When/Did your milk dry up of nursing during pregnancy?

[SleepForTheWeak]

Just curious - if you nursed through pregnancy when did your milk supply drop and how did this affect your feeding relationship with your nursling? Did it lead to weaning? Did they resume feeding once baby was born and milk cane back in?

I'm 7 weeks pregnant and DD is 2, she only feeds if she wakes during the night and/or in the morning - wondering when she'll notice my milk changing!!

[Sparrowlegs248]

25 wks here, ds is 15 months and like yours, nurses in the night and on wake up. I am actually keen to stop as I really don't want to be feeding/ Co sleeping with two.

He was feeding more than this when I became pregnant, but I work 3 full days a week and so he seems to have naturally cut down himself as a result.

[SleepForTheWeak]

Thank you for replying.

I am hoping she'll wean during pregnancy, I also don't fancy co sleeping with 2 or tandem feeding. She's only fed at night and in morning for a year so I don't want her to get other ideas when she sees baby feeding every bloody hour

[crocodarl]

If you really don't want to tandem feed its probably a good idea to wean as soon as you can to give your older one a chance to adjust well before the baby shows up... I breastfed ds1 til he was about 17 months (bedtime only after he was about 1 year) and by the time ds2 was born (3 weeks before ds1's 2nd birthday) he seemed to have forgotten about it. I don't think my milk would have dried up, I just started offering him milk or water in a cup instead and after a couple of tricky bedtimes he got over it.

I know someone who breastfed throughout pregnancy and is still breastfeeding BOTH her kids - now aged 14 months and almost 4. She is happy with it, so fair play to her, but personally I really wouldn't fancy it, looks exhausting and (I know this is a bit judgey) I'm not sure if she's doing the older child any favours.

[SleepForTheWeak]

My reluctance to wean her is because the thought of trying to get her back to sleep in other ways scares me - we previously night weaned and those couple months were hell if she woke as it would take about 2 hours to get her back to sleep.

However, that was a while ago so maybe now she's a bit older or would be easier. I also get pretty strong aversion when the first 'rush' of milk stops and she just comforts sucks. Have felt like that for months so not pregnancy related, although she's quite good if i tell her to stop. Sometimes.

[crocodarl]

Yup. I hear you. It's not easy getting them used to sleeping through when they've been used to comfort feeding. But if you want to do it, you just have to keep at it and believe it will work... once you've made the decision to night wean, DON'T go back nomatter what, find a way - offering water, controlled crying, singing yourself hoarse for a few weeks, whatever feels sensible and comfortable for you, AND KEEP AT IT. It's not easy, but personally I think the only way is to be calm and consistant, if you lose confidence and go back to square 1 its confusing for everyone....

[SleepForTheWeak]

I want to see if my milk changing will help the process, I don't want to go through the process with tears and tantrums of it would be easier in a few weeks iyswim?

On the other hand....she might not give two hoots at the change of milk!

[twoundertwowillbefun]

My milk dried up at about 4 months and I think it was petering out/tasting different for some time before that as my 18 month old went from full time
Boobing to nothing over a couple of weeks without me trying. I also went
away for a weekend and left her with DP and after that we were basically finished. She's just turning two now and is fascinated by her 6 week old brother feeding but has no interest herself.

[crocodarl]

Fair enough... but like you say it might not change (or she might not care... especially if she's mainly in it for comfort) .... maybe like two says, let your DP take over for a bit if thats an option?

[catkind]

About 18-20 weeks here. DS did start again after DD was born, but would have been easy to not allow that if I had been bothered. Was surprised he could still latch though!

[Zebrasinpyjamas]

I wanted/needed a gap before dc2 arrived to ensure I didn't have milk jealousy issues. I stopped offering it to my then 17 month old when I was 2-3 months pg but was willing to do it if he asked. He was down to 1 feed a day by then. I was surprised at how quickly he stopped asking. It only took a week. It was quicker than I expected.