Returning From Mexico Trip (Not COVID-19 Related)

Raechelle

Seeking advice and a chance to vent..

Part I

So we went on our trip to Mexico, in which case I brought my pump. Not to store milk because the flight was rather long to keep it cold and I don’t know how one would get that many ounces past TSA in a carry on, but I brought it to pump and dump to keep my supply going while I was away. Luckily, I stored enough breast milk for the grandmas watching our little one to feed him. But here’s the issue.. despite my efforts with pumping to keep my supply going.. my pumps while on the trip (mind your it was for a wedding and full of excursions) must not have been frequent enough, as my milk supply dropped. I’ve been JUST getting by with enough milk to feed my baby on a daily basis, but the thought of trying to refill the freezer.. well it seems impossible at the moment. I’ve been drinking so much water that my pee is clear, so I know I’m hydrated.. I’ve been eating oatmeal and having granola bars of multi grains.. but I haven’t felt engorged in a while.. or really full. I’ve power pumped a few times already, more to get a bottle’s worth (was 5oz but it seems my baby could take 6oz now).. and hopefully help spike supply. Anyone have a similar experience and was able to build their supply back up? We may have to supplement with formula if this keeps up.

Part II

Ever since we returned from our trip, our baby boy started to sleep anywhere from 7-10 hours per stretch in a night! This went on for about 5-6 days. You can imagine we were excited to see this, as we could get more sleep, aside from an alarm (vibrates my pillow) or two for me to wake up and pump. Well, the past two nights he reverted back to waking up after 4-5 hours of sleep.. then he wakes up every 3 hours after that. Any suggestions on how I can get home back to the longer stretches of sleep? Anyone else see this kind of thing with their 4 month old?