Did you ever use a galactogogue to increase your milk supply while nursing? As a working mama, I was always trying to up my supply during the first year, since pumping is so hard that you seem to need a stronger supply to do it than you need to just nurse well. My friends and I were fans of blessed thistle and fenugreek. I also know people who claimed that oatmeal and hops (beer!) were very helpful. I don't know if the galactogogues my friends and I used actually worked in some chemical way or if it was just psychological...but it really doesn't matter as long as it works, does it?
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I remember in my breastfeeding class asking the teacher what she thought of beer to increase milk production. She frowned and said, "I don't condone it, and [the hospital] doesn't condone it." But after having caesarian surgery, we brought home our baby and I drank a dark beer before bedtime. That night-- voila! I had indications beforehand that milk production would probably not be a problem, and beer did not help a friend of mine who was struggling to get her milk production up.
I think I've tried everything you mentioned!
And I hit "publish" too soon! Sorry!
My son had a tongue-tie that wasn't diagnosed until he was 7 weeks old, and I suspect that we didn't get the whole supply-and-demand thing going well until a few weeks after that. My supply seems adequate now, though I haven't stopped my fenugreek-blessed thistle-oatmeal-Mother's Milk tea routine for fear that my supply will drop.
Those breastfeeding classes just don't know how to have fun, hmmm?
Hi, n! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad things are going okay now. Taking the baby to bed and nursing all day every once in awhile also works wonders, if you can.
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