How many feedings can I miss before it hurts my supply?

[skfmama]

DS is about 12 months old and still nurses 7 or 8 times a day. Generally before and after his naps during the day. We're going skiing for 10 days with my family and I would like to ski - either a half day or a full day. Probably not every day, but maybe 4 or 5 days (most likely in a row).

My mom is willing to watch DS. He eats solids well, so I'm not too worried about him being hungry if I'm gone for the morning. My question is if it's going to hurt my supply to miss the same feeding a few days in a row. I'm not going to pump.

Should I try skiing every other day so I don't miss nursing him around the same time for days in a row, or at 12 months does it matter?

I'm not interested in weaning him at this point.

Thanks!

[Anna Phor]

You may experience a slight dip but at 12 months I don't think you should have a problem with it returning. I work full time & quit pumping at 13 months. I now nurse the hours that I'm home on weekdays and full time on weekends, and I don't have a problem with not enough milk on the weekend. 

Be prepared to feel uncomfortably full at the end of the day, though, and watch for clogged ducts. I took a full week to slow wean from the pump. If I were you, I'd play it by ear through the week. If you notice problems, you can always skip a day of skiing, right? 

[Nikole224]

I might be too late in responding, but they say (LLL, LC) that when the time comes for your son to nurse and he doesn't, your body takes the signal that the milk's not needed. It then communicates to your brain and body to produce less milk. And when the next time comes for your son to nurse and he doesn't, your body understands it in the same way - the milk's not needed. So if you're able to space out your skiing (ie: every other day) that would probably help prevent you from being extremely full and prevent your milk supply from going down. 
Hope that helps!