8 Things That Cause Your Milk Supply Suddenly Dropped

Do you notice any difference in the vacuum strength?

Does it feel weaker?

Some pumps start to create this problem if they are overused.

If you are still under warranty, it's not harmful to get your pump checked for any possible issues.

When was the last time you change your breast shield's membrane or valve?

If it's been more than a few months, it's time to get them replaced.

Check the tubing.  Do you notice any condensation there?

Tubing condensation may interfere the auction strength, so if you do, change to a new tubing while you are trying to get the condensation out of there.

SEE ALSO: Best Hospital-Grade Breast Pumps To Increase Your Milk Supply

2. You frequently skipped pumping sessions

If you are regular pumper, frequently skipping pumping session may hurt your milk supply.

Why I said, 'may', but not 'definitely'?

This is because every mom has different breast milk storage capacity, that is the amount of milk that can be stored inside your breast.

Example:

Mom A used to pump  3x at work and could collect up to 600 ml (so around 200 ml in each session).

Then she dropped her session into twice at work, but still managed to get 600 ml consistently.

This is because her breast can store up to 300 ml breast milk (roughly), so even with the pumping schedule change, her milk supply is still stable.

Let's compare with mom B.

She also got 600 ml of milk with 3 pumping sessions at work, but when she reduced it into two, she could only get 500 ml total.

Why is that?

Because she has smaller breast storage capacity.

Perhaps her breast could not store up to 300 ml of milk, but only 250 ml.

So the moment her breast is full and her next pumping session is not due yet, her breast slows down the milk production, no more storage!

Which one are you? Type A or B?

Only you can answer this question, but for me, I'm type B mom.

But.., how can you know how much milk your breast can keep before it slows down?

Well, honestly, I don't have the exact answer.

But you can find the clue from your baby's feeding pattern.

If your baby nurses pretty frequently, that may signal that you have small breast storage capacity.

But if your baby nurses, say, every 3 hours or even more, it may signal that you have larger breast storage capacity, and thus, you can afford to pump less frequent.

Now, the most important question.

What can you do to bring back your milk supply?

1. Bring back the skipped session

By bringing back the skipped session, you essentially tell your breast to produce milk more frequently, because you empty it more frequently, too.

Remember the golden rule of milk production:

2. Power pumping

It may take some time to bring back your depleted supply.

To make things faster, I recommend doing power pumping to boost your milk production.

You can either set aside an hour a day to do 3 short 10-min pump with 10-min break, or do the 2-hourly pump for 48 hours.

SEE ALSO: The Complete Guide to Power Pumping (How, When, Case Studies, plus Tips and Tricks).

3. Your baby starts sleeping through the night

Ahem,

This is such a big milestone that every parent are waiting for.

When the baby starts sleeping through the night, the parents also get the rest they desperately need, too.

However, from milk supply point of view, there's a long gap the last feeding at night and the first-morning feeding.

If your breast is not emptied at all throughout the night, it may start thinking to reduce the milk production.

And that's why your milk supply drops.

Also, another similar thing that may cause milk supply drop is your baby is still nursing throughout the night, but she's just comfort nursing.

She's nibbling at your breast, but NO milk is actually drawn out.

What to do:

1. Offer your baby to nurse again

This may sound counter-intuitive, but it is the easiest to do.

Your baby may sleep a few hours earlier than you, and the moment you are ready for bed, just arouse her a bit to nurse on.

Most babies would happily accept the offer, and nurse for a few minutes.

2. Wake up to pump

Yeah, if you prefer letting your baby sleeps through the night but you don't want your milk supply drops, then wake up to pump.

Research has shown that sometime between midnight and early morning is the best time to pump, because your prolactin level (the hormone responsible for your milk production) is at the highest, and therefore if you pump during that time, chance's are you will get quite a good amount of milk.

If you are unable to wake up to pump (I know, we all need sleep, haha), then at least try to squeeze one more pumping session, choose the time that works best for you (and you know you can be consistent with it). 

Say, if you are comfortable waking up a little bit earlier then pump, just do this.

Else, if you feel you better off pumping after your baby sleeps, go for this.

The main point of this extra pumping is to replace the missed feeding that you used to have before your baby started sleeping through the night.

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Also, still related to this, but in general, if you are reducing the number of feeding and pumping you do throughout the day, there's a chance that your milk supply may drop.

Every mother has this magic number that corresponds to how often her breast should be emptied throughout the day (learn more about magic number and milk production here).

If the you pump / nurse less than your magic number, your milk supply will start to dwindle down. So it is important to keep the frequent feeding / pumping to keep your supply up.

4. You are having your period

Period usually causes a temporary drop to your milk supply.

It can be a few days for some moms, while others have it for one full week.

What to do:

Personally, I didn't do anything about it.

I know it is temporary and my milk supply would bounce up again once the period is completed.

However, if you barely has any stash and you are a pump-today-for-tomorrow-feed type of mom, this temporary drop may freak you out because you may not get enough milk for tomorrow's feeding.

Here are some suggestions (excerpted from exclusivepumping.com):

1. Take Calcium / Magnesium supplements
2. Attempt more let-downs while pumping
3. Consume lactogenic food or herbs (or drink a nursing tea)

Some nurslings react to the supply and taste change by self-weaning, while others keep nursing until past birth .

What to do:

This is a natural process and it's best just to let it happen naturally.

If your baby is less than 6 months old, you may need to watch her weight gain and supplement if needed.

If she's older than 6 months old, typically increasing her solid intake helps her to stay full while still enjoying the benefit of breast milk.

Should you wean your baby?

I guess it depends on your personal choice and whether you experience pain / contractions while nursing. I suggest you talking to your gynae to decide what's best for you and your baby.

6. Introducing solid food

In most cases, introducing solid food to babies should not reduce your supply.

This is because the very first solid food is meant to 'compliment' breast milk, NOT to 'replace' it.

However, some babies really like eating solid food to the extent that when it's time to nurse, they may nurse less than usual.

If you are worried that your baby may not get the sufficient amount of breast milk, see if this meal routine would work for you.

Nurse your baby first, then an hour later or so,  feed your baby her food.

This way, your baby won't overeat and still gets the usual amount of milk from your breast.

Kellymom has a great explanation on how to introduce solid food without decreasing your milk supply. Head over here to read the full details.

7. Consuming anti-lactogenic food

Perhaps you didn't realize this...

Or perhaps it was a festive event...

But if you accidentally eat milk-reducing food such as sage leaves or parsley in large amount, your milk supply may suddenly drop.