Drying up? Help!

[jumblequeen]

Hello All,

Any tips for increasing / regaining your milk supply? My DS is 5 and a half months and is still feeding as regularly as ever but I don't seem to have as much milk as I used to. He rarely feeds for more than a couple of minutes as nothing is coming out by this time, though I get the impression that he would gladly carry on if only there was more to drink!

I realise this is likely to be a well-discussed topic but I don't have time to read through the threads at the moment. Any help very much appreciated...

at 5 months your DS will be an efficient feeder

what makes you think there is "nothing" there?

babies are very distractible at this age - they pull off and on, look around,chew their hands etc etc all during a feed

DD was a nightmare at this age with her feeding

is he having wet and dirty nappies and gaining weight?

Well I can't be sure nothing is coming out but DS stops swallowing so I assume so. Nappies / weight all fine - I'm just concerned about my supply and wondered if I could do anything to help it improve as it seems to have decreased. I don't have to wear breast pads anymore, for instance - before they were a necessity.

How long does he go between feeds?

jumblequeen - everything you say is consistent with bf an efficient 5 mth old.

It's not usually possible for milk to dry up in the way you imply, unless you have introduced a lot of formula or solid foods.

Nappies and weight fine, you say, so it doesn't sound as if there is a problem at all :)

The most important thing is that your DS continues to produce nappies, gain weight and appear happy.

I think it's not unusual to worry about supply at this stage. Because you've been bf for so long, your body has adjusted, so you don't leak so much. I also ditched the breast pads at around this point and don't leak at all now.

Your DS has also become much more efficient at getting the milk and as rubyslippers says, babies can be quite distractible at this age and like to stop feeding to look around.

Check kellymom for more information but of course if you are at all worried about DS (e.g. he is losing weight or not peeing/pooing as much as normal) then seek RL help.

I found that my DCs became really efficient feeders by then. From around 6 mths to 12 mths, feeding them took moments - couldn't believe the difference from 6 weeks or so when they were feeding ALL the time. I think they, and you, just get quick at it. As long as he's producing nappies and generally healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. I found after the first couple of months, I didn't leak any more either, and also breasts didn't seem as big. I think once BF has got going, supply isn't an issue generally.

Thanks all. It had never crossed my mind that DS would have become more efficient at feeding by now! It does seem to be the case, having just fed him.

Reassurance on changing breast size / brest pads great too

Very much appreciated.

My 5 month old is the same she feeds fairly frequently but it's only a few minutes each time with the occasional longer feed.