Drop in milk production?

[Conifer]

Hi,
My ds is about 5 months now. I still EBF him. Lately he has been waking up at night every 2 hours to eat and eating at least every 2 hours during the day (he was sleeping 6 hours at night). My breasts never feel full any more. Even when he goes a bit longer like 4 hours, I still feel like there isn't much milk in there. I pumped a bottle this morning because I needed to run an errand without ds (this is the first bottle I have pumped in about 20 days) and I could only pump about 3 oz! Now I am worried that I have a drop in my milk production. What would cause this? This is my 3rd baby and I haven't had a problem before. Ds seems to be fine, but always wants to nurse...maybe he isn't getting very much at each feeding? How can I tell?

[Bokonon]

That all sounds normal to me. 3 oz. in one session is actually above average for pumping. There is often a change in sleeping patterns around 4 months, and your breasts probably don't feel full because your body has adjusted to the demand.

The best way to know if your DS is getting enough is to count diapers. At least 5 very wet diapers per 24 hours, plus stooling patterns that are normal for him, will tell you that he is getting plenty.

[NJKim]

Yep, sounds pretty normal. If he's nursing that often, your breasts shouldn't feel full! And pumping is no indicator of how much he's getting, it's never the same. At that age, they have a lot going on - developmental milestones, maybe teething, constantly learning, so lots of reasons they can wake often at night and nurse frequently all day long. Very normal. If he starts peeing less frequently or stops gaining/loses weight, then you can be concerned about your supply, but until that happens, just enjoy this short time that he actually needs you and wants to be close

[PatioGardener]

Yup - all normal. It's funny how when baby's habits change we always question our milk supply! This pattern is common at this age. I bet you and your supply are doing fine!

[hildare]

I recently posted the same thing! My dd is almost 5 months, too.
She wants to eat ALL the time (and i didn't think there was a 5 mo. growth spurt) and last week i was pumping less than i had been (i'm a wohm). Today it's back up, though. I made a very concentrated effort (haha) to drink lots of water the past few days, don't know if that's made a difference or not.