Becky K says:

>Now that I know about things like fenugreek, I have a hard time thinking how
>I would go back to what I knew in the beginning, which was basically "nurse
>or pump more often, eat and drink well, get more rest."

The basics are even more basic, surely!

Eating well  has  not been shown to make any difference to the milk supply
- quite the reverse (unless there are studies I don't know about). Giving
mothers extra food made no difference to the growth of their babies.  I
don't know if anyone has actually looked at rest properly, or drinking,
except that study that showed drinking lots and lots seemed to depress milk
production (can't remember where/when that was, sorry).

Rest could make a difference indirectly, by making sure the mother has more
opportunity to feed her baby ad lib, and to enjoy skin to skin contact.  I
can't see how rest *per se* is likely to improve the supply.

I think all new (and old!) mothers should eat and drink as much as they
want and need, and should be able to get all the rest they need, too....but
I don't think we should be telling them their milk supply depends on it,
when we either don't know, or have good evidence that it doesn't.


Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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