If you’re a breastfeeding mom, you KNOW that feeling of constantly worrying if your baby is getting enough milk. Breastfeeding has so many incredible benefits, but it can be stress-inducing not being able to see a bottle and knowing exactly how many ounces your little one is getting. In this post I want to talk about the real signs breast milk is drying up and what is actually just a normal part of breastfeeding.
As much as I’d like to say this worry goes away after those early days of breastfeeding, it doesn’t completely. Different factors can affect your breast milk supply such as your period, returning to work, pregnancy, illness, and more. So let’s go over when you should actually be concerned.
Signs Breast Milk is Drying Up
Since when you’re breastfeeding you can’t truly tell how much milk you’re producing, it can be hard to tell what’s normal and what’s not. Here are the true signs your breast milk is drying up or your milk supply is decreasing.
Lack of Weight Gain
After you have your new baby and start breastfeeding, your baby and their weight gain will be monitored closely by their health care provider during those early days and first few weeks. If your baby isn’t gaining weight steadily, they will have you come in for extra appointments to monitor your little one.
It’s normal for a new baby to lose weight after being born. But we ideally don’t want them to lose more than 10% of their birth weight. If a baby is not gaining weight steadily after birth or doesn’t return back to their birth weight after two weeks, your baby’s pediatrician will recommend supplementation with formula.
If you have been successfully breastfeeding and your little one is suddenly losing weight after your milk supply is already maintained, you’ll want to get curious and determine why. It could be due to factors that decrease milk supply like your period returning, pregnancy, or certain medications.
Lack of weight gain is a really important signal from your baby to indicate your milk supply may be drying up.
Not Producing Enough Wet Diapers
By a certain age, your baby should be producing a certain amount of wet or dirty diapers. On day 1, your baby should produce 1 wet diaper and 1 stool (poop) diaper. On day 2, your baby should have 2 wet diapers and 2 stool diapers. By day 7, your baby should be producing at least 6 wet diapers a day plus 3 stool diapers.
If your little one is older than one week and isn’t making at least 6 wet diapers a day, this is a sign they are not getting enough fluids (aka breast milk). This is concerning because this can lead to dehydration and cause other concerning symptoms.
Breastfed babies usually poop more than formula-fed babies, as breast milk (especially colostrum) can have a laxative effect on babies. Your breastfed baby can have anywhere from 3 stools per day or up to one with each wet diaper (about 6-8). The stool should look yellow, liquid-soft consistency, and seedy.
Signs of Dehydration in Baby
If you’re seeing signs of dehydration in your baby, this is very concerning and you should bring your baby in to be seen by their pediatrician right away. Signs of dehydration include:
- no urine produced in six hours
- sunken soft spot on the top of their head
- no tears when crying
- lethargic (especially sleepy)
- deep, rapid breathing
- sunken eyes
- dry, wrinkled skin
- dry tongue and lips
If you’re not noticing any of these signs but still have that gut feeling that something isn’t right, never hesitate and just call your baby’s pediatrician. You know your baby best!
Factors That Can Cause a Decreased Supply
There are certain factors that may cause your milk supply to not be able to meet your baby’s needs. Some of these are only temporary and can be corrected to bring your supply back, while others may be more permanent.
Hormonal Changes: Pregnancy/Period
Hormonal changes like your period returning and pregnancy can cause your breast milk supply to decrease.
When your period returns, you may see a temporary dip in your supply. Some moms take a calcium and magnesium supplement to help lessen the effects of their period affecting their milk supply. As long as you maintain your nursing or pumping sessions, your supply should return back to normal after your period is over.
The shift in hormones that occurs during pregnancy can also cause a decrease in your milk supply. This dip can be temporary, but often times it may be a permanent change due to the changes in estrogen and progesterone. This would be a great time to work with a lactation consultant to help determine what might be the right next steps for you.
