QUESTION: I am currently 14 weeks pregnant and nursing my toddler. Weaning is not an option.

My daughter is increasingly frustrated by my dwindling milk supply. She screams, kicks and flips from side to side. This aggravates my sore nipples - but that isn't my real problem. The low supply is affecting my daughter's sleep habits - she nurses to sleep and several times each night.  However, the low milk supply means that the night nursings last forver (an hour sometimes) with her crying for "nay-nees" and flipping over me from side to side. We all awake cranky in the morning (we Family Bed).

Night weaning isn't possible - I've determined, after much reading, that her night nursings (& nap-time) are still a "need", rather than a "habit".   So, my question .... what can I do, given that I'm pregnant, to increase my milk supply? I'm drinking gallons of water, to no avail. Is fenugreek an option?

Thanks ever so much .....

A decreased milk supply during pregnancy is a result of the hormones of pregnancy, namely progesterone. Progesterone inhibits the onset of copious milk secretion until after the birth of the placenta, when progesterone levels fall dramatically. This is a normal part of pregnancy. During the last few months of pregnancy, the milk changes to colostrum in preparation for the birth.

Please consider contacting your local La Leche League Leader and attending a La Leche League meeting. You will find the information and support invaluable! You can find a Leader and Group in your area by calling 1-800-LALECHE or at their web site - http://www.lalecheleague.org

Sincerely,


Andrea Eastman, MA, CCE, IBCLC

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