13: Milk Supply - Maintaining, Upping and Drying Up After The First Year of Breastfeeding

"Mama, there's no milk" 

Sweet little eyes looking up at you, frustrated after unlatching from your breast, the same one they have been nursing at for years.  

You feel a sense of dread and grief wash over you. 

Is this it?  Have you dried up?!


In this episode of Start to Stop Toddler Breastfeeding, I cover everything you have ever wanted to know about milk supply after the first year of breastfeeding. 

Come with me on a deep dive into how your breasts begin and end making milk!  You will leave with the confidence to know how to navigate building up supply as an extended breastfeeder, combat dips in milk supply, and understand how your milk will dry up when you are ready to wean. 

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

Transcript

[00:00:00] I am coming at you from my sister's house today. They recently moved into their home, so I'm in their upstairs, which is currently uninhabited by the occupants of the house. They don't really do too much up here. So it's generally quiet, but they have a couple dogs and you may hear some dogs. My kids are downstairs playing with their cousin, hanging out with my sister, so it's possible you'll hear some background noise.

[00:00:26] I also share this because. You know, like real [00:00:30] life, real talk. I homeschool my kids. I run a business from my house. My husband also runs a business from our house. I have a d h D. It is tough sometimes to just do simple things, to keep my house running, to have time to record this podcast, do the things I need to do, and I'm not always sure that we're honest enough about that.

[00:00:54] As moms I know we can talk about. Our kind of like internal [00:01:00] guilt in these kinds of pieces, but also just the reality that like if you walk into my house 95% of the time, there's very likely to be snacks out somewhere. A box of markers tipped over and like markers splayed about, and probably some clothes on the floor, there's probably a counter that has some clutter on it.

[00:01:22] 1000%. There are dishes either on the counter or in the sink. At any point. I am in my house like all the [00:01:30] time, right? Like this is just the reality. And I say that because, you know, this week I went to a friend's house and you know, we kind of went over there last minute. Our, my daughter's best friends with her daughter, and it's like, Ooh, like it's last minute.

[00:01:44] I didn't expect to people over. So like, my house isn't very clean. And then, you know, I go to client's houses and like they're apologetic because of like the way that their house looks. And it literally just looks lived in by a family, particularly a family with young kids. [00:02:00] And so, honestly, if you feel. A bit ashamed of your home, or maybe your home runs pretty smoothly and is nice, but like you feel like, you know, it takes a lot of work, like you're not crazy.

[00:02:16] Okay. Also, yes, there's lots of resources I can recommend and my A D H G brain just wants to hop around to all of those things. But I just wanted to be honest and real about that today because I, I'm not always sure that I, on this podcast, I'm just like [00:02:30] open about, I feel ashamed of my house sometimes.

[00:02:33] Truth, truthfully, these things are just real and working through it. Right. But I also just wanna be like open and real about that because Yeah, like maybe you do too. Anyway, that was my soapbox for the moment. Today's topic is actually about milk supply and this kind of relates because I do go to client's homes and I kind [00:03:00] of mentioned that, that like often when I go into client's homes, You know, struggling.

[00:03:05] Well, not even struggling, they, their, their home just looks lived in, you know, like there's activities, there's things out that, like, things are not pristine. It doesn't look like a museum or like a hotel, like, you know, lobby or something. Like, because guess what? You're just living in your house. Right.

[00:03:21] Anyway, so my point is I go to people's homes and I go to people's homes generally for in-home lactation visits [00:03:30] that. More often than not a baby that is under four months old. Sometimes these babies are super fresh and super cute and sometimes it's a little bit older. But in these consults I am talking about like with moms, about milk supply, about latch, about, you know, all of those pieces.

[00:03:48] The really practical stuff that of course we think of when we think of breastfeeding. And I'm really glad that I can still continue to do that, that I still continue to do these home visits because [00:04:00] these visits cause me to continue to work on my skills to continue to get more education about these essential pieces of, of lactation because they really continue to translate into toddler breastfeeding.

