baby sleeping all night my supply seems almost gone?

my son is 8 months and has been sleeping from 8-4-7am before he wants to eat  for the past 2-3 weeks, my supply seems like it is almost gone! I have been a exclusive pumpers since he was 3 months as he only nursed at night, but now I get hardly nothing, since he has not been nursing in the middle of  the night ??? can it re establish or do I need to start the weaning to complete formula???

[meiram]

You could probably do either at this point, but will have to decide soon.  If you wanted to stimulate your supply, you could get up and pump once at night.  I was also in your shoes, and my supply went down very quickly once dd didn't get up in the night to nurse.

[tahariel]

You may want to consult with a certified lactation consultant, they would have the expertise to help you figure out the best way to proceed. Best wishes.

[tiredbuthappy]

when are you pumping and how long?

it seems everyone's optimal pumping frequency is different. i was able to get away with going all night after 5 months or so, but others need to keep getting up. i would wake up HUGE and full and would pump 15-18 ounces during that AM pump. are you not getting much all day, or only during the night? if you've made it this far, your supply is obviously decent and you respond well to the pump. i'm willing to bet that you would be able to get your supply back up if you increased the length of each pump or if you added an extra. of course it'll take work. weaning is an option if you feel you are ready. what you've done so far is a huge accomplishment and you should be so proud that you gave your little breast milk for so long. good luck either way!

[azqtpies]

Thank you all responses! I pump every 5 hrs, during the day! I used to wake up full too in  the mornings if he had went a long  time in feedings but not anymore that was only the first week maybe!.

It seems my body quickly responded to him not eating or needing the night milk, I used to get 9-11oz in the am after him feeding in the night now I only get 3oz in the am , when I pump during the day I get 2-4 oz every pump I used to get 6oz every 4hrs.

I thought I would be done bf'n by now, but for some odd reason I feel so gulity to stop! I have been giviing him 2 formula bottles a day since 6 1/2 months to make the transition easier on his system, but I think its me that maybe is not ready! Though I am! weird? It is so much work to pump all day and have been since he was 2 1/2 mo, as he would not nurse during the day.

Has any one ever felt like this?
He is 21 lbs and very healthy.... I certainly dont want to get up in the middle of the night and pump as I am so sleep deprived from not sleeping all  night for sooo long!   This is such a hard decision, as I never thought it would be? I bf my last baby till 4mo and never had such a hard time myself with the transition. I will give it a couple more weeks he will be 9 mo and see how  things go? thanks ladies

  

[tiredbuthappy]

what you are feeling is completely normal... i struggled with the decision to wean for a long time. one thing i finally realized was that i was going to have these conflicting emotions no matter when i decided to stop. it's not like a baby who self-weans so part of the decision is made by the child- it is all on you. you wonder if you are being selfish in wanting to stop.

for me, circumstances helped make my decision. i was already back at work and doing ok pumping, but had to go back to school too. i was exhausted from spending 3 hours a day pumping in addition to the time i spent feeding, etc... since DD was older and needed more entertainment, finding the time was hard. while i was meeting her nutritional needs, i felt like i was sometimes not enjoying her fully. trying to entertain a baby while pumping is hard! and when i was down to 3 sessions a day, i had to pump up to an hour each time to fully empty. plus, since the AAP recommends breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life, i felt like i had at least reached that milestone.

if you're not ready to wean completely, you can try to do partial. someone i worked with was barely able to get anything by pumping, but continued to pump just enough to give her daughter a bottle of EBM a day for the immune benefits. but no matter what you decide, you have provided for him in the most important months! anything extra is great, but he's off to a wonderful start.

[azqtpies]

Thank you for the words of wisdom and support! I really needed to hear that. I do feel selfish when I think about giving in, and I keep going on more month! Like now he has direarra for the past two days I think goodness if he had no bm he would really get sick.

I keep telling myslef wow I have made it this far almost 9 months... I am still pumping and getting about 12oz a day so it something for him.  For now I am just winging it, but i hate  how the guilty feelings kicks in. Again thank you for the kind words!