Returning to Work
When a new mom returns to work, this may cause a decrease in her milk supply. Some moms may have difficulty keeping up with their pumping sessions from becoming busy at work or from a lack of support.
The decrease in milk supply is caused by the lack of milk removal. If no milk is being expressed from the breasts, this will essentially tell your body that milk is no longer needed.
Illness
If you become sick, this may also cause your milk supply to decrease. The virus or bacteria itself is not what’s going to cause the drop in your milk supply. But rather the related symptoms to the illness such as dehydration, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, or decreased appetite.
Certain Medications
Many new moms may not be aware that certain medications can actually decrease their milk supply. Always double-check with your health care provider or a resource like LactMed or the Infant Risk Center to determine if a medication is safe to take while breastfeeding.
Your doctor or these resources should also notify you if there is a risk for a drop in your milk supply when taking that certain medication. Be cautious of herbal supplements as well as some may also decrease milk supply.
Introducing Solids
When you start solids with your baby, you may notice a decrease in your milk supply if you are replacing nursing sessions or a bottle of breast milk with food. Solid foods should be complementary to breast milk (or formula) until baby turns one year old.
When a baby first starts eating solids, they should still nurse or take the same amount of bottles that they usually do. With solid foods offered about 30 minutes after a feeding. This ensures your milk supply will not decrease and baby is still getting the appropriate amount of breast milk.
As baby grows, solid foods become more of a priority and your nursing/pumping sessions may slowly decrease as your baby eats more food.
Not Eating Enough Calories
If you start dieting and are not eating enough calories, you may notice a decrease in your milk supply. Breastfeeding requires an additional 500 calories per day. If you are wanting to lose weight, I recommend keeping a close eye on your breast milk production as you make any changes.
Misconceptions About Low Milk Supply
There are some common misconceptions new moms may hear or experience that make them worry that their breast milk is drying up. These are things people think indicate a low supply but are actually normal.
- Baby wants to nurse more frequently (possibly for a growth spurt or comfort)
- Baby is cluster feeding
- Baby wakes at night to nurse
- Breasts feel soft in between feedings
- Breasts are no longer leaking
- You don’t feel the sensation of a letdown anymore or never did
- Baby isn’t pooping as frequently
- Baby is fussy before bedtime
- Baby starts decreasing the length of time they breastfeed
If you notice any of these signs and are still concerned and feel like something isn’t right, always talk to your provider, your baby’s pediatrician, or a lactation consultant to get help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of milk drying up pumping?
The main sign that your milk is drying up when pumping is getting fewer and fewer ounces of breast milk with each pumping session.
However, if you are getting less milk when pumping you should check your breast pump and parts first! Before you assume it’s your milk supply. Breast pump parts need to be replaced at a certain interval to maintain the suction on your pump and keep it running as it should. If the suction is decreased, this can cause a drop in your milk supply.
What can you do to increase your breast milk supply?
Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more you demand milk from the breasts, the more they will supply. If you’re seeing a true dip in your milk supply and want to bring it back, here are a few methods you can implement:
- Empty your breasts more frequently
- Breast compressions
- Skin-to-skin contact
- Power pumping
- Pump after nursing sessions
- Making sure baby has a good latch
For more details on exactly how to increase your milk supply, check out this post.
Can breast milk come back after drying up?
This depends on the situation and why you’ve experienced a decrease in your milk supply.
However, if it’s due to reduced or no milk removal sessions you may be able to increase your milk supply again with frequent nursing or pumping sessions (every 2-3 hours).
How to tell if milk supply is drying up at 12 months?
If your little one is still nursing pretty frequently and not eating much solid foods, you will notice similar signs of your breast milk drying up like lack of weight gain in baby, signs of dehydration, and fewer dirty diapers.
But if your little one is nursing less frequently, you may notice them becoming less interested in feedings or not staying latched for very long. You will also hear or see less swallowing when they are nursing because not as much milk is coming out.
