Aside from pumping, how can you tell if milk supply is decreasing?

[Maia&Lia]

Lately my daughter (8 months) has been waking up 2-3x a night to nurse. It definitely is not related to a growth spurt and does not happen daily. According to Tracy's book, if a baby wakes up at odd times then it is due to hunger instead of habit. I'm trying to figure out...is she really hungry or is she comfort nursing? If she is hungry, is my supply decreasing? I do not pump because Maia does not take a bottle so I have no idea how much milk I would typically produce during a pumping session to figure out a yield. Does anyone have any other suggestion on how I can figure out if it is a milk supply problem or if it is habit?

Thanks!
-Alessia

[momtoelise]

Does she take full feedings when she does wake in the night?  If so, it's possible she is hungry & I would look at her eating during the day.  When she nurses in the day do you feel the milk let down or notice a difference in how your breasts feel after she eats?  How much is she eating for solids?  If she's not taking full feedings in the night, it may be that something else is waking her & she's not going back to sleep on her own, separation anxiety kicking in, or other developmental issues.

I hope things get better soon - I know it's hard to not know & to question your supply!!

[GraceKellysmom]

Around 8 months, my ds started waking more. He wasn't eating that great during the day, and he was learned to crawl. Developmental things can cause them to wake at night, and they act like the are starving and only the breast will do.

I went with it, and fed him twice a night for a while. He stopped doing it.

Another option is not to feed at night. Find a different way to get her back to sleep. She'll eat more during the day.

[JacobMarksMummy]

I just wanted to add that pumping isnt really a great guide to the amount of milk you supply for alot of women. When I used to pump milk for DS's baby rice I was lucky if I could get an ounce and I knew I was producing more than this as DS would gulp milk down for nearly twenty mins when he nursed. HTH

Nome
X

[Maia&Lia]

Thanks ladies for your replies.

I actually made it a huge point to drink lots of water over the past week or so and have found that I am definitely engorged more. It doesn't seem that she is eating for any longer of a period of time though.

I've decided to see what would happen if I tried to night wean. I've slowly been cutting down on the amount of time that she nurses when she wakes. We're currently at 2 minutes and she is doing okay with it. I have a feeling that we'll be trying to cut out nursing completely within the next few weeks. We'll see.

I definitely agree that getting a good sense of your milk supply can be futile with the pump. I almost never let down for it...unless my daughter is sitting in front of me wimpering. Go figure.

Also, yes...I constantly feel my milk let-down when she nurses at night. There is no doubt that she was eating...the question was--does she need to? Was my milk supply dropping and resulting in more frequent nursings. I've come to the conclusion, it wasn't.

Anyway, I'm rambling (we were up 6x last night with the little one). I'm exhausted and need some rest. Thanks again for your replies.

-Alessia