Three Month Lactation Crisis and What To Do About It

We took Valentina to the pediatrician last week because she hadn’t been feeding well.

She had had a cold the week before and I was worried she might have an ear infection. She was fighting the breast and especially refused the left side at nearly every feeding. We were away at the beach for a week and I was especially concerned about dehydration because it’s very hot and humid on the Pacific coast of Mexico in August.

Luckily, her physical exam checked out perfectly with no ear infections to be found.

The pediatrician told me about the Three Months Lactation Crisis, something I had never heard of before, despite both a pediatrics background and training as a lactation consultant.

At three months, your baby can effectively remove the milk she needs much more quickly than as a newborn, sometimes in as little as 5 minutes. 

Your three month old is also becoming much more distractible, and by 4 months, may need to be fed in a quiet, dark room in order to focus. This is especially true if there are fascinating older siblings around.

Your baby may pop on and off the breast at this age and cry. This happened to us! I thought I didn’t have enough milk… but when I pumped, or even tried to express by hand, there was always at least a bit of milk. The pediatrician says that babies at this age can also become a bit lazy. In my case, offering bottles probably contributed, since bottles are so much easier than breastfeeding, especially at the end of the day, when there is less milk (but it is higher in fat and thus, more filling).

This crisis can last as long as a full month. I wish I had known so that I would have been less anxious!

Also at 3 months, breasts have become much more efficient at knowing when milk is needed, and will ramp up and down production at different times of day, based on demand; there is less milk stored in between. This is tricky for me at the moment because I can’t quite figure out how to have more milk at bedtime; I have been pumping before I go to bed and giving a bottle of pumped milk after breastfeeding at HER bedtime, but I am not currently making as much at my bedtime as she needs at hers. I am going to try pumping after each morning feed for a few days and see if that helps without leaving her needing more bottles during the day.

Most breastfeeding resources recommend not going long stretches at night without breastfeeding or pumping but that’s where I draw the line! If my baby sleeps all night, so do I. (She recently went from 9 hour stretches most nights to 10+ hours most nights… delightful!)

I am also making a concerted effort to drink a LOT more water, like at least 100 oz a day. And I am eating a bowl of oatmeal each day, with protein powder and peanut butter added to make it not spike my blood sugar so much. Oatmeal supposedly helps with breastmilk production. 

If you are struggling with how to make breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) work effectively to create great sleep habits, you aren’t alone. Schedule a free consult and let’s chat about how you can have a delightfully well fed baby who also sleeps great!

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