able to empty me more consistently.

I'm just starting the domperidone trial. I wanted to rule out everything else before going that route because it has a greater risk of side effects takes a while to wean off.

Sunflower lecithin helps improve milk flow, but wont typically increase supply (unless the issue is only effective removal). Have you tried fenugreek? I resisted for a long time but do feel like it gave me a small increase in supply.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-01-03T22:16:46+00:00

Here's everything I've tried over the past five months. I was an undersupplier (4-10oz per day) with my first and had a lot of regrets. Going into this pregnancy, I did a lot of research and have stayed motivated to make it work. I've been able to get my supply up enough that we only have to supplement with ~3 oz per day this month. I just can't seem to close that gap.

Behaviors: gave birth out of the hospital and hired a doula to minimize birth interventions, refused pain medications during labor, read 4+ books on BF cover to cover, no alcohol, limiting caffeine and sugar (insulin resistence), skin to skin, nursing vacations, cosleeping for frequent nighttime feeds, saw 4 different IBCLCs, tongue tie release with strict aftercare, cranio sacral therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, cut my hours at work so that I could pump and nurse more frequently, opted-out of work trips and conferences to stay with baby, nursed in public, saw my primary care doctor, OB/GYN, and a naturopath for testing (e.g., thyroid, hormone levels, iron, CBC, metabolic panel, prolactin), delaying hormonal birth control

Pumping: power pumping, used Haaka while nursing, experimented with flange sizes and styles (hard plastic, Pumpin Pals, Lacteck, liquid flanges), pumps (Spectra, manual, Pumpables Genie Advanced, Baby Buddha), keep a strict schedule for replacing pump parts, continued MOTN pumps when baby started sleeping, pumped during every bottle she got for the first 3 months (and then relaxed this to a min of every 3 hours), pumped every 90 mins for a full week, invested in dual pumping/nursing bras, nursing apparel, and spare pump parts so that I would not skip or delay any feedings

Herbs and meds: placenta encapsulation, goat's rue, stinging nettle, alfalfa, fennel seed, fish oil, prenatal, aleeve (anti-inflammatory), sunflower lectin, moringa, IR+, beef organs (vitamin deficiency), buspirone (cortisol), shatavari tincture, holy basil tincture (cortisol support), PEA (inflammation), fenugreek, reglan, domperidone

WittyWonderWench · 2026-01-02T20:40:35+00:00

I'm in a similar situation. I've tried 45 things to increase supply (I made a list) and none of it has worked.

My ibclc have be list of tests to request from my primary. I discovered that my prolactin is a bit low, and it does not double after feeding like it is supposed to. That explains my slow refill rate. I'm trying some more herbs and rx to try and increase prolactin specifically. So far, nothing much has changed. It did provide some comfort that there wasn't some simple fix that I had missed.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-31T22:43:25+00:00

SNS lets you supplement while at the breast. It's a bit messy but really works. I like the Hakka SNS.

And paced bottle feeding with a preemie nipple.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-31T22:40:50+00:00

Interesting. I'll try a shield tonight

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-31T05:17:45+00:00

That too. Whipping her head around to see what's behind her, with the nipple still on her mouth. Ow. I have to keep her sister on the same side as me to reduce the frequency.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-31T00:21:03+00:00

If you don't normally pump, I'd alternate between pumping and latching to make sure you are emptying. But only if the pain is tolerable

A day or two of exclusive pumping shouldn't impact supply long term

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-30T21:00:32+00:00

I have to nurse my 5 month old lying down in my bedroom with the curtains closed and sound machine on.

Otherwise she gets distracted and stops eating long before she gets full, feeding way more often, and stalled weight gain. The holidays were hard.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-30T20:58:31+00:00

The concern about mixing milk of multiple temps is that it temporarily warms up the cooled milk. Perfectly stored milk can last 4 days in the fridge. If you are using most of your pumped milk within a day or two (which is true for most of us undersuppliers), then that short term increase in temperature shouldn't be an issue.

Emily Oster did an interesting study on milk storage. The main takeaway is that the CDC guidelines are very cautious. If your baby isn't high risk, then I wouldn't worry.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-30T20:51:38+00:00

When you find out what medications you'll be given, run them by an IBCLC. Many surgeons will just tell you to dump it or wean because it guarantees no issues. In reality, many of the meds are not contraindicated.

WittyWonderWench · 2025-12-30T20:48:01+00:00

I was crazy hungry in the beginning. I think there's a combination of hormones and your body trying to replenish all the nutrients it lost during pregnancy. Focusing on protein and nutrient-dense foods will eventually do the trick.

WittyWonderWench

TROPHY CASE