Breast milk Paranoia

[Luckyduck88]

My 7 month old is enjoying 3 meals a day and will breastfeed at the following times

6.30am
12.30
4pm small feed
7pm bedtime feed
3am feed

I'm so paranoid I'm not breastfeeding enough to maintain supply, when I try and express I can only get 1oz. How can I ensure my milk doesn't dry up? Baby can't have formula or dairy so I'm really worried because I want to longterm breastfeed until baby is 2 years old :(

Can anyone reassure me that my milk won't dry up, how do mums maintain supply when back to work is expressing doesn't work?!

As long as you’re still feeding you will maintain a supply! I fed DD2 one breastfeed a day (at bedtime) from 6 months to a year.

Babies are far more efficient than than expressing, whether by hand or machine. If you're still feeding your supply will continue and expressing gives no indication of the production levels.

Thanks so much @SoyDora my breasts never get that full painful feeling even if I'm away from baby for a full day. But baby seems satisfied after feeding so I know there is milk there?

Thanks @BaronessBomburst I was much more confident when EBF as I knew all nappies and weight gain was due to milk, but now I feel anxious that milk will stop! Thanks for your reassurance

I have only fed once a morning for a month and if I express milk still comes out at any time, don't worry if you are feeding your milk shouldn't dry up, I give baby oat milk as well as breastmilk too of that's any help :)

Is there a reason you are doing timed feeds? Is it because you are at work? Keep offering the breast when you have days off, even if it's not a planned mealtime. Your milk supply is now very well established, baby will be having what they need still.

Remember to feed before giving solids, not after, as that will encourage baby to have lots of the milk (which has all the nutrition they need), rather than the solids which are not their main source of nutrition yet.

Thats still 5 milk feeds a day. As long as baby's not crying hungry, they should be getting enough. You will very gradually make less as baby takes less milk and eats more food. But you will make milk to match what they are taking.

I never got much from expressing either. When are you back to work? I went back when DD was 1 and just fed her in the morning, when I got home from work and bedtime. She didn't have formula or expressed milk in the day. She would still want daytime feeds at the weekend for a while. I gently cut out 1 feed at a time until she stopped at nearly 2. Supply reduced gradually and I could still squeeze a teeny bit of milk out months after she stopped feeding.

@beenandgoneandbackagain not timed feed necessarily, however we're in a pretty good sleep routine and also eating three meals a day so I can't seem to find much other time for a breastfeed - I will see if I can offer at some other random times too :)

Thanks for your advice and reassurance everyone!

It's hard because I have some 24/48 hour periods away from baby soon and I'm struggling to express to ensure she has feeds when I'm away.

Is it possible to increase milk supply so 'late' into breastfeeding?

Have you tried using a Naturebond type pump to catch let down while you feed? I get much more from doing this than I do from using my Medela breast pump

@3boysandabump yes I used to solely use that pump, but now the baby flails around and grabs and it doesn't tend to stand a Chance! I will give it another go :)

Towards the end I was only feeding DS in the mornings, and then that tailed off into weekend mornings only. Even after he self-weaned I still had milk for a few months. (I discovered this when I managed to crush a nipple whilst making the bed after a shower and sprayed milk everywhere. )
Honestly, once your supply is established and settled you can miss feeds without any problem.

At 7months your supply will be fairly bullet proof. An Oz is a totally normal amount to pump, you’ll respond far better to baby than to pump anyway. I went back to work when my DD was 10 months and often only fed 2-3 times in 24 hours, sometimes less and fed until 2.5 years in the end.