Partial Weaning

K.,

It really varies. With my first I was able to continue nursing him for a year after I quit pumping (I nursed him until he was two). For my second, I was dry within 2 weeks of quitting pumping. A lot depends on how determined your child is to nurse. My second child was just not that interested so when my milk supply decreased he nursed less so my milk suppy decreased and so on. Good luck! I hope you are able to nurse as long as you want to do so.

T.

1 mom found this helpful

in most cases..yes your milk will decrease..u can take motilium aka DOM if it drops too low..but u can nurse at those times..i started nursing like that when my son was around 15 months and kept nursing til he was 3.

You'll be fine. You'll produce less, and for a short time you may leak at work, but your body will get used to it and will continue to meet the demand.

You might consider co-sleeping. I read a book called "Working Mother, Nursing Mother" (or "Nursing Mother, Working Mother" lol) that said some babies will reverse feedings -- if they can't get milk during the day they will during the night. At first I thought "And you say that like it's a good thing! Ack!" :)

But seriously, sleeping with my sons allowed us to continue feeding while getting sleep. If the Breastaurant was only open at night, then that's when they ate.

Breastfeeding is a great tool to have, and it's comforting to know that they're still getting the best nutrients from you no matter what they get at day care.

So much good luck to you.

P.S. Congrats for wanting to continue feeding, even if only 2x each day. It's a great choice for your baby.

Each person is different. There is no generic answer.

Just today I responded to a person whose milk stopped completely (they needed bedtime help).

I just checked mine, squeezed the nipple and there was a drop... my son is 5 just totally stopped a few weeks before his 5th birthday in Oct 1st (we agreed upon that age - he really wanted to keep going). LOL... you know it's time to stop when you can discuss it rationally with the child.

I think if your intention is to continue and you feel good about it and the child's intention is the same and she is happy... I think you will continue to make milk, but it will decrease in volume according to her/your needs. Life can work that way if you believe, feel good and just go with it. Don't worry about it stopping, expect it to continue.

Good Luck!

I was able to take my time with it, and went from 3 pumping sessions at work down to none by dropping them one per month after she reached 1 year. If there's any way you can go slower rather than drop all your work pumping at once it may be easier on you.

At that point I still was able to feed up till 20 months at bedtime and in the morning (I dropped the night in the normal course of things, but had to drop the morning when I got sick and needed antibiotics).

I think as long as you want to, you can keep those feedings. Now that she is eating solid foods, she can get more of her calories there, so even if your milk decreases a bit, she's probably fine. If you're concerned about the nutritional difference, you can ask your pediatrician. But in any case you'll still have good bonding time. No reason you can't continue those feedings.

Good luck!

Hi K.,

Congratulations on breastfeeding your baby for 8 months. I am concerned about your inability to pump at work. Did your employer make you stop? What state do you live in?

To answer your question - your milk supply is dependent upon the amount of stimulation at your breasts. Therefore, you body will continue to produce milk for your baby at bedtime and in the mornings. However, it is possible to build up to a full milk supply.

I would love to help you exclusively breastfeed your baby but I do need a bit more information. Please contact me through my website.

Take care, K..

~L., MA, RD, IBCLC
Registered Dietitian and Lactation Consultant
www.VirtualBreastfeedingHelp.com

I've been nursing 2x a day for about 9m now, no problems, amazing what your body can do, keep it up.

I stopped pumping when my son was a year old and just nurse him now at night...my milk is all but gone. He still nurses although I don't know why! I know there's something still there because I can hear him swallowing and about the half the time I get a letdown. But I can tell it's mostly gone. My boobs have gone down in size, nipples are back to pre-baby size and I finally got my period back. I'm even wearing my old bras again! It all happened pretty fast for me...I'm hoping he naturally weans himself at night pretty soon...ready for my boobs to be my own again!

Good luck!
-M

Maybe ask a Lactation Consultant about it... and how/what you can do.

Your milk will probably decrease, but only to adjust to you not pumping. With my older daughter, I went back to work when she was 4.5 months old and only nursed in the morning and at night. It didn't take long for my supply to decrease to that amount so that I wasn't bursting during the day. I think I pumped at work all of one time with my older daughter and once with the twins. My job just isn't cut out for being attached to a pump and needing to respond to an emergency. I did make sure to wear pads so that I wouldn't leak through (I'm in law enforcement and don't think that'd look too swift in my uniform!). I had twins 10 months ago and am also nursing just once or twice a day. It depends on the babies and when they demand it. My neighbor, whose baby just turned one, was surprised that I still had milk. Why, I have no idea. If you keep nursing, you keep producing. I nursed my oldest until just over a year when she self-weaned. My son can take it or leave it, but my baby girl needs to nurse to go to sleep and often gets up once at night to nurse...which is fine by me! They were in the NICU for 12 days each and really didn't catch on to nursing until they were 8 weeks old, so I want to cherish every moment I can while nursing them.

The amount will appropriately decrease to the twice p/ day for as long as you wish to breast feed her. Its amazing how the body adjusts. Good for you for continuing that sweet time with her.

J.

Hi K., I had the same concerns as you a few months ago. I went back to work when my girl was 6 months old and pumped until she was a year. She is 14 months now. I was really looking forward to being able to stop pumping, but wanted to BF morning and before bed. I gradually cut out the daytime pumping/nursing (like stopped one session every few days until I was only doing morning/night). I had heard that your body will adjust, and mine totally did. I have enough milk for her morning and night (and before naps on weekends), but don't have too much or too little. I've been doing this schedule for two months and everything is going fine. I'm going to continue until she's 18 months old in April to get through the cold/flu season. Good luck!

The pump quit working on my breasts right around 9 months and I was able to continue breastfeeding in the morning and before bed with my son until he was one (when we both were ready to move on). So, yes, your breasts should continue to produce enough for as long as you're doing it. Keep up the good work!

I had the same problem, and you shouldn't feel guilty or bad for it. For me, it was just too much of a hassle to pump at work and I couldn't do it very fast anyway; it just wasn't worth the stress and hassle to me... I still nursed morning and night with no problems. After using up any frozen/stored milk, just give her formula. She might fight/resist at first, but she'll come around if she's hungry. My daughter fought it but she didn't starve!

At almost 11mo, I weaned to only morning nursing and bottles at lunch and night (she switched to 3x a day at around 10 months). My boobs have now shrunk back to pre-prego size, but still successfully nursing in the mornings! (My daughter is 11.5mo now)

Don't stress over it if you can avoid it (I think stress can hurt production). Good luck!

My sons self weaned to 1-2 nursings per day and this went on for MONTHS. After baby #1 was totally weaned at 16 months, I had milk for another 6 months. With baby #2, I was already pregnant when I totally weaned him...so there was no more milk, or at least not enough to really notice.

You will continue to produce milk as long as you latch your little girl. The amount will decrease, but remember you make milk on demand and your baby will be full from solids and therefore not need you to produce as much. I did the same with my daughter and she continued to nurse for quite some time. Good luck and enjoy your little girl.