Expert: ruth kraft - 3/4/2009

Question
I have exclusively breast fed my baby for 5 months now. I have started to go to work and find a drop in my supply. Earlier I used to pump 7-8 oz during the 1st pumping session and after 3 to 4 hours, I used to pump again and get 4-5 oz. After that at home I breast feed my baby.
However since yesterday, my 1st pumping session is giving on 5 to 6 oz. I fear drop in my supply and my baby doesnt take any formula. So I need to boost my supply as i dont want her to stay hungry at the day care. Also she takes aroun 7oz and few baby spoons of rice cereal during the 8 hour stay in the day care. Is this normal?

Answer
its very common for your supply to drop like this as your baby will stimulate the breasts so much more effectively than the pump will. you have several options to try to boost it back up. ( be prepared also that the 6month growth spurt is coming up and the baby will want a bit more too. so if you notice she wants more nursing, then be sure to nurse as much as possible for that time and also pump a few extra times to get that milk supply up even more. )

so... your options are trying either fenugreek, mothers milk tea or blessed thistle capsules to help bring your milk supply up via herbal remedies, and you can also increase pumping by either length of time, or a couple extra times a day.  those would be the places that I would start. at 6 months old you can start adding in things like bananas and applesauce etc to compliment nursings if it is hard to build the supply up. pumping more in the am will increase the supply quicker as well as naturally we make more milk in the morning.

I hope that helped!
Ruth Kraft
www.honoringwomen.com