From a devastating drop of 10oz a day to an oversupply. Here’s what worked for me!
I wanted to share what personally helped me get my supply back up in case it can help someone else. ❤️
For reference I’m 4 months pp next week. I had the severe supply drop the first week of August and as of the past 2-3 weeks, I’m now averaging 45-50oz a day.
I’ve been dealing with severe breast vasospasms, and they completely tanked my supply. I was originally making around 30–35 oz a day, which was roughly what my baby was eating, and then within just 2–3 days my supply dropped to almost 10 oz a day. It was incredibly stressful and discouraging.
It took me about a month to get my supply back up, and now, after about a month and a half of a lot of hard work, I’m at the highest supply I’ve ever had. I’m currently making around 45–50 oz a day. I completely understand that this is considered an oversupply, but my goal has simply been to make enough for my baby, and this happens to be what I’m making right now as a result of the changes I’ve made.
I wanted to share the things I personally did that seemed to make the biggest difference for me:
🥦 I completely changed my diet. I’ve been eating a lot more whole foods: whole grains, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, quinoa, brown rice, chia seed pudding in the morning, and lots of fruits and vegetables. I started eating smaller amounts more frequently, usually having a small meal or snack every 2–3 hours. I also cut out processed/junk food and stopped eating at restaurants and fast food places. If I do eat out, I will order something like salmon with steamed veggies or some grilled chicken and try to not have a lot of oil or butter with it. I’ve cut out most dairy as well, although I still have a little cheese and milk here and there. I totally understand this is overboard, and I’m having to do this specifically for another issue that came on postpartum, but eating super clean has made a huge difference for me!
💧 I increased my water intake significantly. I’m drinking around 15–20 cups of water a day. I know that’s a lot, and I’m definitely not saying everyone needs that much, but personally, it has made a really noticeable difference for me. I carry my water jug everywhere and just sip on it all throughout the day and night when I’m pumping.
💊 I’m not taking any lactation supplements. I haven’t added any supplements or special lactation products.
🍼 I changed how I pump during the day and at night. Originally, I was setting an alarm and forcing myself to pump every 2–3 hours around the clock. It was absolutely exhausting. Instead of focusing on the time and dreading my alarms going off, I’m more focused on baby and her cues. This has also shifted my focus more on her and has allowed me to enjoy her much more! Now, I pump whenever my baby eats. I can usually tell when she’s approaching the 3-hour mark, so I’ll pump either before or after I feed her. I think this is a BIG part of my supply increasing as my body tends to produce more when she’s hungry.
😴 At night, I usually do my last pump around 9:30 PM and set an alarm for about 4.5-5 hours later just in case she doesn’t wake up. But most of the time, I pump when she wakes up, even if it’s sooner than that.
⏰ Originally when I was freshly postpartum, I was pumping on the low settings for about 30 minutes, sometimes more, but now that the spasms have gotten better I pump on level 3 level 70, and number four on level 50 (spectra). This is just what personally works for me and I only have to pump for 15 to 20 minutes before I’m empty! I usually try to stimulate 2-3 letdowns.
This has been a game changer for my sleep, stress levels, and overall sanity. I think the stress and lack of sleep that came with exclusively pumping were affecting me more than I realized.
One other thing I should mention is that some of these dietary and fluid changes were also because I’m dealing with an anal fissure, so I needed to make some changes to my diet and significantly increase my water intake for that reason as well. Interestingly, those changes have also coincided with my milk supply being higher than it has ever been.
These are just the things that personally worked for me, and I know everyone’s body, circumstances, and supply are different. I’m not suggesting that anyone needs to eat or drink exactly like I do or change their pumping schedule based on my experience. I just wanted to share because I know how incredibly discouraging it can be to watch your supply suddenly drop… and want to give up.
I feel like everything is so much more manageable now, both physically and mentally, and I’m incredibly thankful that I’m currently making what my baby needs plus a little extra. Hopefully that means I can eventually stop pumping a little sooner, have some extra milk available for later, or be able to help another baby with my extra milk. ❤️
If you’re struggling right now, I just wanted to share that a huge drop doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck there forever. It took me time, consistency, and a lot of trial and error, but I’m so grateful to be where I am now. ❤️ don’t give up!!!