Could my milk be drying up?

DS is 20 months now and we've been down to just one BF a day for the last month or so, when he wakes up in the morning. Because he's such an early riser (5.30am is a sleep in these days) I kinda like having this feed cos I can bring him into bed with us and get an extra 20 mins or so before I have to get up and start the day...

Anyway, for the last week or so he's been having quite a short suck (2 or 3 mins) and then stopping and saying 'more'. We go to the other side and then sure enough after a couple of minutes it's 'more?'. Also, he doesn't seem to be swallowing much while he sucks. Up until recently he would happily suck away for quite awhile, I think more for comfort than anything else, but then who really knows...

So, I'm starting to think that maybe my milk is drying up now that we're down to just the one feed a day. I had always thought that it was a bit a of a myth and it wouldn't disappear till we weaned all together...

I hadn't really been planning on dropping this feed anytime soon and aren't really very keen to reintroduce another one to get my supply back up... So I guess I'm wondering if we should just drop the feed all together to save him a bit of frustration, or keep perservering and just see what happens....

I can't answer your question, but something similar is happening here since DD dropped to 2/3 feeds a day. I'll be interested to see the answers you get.

You should continue making milk as demanded, unless something else is going on (like pregnancy for eg...) Maybe leave it up to him, if you're happy to feed more if he wants to...? It is possible that your letdown has slowed for some reason and that is why he's saying this.

That's what I thought too MadB.... Don't think I'm likely to be pregnant (actually it's very unlikely, but hey stranger things have happened haven't they). I'm really not that keen to up the feeds, and he never asks for it either, other than when he gets into bed with us in the morning. Maybe my let down could've slowed, but I can't see why that would happen...

Hope things work out for you too Swoop... its all a bit of a mystery isn't it...

sometimes if you're a bit under the weather or dehydrated or anything like that it can slow. Maybe he's just decided he wants more. :dunno:

You too - it is a bit odd isn't it. DD went to bed with no milk a couple of nights in a row because this kept happening. All very odd.

How are you doing Miss E?

I've just worked out what's going on for me and thought I'd share in case it's relevant to you. On the lead up to AF my milk supply appears to completely tail off. DD is trying and trying but nothing comes, no gulps, so I assume no milk. I'm waiting to see if it comes back during or after AF. Wow, those hormones are powerful little inconveniences!

Funnily enough it all seems to have gone back to normal Swoop. You got me thinking with the AF link, but I just checked and when I did this post it was a good week and a half after AF finished, so don't think there is a link.... mind you that was probably about the time I was O'ing, so maybe it is those hormones at play??? who knows, just a bit of a mystery for now.

hormonal changes can affect taste and they will often react to that as well
glad all seems well now