"Drying Up" Question

[Belia]

How long does it take for your milk to go away?

When DS was 12 months I returned to work and made the decision to partially wean him. Now he only nurses at night before bed, first thing in the morning, and anytime during the night that he wakes up (maybe 1-2 times a week). All things considered I'm pretty happy with where we're at- I'm no longer engorged or leaking, so I'm functional at work, but DS is still getting some BM. I was planning on continuing this indefintely.

Occasionally we've had to skip a session- last Friday DH and I were at a charity event and grandma was babysitting, so no nursing before bed. Ditto for last night when I had to work late.

The last couple of days it seems like DS isn't nursing for as long as usual. To be fair, he is also very stuffed up and coughing with a cold, so that could be a factor too. He might not be able to breathe and nurse at the same time.

But I can't help but wonder..... is my milk drying up? How would I know? Can I sustain our current pattern indefinitely?

[honey-lilac]

I don't know the answers, I figure it varies from mother to mother. My milk dried up when DD started nursing only 1-2 times a day. My friend hasn't nursed in over two years and she still has a tiny bit of milk she can express.

[The4OfUs]

My DD stopped nursing at 21 months (was nursing just at wakeup and bedtime at that point), and I was able to express a little out for about 9-10 months afterwards (I would check every so often in the shower just to see if there was anything still there, kind of like a science experiment I'd report to my husband - there's STILL something in there! )...but I would agree that every person is different. I woulnd't think that skipping 2 sessions in close proximity would cause it so quickly, but I'm not an expert.