Solids started, reduced milk scaring me

[squirrelletta]

My DS is eating more and more solids and I am trying to pump at least once at work (Only work 3 days a week) But he refuses his bottles at daycare now and eats mostly solids till hes with me

Im just wondering whats normal...meaning...will there still be enough milk when he wants it? Will I run out soon!?!?! He hardly eats solids when Im home with him-which is fine with me, but I dont feel as "full" as I did now that he's slowing down. Should I start pumping more? Because I use the milk in his food I make.


AHHHHHHHHHHH

Thanks!

[Peppamint]

Hi there... I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly or not, but the fullness feeling does subside as your baby gets older. I never feel letdown anymore and haven't for a loooong time (ds is 2yo), but in the early months I always felt letdown. Just let him nurse anytime you're with him and if you feel like your supply is decreasing I would try to make sure you keep pumping that one time at work, if nothing else it keeps up demand and you have the extra milk for his food.

[CountryMom2e]

Agree with pp - I felt the same when DS started to get into solids, around 10 mo. As he got older, he would go through *low nursies* periods and I was sure I'd dry up, then the next day he'd be on my lap every hour wanting to nurse.

It's part of the transition from baby nursing to toddler nursing. If you find that you are concerned about supply, you could always offer it more often, that helps us. My let down now is so slight I can barely detect it but I think it's also because my supply has gotten mature.

[squirrelletta]

Thank you

Its strange, theres so much info for new BF-er's but not much for the trasition periods. For example, my DS pretty much only eats solids in the evening for us..during the day, he's content with da boobies. But at daycare, he now refuses his bottles (thank God he didnt when he was only breastfeeding) and eats solids during the day for DC.

He's doing fine and not losing weight so I just go with the gut, its just I never know what I should be "doing". Outsiders are shocked he dosent eat that much solids for me "at his age"

Anyway, I was mostly worried about my supply and what I can expect. To be honest, I never felt "letdown" I just felt "stuffed" and knew it felt great when he finally ate! My DH always laughs when I feel my boobs to tell which ones fuller! he, he...

what ever it takes right?

[Peppamint]

That's funny... it's sounds like your ds has done the same thing my dd did. She took ebm in bottles when I was at work but after we started solids at 6mo she didn't seem to finish them anymore. We took a vacation when she was around 9mo old and after that she wouldn't take the ebm anymore. Thankfully I worked 4 hour days so I'd nurse her when I dropped her off at my mom's house, she'd eat some solids while I worked and then she'd nurse the minute I got home from work. :LOL It was interesting since she refused bottles and didn't get the hang of sippy cups until well after 1yo.

... each kiddo is different and it's always interesting to see how things evolve as you go along.

[Ravin]

I stopped pumping when my DD was about 13 mos. She'd made a jump in the amount of solids she'd eat, so she just ate and drank water or watered juice at daycare. She nurses on demand when she isn't there, and while I sometimes feel a bit full toward pick-up time on the first day of school after the weekend, she is happy to correct the problem as soon as I pick her up.

I think at this point it's reasonable to stop pumping. You can use something else to make his food, and he'll still get plenty of BM from you directly.

ETA: If he's refusing bottles, have them try giving him the BM cold in a sippy cup. My DD started daycare at 10 1/2 mos, didn't know what to make of a bottle other than a mess, so we just went straight to sippy's, and she preferred her EBM cold.