Increasing supply at 12.5 months? Nursing strike?

[BC-flowergirl]

Okay, my LO just has not been nursing 'good' lately part of the time. He will cry and fuss and do back bends! He does NOT want to be patient for the milk to come out and get a let down. He wants it instantly. He gets mad if it doens't happen quick. He has also been biting more often. The only way I can get him to actually nurse and suck long enough for the let down to happen is to switch him back and forth off of each breast. Like when he gets frustrated I will switch him to the other side. This sometimes takes 2 or 3 minutes. This may also be because it is stressing me out as well. I was nursing him 4 times a day (he won't take a sippy). At first this started happening just one of the times...then two of the times...and now it happens even in the morning and evening! I feel like maybe I am running out of milk or something? I feel so empty. I don't even feel very full in the mornings anymore.

Maybe this is why LO is so frustrated because I had oversupply issues before and my letdowns always happened pretty quick and HARD. So he isn't use to having to work for it at all.

Last night. It took me three different times of trying to nurse him and finally I gave up and dh gave him a small bottle which he took just fine. He was crying...arching..biting. This was around 8. Then I thought, well, I better pump to keep up my supply and I did this around 11 before I went to bed. Well, it took about 3 times to get any milk to come out. I would pump for 10min. and then stop for 5. Then try again. Finally I got a let down and it was only 2 ounces.

So what is going on? I wanted to at least cont. to nurse morning and night, but I am not sure if my body will go for that? It seems like my body wants it to be all or nothing? Why is this?

Should I try increasing my supply at this point? I actually have been taking fenugreek for the past week (but only 6 pills a day) and it hasn't seemed to help this time. I am using a different brand than I have in the past... Maybe I am not drinking enough? I stopped pumping about a month ago. I use to always pump before I went to bed. It was my wind down time with my laptop and was easy. Now my laptop doesn't work and it is tortorous for me to do it and soooo boring. Should I try marathon pumping? How do I do this?

I am super grateful for how far I have come. I just wasn't and am not quite ready to give it up. I would really like to continue for a few more months.

Why do you think he is getting so upset?

EDITED TO add: I forgot to say that this morning...he fussed again...and it took a good 5 min. to finally get him to suck long enough to nurse. He nursed at 5:45 am. He ate breakfast at 9am. He had some cheerios for a snack at 11:30. I couldn't get him to nurse at all or take any food. I don't know what his deal is.

[wintak]

Hugs to you. It's very hard to figure all this out sometimes. My LO is sometimes just too tired to nurse well at night and he arches his back towards his crib (which is in the same room I nurse him in). That's his cue for "thanks but no thanks, I'm too tired" and in the crib he goes and into zzzland. Then other nights he's at the boob just drinking and drinking and drinking.

I don't have any real advice, though.

I do know about the boring-ness with pumping. Now I put in DVD's of Boston Legal (a show I just recently came to like) and that keeps my mind off the pumping and how long it is.

Does LO get bottles during the day?

Amy

[BC-flowergirl]

EDITED TO add: I forgot to say that this morning...he fussed again...and it took a good 5 min. to finally get him to suck long enough to nurse. He nursed at 5:45 am. He ate breakfast at 9am. He had some cheerios for a snack at 11:30. I couldn't get him to nurse at all or take any food. I don't know what his deal is.

No, LO doesn't take any bottles since I am here...I am a SAHM. I really use to only pump for relief and to store up milk as I never thought I would make it this far. Then I just pumped out of habit at night before I went to bed. BUT now I feel like I need to pump for me to increase my supply since I am thinking MAYBE that is why he is fussy when I try to nurse him??? I use to always nurse him again around 9. So today I went ahead and pumped around then and got 2 ounces...after two tries at it... I just don't know. IT is hard to figure it all out at this point.

I just don't want to stop yet. I want to keep trying.

[wintak]

so if he nursed at 5:45am and then didn't eat again until 9am...he's obviously not starving..he's getting enough to be satisfied and that's a good thing.

If he won't nurse OR take food is it possible he's teething? Or doesn't feel good for some other reason?

Amy

[BC-flowergirl]

Well, I don't think that he is not feeling good...he acts fine. BUT maybe he is teething...he did eat breakfast pretty good though about 9:30 I guess it was.

I nursed him about 3:30, but it was the same routine of having to constantly switch him back and forth about 10 times before finally the let down. HE just won't suck more than 10 seconds and gets frustrated. I have timed it..it is taking about 3 min. for my let down.

Another thought...I should be getting AF anytime now...maybe my supply is decreasing because of that? I have never really noticed that before...but I don't know.