Hi Mommies!

I'm back with more on what to think about and what to do when you feel like your milk supply has dropped off the charts.  We talked about growth spurts and hormonal changes in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.  Once you've got those two bases covered, and even if one of those two reasons is obviously the culprit, you still need to step back and ask yourself if you are nurturing your own body as well as your nursing relationship with your little one.  (And since you are already taking a harder look at your own nourishment, you can also make sure that you aren't overdoing it with any of the herbs that you should be avoiding while breastfeeding: Sage, Parsley, Black Walnut, and Yarrow.)

When you were first a new mom - sleep deprived and barely able to think about nourishing your own body - you might have had people reminding you to make sure you were drinking enough water and also at least snacking throughout the day, in order to support your body's healing process and also create the ideal scenario for your body to produce lots and lots of milk!  Now that you are either running around with a demanding little person on your hip or literally running around after an energetic toddler that is exploring anything and everything she can get her hands on, you may once again not even have the time or energy to focus on what you are feeding yourself.  Well, let me tell you, if your milk seems to be dwindling, this is the time to pay some attention again and make a point to have a glass of water each time you nurse, and also make sure you are eating a minimum of 3 times a day - kuddos to you if you can get 5 snacks and meals in each day!  Not only will you support your body in making milk, but you will also find that you feel more balanced and have more patience with your little one once you are eating often enough throughout the day.  Your baby may even notice a shift in your attitude when you are well hydrated and well fed and may follow in your footsteps and seem more settled and happy herself.

This brings us to your nursing relationship.  Sometimes this is the factor that gets completely overlooked (don't worry, we've all been there, but you can turn things around)!  When you had a teeny tiny newborn who was completely dependent on you for survival, you were probably a pro at prioritizing spending quality time with her during "feeding times."  Chances are you got all set up on the couch or in bed with a pillow or 2, or 4!  You may have even taken your shirt off and undressed your baby, and really soaked up all the skin to skin time you could when you didn't have company over.  You might have done this instinctually, or maybe someone told you that this would help bring your milk in and strengthen your breastfeeding relationship.  Well, guess what - even if it feels like everything has changed and you could literally nurse upside down with your eyes closed while on the phone with your hubby and not even have to look at your child, these same principles still hold strong.  Nursing still has a whole lot to do with love hormones, with connecting, with having that close and cuddly relationship.  Even if you have been having a hard time balancing your life and taking care of this little person, if you are still interested in nursing, then do what you need to do to keep your nursing relationship strong.  Take some time - 10 minutes twice a day at a minimum - and make a point to focus 100% on your nursling.  Set yourself up in a comfy spot, with no TV, no phone, no computer, just you and your child, and nurse.  Nurse and interact with your baby organically - do what feels right, play with her fingers, run your fingers through her hair, sing her a song, tell her how much you love her.  You can even talk to her about how you feel about spending time nursing with her and ask her how she feels.  If you are really lucky she might even respond to you with a smile without ever unlatching.  These moments are so healing and so incredibly valuable, not only for your baby or for your milk supply, but also for you to feel truly connected as a mom.  These moments are my favorite moments.

This afternoon I had another one of those moments where I asked myself, am I really cut out for this whole work at home mom thing?  Staying at home is hard!  Being the one trying to meet ALL your child's (or children's!) needs - being an interpreter, a chef, a maid, a teacher, a playmate, an entertainer, not to mention what your actual "real" job description is - is hard!  The thing is, I think we all think to ourselves "I can't believe I'm questioning my decision to be here with my child, what kind of mom am I?"  We feel guilty in those moments where we feel frustrated and overwhelmed (and maybe like there's no way out!), and we also feel alone.  Well, I'm here to tell you that you are not alone!  Even that mom you hang out with once in a while who seems to do it all and just totally have her sh*t together (yeah, I know you have a friend who just popped into your head just now), yeah, even she feels this way sometimes.  You are not alone.  Talk to your friends about it when you have a day like this (or even if it is just an afternoon like this) and know that it doesn't make you a bad mom.  It doesn't even set you apart from any other mom on the block.