[00:04:18] They absolutely do. I see moms all the time on Facebook groups you know, on Instagram saying like, okay, my toddler just latched and they said there was no milk. [00:04:30] I must be drying up. This is the end of our breastfeeding relationship. You know, what do I do? And then I look in the comments and there's all these people that are like, you have to start pumping and you have to start doing these things.

[00:04:40] And. You know, translating essentially what you would tell a mom of maybe a three month old who's struggling with supply into the mom with a three-year-old. Now, yes, there are things that follow through, like the, the way that milk is produced [00:05:00] it's not always the same. Like there's pieces, like there's timeframes where things are a little bit different, but like, generally speaking, once you're producing mature milk, like that, that's just always gonna continue to happen that way.

[00:05:10] So there are pieces that are very like, you know, consistent and. And yet there are big differences between milk supply in, you know, day five postpartum and year five postpartum. So it's important to understand that, and a lot of times as well, we kinda have picked up myths from our [00:05:30] early breastfeeding experiences, just from our lack of education, right?

[00:05:32] I've talked about this before, but we don't have this breastfeeding knowledge. It depends on where you are in the world. We are now, I should say, my podcast has, this podcast has been out for almost three months now, and it is being listened to in every continent and almost 40 countries around the world, over 400 cities around the world.

[00:05:52] People are listening to those podcasts and it's super exciting. Anyway, so. Perhaps you live in an area where their breastfeeding is [00:06:00] still valued and sacred, and the knowledge has been continued to be passed down through generations. And so there isn't as much of a you know, this knowledge deficit or gap, but likely you live in an area where breastfeeding isn't the norm.

[00:06:16] You know, I've said before in Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada, where I live, you know, our breastfeeding rates are dismal. We have the lowest breastfeeding rates in the province. At, you know, six months, only 16% of babies [00:06:30] are are breastfed. So the majority of babies are not, which means that the information that we get can often be incorrect, right?

[00:06:38] Because the people around us don't really know because it's not really the cultural norm anymore. So sometimes we pick up these myths well intended, but you. For example, something I might hear somebody say is like, I drank a lot of water today, so I should have more milk supply. With this idea, kind of an erroneous connection that, you know, the amount of liquid that you consume, it [00:07:00] directly correlates to the amount of milk that you produce, which isn't, it's not the case, but it's something that I see moms pick up a lot.

[00:07:07] Or even just that, you know, the type of food that you're eating is going to affect your baby in different ways. And these things are just actually not true. So in this podcast episode, I wanna talk about milk supply. I wanna talk about what it means to dry up when you're breastfeeding and like when to be concerned as an extended [00:07:30] breastfeeding mom or a mom breastfeeding an older baby or toddler that your milk has dried up.

[00:07:35] When you need to think about that and what things you can do to support yourself, if that's the. And when it's likely not actually the case and what else might actually be going on. So that's a lot to cover, and I'm already like seven minutes into this podcast. Sorry for being rambly today, guys. Y'all love me, right?

[00:07:53] Okay. First, let's just put on our science hats for like a minute. And just [00:08:00] imagine I've got this nice big chalkboard here and I've got my, you know, pointer stick. We're gonna start with a little science lesson about the way that your body develops to produce breast milk. So it actually begins at about four weeks gestation.

[00:08:17] And when, I mean four weeks gestation, I mean, when you were at four weeks gestation inside of your parents' belly womb, when you were. Like when you were an [00:08:30] embryo. Okay. And that's when these things called milk streaks form and they like stretch across the abdomen to the groin. It's this tiny little thing.

[00:08:38] You're just a little heartbeat on a screen, right? At four weeks. So that's actually when. The cells are, are there, and things start to differentiate around 12 weeks where those cells, those milk streaks, start to turn into different hearts of the anatomy, like your nipples and your areola and all of these things [00:09:00] at again, inside of the womb at 12 weeks.

[00:09:04] And then, You continue to develop right as you're going through gestating inside of the womb and sex hormones from the parents. Placenta actually cause the chest of the newborn to grow larger and produce colostrum even themselves. And this happened actually with my daughter when they're born.

