Supply and Demand

After being back at work for two full weeks, the start of my third week was…. well… weak. I went from having super boob and slacker boob, to two lazy boobs that decided they wanted to play hooky from work. Monday and Tuesday mornings, I struggled to get 3 oz. Not enough for a bottle for my daughter who usually drinks 3.5-4 oz per bottle.

Now, I know that breast feeding is a supply and demand system. In a nut shell, the more she nurses, the more I’ll make; the less she nurses, the less I’ll make. We all know that a pump is no replacement for a baby. Our babies can drain our breasts more efficiently, and sometimes faster than some of the top end electric pumps. Now that I had been pumping at work, and took the weekend off of pumping (from soreness) my demand had dropped my supply. In a quick effort to kick start my production again, I started taking fenugreek tablets, and drinking lactation smoothies daily. In addition, I've started pumping after she eats at home, and worked in one additional pumping session at night. After only two days of all that work, my supply is back up to what it was. However, this brings me to the conclusion that one year is going to be a very difficult goal.

Between sales meetings running into my pumping time, and having to complete my work while at work (since working from home is a lot less efficient) I have been starting to feel like pumping is getting the short end of the stick. Feeding my daughter is more important to me than anything in the world. As soon as my supply starts to drop, I notice immediately, and kick into mommy stress mode. Which of course, doesn't help make anything better, and can actually drop one’s supply. It makes me wonder, are other mothers jumping through all these hoops to keep the milk flowing? Am I insane to be drinking smoothies and teas, eating copious amounts of oatmeal, and popping fenugreek tablets like vitamins? Probably yes, and surely I can’t be the only one.

I am by no means a lactation consultant, but have received some great advice on how to up your supply from other nursing mothers. If you’re struggling, try to start with the following things:

• Increase your water intake. If you aren't drinking enough, you aren’t making enough. 
• Eat well. If you aren't eating a well-balanced breast feeding friendly diet, then chances are, your body is struggling to balance your needs, and your little ones. 
• Nurse more frequently. It’s simple, a baby that nurses more often, will signal your body to make more milk. You can try to mimic cluster feeding by offering your breast every hour for several hours in a row (like topping off the tank) to help keep the milk flowing. 
• Pump. Yes, it hurts, and we all hate doing it, but pumping after your baby eats, or in between feedings, or getting out of bed late at night to do another session will help your body to keep pumping. Now keep in mind, if you’re pumping at the same time every day, it should make your body start producing at the same time every day. So if you don’t want to keep waking up in the middle of the night forever, try to time it for right after your nightly feeding, or right after your morning feeding. 
• Try a galactagogue. There are tons of herbs and foods that you can eat that naturally help increase your supply. Great info here, and also has great sections on how breast milk production works, as well as how to know if you actually have a low supply: http://www.breastfeeding-problems.com/galactagogues.html
• Visit your local lactation consultant or LLL. Find yours at www.llli.org

If all else fails, talk to your doctor. There are medications and other things they can recommend if your supply has started to dry up.