My five-month-old daughter is a sporadic eater. Some days, she wants to eat every hour, for an hour at a time, and I can’t make enough milk to keep her satisfied. Other days, she’s on a nice every three or four hour schedule. On those days, I keep walking into stuff with my boobs because I forget how big they’ve gotten, engorged with milk. (I was a small B-cup before pregnancy, and I really sympathize with large-chested women now!)

I didn’t have much luck with a breast pump. I purchased a decent, mid-priced, multi-speed electric. It doesn’t work for me, but since I work at home, I couldn’t justify spending more to get a better pump for the handful of times I might use it. I really don’t mind the engorgement; I like knowing I have milk available in case my daughter wants it!

However, if I could pump, my supply would probably be more steady. Instead, I’ve had to resort to other tactics to keep my supply up for those days when she is an insatiable eating machine.

Here are my best tips for increasing your milk production.

• Pump or nurse a lot. When I first started nursing, I also had issues with my milk supply. My pediatrician recommended supplementing with formula, which turned out to be counterintuitive. I increased my supply simply by letting my daughter nurse A LOT. I used olive oil or Lansinoh on my nipples to prevent soreness.

• Relax. A few weeks ago, every magazine I write for was on deadline, clients were slow to pay, and I was stressing big time. My milk production dropped—at an inopportune time, when my daughter was going through a growth spurt. Nursing moms, remember, whatever else you have going on in your life at this time, your primary job is to make milk to feed your baby. *Everything else takes a back seat.* (Well, except your other kids, if you have them, of course). I can’t stress this enough. The second I made my deadlines and got some money in my bank account, my milk production increased again. But I made the mistake of letting outside stressors get to me. Meditate, exercise, take deep breaths, soak in a tub, take a few hours and spend some time with your friends. Whatever you need to do to relax, do it! You owe it to yourself and your baby.

• Stay hydrated – I notice my supply drop slightly if I don’t stay hydrated. The recommended amount is 8 glasses—that’s 64 oz., or a half gallon—of water a day.

• Oatmeal – When my milk production dropped last time, I realized I had switched from having oatmeal every morning for breakfast to eating whole-grain waffles. Again, no one knows why it works, but steel cut oats (not that fake instant oatmeal) supposedly increases milk production. I’m back to oatmeal and I’m back to a good supply.

• Fenugreek – This herbal supplement has been used for thousands of years to help nursing mothers produce more milk. You should take approximately three 590 – 610 mg. capsules three times a day, or until your sweat and urine begin to smell like maple syrup. Do not use Fenugreek if you are pregnant. Read more about this powerful herb.

• Blessed Thistle – This is supposed to work in combination with Fenugreek to increase milk supply. I had success with Fenugreek alone, so I haven’t tried Blessed Thistle. Read more about it.

• Eat enough. Nursing moms need 500 calories above their recommended usual caloric intake. While it’s nice to treat yourself to dessert every once in a while and not have to worry about it going straight to your hips, try to get those extra calories from healthy foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and a tiny bit of extra protein. Remember, if you exercise, you need to take in those calories you burned PLUS an extra 500.

Nursing moms, what tips did I forget? What worked to increase your milk production?

Milk always came very easily from my breasts when the time came for my baby to latch on. There was more than one instance where the milk flowed out like a mini faucet and my husband stared transfixed while I giggled at the amazing things my body could do. On the other hand, my milk production seemed to come to a screeching halt once I brought out a pump.

I was lucky to be able to stay home with both of my babies so technically I didn’t need to pump. It would have been nice, though, to be able to leave for more than an hour at a time when the babies were young without my husband calling me on my cell phone and frantically telling me to come home because the baby was trying to nurse on anything she could get her mouth on.

I tried to pump. When my breasts were engorged the pumping came pretty naturally and helped me to feel a little less like my breasts were going to explode. Once that was over I still tried to pump once a night just to build up a little stockpile in the freezer just in case we ever needed some extra or if my baby ever took to a bottle.

Then my husband got orders to Iraq. I was home with a five month old all by myself and was scared out of my mind. Every time I tried to pump there was barely a trickle, and never enough to put into the freezer. I know that nursing moms are supposed to relax and think about their babies when trying to pump breastmilk, but I guess I was having relaxation issues.

I gave up on pumping. I never liked it anyhow, and I guess I was just one of those moms who never got the hang of it. If I could have pumped like a champ then I’m sure I would have had more time to myself because the babies could have enjoyed some feedings from other people via bottle, but it just never happened for me.

I have read a lot of facts about breastfeeding. I went to a class to prepare for breastfeeding although I don’t think I really needed to. The class helped I’m sure, but Mina latched on without any problems and was a champion suckler from the beginning.

I have always planned to wean at the 1 year mark, but as I got closer to the date, I got even less firm on the date I would wean. I never thought I would enjoy nursing her so much but I have. The feeling of closeness, bonding, of giving her something that no other caregiver in her universe could, of giving her nourishment designed and formulated just for her – I thoroughly enjoy it all.

As she nears her 1 year though, I’m having doubts as to whether we’ll make it even to that momentous date. I know all the experts say that babies this age will act disinterested in nursing because they’re becoming more and more fascinated with the outside world. We’re still breastfeeding 5 times a day, but during the day I feel like I’m forcing her to nurse as she pushes me away after about literally 3 minutes. My breasts have gone down in size, matching the decreasing demand for supply, and right now, I have plugged ducts to deal with.

The physical discomfort is nothing to the emotional one though. I can’t help but feel, I hate to say this, but rejected somehow. I know it’s silly but that’s how I feel. How could I have thought in the beginning that I would be overjoyed the minute she was weaned? Just her decreasing interesting in breastfeeding, and the mere thought of weaning, is making me feel sad.

I’m going to have to consult a nursing consultant soon. I’m not sure if I should continue longer. I’m not sure if I should just expect her to nurse at night when she’s only half-awake and just let the days go. I’m not sure of anything right now. The only thing I’m sure of is I didn’t know my heart would break at the thought of weaning.