Stop pumping, dry up?

[mambera]

I guess the impression I got from MDC was that after babe is a year old, your supply is well-established enough that you won't dry up even if you don't pump as a WOHM.

I officially stopped bringing my pump to work 10 days ago. I've been bringing a little bottle in my purse and hand-expressing a couple of oz at lunchtime just to keep things going. I'm noticing that it's harder and harder to get those two oz (on Monday I was getting multiple strong streams and now I'm mostly getting dribbles). Yesterday when I got home DD nursed like a fiend but I could barely hear her swallow.

I really do not think I can pump any more. I just can't. Is this the end of bf'ing for us?

ETA: We cosleep and DD nurses at night but I think she usually has a 5-6 hour stretch with no nursing, and even when she does (usually several times between 10 and 12 and several more between 6 and 8) it seems like mostly comfort nursing.

[e(Lisa)beth]

I stopped pumping at 9 months. DD is 12 months now and nursing is going strong on evenings and weekends. A 10-hour interval between nursing sessions is common for us on weekdays. She sleeps from 8pm to 6am, so it is not unusual for us to only nurse at waking and at bedtime on days that I am at work.

[MacKinnon]

I stopped pumping around a year and we kept nursing until about 3 years! Until he was close to 2 we nursed at pick up from child care, a fair amount when I was home during the day on the weekends, and at bed time, often overnight, and in the morning. From 2 to 3 we naturally declined some, and at some point night weaned, but I still had milk right up until we fully weaned shortly after his 3rd birthday.

[Ellien C]

stopped pumping at 10 momths. Mommy-led weaned at 4.5 years. No issues!

nak new baby

[haydn'smommy]

I stopped pumping at work at 13 mos with my first (I still pumped morning and evening at home until he was 19mos). I nursed him morning, naps, and bedtime and a few times between until he was 22mos.

[LROM]

I think I stopped pumping at 13 mo and it definitely affected my supply, but I did not dry up either. My supply went down: at first when I stopped, I'd be uncomfy by the time I picked DD up from daycare and she nursed. Now I don't notice it at all, and if I picked her up but we didn't get to nurse for another 2 hours, I wouldn't notice it. DD won't let that happen though, so I almost always nurse at pick up.

But there's definitely still milk there - the couple of times DH took DD to his grandmothers so I could get a full night's sleep, I had to pump in the morning, usually got about 6 - 8 oz.

[LokiPuck]

I pumped until DS was 13 months. He nursed until 2.5 years...I had my second child then and I just couldn't handle tandem nursing. I think my supply really dwindled late in my pregnancy, but I always have had some milk, never drying up completely.

[cinnam0n]

Great thread, I am a WOHM mom of a 13 month old and am considering reducing how much I pump at work. It sounds like the general consensus is that I should still be able to nurse at night and on the weekends.

[justKate]

Originally Posted by cinnam0n

Great thread, I am a WOHM mom of a 13 month old and am considering reducing how much I pump at work. It sounds like the general consensus is that I should still be able to nurse at night and on the weekends.

Absolutely.

I quit pumping on DD's 1st birthday because I COULDN'T. TAKE IT. ANYMORE. No dip in supply. It was liberating. But I am glad that I was able to commit those months to pumping. NOt sure if I could ever do it again though!

[mambera]

Bumping for hildare. :)

[hildare]

thanks mambera!

[Anna Phor]

So I voted other--I have no problems with supply, except for this one: When I stopped pumping, I started menstruating. And I get serious supply dips once a month for about 4-5 days. It SUCKS because I get no sleep--my co-sleeping 15mo needs to nurse all night long because his belly isn't filling up.