Is my milk "drying up"?

[iwasyoungonce]

My baby is 20 weeks old. I have been exclusively bf. Recently (last 4/5 days) ds has been feeding for shorter times - only 7 or 8 minutes a time, whereas he used to feed for 15 mins.

He then goes shorter time between feeds - at night I am feeding every 2 hours, it is a bloody nightmare.

I just tried to express some milk as I am hoping to go out for a while tonight (although looking unlikely now) - I only managed to express HALF AN OUNCE. There's just nothing there - I tried both breasts.

Is this a sign my milk is drying up?

expressing is not an indication of supply

is he hitting a growth spurt?

dd is 19 weeks and feeding a lot at night

also, the length of feeds may be changing as he is so efficient?

iwasyoungonce try not to worry, like ruby says, it is probably a growth spurt. Also, remember as breastfeeding goes on, your supply will respond to baby feeding. I mean, you don't get engorged etc... the problem with expressing might just be because baby is much better at getting the milk out than a pump is!
I know it's hard going, but give it a few days and see if it all sorts itself out!
Good luck!

Thanks for these replies. I have tried expressing again, and again NOTHING. (Couple of drips). Why is this? Can your milk just dry up? Or is this a myth?

nothing is more efficient than getting milk out of a breast than a baby!

also, the more your express the more you will get so you do need to do it regularly IIRC

i found when i did express, the best time was after the first morning feed

also, I found an electric pump no good, and got the Tommee Tippee Manual Freedom Pump

when DD was sleeping better, and i could be bothered i was expressing every day and could get 4 - 5 oz per 15 min session ...

It takes time to get any quantity when expressing. It also won't come if you are swearing at the pump/ watching your chances of a night out slip away
Seriously though, it took me weeks to get a decent amount at any sitting. Eventually I could express upto 8oz in about 15mins.
It's not an indication of your milk drying up.

I agree with hairy... first thing in the morning is best - and if you can do it - feeding the baby from one boob and expressing from the other. Your pump may not be stimulating your letdown but your baby will do the job much more efficiently...

Thanks so much everyone.

I too have the Tommee Tippee manual pump. I will keep trying, and take on board all your suggestions.

P.S. Despite not expressing any milk, I DID go out last night, after putting DS to bed at 8.00. Was only a local restaurant, so had mobile phone and was ready to rush home if my boobs were needed. But guess what? He slept til 11.00 - and I was home ten minutes before he woke up! What a little sweetheart!

I have the tommee tippee manual pump too, and expressed a few times when DS was quite small (2-4 months) but after that every time I tried, it became more difficult. I managed to express enough to fill a bottle over 3 days when he was 8 months, and then tried at about 10 months and couldn't get anything - luckily I had some in the freezer and I instructed his babysitters to go to the shop and buy a carton of X formula if they ran out, but he didn't want any more than the expressed milk I already had. He is still feeding at 17 months so I do still have milk

I went through exactly the same last week (also excl bf 20 wk old DS), even down to only managing to express an ounce and DS gaining only 20 g for the week. Cue great panic, worries about milk drying up, worries about me starving my child (although he seemed happy. My boobs are now exploding with milk . Hang in there!

Wow, how strange IWishIWasAFrog..! Must be a growth spurt then judging by this. Actually he is already doing a bit better, feeding every 3 hours now at night (rather than every 2 hours a few days ago).

Haven't tried expressing again yet though.