BF- supply tanking at 11 months?

[Bernadine]

I'm pumping less and less and We're supplementing with formula. At this point, I'm pumping less than half of what she needs in a day. I'm sad to think I might not make it to a year, but I'm also not really interested in going to great lengths to increase my supply.

I guess I'm just wondering if this happened to anyone else.

[Velar Fricative]

I didn't get to 11 months, but my supply tanked for good around 9 months. I had already been supplementing with formula for a few months prior so I had no desire to go to great lengths to increase my supply (plus, prior tricks before supplementation didn't work). When I went to work one morning and no milk was coming out during my first pumping session, I said, "fuck it" and we went to full formula for those last few months. I was initially sad to not make it to a full year either but EFF was fine and super convenient too (I stuck with Target Up&Up formula to keep costs down). It was so convenient that my goal this time around is only 6 months and I definitely plan to make a hard stop at one year of BFing if I can go that long this time.

[macmars45]

I'm sorry you're not making it as long as you wish you could've, but congrats on making it 11 months! That's great!

signed, EFF since my DS was almost 4 months old (and no regrets)

[pinotgrig]

Pretty normal, yes. We're made to feed babies, not pumps. A few thoughts -
- Are you about to start your period? My output falls to almost nill when I am.
- Are you eating and drinking enough?
- Have you changed your pump parts recently?
- Does she still nurse when you're together? Is it going ok? (Ie does she seem satisfied?)

Odds are you'll still be able to nurse while together at this point. You've done an amazing job getting to this point - go you!! Would it help to think of the little bit of formula she's getting at daycare as another type of food? She's eating all sorts of by now, this is just another one.

[Susie]

Yep. I dropped a(nother) pump session at 10m, got my first pp period around 11m, and I think my body was just ready to start packing it in. I was still nursing 2x/day and pumping 2x/day at 11m, but supply was going downhill. I forget when I dropped my bedtime pump, but I dropped my work day pump at 12m. My supply was really meager for the last 1 to 1.5 month (from 12m to 13.5m) when I was just nursing 2x/day.

[countthestars]

Mine did. I stopped producing entirely on one side and then couldn't keep up with his needs once we started supplementing. I made it to the week before his birthday.

I'm sorry you're going through it. I was so sad at the time. Not to discount your feelings, but 7 months later I don't really care that I didn't make it to a year anymore, even though it was kind of crushing while it was happening. I think I'll still say "a year" from here out anyway.

[ssmjlm]

It's not uncommon. My supply tanked pumping wise around 9m. By 10m we were supplementing and I started cutting pump sessions. I was still able to BF her when we were together, but I think my body and I were just ready to toss the pump Office Space style.

For me, I had an "easier" time supplementing at daycare b/c we weren't together. I realize this sounds completely irrational, but I guess I was able to separate it in my head better. Since she was fine nursing with me still I think that helped soften the blow.

Like countthestars, I was so upset and remember sobbing to DH about it. But the further out I got from it, the easier it was.

[Bernadine]

May 17, 2017 10:12:33 GMT -5 pinotgrig said:

Pretty normal, yes. We're made to feed babies, not pumps. A few thoughts -
- Are you about to start your period? My output falls to almost nill when I am.
- Are you eating and drinking enough?
- Have you changed your pump parts recently?
- Does she still nurse when you're together? Is it going ok? (Ie does she seem satisfied?)

Odds are you'll still be able to nurse while together at this point. You've done an amazing job getting to this point - go you!! Would it help to think of the little bit of formula she's getting at daycare as another type of food? She's eating all sorts of by now, this is just another one.

I am about to start my period, so my plan for now is to see if I rebound at all once I get it.

I could probably drink more water, and replace the membranes.

She does nurse when we're together- 4 days per week- and she seems satisfied. I've started hand expressing afterwards, just to see if there's anything left, and I usually get milk, so I feel pretty confident that she is actually getting milk when she nurses, vs. just comfort nursing.

[mskitkat]

My pumping output tanked at around 9 months. I kept pumping until a year, but I wasn't getting even half of what she needed. There were a lot of tears at the time, but eventually I chilled out. Now she's 14 months and we still nurse mornings and nights.

