Mom of 4 month old. Great start to breastfeeding, good initial supply.
Returned to work at 6 weeks, pumping with PNS. At 3 month mark supply
started to diminish--- no drugs, no contraceptives. When I questioned mom,
the pumpings/feedings were around 6/7 a day and baby was starting to prefer
bottle to breast, so of course my first line of defense was to recommend
upping the nursings/pumpings to 8 or more a day. Mom did this faithfully, or
so she said, for a week with little change. So I added fenugreek to the mix;
another week, no change. Added blessed thistle to that; still she says
little change. We've talked reglan, but she prefers not to go that route.

Okay, so now I decide to pursue a different tack-- let-down reflex. Mom
seemed a bit hyper about work pressure from the start and I remember her
worrying about pulling it all off. Maybe milk supply started to drop due to
low frequency issues and now she is so uptight that she's not letting down
well? I suggested lots of back rubs and spinal stimulation, and for a couple
of days she thought things were improving, but now says they are back to the
status quo. This morning I suggested she could try Rescue Remedy, since that
could go to work with her when the back rubs couldn't. I'll hear from her in
a couple of days, but of course I'm worried now.

I hate to think that her low frequency during the first three months could
kill her supply that permanently. I do believe that women can irreparably
damage their supplies with low frequency during those initial months, but
not to be able to raise supply at all? Does this sound right to you all?

Other thoughts?

Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC