Lactation failure at 11 months?????

[eggsnbeans]

Hi, hoping someone can help as I'm getting a bit desperate I have been BF my DD for 11m and always had a good milk supply, up until recently I was expressing a bottle off every morning to donate as well as feeding my own girl. But very suddenly I have hardly any milk. 3 weeks ago I worked for a random day and missed our lunchtime BF, then that evening had more milk than she could drink at bedtime, then literally within a couple of days (and feeding the normal times a day) my supply diminished away to almost nothing. At first I wasn't too concerned as I often finds this happens after I ovulate (I am TTC), but my supply always comes back up within a day or two of my period. However this cycle my supply still hasn't come back up and has continued to drop On top of that, I hardly even get a milk let down anymore, even after bubs trying to feed for 10mins.

I'm definitely not pregnant (period 2 weeks ago and even took a test to doubly make sure). Not taking any medication, no change in how often I'm feeding. Not losing weight and drinking heaps!

There's definitely hardly anything there, when she's feeding there are 6 or 7 sucks before she swallows, and I'm not even filling up much overnight or if I miss a day feed now. DD is clearly not impressed, very annoyed at lack of milk and has started waking in the night desperately hungry too.

So any ideas on what has happened and why? I though my supply would be sufficiently well established that it would take quite a bit to do this?
And practically, should I start giving DD some formula or intro cows milk? I have some frozen BM which I have been using but not enough to last another month until she is 12m, and definitely not enough to curb her hunger at night too!

Sorry for the novel but I'm totally at my wits end about this and don't know what to do. TIA

Ideally she shouldn't be hungry at night due to lack of milk - assuming she's eating other things well?

I ebf my DD1 & 2 but planning to quit bf for DD2 & replace with formula at 9 months. Given that she'll be eating reasonably ok by then I think bf is not 'necessary'. I suppose at 11 months you needn't think much unless you wanted to continue bf through your next pg until next DC arrives?

Thanks Artistic she's generally eats quite well during the day, but won't really eat really energy/protein rich foods (meat, cheese, eggs) yet so not really sure if she gets quite what she needs calorie wise from food alone yet. The reason I think she is starving at night is that she will cry for 2-3 hours, ending up screaming at full intensity, then settle as soon as she has been given a cup of milk! Water doesn't work.

It's not so much that I was planning on BF throughout my next pg (hoping I get pg again that is!), just that I was at least planning on going until I get pg, or for a couple more months yet anyway. I guess I don't really want to stop yet and don't really understand why it seems like my milk has suddenly 'run out'!

All you describe is normal with very well established bf.

With bf that's been going on for many months, you don't make and store milk, and you def don't fill up after a long gap - the breasts feel more or less normal, even softer than they were before pg.

NORMAL!

What happens is that you make milk very quickly when your baby comes to the breast - there is always some milk there, but with this very established 'production line' much of the milk you make is in direct response to the baby feeding.....as and when it's needed. You def don't get much of a let down - not now.

The waking in the night will not be desperate hunger, but just normal behavioural change.

Just continue feeding as you and your baby want to.

Your milk has not gone :)

A call to any of the bf helplines should help you discuss further.