[00:09:24] Sometimes they actually have little like milk buds and they like are, they have little. [00:09:30] Like little drops of milk that can appear on their little, little newborn nipples. So that happened to you. That's when your body started to develop what you are now using to feed your CH child and your, your chest.

[00:09:42] Your breast tissue continues to develop throughout even your earliest childhood experiences, but everything really gets kicked up a notch in early adolescence around, you know, age 10 ish or. Generally just before puberty. And the [00:10:00] crazy thing is, so like that's when things start to grow a little bit.

[00:10:02] And then once you hit puberty, your body actually begins building new parts inside of your chest every single ovulatory cycle. So, Every time you have like ovulate and ha like menstruate, new structures are being built inside of your, your breast, your chest at like new pieces are growing and, and changing.

[00:10:26] Up until eight, like your mid thirties, about age 35 ish, [00:10:30] things continue to build and grow, but your breasts actually never finished developing until you become. That is when your milk making, you know, pieces actually become fully functional. Okay? So if you never are pregnant, then your breasts, you know, never fully finished developing in that sense.

[00:10:52] As far as like making making milk goes. So that's something called mammo [00:11:00] Genesises. So that is when your mam glands are developing and growing and changing. And again, it begins when you were at embryo and continues on until your mid thirties. And it's just really wild for me to think like every single time you had an you know, ovulated, like new parts of your breasts were being built.

[00:11:17] And then when you're. You'll notice that there's physical changes that happen to your breast because again, structures are being built and things are coming into form and shape, and it's getting all ready to go, and you will [00:11:30] start producing milk during pregnancy, and we'll get to that in a moment.

[00:11:35] But what can be interesting to think about here is the fact that there is so much. Like happening throughout your life that you likely didn't consider. Right? That can impact the way that your breast develops. So if there was like a traumatic injury you know, an adolescence in particular, or sometimes even things like hormonal birth control that can change your hormones that are.[00:12:00] 

[00:12:00] Actually, of course, influencing your ovulation and influencing the way that your breasts are developing, sometimes that can impact your ability to breastfeed down the line. Your ability for your bodies to produce milk, right? Like for those milk ducks and for everything to start working. Like as it was intended to, as your body was developing, the, the actual, you know, outcome that could have happened, might have gotten stopped or like, you know, interfered with at a certain point.

[00:12:29] So [00:12:30] that's something that like in a lactation consult that, you know, somebody would be looking into that history and sometimes people don't know why we ask about. You know, adolescent experiences or when they were on birth control as a teenager or these pieces. But it's, it can be really important. So that's something called mammo jenesis.

[00:12:48] And it's very fascinating to me. But let's move on to lactose genesises. So mammo genesises is in, you know, building of the mam glands. And then we've got like, you know, the whole, the whole [00:13:00] deal, the building of the, the breast. And then we've got lactose genesises, which is like the creation of the milk.

[00:13:05] And of course I'm breathing over a lot of things and there's a lot of technical stuff that's very fascinating to. I'm not gonna get into that for you guys today. I'll just blow your minds with just a little bit of science. So there's lact, Genesises, like stage one, which begins around your second trimester.

[00:13:22] Two and goes through until about day two-ish postpartum where your body is creating [00:13:30] colostrum. So I know you've been breastfeeding for long enough, you know about colostrum, but just for a very quick recap and because I find this very, very interesting. There are like cells inside of the walls of.

[00:13:45] Express, like the ducks and whatnot. There's more technical terms, but I'll keep it at that, that for right now, that during this time they're actually a little bit open and they, the, they, everything begins to swell with colostrum and it [00:14:00] actually allows. A different amount of protein and antibodies, different things to enter into the milk duct where the milk is being created.

[00:14:09] So that's why colostrum is actually different than mature milk. It's because the walls are a little loose, so they actually allow bigger cells to pass through. And this can also and, and it's perfect for your baby. This is what your baby needs. It's just so wild how the body does. You know, and the way that it does that is by these cells kind of like loosening in order for [00:14:30] that stuff that needs to pass through to pass through.

