Pregnant and bf- how do you know when your milk dries up?

[chocolatemartini]

I think mine's going. I'm only 9 weeks but Ds1 isn't swallowing much when he feeds and seems to want to feed all day and all night- I think because he isn't getting much. Any feeding while pg or tandem feeding stories most welcome because I'm currently hating bf for the first time ever but reluctant to give up as DS goes ballistic if I refuse feeds at night. I've always fed him on demand and he just doesn't understand if I refuse. Currently getting my head round the idea that he'll have to cut down A LOT but not sure how.

Fhdl34 yeah that's an idea, just to offer with every meal.

ontherun that's great you got your DS to drink milk. As for being latched on for hours and not able to sneak away, this is very familiar! My DS isn't really any different in this respect than when he was newborn. He will sleep on a person, or latched on to me, or with hand on boob. When deeply asleep I can sometimes sneak away but clearly this will have to change before the new baby arrives. I do not want to upset him over it so I'm hoping my dwindling supply will mean he starts to loose interest

We did try goat's milk but not almond or soy. I thought soya milk was not great for babies but I can't remember why.

Today I laid on the sofa all day and did not attempt to get cow's milk into DS

A month before that I was despairing btw. He was an utter boob monster, there was no way he was accepting any form of comfort from me that wasn't boob and he asked for it constantly even though it was only allowed at bedtime. Something must have changed pretty drastically.

Nom that's encouraging. Did the drastic change happen without too much upset? I don't hear many stories of happy weaning...

He will still ask but in a slightly hopeful 'milka? No more milka'. I was more upset than him I think.

Yes, DS2 weaned swiftly - from maybe 3-4 feeds a day to nothing in about ten days - but we were on holiday for part of that so he was very easily distracted. I thought he was never going to wean and I was desperate!

Horry and nom lucky you both... I will also be v upset and astonished if DS self weans

We tried warm organic full fat milk with cocoa and brown sugar. Now I don't like milk but even I would drink that... Massive shudder from DS and a very firm NO. Oh well, would have been bad for his teeth. Think we have now tried everything.

Have you tries giving it in a different cup? My DD would only drink it initially out of an open cup, we gave her a bit in a doidy cup with meals and we'd drink out of cups too. Once she started drinking it that way everyday I had a different closed cup for milk. Now if I try to give her water in the milk cup she is not amused. It didn't happen overnight, took a few months. She asked to feed yesterday morning, first time in 2 weeks but when she put her mouth to my breast, she just smiled and laughed at it, then did the same to the other. Can't believe we've gone from full on sobbing 3 months ago because my supply had dropped, to no inclination whatsoever to even put it in her mouth. I miss BFing as she isn't a cuddly baby and I miss my milky cuddles :(

Another idea is just up his yogurt and cheese, he doesn't need his calcium through milk as long as he gets it from somewhere. I wasn't bothered about her drinking cows milk at all until I got pregnant and knew that my milk supply would not be an adequate source for his calcium anymore

When I fell pg with DD1, DS was only feeding morning and evening (he was 13 months and I was working FT), he self weaned at about 16 months, when I was 5 months pg. I don't know if my milk dried up, but one evening I offered and he didn't latch

Yes he's had yogurt and cheese and icecream today so must have got some calcium. I think we'll give up on milk for now. We've tried special cups too. I decided if he doesn't like it with cocoa then it's a lost cause. But yes, he'll be fine with yogurt and cheese.

Now I just have to see if there's any way around the boob= sleep thing that doesn't involve me deliberately allowing him to cry it out, I'm not prepared to do that yet. If not, sod it, I'll just have to feed both newborn and toddler to sleep countless times per night and become a sleepless zombie woman or something. Sleep is for wimps right?

I ended up tandem feeding ds2 and ds3 and then ds3 and ds4.

Ds2 was a real boob monster, he fed until almost four years old. I gradually weaned him off night feeds just by settling him when restless but still asleep iykwim? By patting/cuddling, but if that didn't work I just fed him.

Tbh he just grew out of it gradually, I was really worried when I was first preg but by the time ds3 was born he generally wasn't feeding in the night, still fed in the day.

Pantley pull off technique helps some people to stop the feed too sleep pattern, Google it.

But my advice is this will pass...

How old is he again?

Oh 5madthings thank you the Pantley pull off does look like it might offer some hope.

At the moment I resettle him by feeding back to sleep between 6 and err probably up to 25 times a night. It's been worse recently with the heat, under normal circumstances more like 6 times. I'm understandably worried about how I could manage that with a newborn!

When I was trying to night wean (to get pg) I offered water in a bottle while he was rooting, before he was properly awake. It often worked because he was seeking comfort sucking rather than actual milk. We were co-sleeping so it was easy to catch him early.

A few weeks of that and my cycle was kickstarted again so we relaxed the night weaning rule.

If anyone's still following this, I'm now 12wks and DS abrubptly self weaned yesterday we had the first milk free night (he still woke 5 times) and no feeds this morning. I feel sad now that I'd been trying the Pantley thing, it made no difference and just upset him in what turns out were probably some of his last feeds ever oh well, they have to grow up I guess...

PS I now know the answer to my original question. You know when your milk dries up because your toddler is inconsolable and stops feeding.