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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

My milk has dried up whilst pregnant?

23 replies

ChooseYourLameName · 15/11/2020 10:50

It starting turning sour?! When I was about 7/8 weeks pregnant. I’m now 14 weeks and it’s been gone completely since week 11.

What’s going on? It’s like it literally just stopped overnight. And the supply vanished within days despite regular feeds from DS.

Has anyone else experienced this? Not sure if I can get my supply back? I’ve never had painful boobs, ever, but trying to express to encourage milk doesn’t work. It’s like trying to milk a dried up towel

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TheVanguardSix · 15/11/2020 10:54

How old is your DS?
It's an old wives tale but it's worked for me; lots of porridge made with milk kept my supply healthy.
But maybe it's your body just doing what it needs to do and it's 'weaning time' for your DS.

Original poster

ChooseYourLameName · 15/11/2020 11:30

The thing about breastfeeding is provided there’s no hormonal change, I.e a pregnancy or extreme weight loss, milk supply will remain the same if you’d like to breastfeed to age 10!

He’s 3

OP posts:

kittykat35 · 15/11/2020 11:36

Yes I heard that it was quite Normal for this to happen OP. Apparently it "sorts itself out" if you just wanted to see it through.

Silverstripe · 15/11/2020 11:40

Surely pregnancy is the hormonal change? I thought that around the 4th or 5th month of pregnancy it could cause your supply to reduce - there’s some info about it here www.laleche.org.uk/pregnant-and-breastfeeding/

HelloRose · 15/11/2020 12:05

My supply really dipped around 4-6 weeks pregnant and my ds completely self weaned by 8weeks. Until then we were still happily feeding up 2-3 times a day. He was 12months. Sadly for us it ended our bf journey but many seem to be able to continue ok throughout pregnancy.

PolarBearStrength · 15/11/2020 12:17

Yep, my supply dipped massively in early pregnancy and DS self-weaned at 8 weeks (he was 18 months).

jackstini · 15/11/2020 12:27

Dd self weaned when I was about 4 months pregnant, she was 2 1/2

The taste and make-up of milk can change when hormones affect it apparently

Original poster

ChooseYourLameName · 15/11/2020 13:24

Thank you for the replies. I think we will try and see it through, if he wants to. Maybe he will like the colostrum that often comes around 20 weeks?

I’ve been pregnant twice before this baby and my milk supply didn’t decrease. Both of those pregnancies sadly ended before 20 weeks but further along than I am now and my milk is already gone

OP posts:

Workingmama1 · 15/11/2020 14:10

This happened to me, I was down to one feed a day, she became quite fussy around 9 weeks and by 12/13 weeks there was literally nothing there (I think she dry nursed for a bit before we actually stopped). Weaning was surprisingly easy despite her normally being fed to sleep and she didn't really complain. I'm 19 weeks now and started to notice I can squeeze a bit out now but guess that's my body preparing for baby 2 (interestingly my boobs are now achey which I didnt get at all in early pregnancy!).

Teakind · 15/11/2020 15:01

Yes, first time it dried up by 16 weeks and this time it was 12 weeks. It's sad but at least it helped them to sleep through the night rather than being up every 2/3 hours comfort nursing.

My DS still dry nurses to sleep but its pretty uncomfortable.

grey12 · 15/11/2020 15:12

I remember trying to express milk (more towards the end of pregnancy) and couldn't whatsoever! But DD1 was still feeding. Apparently colostrum in pregnancy is difficult to express. Could that be the case? Even though you're quite early....

DramaAlpaca · 15/11/2020 15:15

DS1 self weaned at 9 months when I was 12 weeks pregnant. It was a bit too soon for me, but also a relief in a way as I hadn't planned on breastfeeding past a year.

Moo678 · 15/11/2020 16:58

It happened to me twice. Once with baby #2 milk dried up around 9 wks - baby #1 who was 15 months self weaned - we were down to just a bedtime feed anyway.

Happened again with baby #3 at around 7 wks - she also self weaned - I miscarried a few weeks later so was devastated.

PotteringAlong · 15/11/2020 17:03

My middle one completely self weaned almost the instant that I got pregnant with DC 3 - he was the youngest to stop breastfeeding at 18 months and he literally went from 2-3 feeds a day (and sometimes overnight) to nothing within a week of me finding out i was pregnant!

Mishmased · 15/11/2020 17:17

My first stopped feeding when I was around 6 months pregnant. He was 2 years and 4 months and during feeding one Sunday morning he said the milk was finished and that was it. He was down to 2 feeds daily at that stage as I was at work during the day and only fed morning and evening.

NLW08 · 15/11/2020 18:05

I’d stopped breast feeding over a year and a half before I got pregnant again but still had milk (if a squeezed there was a fountain it just never dried up and left) got pregnant and boom milks all gone. Google said that can happen with the hormones especially if it’s not a young baby your feeding or you’ve been feeding for a long time.

Queenbee95 · 15/11/2020 20:04

This happened to me around 9/10 weeks. DS is 2 and a half and was only feeding at night really (sometimes a quick morning feed) and I totally dried up so we just stopped feeding all together.

TheVanguardSix · 16/11/2020 18:30

The thing about breastfeeding is provided there’s no hormonal change, I.e a pregnancy or extreme weight loss, milk supply will remain the same if you’d like to breastfeed to age 10!

The body is a mystery. My milk always dried up at a certain point (usually around the time mine self-weaned). Yet I'm 48 and I still get a bit of milk coming out when I have mammograms!
Try the porridge oats and milk. I do swear by it (I mean, not now at my age but when I was nursing babies... so long ago now. It's amazing how fast time goes!).

SBTLove · 16/11/2020 18:33

Your DS is 3, he doesn’t need breast milk anymore, give yourself a break before the next one arrives.

PolarBearStrength · 16/11/2020 18:55

@SBTLove

Your DS is 3, he doesn’t need breast milk anymore, give yourself a break before the next one arrives.

You are aware that the WHO recommend feeding until at least two and as long as the mother and child are both happy with it? Breast milk doesn’t all of a sudden stop being beneficial at a certain age, nor does it stop being a source of comfort.

OP can make her own decisions about when to wean.

SBTLove · 16/11/2020 19:00

Note ‘recommend’ and is open to interpretation, impoverished countries where formula isn’t easily accessible. In the U.k. with all food options available; a 3 yr old does not nutritionally need breastmilk, it’s a choice.

SBTLove · 16/11/2020 19:03

As for source of comfort, again a 3 yr old should be able to soothe without a breastfeed, would you have them still with a dummy? I prefer them to start being less of a baby by 3 and more independent of mummy.

UniversalHadIt · 16/11/2020 19:06

Totally agree OP, if you want to keep BFing your son you should- but I wonder will you want to tandem feed when the new baby is here?

If you don’t want to tandem feed, then now might actually be an optimum time for your DS to wean, rather than persevering and then having to go through weaning him with a newborn in the mix.

If you want to keep feeding though, loads of flapjacks, rest, and making sure youre properly hydrated may help.

Congrats on the pregnancy.

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