Weaning and milk supply

[blushingmare]

Just wondered if someone more knowledgable can tell me how your milk supply changes during weaning and if I should be concerned/doing anything about this

Dd is 7.5 mo. We started weaning at 6mo and she was pretty uninterested to start with. In the past 2 weeks her interest in solids has really picked up and she's now eating a fair amount. She has several days when she eats lots of solids and correspondingly is less interested in breastfeeding, in fact we've had a couple of days when she's missed a feed because she's just not asking for it. However, she will then have a day or two where she's less keen on the solids and takes more milk. I have noticed my supply has obviously reduced as I am less full feeling than I was when she started eating more solids. But should I be pumping to maintain my supply so that I have enough milk for the days when she's having fewer solids and more milk?

After 7 months of having a real milk monster, I find it a bit disconcerting that she's not demanding it as much and want to make sure I still have enough milk for her when she wants it!

Thanks.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I'm not trained but think you will have enough milk. Don't forget that your supply should be pretty robust after 7 months and your breasts aren't warehouses, they don't store huge amounts of milk, they are factories that make the milk when asked.

Are you bfing roughly an hour before offering the solids?

[blushingmare]

I was aiming to feed an hour before solids, but more recently she just hasn't been interested and you can't exactly force a baby to feed!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Well no you can't, but if she's refusing feeds could you try giving her less solids?

[mummysmellsofsick]

I found this all very tricky for a while, DS's appetite was variable too. Even at 10 months he would sometimes have all milk days, usually when not very well, and other times loads of food. I did express a bit on days he wasn't interested in milk and that was handy for building up a bit of a freezer stash for when I went back to work