[00:14:34] And this can also mean that certain medications might not be safe. To breastfeed with during that time, but maybe safe later and vice versa because of the way that stuff passes through. It's very interesting. But that's when your body starts to create colostrum and again, chorus. Wonderful. But then they, we have this lactis too.

[00:14:53] So this next stage where there's this really fast drop in progesterone levels [00:15:00] Caused by the placenta detaching from the wall of the uterus. So when that placenta detaches, we have, you know, the progesterone levels drop and a whole bunch of other hormones rise, and it causes the sh the shift in the volume of milk that is created as well as it causes those cellular walls to tighten.

[00:15:23] And we have this tight junction that happens and it changes the milk from being that [00:15:30] yellow, like thick honey or like, or thin honey, sorry consistency to this more yellowish white mature milk that's increasing in volume. And so that tends to happen for, you know, about a week or so that you had this kind of transition period.

[00:15:47] This is a really Important time because if milk removal is not sufficient during this Lactogen two, so we have the stage from, you know, about two days postpartum for that week, [00:16:00] then you know engorgement is likely to occur. So that's when you know breasts swell. Then there's lots of other tissue in your breast and fluids in your breasts, aside from just milk.

[00:16:10] But it can cause engorgement and. If that engorgement isn't moved right, if the removal's not happening, then what will happen is the milk will revert from mature milk back to colostrum. So that is kind of like drying up, right? Like that, that that's happening. [00:16:30] And then we have lactate genesises three.

[00:16:31] So we have that creation of colostrum. Then we. Transition milk and then we have mature milk. So hormones are still really important, right? Remember how in NetGenesis two, it's those hormonal changes that are causing the milk volume to increase and it's causing, you know, the cell wall to tighten up and it's causing all these changes.

[00:16:48] What happens in Lact Genesises three is that the breasts become they, they run kind of more autonomously. There's still hormonal changes that are like, that [00:17:00] influence things. It's still a factor, but more or less we transition into this supply and demand phase. So it's at this phase where, you know, the amount of milk that you remove is the amount of milk that your body makes, right?

[00:17:14] Like it becomes this kind of system, generally speaking. And so the way that the body, it's you. The way that it's being stimulated to remove the milk is important, right? So the, the latch has to be effective, right? The baby has to be able to draw the milk, could [00:17:30] transfer the milk in order for it to be removed, right?

[00:17:34] In order for you to produce more milk. So sometimes what can happen is that like, as this hormonal shift is, is changing and it's shifting from being hormonally driven to Supply and demand driven. There can be like ine inefficient removal of milk, which can kind of be hidden because like the hormones are still driving it to some degree.

[00:17:53] So like things can look okay and then it can suddenly kind of like drop off when the body really switches into supply and demand. So that's [00:18:00] something that can happen. But that once that happens and things are switched into supply and demand and your supply becomes more and more established over time.

[00:18:09] Remember how I said before, if within two weeks. If your milk removal isn't like effective, it's going to switch back to colostrum. But then we have this last phase of pathogenesis, which is called involution, and that is when. Essentially remember how your breast is like putting in all of these, building in all of these [00:18:30] structures with every ovulatory cycle you know, as you're aging and then you hit pregnancy and now things are actually getting built to produce milk, right?

[00:18:38] Like really produce milk involution is when those milk making pieces start to kind of die off. Like the structures are no longer there, it doesn't need to be there. And that actually takes about 40 days. To happen on average, and some women still produce, they're able to produce milk for months or [00:19:00] years afterwards.

[00:19:01] It's hand express and a little milk comes out. Right. This is such a critical understanding for us, as, you know, full term toddler breastfeeding moms for a lot of different reasons. Number one is that if your milk dips a little. It's, you're probably not drying up. Right? And of course, if the demand starts to increase, then the milk will come [00:19:30] back and like will be plentiful again.

[00:19:32] You know, obviously barring some things like as long as your hormones haven't changed or things haven't happened, right, like but if it's just a matter of like supply has or demand has decreased. So supply supply has decreased. Increasing demand will increase supply. So that's important to know. So it's unlikely that you've just dried up for no, no good reason.

