Decreased Breastmilk???

I can say "I know how you feel". It was very disheartening to see my milk supply diminish with my first baby, and I was borderline panicked about it for her entire first year. I took all kinds of herbal supplements on the advice of a nutritionist (I'd recommend seeing one if you haven't already) - all easily researchable. She also recommended that I increase my intake of eggs, oatmeal and avocado. However, what produced the best results for me was a prescription med given to me by my OB for Reglan, which is actually heartburn medication that has a side effect of stimulating your milk supply. I never got a ton of milk (maybe about 4 ounces total per pumping session) but I was able to exclusively breastfeed and my daughter often didn't even finish the full 4oz, so I suppose that was enough for her. She's now 2.5 and super tall, strong, healthy, energetic so after all that worrying that she'd be underweight and sickly, it worked out perfectly. I wish I hadn't worried so much.

I'm pregnant with #2 and will ask for the Reglan earlier this time. I hated the idea of a prescription med, but I have to say that it worked really well.

Go to www.tubsntea.com. This site is a midwife who works very hard to help women in all different areas. From birthing to well women care. She has been carrying a line of teas and tinctures and salves. She carries a nursing mom's tea that is great. She also has a homeopathic remedy that will help bring in your milk. Several pellets a few times a day that melt in your mouth. Lactuca Virosa. You can actually get it @ Whole Foods. If you wish more info., feel free to contact me.
L.

not sure if anyone mentioned it but get some fenugreek at the vitamine store. it helps increase milk supply too.

Good for you for nursing and sticking with it. Cherish the process, it is a gift you give your baby and yourself. Try Mothers Milk Tea, hot or on ice, (mix it with juice if you don't like the flavor), also try fenugreek (you can get them both at almost any health food store), drink lots of water, then drink more water, pump more, even after he nurses, pump, and after he is asleep and before you go to bed pump again. Your body is readjusting to your new schedule and you need to get your body to understand that it needs to make more milk. Give it a week or two trying all these things, a lot, before making any other decisions, then call a lactation consultant or the La Leche League in your area to get more tips. This is an over-comable challenge. You might even start to get enough milk so you can refrigerate or even freeze some milk for a back up bottle when you are not available to nurse. Keep up the good work of balancing all the different parts of your life.

I just recently asked a similar question b/c I'm going through the same thing. My daughter is 6 months old and although I do get a good amount when I pump, I'm finding the need to supplement b/c I'm not pumping as much at work as she drinks when I'm at work. People suggested the Mother's Tea which I haven't tried yet, but it seems like that helps. Also, nurse as often as you can when you're home and maybe pump more often if you can. I pump every night to get a few ounces and pump sometimes on weekends. But it can take alot of time, so don't make it too stressful, any breastfeeding is good for you and your baby. The one thing I can tell you is don't think just b/c you're not pumping as much at work that you need to wean. Your body adjusts to what your baby needs when you're home. With my first I breastfed until my son was 18 months old and I know around 6-8 months I started supplementing a little when I was at work with formula but he still got whatever breastmilk I could pump. Then as time went on, I reduced how many times I pumped at work b/c it wasn't worth it and even when he switched to whole milk at a year, I was still breastfeeding him several times a day. Plus, when they start eating solids, they won't need as much anymore. You also have evenings, mornings and anytime your home that you can continue to breastfeed. I found breastfeeding to not only be about the nutrition, but also the boonding and comfort it provides your child. You always have the mornings and evenings if during the day it doesn't work, and I found those times to be the best. It helps them go to sleep and it's a nice comfort when they wake up. But try the Mother's Tea and maybe some additional pumping when you can, but nursing as often as possible when you're home will be the best way to increase your supply. Good luck and if you have any other questions, please feel free to email me. My daughter's just a month older so I'm going through similar things.