Milk drying up, ways to boost it?

[Crumpets12]

Hello, I’m looking for advice. I think my milk is drying up with 8 month old baby. Obviously, I’m grateful that I’ve got this far but my baby still wants to feed and I would like to carry on if possible. Anyone got any tips to boost my supply or is it just coming to an end?

There should be milk there for as long as you and your baby want to feed. What makes you think it's drying up? Are you still feeding on demand? Feed as often as your baby likes, including at night if your baby wakes for milk, and ensure you are eating and drinking and sleeping enough.

What is it that makes you think it’s drying up? Would be fairly unusual if you have had feeding established for 8 months; perhaps more likely a feeding strike (temporary, nothing to worry about most of the time) or just your supply settling in to a more ‘supply on demand’ type of pattern as baby gets older - not unusual to lose the ‘full’ feeling as time goes on, depending what it is that’s raised your suspicions?

As @linerforlife says. I thought the same and was surprised to learn that although it seemed as though I was not producing as much as before, I actually was. Just wasn't feeling as 'full'.

Thank you for your replies. It’s hard to describe but I feel like it’s reduced as my baby seems to have to work much harder for the milk and is feeding for a lot longer. I feel like it’s barely dripping out where as before she would latch on, after a few suckles it would let down and she would feed really efficiently where as it doesn’t feel like that now at all if you see what I mean?

Are you well and eating enough and baby too? I feel like this when I'm on my period/ stressed or run down/ not eating enough/ baby is teething but the milk was still there as the issue passed.

Sorry forgot to answer some questions. Still feeding on demand and still feeding throughout the night. I have had a few sleepless nights as baby has been up a lot from teething, can that affect your milk?

Could be demand is temporarily higher than it has been as baby is teething and wants to suckle more than usual for comfort so you're not feeling that there's plenty to go around as baby has a high demand right now.

It's difficult as it's tiring and baby never seems easily satisfied when they're like this but it doesn't mean your milk is drying up. Give your little one teething gel/ ambesol/ lots of cuddles and know that they will settle again without so much milk as their tooth comes through you'll get some respite.

When they are eating more solids over the next few months breastfeeding will gradually be a bit less often too.

In general ways to boost milk for me are getting enough sleep, good meals, cuddling baby lots and also trying to get a couple of hours occasionally between feeds to allow your boobs to try and catch up. And eating hobnobs.

They'll be running around not needing milk most of the day before you know it, you're doing great.

When babies teethe often their latch changes and they want to nurse more for comfort and pain relief. My six month old is currently teething and her latch isn’t quite as good because she is in pain so she feeds ferociously

Been a long time ago for me. Look up Fenugreek. Buy it at Holland and Barratt. If I remember rightly by taking enough you can actually smell it coming through your pores (smells like curry). This increases your supply quite a bit. I did this when feeding my twins - they're now 15

Doesn’t sound too much like anything to worry about to me - I’ve just (as in this week) finished EBF my second (18 months old) and I haven’t had the feeling of let down, dripping or even fullness unless I’d missed say 18 hours or more of feeds for months now - and she’d definitely still been getting plenty.

I’ve always found the analogy of feeding being like baby ‘putting an order in’ for their requirements later really helpful - if baby is teething it makes perfect sense that they would ‘order’ more milk for the next few days while the tooth cuts by feeding for longer.

I agree too that teeth related discomfort can change the latch which may well be what you’re feeling. Might be worth taking back to basics and checking latch and ensuring it’s deep enough before allowing feed to continue for a few days, not if it’s getting either of you frustrated though.

Doubt this is the end of your feeding journey, but if it is then that’s fine too! You’ve done an amazing job to get this far 👍🏻