R.:
Let me first say congrats to you for being such a support and congrats to your friend on her new arrival!
As a breastfeeding mother twice now, I can honestly say I have been in both your situation and hers! With my first, I produced plenty of milk-no probs. My second was much more of a grazer and caused milk supply probs. Here is what I learned to hopefully help your friend:
Also, how old is the baby-you friend may be worrying too early-it can take up to 6-8 weeks or so to get a good, constant milk supply-up to that point it is building but your baby is getting plenty, don't worry.
1) Call the Harris Methodist Hospital Help Line (look it up-they have several and any will get you there-they even ave a 1-800 number) and ask for the breastfeeding resource center. The lactation consultants there will talk to you free over the phone and help out how they can. They are great! They may have to take a phone number and call back, but it is free. If you/she feel more needy, you can make a face-to-face appointment but it costs like a doctor's visit.
2) pump for 10 or 15 minutes prior to feeding to get more breast stimulation and therefore produce more milk, OR feed from one breast while pumping from the other and then swith. Milk is a supply-demand thing and if there is more of a demand, it will work it's way up to more of a supply!
3) Nurse or pump every 2-3 hours or as often as possible. Mouth to breast stimulates better, but pumping is better than no stimulation-Don't worry about how much milk you get, just aim for the extra stimulation-it will up the supply
4) Make sure she is drinking plenty of water/fuild and eating enough calories. THis is a requirement for milk production.
5) Eat healthy fats (olives, avacodos, Omega-3s, etc) and make sure she continues her prenatal vitimins to maintain the nutrition required to make breastmilk and for it to contain the best for the baby!
6) Make sure she is taking the right herbs-ask the lactation consultant or visit her local healthfood store and ask the supplement manager!
7) DO NOT suppliment with formula-it will only deminish your milk supply. YOu think your baby needs it, but really he/she doesn't and it just really reaks havoc on mama's milk supply! (Formula takes longer to digest, so the demand is not there as often to help the supply). AT MINIMUM, wait until AT LEAST 2-3 mos. of age to suppliment formula, but American Pediatrics suggests a min. of 6 mos. of age!
8) Tell her no matter what, her baby won't starve! Just monitor weight gain and relax! She will be fine! Stress can make supply go down, so just relax! She could try spending a day or two just being in bed/lounging with the baby and nursing often-having the baby constantly around you with skin-to-skin contact is supposed to do wonders for your production (I don't know first-hand because I had EASY births and felt totally rejouvinated and better after childbirth than while preg. so I was way too much of a busy-body after giving birth to have ever succeeded at doing this one).
9) Make sure she has a good pump-I suggest either Medela or (even better) a rented hospital grade one.
10) Try different latching styles/positions-using differnt ones targets different milk ducts to better drain different ones than in other positions, thus helping with the supply/demand issue again.
11) JUst remember that ANY breastmilk is better than none! Just by trying, she is succeeding!!!!
Hope this helps!
T.