[00:19:53] In fact, if you have dried up for no good reason, then definitely speak to your doctor because, or, you know, [00:20:00] find a lactation consultant because again, there could be something that happened with your child's melt or latch. There could be something that's happening or there could be something hormonally that's happening that you wanna get investigated.

[00:20:10] Right. So that could happen. Oh, and I also wanna say to you, if you are able to express milk and you're not breastfeeding, that can be a change, like a sign of some hormonal issues or other issues. So, just as a caveat, you know, if you unexpectedly or somebody you know unexpectedly is able to produce milk, [00:20:30] have them see a doctor, just wanna rule some things out because that can, you know, it can be a sign of.

[00:20:36] Something awry in the body. Right? So just putting that out there. And of course, this is not medical advice. I'm not giving you medical advice, I'm just explaining what's happening in the average body as it matures through these phases, right? Of of magenis and lactis. Okay? So we've got this milk structures dying off that take about 40 days.

[00:20:57] So you have a lot of time, right? [00:21:00] So, Let's talk about that child that looks up at you and says, mama, there's no milk. Sometimes your child has gotten used to a decently fast flow, and so it might not have anything to do with your milk supply. You might just have. Like a flow that isn't as fast in that moment.

[00:21:19] And the child is just, if they're old enough to communicate with you, they might just be like, I don't wanna wait for the milk. Right. And it could be that they just breastfed a lot recently and they [00:21:30] came back and they're kind of sleepy and they're like, wait, there's no milk. Or if you're tandem feeding like I am, sometimes another child will have just breastfed a lot.

[00:21:38] And it's not that there's no milk there, it's just that it's not flowing as fast as they would like it to be right then. Right. So the milk's still coming. It's still there, but it's just not as fast as they would like it to be. So that can absolutely happen, in which case, sometimes there are things like teething that can be affecting your [00:22:00] child's latch.

[00:22:01] It could be illness. They could have a stuffy nose. They could have those things going on that you might not even be fully aware of. And actually that is why they're looking up at you and saying, mommy, I don't have, there's no milk here. Right? Another thing could be that you're on your period or you are, you know, soon to be on your period.

[00:22:20] So a lot of times, you know, the hormonal changes can be affecting your milk supply, but this is temporary. So taking [00:22:30] calcium and magnesium for a couple weeks before your period can really help with this. But it might just be a, a. And sometimes, you know, it's just a one-off thing where your child will notice it one during one cycle and not another.

[00:22:46] That can have to do with the fact that your hormones are a bit messy when you're breastfeeding. And the hormonal cycles around your period aren't always consistent. So maybe your supply dips a little more during one period than it did [00:23:00] another. But it again, might not be that you're drying up.

[00:23:03] It could just be like a temporary thing. Another piece can be illness. So generally speaking, a virus itself or being sick itself is unlikely to be the thing that causes your milk supply to dip. But the. Stress from it, which we're gonna talk about stress, but the, you know, if you're not eating well and drinking well and doing those pieces, it could cause your supply to temporarily dip.

[00:23:28] Now, as [00:23:30] I said before, Drinking a whole lot. Lot of water isn't gonna magically make your supply increase. And eating a whole lot of food isn't gonna make your ma your supply magically increase. But not drinking enough water and not eating enough calories can cause your supply to decrease. Like we know that you have to eat about 1800 calories a day in order for your milk supply to.

[00:23:53] Be consistent. So if you're eating less than that, now of course everybody's body is different. This is an average based on studies that were done. [00:24:00] And if you just are a smaller person and you need less calories in a day than. That, you know, it might be a little less for you, but generally speaking, there's a threshold that you need to hit.

[00:24:11] Eating more doesn't necessarily mean more milk. Okay? But of course, when we're ill, sometimes we're not heating enough, right? Like, because we physically can't, you know, and your body's energy is going to other places, so it makes sense that your supply might dip a little bit. Again, this is temporary.

