Hi Melissa - I've worked with similar scenarios quite a few times.  In pretty much every case I have seen, it has been mother's perception that the milk loss was sudden but looking back over the baby's weights in the previous weeks / months it is apparent that this is not accurate.  I am often able to attribute the decline in milk supply to parental decision to space feeds or night wean, offering bottles of past EBM or formula without current pumping, previous perception of oversupply addressed by ongoing block-feeding.  Sometimes there is a baby who was always gaining just adequately to begin with or something going on with Mom such as beginning hormonal birth control.  Baby may be labeled as gassy or high-needs when in reality his best label would have been "hungry".  Basically in my experience it has come down to breastfeeding management.  After ruling out health issues for baby with the pediatrician and making sure baby is receiving enough calories now, we work to reestablish milk supply through the usual approaches . . .

Ellen

Ellen Rubin, MA, IBCLC, LLLL

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