Am I starting to dry up?

[cparks1]

My LO is almost 3 months and I have been breast feeding him this whole time. I got to where I was pumping 4-5 ounces (both sides combined) at each pumping. Just the other day until now, I am lucky to pump 3 ounces at each pumping. I pump at work at 9:00am, 11:00 am then go feed my LO at 12:00 pm on my lunch break, then pump again at 3:00 pm. I'm starting to worry that I am drying up. I have also realized that I haven't really been drinking water that much and I don't know if that has anything to do with it. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank You.

 

[1st_baby]

I found this was happening to me too since I stopped BF often now he only gets it 2 x a day if im lucky ..the rest i manually express and Ive noticed a decrease in my milk ..and yes water is a big factor in the milk making

 

[marley2580]

Your supply has probably regulated, meaning you're not making milk automatically anymore but making it as the baby feeds. It happened to me and I now can't get more than one or two oz when expressing yet I'm almost fully feeding a 10 month old, so I've got plenty of milk.

 

[cparks1]

Your supply has probably regulated, meaning you're not making milk automatically anymore but making it as the baby feeds. It happened to me and I now can't get more than one or two oz when expressing yet I'm almost fully feeding a 10 month old, so I've got plenty of milk.

It's weird because I'm not getting as much as I used to out when I pump, but when he feeds on me he seems satisfied. I guess that is all that matters. I have just been combining the bottles I pump into one bag and freezing them for daycare use. I'm just afraid of not being able to produce like I have been. I don't want him on formula yet (if I can help it). Besides, if he goes on formula, I will be crushed because I will miss the bonding we have. I'm drinking water like crazy today and I will force myself to drink as much as I can so maybe that will help (I hope so).

Thanks for the responses.

 

[marley2580]

My sister was never able to express enough for her son's bottles so she used formula for them, but she continued to breast feed him until he was 16 months so kept the bonding.

 

[shanegem]

I think this problem is quite common, it seems the more you get into breastfeeding, the less some people can express. I'm not sure why. I wonder if the hindmilk - foremilk changes as hindmilk is harder to get out than foremilk. Baby should still be satisfied as they are much better at getting milk out than a breast pump. This is probably no help to you as you need to express for baby to feed in the day. Just try to relax when pumping, keep a photo of baby with you for when you pump, it should help you relax.
But dont worry that your milk is drying up, it won't be xxx