[00:24:28] This is not something that's [00:24:30] gonna last forever. Try to take care of yourself as best as you can in those cases. And of course, when your milk supply starts to decrease, the amount of immunological factors increases. So even if your child's only getting a tiny little bit of milk during that time, especially if you're sick, they are still getting a big dose of the antibodies that are in your body.

[00:24:53] It actually, that's increasing. So the relative dose stays somewhat the same, somewhat consistent. Okay, let's [00:25:00] talk about stress for a moment. So, stress does not decrease your supply, okay? Stress does not decrease your supply. However, oxytocin is what allows or what it, it's a really important hormone in the flow of milk.

[00:25:16] Okay? So, For a letdown to occur, which is when the milk ducks and like essentially there's little muscle spasms, you know, happening, this reflex happening inside of the breast that is causing the milk to flow quickly. Things are getting squeezed, and it's [00:25:30] causing the milk to flow, which means that the child doesn't have to work for it as hard during that time, right?

[00:25:35] Like it's just, it's coming on, on its own. So in order for that to occur, there has to be oxytocin. Oxytocin is what triggers that. Now, when you are stressed out, You're likely not having a ton of oxytocin in your body. Okay? Oxytocin is the love hormone. It's a feel good hormone. It's something you get when you're laughing and looking at cute puppies.

[00:25:57] It's even what you happens when you orgasm. [00:26:00] So if you are not experiencing a ton of oxytocin, It can happen where your milk flows more slowly than it has in the past. This can be a reason why your little kiddo looks up at you and says, Baba, I don't feel the milk. You know, I, I've seen cases where parents are, you know, like a, a breastfeeding parent is going through a separation, or a family member has passed away, or somebody's ill, like, these things are really real and heavy.

[00:26:26] And that is totally valid stress [00:26:30] and it doesn't necessarily mean. Now, of course, over time, if you keep offering less and less because the milk isn't flowing or you're concerned, you're drying up and you're not offering as frequently, or your child just doesn't drink as frequently, yes, that will cause your milk supply to eventually dry up.

[00:26:45] That will cause lactogen stage four involution, where those milk dying struc or milk producing structures start to die off. Right. But again, if you increase supply or increase demand, sorry, the supply will come back. [00:27:00] So we talked about like if it's around your period and it's hormonal, then taking magnesium and possibly calcium for those two weeks before can, can be supportive.

[00:27:10] If you're Ill make sure that you're taking, you know, just take care of yourself, make sure you're eating enough food and drinking enough water. And then if you're stressed, well we gotta get that oxytocin flowing. So, you know, you can do things like mindfulness and practice those pieces. Or you can, you know, put on a, a hilarious movie, like something that's gonna make you laugh.

[00:27:29] [00:27:30] That can be really helpful. Also just. Ah, this is some stress and it's causing the milk to flow a little more slowly. Okay? What can we do to take care of this, right? Because what can happen is if you, if you're worried that you're drying up, that will actually increase your stress and it becomes a vicious cycle.

[00:27:48] So what I encourage a lot of times parents to do, just like you would create a. You know, a birth plan, right? And you kind of, a lot of moms perhaps in the natural birth world [00:28:00] or those kinds of things, you're gonna get the lights and the candles and the essential oils and the music and the affirmations up on the wall, and all of those things try to create like a breastfeeding plan when it comes to, you know this.

[00:28:13] So have a space where you feel. Calm, where you feel supported, where you feel loved, that feels really good for you. This is not a place that you think would be Pinterest worthy, that somebody else would want to do. [00:28:30] This is a place for you and I would encourage you to consider your five senses. So we have, well, we have more than five senses.

[00:28:36] That's another episode. But let's talk about touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell, right? So think of those five things and get one thing. Feels really amazing to you for that sense. So maybe for touch, it's a really plush blanket, right? Or maybe you really enjoy like, you know, a fidget spinner or something in your hands.

[00:28:59] Like, that's [00:29:00] cool. Whatever feels really great for you. Taste. Do you just love some water? Do you love water with lemon? Do you love water with, you know, I don't know, something else? Or do you love a coffee or. Whatever could be, or a snack, something that really you enjoy, you personally a scent that really just you love.

