Share experience with new moo-mies who have returned to work after confinement and find that their milk supply has dropped.

When I first returned to work after a blissful 2 months of unrestricted breastfeeding, I also noticed a drop in my milk supply. Initially, the first 4 weeks were still o.k…. my McB’s (breasts) would be full and leaking after 3-4 hours and if I didn’t express immediately, I would end up with breast engorgement. That happened a few times. Then gradually, I noticed that I was expressing less and less milk .. down to 2oz per session. I began to panic and would try out all sorts of methods to increase my milk supply. I tried Lilian’s fenugreek soup, fenugreek tea, nursing tea, fennel tea, kurma, papaya soup and Appeton C18 vit/min supplement (Sze2x recommendation). At the same time I was expressing twice a day at work. Somehow all these did not produce any significant improvement. Maybe I was just too impatient as I tried only once or twice with each food item. I thought fenugreek was o.k. but realised that it contributed an odour to my body that Joe Yue disliked. I’m still taking Appeton C18 though for my general well- being. Anyway, I decided to see a lactation consultant for some professional advice. With some advice from her and a tip from Jen, our Canadian member , I noticed that my milk supply has increased to 3 - 4 oz each session now. Sometimes I can even get 5oz. To cut things short, here’s my advice to increase your milk supply:

1. Express after you’ve bf your baby just to make sure your breasts are emptied.

2. Express 3 times at work. I do it at 9.15 am (after bf Joe Yue before leaving the house), 12.15p.m. and 3.30p.m. I bf Joe Yue at 7.30p.m. when I’ve returned home. The more you express, the more milk your body produces.

3. Take brewer’s yeast. Yes, it’s a tip from Jen. I’ve just started on brewer’s yeast and find that it helps to boost my milk supply. The taste of BY is nothing to shout about so I take it (1 tbs) with Milo (2 tbs) and 1/2 cup water and gulp everything down in one go. Brewer’s yeast is very rich in Vitamin B and amino acids (building blocks of protein), and can be taken up to 4 tbs daily.

4. Before expressing, massage the area all around your breasts (1″ from your areola) with three fingers, making small circles and concentrating on each spot for a few seconds. Then lightly brush your fingers towards the areola. This is to stimulate the “let-down”

5. Do not wean your baby from middle-of-the-night feeds which are important to maintaining your milk supply. Of course that’s difficult for those of use who have to work the next day. Just try to catch up with sleep on weekends or try to go to bed early (just as your baby has gone to dreamland).

6. Try the soups, teas and all the other milk boosters mentioned in our website as they have been proven effective for other moo-mies.

7. Last and not least, have a positive attitude! Very important! Phew, that’s the longest mail I have written so far! Happy trying! - Christine