I've been meaning to sit down and write this post for awhile now, but being sick and having a sick kiddo have sidelined it for a bit.
Recently, I've had a lot of friends with babies ask me about milk supply - certainly not because I know anything more than what the internet lends, but that we're all trying to bounce ideas off of each other. Around a month post partum, nursng was well established for us, and supply was maintaining really well; so much that I was fortunate enough to donate around 60 or 70 ounces. But a few months ago I ended up with a nasty case of mastitis that all but killed my milk supply.
Since then I've been fighting plugged ducts and working like crazy to re-establish a supply. I tried to nurse, and nurse, drink lots of water, nurse some more, and always have a stash of lactation cookies on hand. I started back on the fenugreek and watched my food (calorie) intake. I felt like I was just barely making it, but I kept trying to "trust my body".
Reagan's nursing behavior was getting really bad. He would tug, pull away, turn his head, and kick. I didn't know why he was nursing this way, but I kept thinking something was wrong.
The other night at the TCBN meeting, I was fortunate enough to briefly talk with Mellanie Sheppard, an IBCLC, about Reagan's vicious nursing behavior. She said that between 3 or 4 months post partum, milk production will even out and his behavior could be due to a slower let down or decreased supply. Since then I've made it my mission to find something that worked.
My midwife suggested a supplement by Mountain Meadow Herbs called Maxi Milk that seemed to make a difference. It tastes awful, but whatever works, right?
A friend wrote me and said that her La Leche League contact suggested a hospital grade pump, which sounded like great advice to me, so I thought I'd give it a try as well.
So, if you're curious, or in need of suggestions, this has become my milk-makin' repertoire:
Maxi Milk - 3x's a day, as directed
Prenatal vitamins
Fenugreek caplets - either 3 caplets 2x's a day or 2 caplets 3x's a day
Probiotics
Echinacea caplets
Pumping with the Medela Symphony pump
Lactation cookies, bread, or smoothies
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