[00:29:21] Is it vanilla? Is it cinnamon? Is it lavender? It doesn't have to be an essential oil. It could be anything like, if you just love the smell of [00:29:30] a deodorant you have, I don't care. Just put that deodorant on right beforehand or keep the stick nearby you. Right. We're engaging that sentence. Oops, I just dropped my phone.

[00:29:37] That was probably loud for you. Or maybe it wasn't, I don't know. Sometimes these block things out. Anyways, getting derailed. I have a D H D. So we went through, you know, The taste and the touch and the smell. So then sound. Do you wanna listen to a podcast? Maybe it's a hilarious one. Maybe it's this one.

[00:29:56] Maybe it'll make you feel really loved. I don't know. [00:30:00] Or maybe it's music, right? Or maybe it's like a white noise, whatever feels really great for you. And then cite, do you wanna look at a picture of, you know, your little. Do you wanna just embrace your small one, like in your arms right there and just maybe the smell is just the smell of their hair, right?

[00:30:19] Maybe your touch is just the touch of their skin and their hair, like, that's okay too. Or maybe you wanna watch something hilarious on TV right now, of course, we've got these older nestlings. It's not as [00:30:30] easy to put all those pieces together. But when you're going through a really stressful time, I would absolutely support you to do this.

[00:30:36] It's going to bring your cortisol levels down. It's going to bring your oxytocin levels up. It's going to help your child continue. It's gonna help you to continue your breastfeeding journey without having an end that wasn't how you wanted it to be. Right. That wasn't prema. Or feel like you're losing something else during this really stressful time.[00:31:00] 

[00:31:00] So I hope that that was supportive for you. So just to kind of like recap, we talked about how your breasts have been being created, your chest has been being developed since you were just a little embryo yourself, right? And then you've been producing milk since you were pregnant with your little one.

[00:31:16] And there's so much going on that is actually outside of your control with the, with hormones and all of those pieces. And then, yeah, it became supply and demand, right? Like it did. But you've [00:31:30] maintained that supply and demand for a long time. Now, if you're breastfeeding, you know, a child over the age of one, and your supply is not fragile anymore, it's not likely to just disappear.

[00:31:38] You can absolutely breastfeed part-time and maintain your supply. Like that's, that's 1000% within the realm of possibility. And if you notice that there, it feels like you're drying up, it seems like things aren't like they used to be. It could be because you're in your period. It could be because of illness, it could be because of [00:32:00] stress.

[00:32:00] And I supported you in how to walk through those pieces. And some things you can try to, you know, maximize your breastfeeding. Your breast milk production, the flow of milk, so that you can continue on breastfeeding as long as you would like to in whatever way feels great for you. And just remember that it, it takes a long time.

[00:32:23] It takes more than a month for that, for your body to, you know, stop producing milk and it will continue to produce milk for [00:32:30] a really long time afterwards. So it's unlikely that you've caused any kind of damage that cannot be undone if you're talking about like, oh, I didn't breastfeed for, you know, a couple days, or My child had this going on.

[00:32:41] It's, that's very unlikely. And also, That if you are drying up, if you're trying to drop your milk supply, it takes time. It really does take time, and your body's gonna be going through a lot of changes during that time. That can be, you know, [00:33:00] tough. And that's gonna be a topic for another podcast episode when I will talk about post weaning depression.

[00:33:05] But that's a really real thing. And yeah, I hope that that was supportive for you. I see this in my dms all the time. These questions about milk supply and concerns about milk. So I hope that my science lesson was exactly what you needed to hear today. And if you are listening to this right now, I am super excited to see you over in the Breastfeeding Beyond Babyhood Summit that is happening next week.

[00:33:28] I've already seen a [00:33:30] bunch of you join and I will be in the Facebook group, so make sure that you hop in there for the Breastfeeding Beyond Babyhood Summit and tag me in a post, you know, Reach out, say hi. I love meeting all of you. I love the dm, so make sure you send them in and if you feel like it, write a review for this podcast.

[00:33:47] I'd love to see it too. All right, I will catch you in the next episode.