5 Surprising Reasons Your Milk Supply Might Dip (and How to Fix It)
If you’re breastfeeding, you’ve probably had that moment of panic.
Your baby suddenly seems hungrier.
Your pump output looks lower than usual.
And your brain immediately jumps to: my supply is dropping.
Before you spiral into late-night Googling, take a breath. Milk supply dips are common, usually temporary, and often have nothing to do with your body “failing”.
Here are five common reasons milk supply dips catch mums off guard, and what genuinely helps bring things back into balance.
1. Stress and Sleep Deprivation
This one feels obvious, but it’s often underestimated.
Stress raises cortisol, which can temporarily interfere with milk production and let-down. Add broken sleep on top, and your supply may look lower even when it isn’t.
What helps:
prioritising rest where possible, even short naps
asking for help with one small task
eating regularly instead of pushing through
Fuel matters. A nourished body responds better than an exhausted one.
2. Not Eating or Drinking Enough
Breastfeeding uses a lot of energy. If you’re skipping meals, living on cold coffee, or forgetting water, your body may down-regulate supply to protect itself.
What helps:
keeping a water bottle within reach during feeds
eating small, frequent snacks instead of waiting for “proper meals”
including carbs, fats, and protein regularly
This is often the fastest thing to fix and one of the most overlooked.
3. Your Period Returning
Many mums are surprised to learn that hormonal shifts around ovulation and the days before your period can cause a temporary dip in milk supply.
This does not mean your supply is gone.
What helps:
remembering this dip is usually short-lived
staying consistent with feeding or pumping
supporting your body with adequate nutrition
For most mums, supply rebounds once hormones stabilise.
4. Growth Spurts and Cluster Feeding
Sometimes it’s not your supply at all. It’s your baby.
During growth spurts, babies feed more frequently to increase milk production. This can feel relentless and make it seem like you’re not keeping up.
What helps:
feeding on demand without watching the clock
understanding that frequent feeds are the signal, not the problem
reminding yourself this phase is temporary
Cluster feeding is exhausting, but it’s biologically normal.
5. Inconsistent Pumping
If you’re pumping and sessions become shorter or less frequent, your body may interpret that as reduced demand.
This is especially common when returning to work or juggling multiple children.
What helps:
keeping pumping sessions consistent, even if they’re shorter
remembering a few minutes is better than skipping entirely
using tools like power pumping when needed
Consistency matters more than intensity.
The Takeaway
Milk supply dips are incredibly common. They are usually a signal, not a failure.
Supporting your body with:
regular nourishment
hydration
rest where possible
consistent feeding or pumping
goes much further than panic-driven fixes.
If you’re in a dip right now, you’re not alone and you’re not doing anything wrong.
Gentle Support, If You Need It
Many mums choose to support their milk supply during dips with simple, consistent routines rather than trying to fix everything at once.
That might look like:
regular snacks
supportive foods
reducing stress where possible
leaning on gentle, familiar support tools
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