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?

The amount of maternity leave new moms take differs from company to company and state to state, but one thing is for sure: it’s difficult when it ends. I was heartbroken to have to leave my baby at home while I worked all day. While my leave was less than restful, it was difficult to give up those endless days with my newborn and to think about being somewhere else.

Over time, the transition back to work got easier and I even began to almost enjoy the ‘grown up’ time. Here are a few things I learned that can help you to make returning to work easier – on you and your family.

• Get cooking. There are a number of things you can do to plan ahead for your return. Start stocking the freezer as soon as you can. When you prepare dinner for your family, consider making double or triple batches, or preparing several meals at once that freeze well, such as stews and soups, casseroles, and pot pies. Once you return to work, you won’t want to spend a minute longer than you have to in the kitchen making dinner.

• Set up day care. If you haven’t already, be sure to set up the day care you’ll be using for your child. Ask friends and neighbors for referrals and call around. Be sure to pop in on the day care as well – an unannounced visit will give you more of a true picture of the everyday happenings at the facility. There are also online sites that can help you find a sitter like SitterCity.

• Make a plan for feedings. If you are breast feeding, think about whether you want to continue upon returning to work. Do you plan to nurse in the evenings only, and give baby a bottle during the day? Or will you pump breast milk a few times during the day and use that to feed baby when you’re not around? If you decide to pump, be sure to try it out while you’re still on maternity leave to make sure you are familiar and comfortable with the process. Also talk to your employer about locating a private, comfortable place to pump.

• Try it on. Try on your work clothes a week or two before you are scheduled to return to work. Don’t be surprised if your pre-pregnancy clothes don’t fit – many women still wear some of their maternity clothes a few months after giving birth. Try on your clothes early enough so that you have time to buy a few new pieces if you need to.

• Try it out. If you plan to return to work full time after your maternity leave, consider starting small: a week or two before you return, try spending a little time out of the house and away from baby. Gradually transitioning into longer periods away might help ease both you and your baby into the new routine.

Leaving baby and returning to work is no easy decision. However, with a little advanced planning, you can make the transition a little easier for everyone.

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.

What’s the most common reason for a mom to stop breastfeeding before she and her baby wants to? Returning to work.

Every state protects the right of a mother to breastfeed, but only 12 states have laws protecting working, pumping, breastfeeding moms. Employers in most states have no obligation to provide any assistance – the time, a private space, a clean refrigerator – to mothers who want to pump at work.

Last year, Congresswoman and mom Carolyn Maloney introduced a bill to promote breastfeeding, protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers, and make it a little easier for all working mothers to breastfeed.

The provisions of the bill will be to,

? amend the Civil Rights Act to protect breastfeeding women – including moms who pump milk – from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace
? provide tax incentives for businesses that establish private, lactation areas in the workplace
? provide for a performance standard for breast pumps
? allow breastfeeding equipment and services, such as lactation consultants, to be tax deductible for families

Sounds like a good thing, right? Give your support to the legislation by asking your congressperson to co-sponsor the bill. It’s very easy – just click here to send an email to your elected official asking for their support. The more support the bill has, the more likely it is to pass.

You can read more about the bill at Carolyn Maloney’s website.

Just last Monday, I published a post regarding my diminishing breast milk supply. In my quest to recover from the Over-worrying syndrome, I took my own advice. I advised others to “Call a lactation specialist, talk to other moms you trust, call your pediatrician“.

Here is the advice I got:

Other moms: Take some fenugreek. It worked for me. Also add another pumping session at work.

My lactation specialist’s advice: Keep breastfeeding more. And no, fenugreek will not really increase your supply. Don’t bother with it.

Mina’s pediatrician: You may want to try fenugreek although it may or may not increase your supply. But you must let her eat in demand and your supply should be just fine.

Well, as you can see, I got confusing reports on the effectiveness of the herb that’s been touted by some as a breast milk supply enhancer. That’s the thing with advice, you have to weed through the statements being said to you to find out what exactly will work.

I decided that since there seems to be no consensus on the herb fenugreek, I would nix taking it. However, I heard loud and clear that I need to pump more frequently (as I already nurse on demand), so it was up to me to look at my schedule and see when in my busy day I would fit in the extra pumping. I guess that’s another thing with advice, sometimes advice is hard to implement.

I’m a full-time worker, and I already pump on breaks, and need the lunch as a break from both work and pumping. When I get home, its go go go, in between eating dinner while catching up with my husband, taking care of dishes, nursing, playing a bit with my daughter before I put her to bed and wash her bottles, and get myself ready for the next day. I crash soon after all that is done.

But when your first duty is to be the best mother you can be, you must follow through with your plan of action. So, right before bed, I say hello to my pump again, and let it do its thing while I nod off a little. My husband usually shakes me awake about 15 minutes later, urging me to join him in our bedroom.

So far I haven’t had to supplement. In my mommy world, that is a real feat.