Worried about supply

[QueenKong]

My 9mo DS isn't feeding enough and I'm worried my supply will dry up. He is a good eater, on 3 meals a day. He is very distracted during the day and I find it hard to feed him - constantly looking around, trying to roll on to tummy to get crawling again. I have always fed him to sleep for naps and at night but he doesn't want that feed either - he starts nipping me and pulling away and I eventually sing/pat him off to sleep. He is having bits during the night and when he wakes but I don't think it's very much. I have tried feeding him before meals and sometimes that works but not consistently.

He has had a string of colds, which I think might be exacerbating the problem. But I'm really worried that if this continues for another week, I'll have no milk left. I want to feed him to term so am very . Any advice to get him feeding more?

QueenKong, nothing you say here sounds worrying to me :)

Supply is robust as anything after this length of time, and takes a long while to dry up even if you deliberately try to stop.

What might be happening here is something of a 'nursing strike' which older babies especially have for a variety of reasons but which almost always rights itself. Be patient, be responsive, don't force it (as that makes the refusal worse), try feeding in the bath with you, and he will come round :)

Google nursing strike, or look in mumsnet archives for more ideas.

Thanks tiktok. Can I ask whether you think I should be trying to get milk into him another way? He has always refused a bottle but manages a sippy cup of water well at meal times, so i could try to express milk into one of those. I don't think he is dehydrated but worry about his nutrition. I have never been able to express very much but I could try if it is important that he has milk. This has been going on for a few days now.

If he's on solids you could make sure he has some yogs, fromage frais, during this time, but if he's basically healthy and growing (and speaking as a mother, 'cos I am not a nutritionist :) ), a few days or even a few weeks of less than perfect diet is not gonna hurt him.