Fear my milk supply running out

[Hoophopes]

Hi - I have been breastfeeding my son who is now just 8mths old and weaning. He still has 3-4 breastfeeds a day and I fear my milk supply is running out. This is due to how I physically feel, the fact he seems to want more than I have and has started waking up early and signing for milk 2hrs before he used to. I am loathe to stop feeding - I had hoped to do a year and after a very difficult start when I had to mix feed due to no milk untl he was 10 days old, and a reduced supply, being put on motillium to help my supply - and wondered if anyone had any tips for increasing supply at this stage. Have always struggled to express - used to manage 50ml a day, now down to 15ml. Thanks.

Hoop, you can almost certainly maintain a milk supply and your milk supply will not be fragile at this late stage. Your baby may be going through a stage where he wants and needs more milk and more contact with you - that's fine. You have the milk 'on order' and if you feed him as often as he indicates you will make the milk as requested :)

The best way to increase milk supply is to feed more often. This is true throughout, from newborn period onwards. It's very common not to make much for the pump later on - you could simply express more often, but what's the point if you are happy just to bf 'direct' which does the job better?

Hope this helps. Don't let your memories of that anxious time at the beginning make you fee worried now....you are doing fine.

Thanks tiktok - have begun feeding more again in the hope it works. He had a very long feed first thing, then another one an hour later. Hope it works as you are right he has been wanting more milk, is clingy to me right now also.

I agree with tiktok. Another thing that may boost supply would be to keep changing breasts. If he has a clingy feeding-all-the-time period, just change breasts whenever he comes off (if he'll go for that).

One thing that worked for me was expressing in between feeds to increase supply.

Thanks Notquite - swopped breasts so fed each twice in the morning feed which is always his longest.

Notnagging - yes, I could try expressing inbetween as he doesn't always have an 11am milk feed anymore - it does vary.

Thanks, am determined to try and breastfeed till he is one, so after a shaky start was upset at 8mths it seemed to be diminishing.