Staying Abreast

International Breastfeeding symbol

After struggling for six weeks to establish breast-feeding with Luka, and then regarding us as quite the team, imagine my disappointment and dismay this past week when I suddenly experienced a reduction in production.  Talk about a chicken-and-egg situation as the reduced milk stressed me out, while stress is one of the largest causes for a reduction in milk...

There are many reasons why this can happen, some of which include (yes stress) dehydration, a sudden increase in exercise (related to dehydration), certain medications, illness (I had a stomach bug that I forgot about), or having your period.

Needless to say having an exclusively breastfed baby with a reduced milk supply is not a nice position to be in, so we had to jump into action to get the 'ol puppies humming again.

So what is a girl to do.

1. Feed more frequently
2. Rent a pump to help stimulate production more - pump after each feed - if you are in Australia, I highly recommend the Medela Symphony II, we pumped about 1liter of milk per day in Darwin, if you are in South Africa, the best you can do is the Medela Lactina - it's no Symphony, but the strongest pump you will find - you can get it from a number of well-baby clinics around the country.
3. Sleep or rest as you release more prolactin (the hormone needed for milk production) when you sleep (yes, this probably means getting some help to care for bub for a few hours so you can catch some zzzzz's)
4. Hydrate, hydrate!  Water, tea, rehydration formulas, that sort of thing.  If you are in SA (or can get these at a healthfood store elsewhere), they recommended "Jungle Juice" to me, recipe: 

   60mls Schlehen Blackthorn Berry Elixir
   1 sachet Blackcurrant Rehydrate
   1L Apple Juice
   2L Water
   Add 10 drops rescue remedy per glass

5. Herbal remedies - A variety of herbal supplements and remedies are believed to increase milk production: Fenugreek has been around since biblical times and Alfalfa (hold the cow jokes please!)
6. Prescription medication such as Reglan (Metoclopramide) (US) or Domperidone (Motilium) (non-US). In South Africa they love to prescribe Eglynol which contains Sulpiride which I decided against after learning it is an anti-psychotic drug used for treatment of schizophrenia.  It is claimed to be very good for increasing milk supply though (and as I was told, with the added benefit of being an anti-depressant), talk to your healthcare provider to see whether this is necessary or even right for you and your baby.