Advice on Keeping up supply😓

3 answers /

Last post: 16/03/2023 at 6:24 pm

Ana maria R

16/03/2023 at 10:46 am

Hi mums… I hope I’ll get the right help here. I am under so much stress and my milk supply is not as good as before.

I have been given an emergency contraception pill by a sexual clinic professional ( Ella one to be more specific) before she gave it to me she asked me if I’m exclusively breastfeeding, I’ve told her multiple times that yes I am and she still gave me the wrong pill because she didn’t read the leaflet🤦🏻‍♀️ I’ve taken it in front of her not knowing it’s not good for breastfeeding mums and then left the clinic. Not 5 minutes go by and she’s called me telling me to go back because she needs to talk to me. I went back and then she gave me the news that I’m not allowed to breastfeed for one week😭 at that point I was out of words not know what to say, I couldn’t understand how she could give me the wrong pill knowing I was exclusively breastfeeding. Now it’s been 48 hours I’m pumping every 2 hours to keep my supply up but I’ve been very stressed because my baby is struggling to eat from the bottle. And I think that this stress has caused me to lose some of my supply. On Monday I can go back to breastfeeding but until then I hope my milk won’t go away. One of my breast has become soft and my aerola has decreased in size while the other one it’s still hard as if it’s still producing milk but the aerola has decreased in size too. I’m pumping a lot and drinking stimulation tea for the lactation but one of my breasts is not giving me a lot of milk probably 20-30 ml. Mums help me how should I keep my supply up until Monday😓 I don’t want to lose my supply because of stress

Emma M(3238)

16/03/2023 at 6:22 pm

Hi Ana Maria

Thank you for your post. I am one of the Health Visitors here at Netmums so I am hoping I can help in some way.

I am sorry to hear that you are having to tweak your breastfeeding due to an error in medication. It is positive that the nurse was able to let you know very quickly of this and has taken precautions to make sure your LO will be protected.

The most important message is pumping/expressing milk is not an indication of how much milk you actually have. Sometimes it doesn't matter how good the pump is and/or the technique nothing will replicate your LOs natural suck.

Is your LO having bottles or feeding via a cup/syringe during this short period?

You may find I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do? • KellyMom.com helpful in looking at further advice and support.

You can also contact Breastfeeding Helplines - The Breastfeeding Network for further ongoing support.

Have you spoken to your own health visitor or a local breastfeeding support group? They may be better placed to offer tailored advice for you and offer practical support if needed.

I hope the above links are helpful in some way and your able to get back to your usual routine soon. Don't worry if when you latch your LO back if she takes a little time to adjust, she may jump back on straightaway but if she needs a bit of time that's ok too. Lots of changes but hoping the above links are helpful for you.

All the best

Emma