Too distracted to nurse during day, not enough milk at night

[pleasantlyfurious]

My baby is just two weeks shy of a year and recently has been more interested in anything and everything other than nursing during the day. He will nurse at nap time - but is often so tuckered out that he falls asleep before a full nursing. At night he has been nursing for long long stretches (an hour or two) and it doesn't seem like there is much milk. He isn't swallowing much after the initial let down and he will pop off and sign "more please". I'll switch sides for him, but again, there doesn't seem to be much available.

He seems to be having trouble falling asleep. I don't know if I should be worried. I don't think he's terribly hungry because he does eat dinner before bed. He's nursed on demand his whole life, so this is a big shift for him. Is this just a phase? Will my supply adjust? Is this the beginning of the end? Should I work on getting him to focus on nursing during the day more?
Thanks!

[elluin]

With my daughter (13 months), it's also hard to keep her focus on nursing, especially the last couple months. For her, it helps to nurse in the same places with as few distractions as possible (quiet room by ourselves). Unless she is very hungry, she will now only nurse well in our nursing chair, the car, or in our bed at night. In other places she is far too curious and wants to play and explore.

I don't think they're ready to wean at this age, there is just so much fun stuff to go see so we have to remind them to take a break and have some milk! When she is focused, nursing a one-year-old is really quite enjoyable, there is so much more interaction already.

You may want to try some foods (like oatmeal) or supplements that help boost your supply if it has already dipped... but making time to nurse during the day should help it come back too.

Good luck mama!

[pleasantlyfurious]

Thanks for the feedback. I was talking to a friend about it and saying I thought it was just a phase because I remember him doing it before, about a month ago - and it hit me. Duh. My supply dips (drastically apparently) with the return of my cycle. So I'm going to try calcium/magnesium and oatmeal to keep it steady next cycle. Thanks again!

[themothership]

It may also be a phase. When my daughter (now 14 mo, at the time 11 mo) became more independent she only wanted to nurse at nap time and then every hour all night long. It was tiring, and went on for about 6 weeks, but now we are back to nursing a lot, all the time.