ago Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I have a 8 mth old with a cleft palette so I have to exclusively pump. I am on day 6 of the challenge and my breast milk production has dropped significantly. I pump 4x a day and get 8-9oz first morning pump and then 4-5oz throughout the day. I am now luck if i get 3oz. I have done nothing different but start the challenge. I tried increasing the amount of food and snack 3x but breast milk production continues to diminish. My 8mth old has really bad reactions to formula so I can't substitute that. I breastfed my 1st daughther and had no problems with production. Any suggestions??? Should I add in diary or grains??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 There is no reason why dairy or grains should be needed. eat more whole30 compliant food. lots more. It isn't uncommon to see posts from people in exactly your situation, but usually, once the poster figures out how to eat more things turn around and milk production is actually better than previously. This can be you! Try eating a full fourth meal making sure you eat at least the minimum template each time. Try adding more starchy veggies (at least one sweet potato or serving of pumpkin, squash, etc. every day). Pumping more frequently can help sometimes too. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellewannabe17 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I totally sympathize and have lamented on here about the same thing before. I have done two Whole 30s, and my supply has gone down a lot at first with each. It has always come up some, but never back to where it was. My situation is a little different because my daugher is over a year so I have the option of introducing another kind of milk (and I have a lot of frozen milk), but I really don't want to. The best supply booster for me is sweet potatoes. I cut them in chunks and toss in coconut oil and spices and then eat a few with each meal. A lot of people say coconut milk from the can is helpful to get fat and calories, too. If you mix chia seeds, cocunut milk and fruit and refrigerate, it tastes great. It's also important to eat enough iron. Have you ever tried lactation cookies? They are obviously not whole 30, but I bet you could incorporate some of the ingredients into something that you could eat. (There are recipes for paleo lactation cookies that could be modified to be compliant, but I think that would be a SWYPO food). The ingredients you could use are the brewers yeast and flaxseed (which is not ideal on Whole 30 but is not banned). Brewers yeast (not nutritional yeast) is awful by itself, but it also comes in tablet form. Other herbs that help with lactation are fenugreek and alfalfa. I am not convinced that adding a bunch of supplements is the answer, but I know how it feels not to make enough milk. Try some of the above, and try adding a pumping session at least for a few weeks. Your supply will eventually get back up to at least close to what it was. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 For anyone who can't have gluten, brewer's yeast is loaded with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellewannabe17 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Oops! I google "Whole 30" and "brewers yeast" and it said it was OK. I hadn't really thought about the ingredients. Sorry, ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noelle Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I have gluten-free brewer's in my pantry right now. It's Bluebonnet brand, and delicious blended into homemade salad dressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I have not breastfed, but I am a NICU nurse. One of the first things we talk to our Moms about when their supply is down is to drink more fluid! Lots and lots of fluids. Of course you need to get plenty of rest too. Try pumping more during the day when you are awake to increase stimulation. If your pump has variable settings, try a slightly higher setting as well. Keep eating healthy! Its best for you and baby! Good luck! And congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommato2girls Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 My supply seemed to dip a little in the begginning. I realized I was so worried about food I wasn't drinking as much water as I used to. I aim for 100 oz a day and production is back up. I did start eating a bit more too. I also felt in my case I was worrying so much my milk would decrease with such an extreme change that I had a bit of a placebo effect on myself. I took more baths and deep breaths to ease my anxiety about this. I also second eating lots of sweet potatoes to get enough calories. And I think every thing in mothers milk tea is approved if an herbal remedy is something you'd like to try. I was drinking that the first month or two of bf'ing and felt it had a positive result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falquaid Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Water, water and more water! Also i double express and added an extra pump session... Took abt 4 days for the extra volume to kick in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slesca Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I just started and am on day 3 and my pumping production has cut in half from before I started. I BF at home and pump while at work; I was getting 16 oz./day pumped at work and today I got 8. Really discouraging. I'll try some sweet potatoes tonight and tomorrow. There's nothing that makes me as anxious as a drop in supply while breastfeeding. I'm hoping it's temporary and will increase as I get in the swing of this and as my body gets used to having less sugar/grains/crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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