Nightweaning and Milk Supply?

[HopefulC]

My dd (who will be one tomorrow) recently started consistently sleeping 11-hour stretches at night all on her own (she's been in a crib since she was 6 m/o). In the last week or so, I just don't feel like I have as much milk, even though she nurses VERY frequently throughout the day.

Will not nursing all night affect my supply? Or do my breasts just not feel as full during the day because she's nursing too often for them to feel full? I want to keep nursing her for at LEAST another 6 months, but ideally until she's 2+, and I'm obsessing over the idea that my supply is dwindling and she's going to lose interest in nursing, etc etc.

Any thoughts on this?

[APToddlerMama]

Can you pump just to find out if you still have a good supply?

[Baby_Cakes]

I don't think pumping would be a good indicator of supply. Babies are much better at getting milk than a pump, and you might just frustrate yourself.

Your breasts are adjusting to nursing less often, but will still make enough milk for your LO. They probably don't feel as engorged as they used to, right? Chances are everything is fine. As long as she is still nursing often during the day and you can hear her gulping, you've got enough milk and should meet your goal of 2 years.

[allisonrose]

I'm with Babycakes on not pumping. Especially if you don't routinely pump. I tried to pump to see how much I would get and that just stressed me out because I got nearly nothing after not pumping for months.

I do worry about supply (although my guy is far from nightweaned) but I just do my best to trust my body and trust my baby to regulate his intake of milk and food. I rarely get that full milk feeling anymore but our bodies are just much more clever about making the necessary amount of milk rather than the overabundancy they did in the beginning.

I think at one that they do nurse quite frequently because they tend to be so easily distracted. My guy will latch on, nurse for a minute or two, go play with a toy for 5-10 minutes then come back to nurse for another minute or two. Normal stuff.