Okay so who else freaks out about their milk supply?
Most times there is nothing wrong with your supply and maybe you're just a control freak like me. If you are a working mom, you will notice that there are times that you pump more milk and you might feel that you milk supply is dipping when you don't pump as much. That might not be the case! Me, for instance, I've noticed that i get the most expressed milk at about 10 am. Most women actually claim that their morning and late night sessions (right before bed) are when they pump the most milk. There are times during the day that I only pump 2 ounces and that doesn't make me too happy. I like to pump in average 4 ounces or more. My baby girl drinks 3 ounces every 3 hours. On a work day, I am away from her approximately 11 hours from the time I drop her of to the time i pick her up. While away from me she drinks about 12-15 ounces. In order to keep up with her appetite and also have a stash for emergencies I like to pump at LEAST 20 ounces while at work. If i don't reach my goal during the work day, I make sure to go home and pump some more and also latch the baby.
The best way to increase your supply is to breastfeed/pump on demand. What this means is that the more you breastfeed/pump the more milk you produce. You have to empty your breasts in order for your body to be able to produce more. It is so important to latch baby on as soon as you reunite (if you're a working mom). Some new moms may be taught to believe that they have to change their diets completely in order to have a healthy milk supply. However, even though i used to think that too, it is not true. You can improve your diet if that makes you feel better, but you don't have to stop eating the things you like.
Things to eat to help boost your supply:
Water-Lots of it! You need to hydrate to lactate!
Oatmeal-Eat Daily (non-instant)
Salmon
Spinach
Carrots
Fennel Seeds
Basil Leaves
Garlic
Fenugreek
Barley
Chickpea
Asparagus
Brown Rice
Apricots
Almonds
Sweet Potato
Gatorade
Mothers Milk Tea (you can get this at GNC, target, Wal-Mart, Amazon and the grocery store.)
Power pumping is also a good tool to increase your milk supply if you notice a drop! Usually when you regular menstrual comes back, you'll notice your output is a little less than the usual.
POWER Pump!!!!
Turn on pump and pump as normal for 20 min
Rest for 10 min
Pump for 10 min
Rest for 10 min
Pump for 10 min
Wallaaa you're all done! Don't be discouraged if you notice that you pumped the same amount of milk that you pump during a regular session. You are telling your body to produce more milk. So even if the last ten minutes of that power pump, nothing comes out, keep pumping because the stimulation is sending signals to your body. Make sure to get a good night's sleep and hydrate your body before every pump session.
You may want to cut down on caffeine and chocolate, i know they are yummy but they can affect your supply and also your baby. When I say affect your baby, I don't mean that it will make you LO sick, but it will keep them up and I've noticed when I eat chocolate my princess gets gassy.
As mothers we sacrifice ourselves on the daily! It is all worth it when we see those beautiful little contagious smiles :) 