Let's Breastfeed

Help – My Milk Has Dried Up!

If you have suddenly felt like your supply has dried up over night, you are not alone! Many moms experience short periods when their baby seems to feed continuously and cry endlessly – which leads them to believe that their milk has clearly dried up, leaving baby hungry and frustrated!

The truth of the matter is that milk simply does not dry up over night. So, what would cause a baby to feed endlessly and behave as thought he or she is not able to access any breast milk?

It could be one of the following:

1. Your baby could be going through a growth spurt. When a baby goes through a growth spurt, he or she will want to feed frequently during the day, sometimes even every hour. This feeding pattern will last for 2-5 days, depending on how responsive you are to your baby’s demands, and how quickly your breasts respond to more frequent stimulation. We usually expect a growth spurt at 3 weeks, 5 weeks and 10 weeks, though these can come a little early or late.

2. Your baby’s feeds have become really short and he or she now cries after feeds rather than being calm and satisfied. This could either indicate a low milk supply or a very fast and furious let down, or an over supply. You need to keep an eye on how frequently your baby is swallowing and determine whether your baby is taking in any wind during the feed. Trapped wind is an absolute nightmare and will prevent baby from latching back onto the breast, even though he or she has not finished feeding yet. Wind for 5 minutes and then offer the breast again.

There are a number of medical conditions that will lead to your supply dropping after week 3-4, so be sure to look at the Low Milk Supply eBook when it is loaded in the next few days.

I hope this helps and wish you all success and happy feeding!

Geraldine

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