How Do I Know When My Milk Has Dried Up?

T.:

you should be prepared to pump while you are away so that you do not get mastitis...

"drying up" does not happen over night, it is a slow process and every mother is different.

babies breastfeed for many other reasons than the "milk" so that may not be a good indicator of milk being or not being in the breast.

warmly,

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

My daughter is almost a year and about a month ago I went out of town for three days... almost the same situation as you (BFing about twice a day, when pumping I only get an ounce or two). I pumped once or twice a day while gone and offered her the breast when I got back and she took it without a problem. After that I started taking a nursing tea that I found at Whole Foods and that helped my production a lot too.

Not likely. When your body has been making milk for a long time it doesn't dry up that quick. Pumping outcome isn't an accurate way to tell how much you are making. You can probably stop pumping during the day if you want to and you will still make milk in the morning and night for feedings. Baby usually will be fussy if there isn't any milk, will nurse with the quick mouth movements trying ot get milk to let down and you won't ever hear any swallowing etc. Would be great if you could keep nursing him. Why buy more formula? It is best for him.

you are right to want to keep nursing through the cold anf flu season. sick babies wont eat but will nurse which is why breast fed kids dont end up hospitalized as much as formula fed. I nurse my child and left for three days. you just need to slightly pump (not a ton just stimulae he breast the 2 times you normally would nurse) when you get back your milk may be a tad lower but it will return to normal after your child nurses for a few days. you will not completely dry up

this is my first time nursing my son..(the first two didnt work out)...and i just dont think it will happen that fast.....but while you are away try to make time to pump...and youll be sure to not dry up.....( what a horrible phrase.) :o(

But good luck......im scared when my son turn 1yr (9mo now) cause thats when i will start to wean him and i dont know where to start........

If you are nursing 2x/day and pump still, I would most definitely definitely plan on pumping while you're out of town. You can pump and dump, and can probably just do it morning and night, but YOU will be very uncomfortable if you don't!!! I've done a bunch of trips of this length with my still-nursing daughter and it's not very inconvenient to just pump and dump (you don't even need to clean your parts). Plus, chances are your little guy will be thrilled to have you back when you return, and will want to nurse.

I had a similar issue- I wouldn't get much from the pump, but my daughter would nurse happily. My lac consultant told me that even the best pump can't get the milk out like a baby can! So even if you aren't seeing it in the pump, your baby is getting it. I would really try to keep it up through the winter, it really will help keep him healthy. (Last year, when we were nursing, she had maybe 2 colds the whole winter. This year, she's already had 2, and it's only October!)
While you are away, pump to keep yourself comfortable, but not to empty your breast, your production should stay where it is. Remember, the more you nurse, the more you will produce, so when you get back you might want to try and nurse a few more times often than normal.
I weaned her about a week before her bday. We were at two times a day and I stopped cold turkey because I had a nipple infection and it was just too painful to let her suck. It was uncomfortable for about 2 days, but nothing serious. Good luck!

You could probably find some very good answers to your questions on the following websites...

http://www.llli.org/
http://kellymom.com//
http://forum.kellymom.net/

My suggestions for you would include.... to pump twice a day while you are gone--if possible at approximately the same times of the day that you would be nursing at home.

I also suggest that you use a Medela pump, since I think that they are the brand usually preferred by midwives and lactation consultants as the most effective. So I would suggest renting one if you don't have one--the electric kind that working mothers tend to buy (Pump n Style).
www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breast-pumps

I also suggest that each time that you pump, you pump on both sides simultaneously, since that seems to be the more effective way to keep up your milk supply (more effective than pumping one side at a time)

I also suggest that when you get back home you spend at least 48 hours doing the plan for increasing your milk supply, and that is to eat more, drink more, rest more, and nurse more.

Here are some other ideas for increasing your milk supply when you get back...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t022800.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/bf29.asp

If your milk supply does decrease while you are gone, you can consider using some of these ideas to increase the milk supply...

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBrelactation.html

I do suggest that when you get back, you offer him the breast, and if he refuses it, I suggest that you follow the LLL suggestions for "a nursing strike", which is a situation that babies and toddlers can go through and still come out the other side nursing, if the mother follows certain suggestions.

http://www.llli.org/search?cx=012805113672795732671%3A72a...

I also suggest that you do things to help him through his grieving process while you are gone, so that he might be less likely to have a nursing strike when you come back....like calling him a couple of times a day, leaving a recording of your voice for him to listen to any time that he wishes while you are gone (perhaps including lullabies that you sing to him at night or nap time), leaving breastmilk behind for him to have in a bottle (perhaps at the same time as he's listening to your recording), and perhaps leaving a t-shirt that you've slept in for a few nights for him to smell and sleep with while you are gone, and perhaps leaving some small item with him to "take care of" for you while you are gone, and anything else that you can think of that might help him to feel connected with you and reassured that you will come back. You and others can probably come up with many other ideas to help him to feel connected with you and hopeful that you still exist and will come back very soon, with some kind of way to communicate that to him on a level that he can understand.

Best wishes,
J.