drop in supply?? please help.

I've had great supply so far (baby is almost 11 weeks) - my breasts are always heavy before feeds and I have an intense let down - and if I pump, regardless of when during the day, I easily get 100 mls combined by pumping each breast for less than 10 minutes. For the past 2 days, this hasn't been true - my breasts are always soft - including in the morning when they normally are very full and I am getting very little from pumping. DS is still having wet nappies but not as many and he hasn't had a poop in 2 days - and he was a daily pooper (and big poops). He hasn't been crying and still falls off the breast at the end of a feed (after offering him a 2nd go round), but I feel like something has changed - previously, he'd have milk all over his face post-feed and this too has stopped. Also, I need to be able to pump like I have in the past so I'm wondering what is going on.

The only thing I can think of is that I've been doing long walks and perhaps not drinking enough water - could this be the case? I don't think my diet has dramatically changed in the last 2 days.

(I've also posted this in Barb Galore's section)

Your breast do do this as they settle, they usually say anthing from 6 to 12 weeks for the milk to settle, but in saying that I still freak when they dont 'feel full' but you will find that now DS is only making what he needs and so they are 'fixing' to his supply needs. As long as you have 4+ wet nappies a day and he is gaining at his check ups I would not be worried at all

and FWIW i still get days of bobbie milk explosion then others when i think they are totally empty.

Totally normal for bubs to stop pooing so much now too, just as long as there is still wet wee wee every day!

I couldn't of worded it better myself!! I also want to know the same thing... I also have started exercising more so that maybe the case.. Have tried to up my water intake the past couple of days and pumping more to produce more (even waking twice overnight to pump) but still no go yet. My (o)(o)'s feel soft all the time as well. I feel that DS is getting enough tho, he always seems satisfied after feeding and has plenty of wet nappies and poo's once a day, sometimes every 2nd. If it hasn't picked up in another day or two then I'm going to see doc.

bulie, as the others said, this sounds really normal for this age. Don't doubt yourself or your body. It doesn't matter how your breasts feel - they don't need to fill up before you feed. It's also normal for it to become harder to get milk out when expressing as your supply settles down - it's a nuisance but can often be overcome. Do you need to express for any particular reason? Sometimes switching pumps or trying different techniques can help.
It's normal for poo frequency to decrease. It's also normal for the sensation of letdown to decreasse (it's still there, you just might not feel it so much and as baby gets bigger they can deal with it more easily so it's not as obvious)
If you need mroe advice, you can always call the ABA helpline too - 1800-686-2-686

Yep, just like the other said. Mums always worry when their breasts stop feeling full - it's a pity there are not instructions provided with the baby to tell you what to expect! In the early days, you over-produce and this is why you feel full. Feeling full when breastfeeding is not the "normal" state, it is what most mums have in the first 6 - 12 weeks because they are producing too much. The "normal" state is not feeling full - but because the fullness comes first and no-one tells you this isn't "normal", when things are "normal" you worry that something is wrong. ITMS??

Some bresatfeed babies stop pooing daily at 8 weeks and by 12 weeks it is quite common. Some babies always poo multiple times a day but it is equally "normal" for a breastfed baby to go 10 days without a poo. As the others have said, as long as there are still wees and weight gain (and weight gains usually slow a lot around 12 weeks also - most babies double their birthweight within 6 months, you don't want them to continue to grow at that rate!!) then it is all good. Also the poo should be soft or runny when it comes.

With expressing, if you want or need to keep expressing, express more often for a few days and your supply will adjust to allow for expressing as well. You might not ever get as much as quickly as you did in the early days though. Some mums find that a warm washer on the breast before expressing helps, also gently squeezing your breast while expressing will get more out. Distracting your self by watching TV or reading while expressing seems to do the trick for many of us!!

Thanks everyone. I do wish someone had explained what happens to your breasts at the beginning vs 11 weeks in - I had no idea to expect a change.

I'll try to take DS to get weighed on Tues (drop in appt at MCHN) - so far, he's exceeded their "recommended" weight gain (which is great given that he was 4 wks early) so it will be interesting to see what is going on - he looks and feels bigger to me.

I want/need to express because 1 - I will be returning to work FT when DS is 8 months and although I plan on pumping at work, I'd like a bit of a cushion in case it's more difficult to do so than I anticipate (work will be fine about it, I'm hedging against problems on my end) and 2 - I want to build up a storage of EBM so that when I try for #2 via IVF (which will have to be sooner rather than later), I have a supply on hand for DS as my dr requires that I be done with BF to undergo ivf - his view has been explained to me and I have accepted it. (I do know that there are time limits on how long EBM stays fresh in the freezer, but a useable stash would be nice).

I have a pretty good pump, so I know it's not an issue with the type of pump - but the other explanation above about supply settling down makes sense - I was just so used to this enormous supply - maybe I'll start pumping around 10am/11am each day during his morning nap and build up supply at this time which will allow for regular pumping once a day while I'm still on leave.

In case someone else finds this - I found that when I increased my water intake, my supply went back up. My mom is in town and we had been running around and I wasn't paying attention to my water intake. The day after I posted the above, I stayed home, rested and dranks lots of water - milk flow is back to normal (without breasts being engorged).

Good to hear, I'm glad you got it sorted :D