[jkg]

I'm jsut wondering if there's any chance that I might be able to retain a few drops for DS. It kills me to think about the day when I have no more milk for him. He is almost 19 months old, but I really want him to nurse as long as he needs.

 

[MsElle07]

As long as you are nursing regularly, it's not going to completely, 100% dry up. For most women, supply is GREATLY reduced, but there will always be a few drops there.

 

[colobus237]

I dunno, mine was gone gone gone by about 15 weeks last time. I couldn't express anything, never heard ds swallow until colostrum came in around 8 months. However, my ds was never offended and never stopped nursing. I don't think it's invariable, but it's pretty common to have a steep drop in supply or complete drying up - like your body needs to reboot and start the cycle again, to get the colostrum and newborn milk in again.
Check out "Adventures in Tandem Nursing," I'm pretty sure there was more concrete information in there.

 

[coffeetastesgood]

My milk also completely dried up by 20 weeks... COMPLETELY. Not a drop, no swallowing... nada.

 

[Kathryn]

Popping in from the Oct ddc.

I'm still nursing my 2 year old 3-5 times a day (waking, naptime, evening snack, to sleep, and once during the night). I've still got plenty of milk. No colostrum yet, just milk. Not near as much as before, but quite a bit.

 

[Wild Flowers]

Like someone else said, my milk dried up completly but my dd nursed throughout. It doens't feel very good, but she stayed on nursing and tandemed for about a year after my younger dd was born. I have even heard that some kids will stop and then start again after your milk comes back. But again, seconding the Adventures in Tandem nursing. It really is a great book and I kinda wish I didn't donate my copy to the LLL library where i used to live. We weren't planning on having another child...

 

[mama2leila]

From all the lovely ladies who have offered their opinion to me on this subject it seems that it varies greatly! I am also hoping to nurse through pgcy and tandem nurse, but I have already noticed a drop in supply. It's seemed to sort of plateau'd though, and while I have a lower supply it seems stable, at least for the time being. I'm 11 weeks now.

Anyway, here's a sort of concoction of the advice I've been given

• Offer the breast as frequently as you're comfortable with
• Keep your fluids up
• Eat oatmeal
• Relax and concentrate on how much you love your little one while you're nursing
• adding 1 pumping session a day can maintain supply for many women
• Some children will nurse even if they're getting little or nothing. This will maintain their "suck". Many children who wean will quickly forget how to nurse.
• Be willing to rethink your position if one of you shows interest in weaning. It's a breastfeeding relationship and needs to be working for both of you.

All and all, out of the 6 people I know IRL who bf while pregnant, 4 went on to tandem nurse. 1 it was not her desire, the other (my mom) used don't offer don't refuse, not realizing it was a weaning technique.