Do me a favor, will you?  Leave a comment below telling any mom who is reading this that you've had moments like this too.  Or if you're feeling particularly outgoing and up for the challenge, make your comment more of a note with a scenario where you felt this way, and what was the thing your child did next that got you out of your funk and reminded you that you are home with your little one for a reason and that you really do treasure your time together!

Hi Nurtured Mommies! 

In my last post I shared that there are a few easy explanations and solutions that should bring your milk back in at full force within a few days, even if you feel like you are "drying up."  I mentioned that we have to talk about growth spurts, hormonal changes, and of course - is mommy nurturing her own body as well as her nursing relationship with her little one?  We already discussed growth spurts here and touched on the subject of your hormones affecting let down (also known as The Milk Ejection Reflex, in case you were curious!)  And to answer a question you might be wondering - no, not everyone feels their let downs, but yes, they are still happening! 
Now let's get down to business.

#2: Hormonal Changes

There could be a number of reasons that your hormones are shifting, and any of these could cause your milk supply to suddenly drop without an obvious explanation.  We will address the one that might be the hardest to wrap your head around first. 

You could be pregnant.  Yup, I said it.  You could be pregnant.  Take it in, and even if you haven't gotten your period back after having your baby, think for a minute about whether or not you recently had a stint with your lover where you were just so much more into it and better lubricated (and I mean naturally lubricated) than you've been since you gave birth.  Well, if you automatically picture a certain private little "get together" with him that happened in the last month or two, go get yourself a pregnancy test and see if you can rule out the possibility of being pregnant again.  Even if you are not pregnant, brace yourself because that night (or day) you were picturing there for a minute could be the only warning you'll get that you are ovulating again and could get pregnant, or could get your period at any moment.

That brings us to the other hormonal shifts that can cause a temporary drop in your milk supply (make sure you read on to the end of the post too, because it will depend on your actions whether it really is temporary or not). 
You could be ovulating, or you could be about to start your period - if you haven't already. 
Now, if you recently started supplementing with formula or if your baby is 6 months old or older and you have recently started solid foods, then this is no surprise.  While some women get their period back a few months postpartum, and others don't get it back for a year or two, the vast majority of us will start ovulating and get our periods back around the time we start supplementing, and thus nursing less often and more sporadically.

On a side note, if you are hoping to avoid ovulating and getting your cycle back for as long as possible, but are thinking about starting solids with your baby, here is some advice for suppressing your baby-making cycle for as long as possible:  Any time you are going to give your baby food, nurse first.  Get in a full nursing session before putting any food in front of your baby.  This will keep your milk-making and cycle-suppressing hormones more stable and your body hopefully won't catch on to the fact that other food is being introduced.  Fortunately, from a health and nutrition standpoint, you can get away with this system until your baby is a year old.  Up until he is one the only nutrition he really needs to grow and thrive is your breastmilk.  The solid food introductions are there more to get him used to the different tastes and textures of (*healthy*) foods, and to let him get excited about learning to feed himself.  Keep an eye out for a post in the future about how to know when your baby is actually developmentally ready to start solids.  Hint: it is not necessarily at 6 months!  

Ok, back to the good stuff about keeping your milk supply up!  I said that hormonal shifts can cause a temporary drop in your milk supply.  I say temporary because as long as you keep nursing on demand (and often enough!) your milk supply should jump right back up after a few days.  If you don't keep nursing even though you feel like there is very little, if any, milk there, you will be telling your body that it is ok with you to stick with that smaller amount of milk.  And yes, your little one still is getting at least some milk each time he nurses, so you don't have to worry about a few days of snacking almost non-stop because pretty soon you two will get back on a more normal "meal" schedule.  Now, if you are still enjoying breastfeeding often and you want to advocate for yourself here, just keep nursing!  And nurture your body while you're at it, too! 

More to come on the topic of nurturing your own body and your nursing relationship in Part 3 of this series.