9 month slump--universal?

[@llli*joshuas.mommy]

Hi, my DS is 7 months and I work about 30-35 hours/week. I breastfeed when at home and pump at work. So far, I've had a mild oversupply and can usually pump about 6 oz/day above what he needs.

Anyway, I keep hearing that there is this 'slump' with pumping around 9 months where most women start to have trouble pumping enough to keep up with their babies. This has happened to two friends of mine around the 9 month mark and I've heard about it a lot on here, as well. I'm just wondering if this is universal and happens to everyone, or if some are lucky and don't have this problem? I am a planner by nature and am already beginning to worry about what will happen if my supply drops at 9 months...I have some milk stored in the freezer, about 100 oz, but am wondering if I should work on storing more (I have plenty extra I could freeze, the issue is just with freezer space. Also I have excess lipase and though I scald my milk before I freeze it I'm not sure how long it will really last and if milk I freeze now will still be okay in 2 months). So, does this happen to almost everybody or just to some people? How common a problem is the 9 month slump? How much did your supply drop, if you experienced it? I'd like to think the fact that I'm pumping extra at this point will give me a buffer if my supply does drop, but I don't know how much of a drop to expect.

Thanks in advance!

[@llli*mommal]

I don't think there are any universals when it comes to breastfeeding. There's always an exception, and maybe it will be you! But I do think that if you have some extra right now, and you're a planner, and you're willing to invest time and energy, it might make sense to buy a small freezer and build a little stash in addition to what's in your freezer. And if you don't need it... You can always donate and make someone out there very, very happy.

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

I don't know. There is a point at which the pumping just becomes annoying. It started taking longer to get the same amount of milk out, I had to add sessions back in, etc. I think it was around 9 months with both my daughters. I was always aiming for 12 ounces with Lilah and 16 ounces for a while with Beatrix. Lilah never really drank more than 8 ounces, so I dropped down to two pumping sessions a day with her at 10 months, I think. With Beatrix, I was getting 12 to 16 ounces out for a long time with only two pumping sessions, but had to up it to three for the last two or three months. I don't know if I couldn't handle pumping long enough at those two sessions anymore, if I was getting too accustomed to the pump, or what. I was kicking myself for dropping my production, I wished I could just quit pumping and feed her frozen milk for the remainder of the first 12 months. But, I stuck it out and never had to use formula.

I think you will be fine. Don't expect it, just because others have dealt with it.

[@llli*scienceteachermommy]

With DD, I was on summer break so I wasn't pumping. With DS1 the 9 month slump happened with a vengeance right at the point that he decided that he really wanted to eat a lot. I blew through my freezer stash. I ended up going to formula. I have always wondered if I would have made it if I had the help of these nice ladies. With DS2, I never had a problem. The only times that I had a temporary (few days at most) was when I needed to change the membranes and when AF came back.

To sum up, it doesn't always happen. Remember that women come here with problems, not necessarily when things are going well.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Yeah, I don't know anyone it hasn't happened to unless they are pumping 8 times a day, literally. Interestingly enough, I was reading in a book some years ago that nursing mothers often notice a slump or where their fertility seems to be returning at 9 months, and the solution was to take a nursing vacation, focus on breastfeeding again and increase supply tht way. So it may be a universal issue for all moms, just one that a lot of moms don't really notice if they arent pumping.

At 9 months, pumping is annoying. I was pumping 6 times a day and it was still tough. My baby wasn't eating a lot of solids. He wanted to eat 4 oz of milk every 2 hours, but pumping that often was not compatible with our busy family life. I'd deliberately cut my supply in half since my freezer was full. I struggled to keep up for a couple weeks.

I would plan to have an extra bottle stored to get me through a month. If you need it, fine. If you don't, you can always give it in a cup later.

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

It's not universal, but it's fairly common to feel like things get harder in those last few months of the first year. I think it's best to be forewarned that it's common so that you don't freak out if it happens to you! Like you, I had oversupply, and making enough milk came really easily to me for a long time. But towards the end of the first year, I started to let things slide a bit and not make time for pumping as much (because I was getting a little burned out on it), and my pump was getting old and worn out, so I did have a "slump" although it was nothing a little more diligent pumping and some new pump parts couldn't address. Anyway, it may not be an issue for you at all, but if it is, it's something you can get through, never fear.

[@llli*katebrownrn]

It just happened to me. I had to rent a pump so I could add a pumping session at home( I use the pulp at work so I don't own one). This has helped but I still don't pump what I was pumping before the "9 month slump".