How the Stomach Flu Tanked My Milk Supply
A few days ago, I came down with a terrible stomach flu. Thankfully, the worst of it only lasted a day, but in that short time, it completely wrecked me. I was losing fluids so fast that I nearly went into shock. I breastfeed through it, until, eventually I just couldn’t anymore. At the worst point, my baby had to rely on expressed milk because I was too weak to nurse.
By the time I started feeling human again, my milk supply had all but vanished. My breasts felt and looked like they did before I ever started nursing—soft, and empty. My baby would latch and suck, and it would take him so much effort to stimulate a letdown. When he did, it felt like he was barely getting an ounce.
The Road to Rebuilding Supply
As soon as I felt well enough to hold my baby, we spent the following three days nursing every two hours or less, except when sleeping, then we nursed if he woke. It was exhausting, but I know frequency was key to rebuilding my milk production.
The hardest part wasn’t just nursing so often—it’s was the struggle to eat and drink enough to even give my body something to work with. My appetite is finally coming around today. Every sip and bite felt like a chore. I know I need to replenish what I lost, but it’s been slow going.
Now, on day six, it finally feels like my breasts are back at the production they were before. By day four, things had started to improve, and we could go back to longer stretches between nursing sessions. It’s a relief, and this morning, for the first time since being sick, I was able to pump 3 extra ounces. Before all this, I was pumping 5 extra ounces a day to donate, so I still have a bit of rebuilding left to do.
Lessons Learned
This experience has been a brutal reminder of how quickly milk supply can take a hit when the body is under extreme stress. I am thankful I had a personal stash of expressed milk to use. At first I was worried that I’d made a mistake donating most of my freezer supply. It’s also shown me just how much fuel breastfeeding requires—if I don’t eat and drink enough, my body simply won’t make enough milk, no matter how much I nurse.
For anyone going through something similar, here’s what’s helped me:
Frequent nursing: Even when it felt pointless, I kept nursing on demand to stimulate production. He would unlatch multiple times out of frustration but I kept getting him to relatch.
Hydration: Once I could drink again, I focused on electrolytes to replace what I lost.
Forcing myself to eat: Even small, frequent bites of food helped keep my body from running on empty.
Rest: As much as I could while still feeding around the clock. I napped with him for every nap for 3 days.
Patience: The hardest part—trusting that my body would bounce back.
It was slow progress, but worth every effort. If you’ve ever struggled with a sudden drop in supply due to illness, I’d love to hear what helped you recover. Breastfeeding is such a journey, and sometimes, it feels like we’re just barely hanging on—but we keep going, one feed at a time.
