Dear Iona,

Unfortunately, decreased milk supply is often seen during pregnancy, and I think that your mom is far enough along to be experiencing this effect (assuming that there have been no other changes in her breastfeeding routine.)  I'm not aware of any research linking treatment of oversupply to fertility.  The onset of fertility seems to very widely among individuals and often does not return as long as baby is nursing frequently, especially at night.  However, I remember one League mom who got pregnant almost immediately after resuming sexual relations (about six weeks pp) and she was cosleeping with a very frequent nurser.  So although she was certainly an exception, you can see that all variations on the norm are possible.  Pumping or expressing may help to increase her supply - she can only try and see.  The amount of decrease in supply seems to vary from woman to woman.  If baby is not ready or willing to begin solids, mom may want to look into using some banked or donated breastmilk for a while as a supplement until she can increase her supply or entice the baby to begin solids.

This mom could try using some herbal galactagogues that are also frequently used during pregnancy anyways, such as alfalfa and nettles.  They are often used in conjunction with red raspberry leaf as a tea.  These may also help boost her iron.  Another iron/milk booster I have recommended are the so called "green" drinks, often made with chlorophyl and various grasses which I don't believe would be contraindicated during pregnancy. (However, I must note that my Brinker herb book list almost all herbs, including those already mentioned, as being contraindicated during pregnancy, so if you are looking for references, they may vary quite a lot.)  You might want to contact Kathryn Cox [[log in to unmask]] as her company does carry several herbal products for use during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding and she may be able to give you more feedback on her experiences with some of these combinations.

In my files I also have listed the following references on this topic:
     Cox,Sue. Breastfeeding - I can do that. Hobart, Tasmania: TasLacT, 1997. (p. 89, from memory)
     Thorley V. Increasing the breastmilk supply during a pregnancy: an emergency situation. Network of
Australian Lactation Colleges Newsletter 1997 (July); 1(4): 12-13.
     Thorley V. Relactation: what the exceptions can tell us. Birth Issues 1997; 6: 24-29.

I hope this is helpful.  There are others on this list with herbal experience surpassing my own who may post with more or better information. You could also join the listserve for breastfeeding and herbs by contacting:  [log in to unmask]


Warmly,
Sharon Knorr, BSMT, ASCP, IBCLC
Newark, NY (near Rochester on Lake Ontario)
mailto:[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html