[sunshine608]

Mine tanked around this time too. I kept pumping until 12 months and then he self-weaned at 13m after I took a trip away.

I went from getting 12-15 oz a day to between 2-4; 6 on a good day.

[pinotgrig]

At 11 months I wouldn't be jumping through hoops to avoid formula. You'll be introducing wcm soon; you may want to talk to your pedi about an early intro. We tried that with ds1 because my supply was so low at 11 months and I had all the feels about formula. In the end, we skated by on my small freezer stash. He didn't tolerate wcm great at first (awful diaper rash) so our transition to that ended up slower than I had hoped.

See how it goes after your period comes and check your parts, but know that you've done an awesome job.

[sparkythelawyer]

Yep. At 11 months I started introducing cows milk in small amounts.

[simpsongal]

DD is 7+ months but eating a lot of solids. A full day in daycare and she only drinks ~8 ounces. So I'm watching my supply adjust. I've got a lot in the freezer so I'm feeling a bit 'over it.'

Great job on 11 months!

[luckystar2]

Mine dropped around 9 months and tanked at 11 months. I still bfed when we were together but was not getting much when pumping. I supplemented with my freezer stash for her daycare bottles and that got us to about a week or 2 before she turned a year. I had talked with her pedi and she said to just start adding in cows milk to make up the difference and that we could switch to that before a year if needed. I quit pumping and bfing at exactly a year. Just felt like things had pretty much dried up and dd was not interested anymore.

You've done a great job! I'd supplement and bf when you can. Ask pedi about when you can start with cows milk.

[genet313]

May 17, 2017 10:18:42 GMT -5 Susie said:

Yep. I dropped a(nother) pump session at 10m, got my first pp period around 11m, and I think my body was just ready to start packing it in. I was still nursing 2x/day and pumping 2x/day at 11m, but supply was going downhill. I forget when I dropped my bedtime pump, but I dropped my work day pump at 12m. My supply was really meager for the last 1 to 1.5 month (from 12m to 13.5m) when I was just nursing 2x/day.

Pretty much verbatim for me too -- I was able to get her to about 13 months but when I night weaned around 11 months it was a major supply killer.  Which was fine, I was ready to be done as well.  We stopped about 13 months for good.

Also, note of caution, but right after I night weaned I got my first PP period and then got pregnant that same cycle - having sex literally 1x per week.  Time to consider BC if you aren't ready for #2 yet!

11 months is amazing and you should be proud!!

[indylady]

Yep, mine started tanking around 9.5 months. We now nurse morning and evening and I pump once during the day, and she gets 3 bottles at daycare. She's just over 10M. I make just enough for one if her bottles but it won't last long. I feel bad but I'm not willing to go to crazy lengths to boost my supply this late into the game. You've done a ton!

[july]

My supply tanked earlier. I made it to 12 months with D, but supplemented earlier with J.
It was harder emotionally, but once I started supplementing, I was fine. My supply really tanked after I got pregnant so I just stopped because he has growth problems.

[july]

Oh, some people will act like it will come back up if you nurse more or do x, y, z. Your body will react to the extra demand. Honestly, our bodies are different. It may work for some people, but not for others. That doesn't mean you messed up or aren't doing it right. I find that there is an element of extra guilt that is pushed on women who breastfeed. You are doing great and a little formula is perfectly fine. Enjoy that baby.

[hbomdiggity]

my supply tanked around 9 months. DS was thriving and I just took it as a sign my body was done and DS got what he needed. We pretty much went cold turkey to formula and never looked back.

ETA: I was more sad than I thought I'd be about it, but I think it was more because BF'ing ended up being way easier than I thought it'd be so I was surprised when my body just stopped.

[rbp]

I started supplementing around 6mo because M's weight was low and even though I was pumping what seemed to be a normal amount at the time, he was ALWAYS hungrier than what I could pump. I tried fenugreek--I don't know if it helped at all. Like you, I wasn't interested in going to extreme lengths to avoid formula. At 11mo he refused to nurse altogether because my supply had gotten so low, but at that point I was over it. I gave him formula for a month (though at that point he was eating so many solids it wasn't a ton of formula) then switched to WCM around his birthday. 

Hugs--I know the BF thing and weaning not on your terms can be emotional. But 11 months is amazing! You're doing great.