How old was your baby when you realized you had low milk supply? What concerns led you to learn this?

My daughter was a newborn and we had been nursing around the clock for about four days when I took her for her first check-up. She had lost even more weight since our hospital release. She was so restless, refused to be put down and was constantly hungry. I honestly just thought she was a very fussy newborn. The last thing on my mind was that she was hungry. The pediatrician gave us another two days to see if my milk was still coming in and had us come back in for a check-up. I’m so glad he did because when we returned, she had lost even more weight and was now well below a 10 percent loss of her body weight. He had us start formula immediately, but he still fully supported nursing. I went home and immediately gave her only half an ounce. She became so satiated she immediately passed out and we had the most peace since before I gave birth. That’s when I knew it was me. I attempted a pump and got maybe a quarter of an ounce. I called the lactation consultant immediately.

What were some of your goals when you first started your breastfeeding journey? How did these goals shift throughout the time you were lactating?

Without a doubt, my goal was to exclusively breastfeed and start building a stash of milk a month into the journey. I had all these expectations for the journey and felt like I had the plan down perfectly. I also wanted to nurse for as long as my daughter wanted.

Upon realizing I had low supply, I began triple feeding with the help of my husband at every feed. It was thoroughly exhausting both physically and mentally. I cried at almost every bottle I had to give her and every pump I had to do. With the help of Reglan I was able to double my output, so that provided some relief. We still supplemented about 15 oz a day, and after a month I stopped pumping after feeds and just nursed and supplemented around the clock using the supplemental nursing system or following with a bottle. After a long time of doing this, I found peace with my journey and maintained a strong nursing bond with my daughter until she weaned at about 1.5 years old. I had my son two years later and came fully prepared this time around. I had much more realistic expectations this time around and was prepared with supplement. I had hidden hopes that I may make more than 16 oz a day since this was my second pregnancy, but again was faced with the same story as my daughter. I didn’t make a single drop more than with her. It hurt as bad as the first time but at least I was fully prepared. He is 7 months now and we mostly nurse for naps and comfort.

What advice were you given, if any, to increase your supply? By whom?

The first lactation consultant basically told me to pump around the clock after every feed for weeks and to also take fenugreek and look into Reglan. My OB with my first daughter actually had experience with low supply so she was fully supportive of providing Reglan and also metformin to see if that helped since I had PCOS. With my son, I had a new OB and warned him ahead of time I would likely be needing Reglan again. Despite his cluelessness on low supply, he was supportive of providing it and did with no problem. I also got in contact with a lactation consultant the second time around who was knowledgeable about low supply and had me taking alfalfa, goat’s rue and milk thistle. I had non-professionals such as family members, friends, and moms from other Facebook groups telling me to drink more water, eat oatmeal, drink beers for brewer’s yeast, etc… and one primary doctor told me to just do keto, which I refused. I stopped asking after finding the IGT group.

Did you feel supported by your medical providers? Why or why not?

Yes and no. My first OB had experience with mothers with low supply so she was supported and didn’t write anything off when it came to me asking for Reglan and metformin for my PCOS. I wish I had spoken with her more about blood work but I was so new to the situation and in the military, so I was afraid to ask for too much.

My OB for my second child was extremely clueless. He had never heard of an SNS before and had never been asked for Reglan before. However, he was very supportive as I warned him during birth that I would need Reglan again and a prescription for an SNS. But I guess I felt a little sad that he had no idea what any of it was.

I went back for blood work multiple times to get the full recommended panels. I could read his face that he seemed a little frustrated that I was asking for all these things. He asked me why and what I would do with the results. I said that I wanted to know what was wrong with me because I supposedly have PCOS and insulin resistance, but no one has ever done blood work on me. And I wanted to rule out any major issues that could be the cause of my low supply. He agreed, but I felt a little intimidated having to explain everything. I was grateful that he listened and agreed almost so intimidated that I almost didn’t even ask in the first place.

What is one thing that you wish someone would have told you when you began your low milk supply journey?

I felt blindsided. I wish I’d known that low milk supply was a possibility. I went to so many classes, read so many articles and books and not a single person mentioned that this was a thing. And it very much IS A THING!

Is there any support from people other than medical providers (e.g. lactation consultants, family, friends, peers) that you wish you had gotten during your low supply journey?

Luckily my husband was very supportive, but I did have some family members comment that all the trouble “wasn’t worth it” and they personally would just “give up” because they don’t see the point. It was frustrating. I was also embarrassed to use my SNS in public for a long time because breastfeeding in public as it is has a stigma to it, so when using an SNS I worried it would warrant unwanted eyes and unsolicited advice.

Did you feel prepared for the possibility of low milk supply? Why or why not?

No. Literally no professional mentioned it. I went to a class where all they spoke about was the latch and how the latch was important and how to deal with engorgement, etc… no doctor, no IBCLC, no one mentioned a single thing. I heard one comment from my aunt who worked as a consultant for a year mention how some women don’t “respond to pumps” well, but no one in the world mentioned that this was a possibility.

If you have had more than one low supply journey, how did you approach it/them?

I was very blindsided with my first my daughter. When I got pregnant the second time, I was fully as prepared as I could be. This time around I started alfalfa at 36 weeks. I began expressing colostrum the same week even though not much came out. I bought all my herbs ahead of time to start taking after birth. I asked my doctor about requesting Reglan after the birth. I met with a lactation consultant I knew was good and experienced with low supply and came up with a game plan for the birth. She gave me hope that my journey may be better this time around, so I clung onto that a bit. I rented a hospital grade scale for the first month so I could track my son’s feedings and noted any increases. I packed a pump for the hospital, had my SNS and formula ready to go. When my son was born, I nursed around the clock and began supplementing after his first 24 hours. I began pumping after every feed on Day 3.

Thanks to the IGT group, I had my son assessed for oral ties. They were revised when he was only two weeks old. He fed a lot better and I continued pumping. I began Reglan in Week 3 and saw the same increase with my daughter, but again after a couple months I could not make more than about 15 oz a day. I gave up on the pumping a lot quicker this time and kept nursing on demand around 10-12 times a day. The disappointment did not hurt any less the second time around. We are now 7 months into the journey. My son does not like the SNS as much, so we do a lot more nursing for naps and comfort. He shows no signs of wanting to wean anytime soon.

What is one thing that you would like all medical and lactation professionals to know about chronic low milk supply?

That low supply means a lot to us and it is an issue that should be taken seriously. Also that it is not nearly as rare as people say it is, and it is something worth mentioning and looking into.

In one sentence, why does low milk supply matter to you?

I feel like my body let me down and isn’t doing the one thing it is supposed to for my child so this tells me something is wrong.

What is one thing about your low milk supply experience that makes you proud?

I am very proud just to find out how determined I was! I don’t blame any mom for giving up, but despite having to supplement every single feeding since birth with two children, I never, ever gave up. Lactation consultants all applaud me when they hear how I was able to nurse through such major struggles for so long and I think their reactions remind me just how impressive it is.