Could a stupid cold be affecting my milk supply?

[jennifer13]

I'm starting to panic a little. Friday came home from work with a mild cold, DD has it too. My milk supply felt low, but that made sense since I worked Friday (I work 2-3 days per week) and I was exhausted and fighting this virus. So this weekend I nursed a ton- about every 2 hours, to keep DD hydrated and my supply up. She nursed pretty well, didn't always have the biggest appetite. But nursed much more frequently than usual. I have not taken any cold medicine, except a few cups of throat coat tea, and some Ricola cough drops. And a few fenugreek, which usually works. And yet, oddly, my milk supply is really bad, and seems to have gotten WORSE over the weekend, despite nursing like crazy. DD seems ok with it, but today she guzzled 4 oz bottle then 7 oz about 1.5 hours after that before bed (the bedtime feed is always a bottle, DD gave her 4 oz before that because I was out and was delayed.). Anyway, my milk supply is BAD. I've searched on the Ricola cough drops and can't find any contraindications to bfing, and I don't know how I'll sleep without it. Any thoughts appreciated. Do you think my supply will get better as my cold goes away? Do you think it's just because I'm tired? It's ironic because DD is 6 months old today and I was feeling so good about bf'ing this long, and then as the day progressed I realized my milk supply seemed to be decreasing instead of increasing. Thanks for any advice!!!


Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[jmofarrill]

There is a six-month growth spurt that babies go through - maybe this is what's happening? Anwyn went through this a week or so ago, and I thought my supply went south, too, but everything adjusted after a few days. Of course, your cold could affect the supply as well as being tired, and it's most likely a combination of things. If this is the case, your body will adjust and get back to normal in a couple of days.

[Momof3Labs]

Yep, having a cold and being tired can definitely affect your supply - and Norah could be hitting the 6 month growth spurt. But stressing about your supply could affect it, too. So you may have a lot of things going on right now!

[Rachels]

A cold and a growth spurt could definitely explain this! Don't worry, though-- it will come back. If you want to try some things other than fenugreek, there are good ideas here:

http://www.drjaygordon.com/bf/galact.htm

For the sore throat, take zinc supplements and tons of vitamin C, and keep a steam vaporizer going in your bedroom. Hope you feel better!


-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[jennifer13]

I finally stopped being lazy and did a search on all the ingredients in the Ricola cough drops, and it has several that are bad for milk supply: lemon balm, peppermint, sage, and thyme. People even use sage for weaning. I haven't taken any since Friday night, but wow it has had powerful effects. I'm trying not to get too upset and just keep nursing and drinking fluids, fenugreek, etc.. But it's very distressing. Maybe I should do a separate post to warn everybody about it. I'm so frustrated that something so stupid is having such a huge impact. I'm also at an disadvantage because I'm only nursing out of one side b/c of surgery on the other. ARGH! THe effects shouldn't last forever, right? It's been more than 48hours since my last one. Hopefully today will be better.

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03