Am I drying up?

[Jode]

my bb used to use 20 mins to half hour to drink her milk (by latching), but now, she takes 5 to 10 mins. does it mean that i am not producing enough milk and therefore, she is using less time to finish her milk?
also, after milk, she can still drink water, eat her biscuits or fruits. again, i am wondering if its becos she is not having enough milk from me, thats why she can still eat and drink other things.
during the day when i am working, the amt that i can express now is much lesser than before. i used to be able to express 150ml to 200ml per session (both sides). but now, i can only manage about 70 to 80ml on the first session (lunch time) and about 60ml on the second session.
my bb is already 12 mths old.
sigh.. really feel like 'giving up'. everyday, i feel so lousy bringing so little milk home. at the same time, feel like i am wasting my time to express and only get so little. then at night, still have to wash all the pump parts etc...
how to tell if i am really drying up?
anybody have a similar situation to share? what should i do?

 

[biscuit]

Dear Jode,
first of all, Conrgatulation! you have gave your bb the best milk for the past 1 year.
when bb grows, it is normal that their needs for breastmilk reduce, since they eat more solid food now. with that, our supply reduce too ~
washing of pump parts really tiring. i can understand that..which i decided to keep my pump in store room when my son turn 16 months.
i only managed to get about 20-30ml by the time i gave up pumping.

now we only latch when i return from work and nurse to sleep. Weekends, nurse as and when he ask for it. i no longer worry about my supply since it is no longer his main source of food. (maybe they treat breastmilk as snack. ?! hehe)
So, just go with the flow and no need to stress over it. your supply will still be there as long as u still latch your girl ~

 

[pmcheng]

Yah, don't worry! In fact u girls are inspiring me to press on with pumping at work! as a result of work stress and no time to stick to a very rigid 3hour pump routine at work, my supply has tremendously dwindled until I'm asking myself whether I should go to full FM instead of the current mixed BM/FM approach..

 

[Jode]

Thanks mummies for your kind words and encouragement.
i brought my girl for her vaccination last sat and her weight gain is not ideal. she is in less than the 10th percentile.
cos of this, the pd recommend us to feed her with pediasure.
now i feel guilty. wondering if it is my low supply that is preventing her from gaining weight at the rate that she is supposed to.
sorry if i sound like i'm complaining/whining...

 

[lyra]

Hi! I thought if its within the percentile its ok? If you and your hubby are more small size, then maybe its normal?
Don't worry too much and don't feel guilty. I was always underweight as a baby and child but I grew up fine
12 months of breastfeeding is awesome! Just feed her as the pd recommended. If her weight gain is still similar when you feed her the recommended food, then maybe she's just more small size. If she's eating balanced meal and active and happy, should be ok.

 

[Jode]

well, the thing is, she's always been a small baby (cos she was a preemie), and she was in the 10th percentile during the last check. now, she's fallen lower. That's why the pd raised the concern.
She's been hovering around in the 50th to 75th percentile when she was 3-5 mths old.
I understand that this percentile gauge and baby's weight is just a 'numbers game' and I should not be too concerned as long as bb is eating, playing and sleeping well. Just that I cannot convince other people, like my hubby and mil. For them, a good gauge to how well bb is growing is based on how heavy she is.
The pressure for me to wean bb off bm is even greater now. Guess I really got to stop soon. So sad.

 

[lyra]

You've given her 12 months of breastmilk which is great! No worries. Just do what is suitable for you and your baby. If baby still wants some comfort and milk, its ok to give her once, say before bedtime. No need to really work on weaning her off breast milk totally. If she wants it and you stop her, she'll be so poor thing too right? Haha. I read somewhere that after 12 months, a balanced diet is more impt than milk feeds already so maybe work on getting her interested in a variety of food so that she eat more?

 

[Alisa]

by 12 mth, milk is not the main food but of course, still need to give milk. Maybe she is growing tall and walking which is why her weight fall. Thats happen to my cousin's son. my son is the same weight as a 13mth baby but my cousin's son is very tall and active so thats explain why he is slim. don stress yrself too much.

 

[Jode]

thanks mummies...
i'll go with the flow then...