I do pump but I don't pump on a regular basis, so I can't really tell you how much to expect. Plus I'm guessing that all women are different. Glad you like the cookies. I should make another batch even though I don't really need any help with my production at the moment.

Even though I don't pump, I swear I notice a difference in my production cuz the other night I pumped before bed at maybe 11 PM, so both boobs were stripped but I woke up at 2 AM and couldn't stand it they hurt so bad, so pumped to relieve some of the pressure. Last night I fed the little man at about 10 PM didn't pump, went to bed and when he woke me up at 5 AM, my boobs were kinda full, nothing like the night before. Seems kinda weird to me. I don't know if I had drank a bunch of water the day before and that was enough to influence them.

Have you made any changes? like your drinking or eating habits? Have you noticed your hormones acting up because I read that when you start to cycle again that your milk can go down while you are on your period (then it should go back up). There are also other foods/supplements to help with production, like oatmeal (not the instant kind but the steel cut) and fenugreek capsules and carrot juice.

I went to a friends house for a little while and she had told me a long time ago that her daughter couldn't breastfeed, so she pumped exclusively for like 8 months. She said that they found it very interesting that the milk pumped at home in the evenings or on the weekends was a darker white color and the baby had no problem drinking it but the milk she pumped while at work looked watered down and the baby wouldn't drink it unless it was mixed with the other whiter milk. She attributed the change to stress. Are you stressed at work? Or is something else going on in your life to cause stress and affect your milk?

Yes Poly! Very stressed. I know that does have alot to do with ut. It's just funny because advice I get is "Stop stressing" but really, I can't. I'm feeling overwhelmed with juggling being a mom and working full-time. I've had alot of people tell me it gets easier, but I feel like it's getting harder so that weighs heavy on my heart.

I am a SAHM, kinda. We have our own business, or rather a couple of them and although DH does the majority of the work outside the home, I have to pick up the slack, be on call for random things and sometimes be a single parent if he's gone a long time. So in reality I do work, some weeks it's just a couple hours and other weeks it's full time or more than full time. BUT with that said, I do know how lucky I am to not have to drop my baby off at a babysitter and go to an 8-5 job. I feel very overwhelmed with what I do so I can totally appreciate how overwhelmed you must feel. It's impossible to "quit stressing", but it is possible to be nice to yourself, forgive yourself if something like a load of laundry or cleaning gets put off for a day. It's not the end of the world. Acknowledge that you are doing the best you can. Some days will be easier than others, appreciate those days. I don't know if it gets easier, but I wonder if we learn to adapt better or prioritize differently so that it's less stressful to us??

i pump but not all the time....the supply will go down with pumping because the pump is not the same as a baby....the milk during the day is different than milk at night..milk at night has more fat and such in it to help baby sleep longer at night...idk how much i would get in a day...i stopped counting after i dumped 30oz down the drain when i was pumping and dumping after surgery but i know i can quickly pump like 5 ounces in just a few minutes from one breast.

what do you do on the weekends?? do you pump on the weekend or nurse her...if u are pumping i would try only nursing her on the weekends..no pumping ...that might help...

since u started foods already with her that will also cause supply to go down because she requires less from you since she is getting food.

Weekends I pump once right in the AM when I get up at 5. I nurse her the rest of the time. She doesn't get bottles when I'm there- she won't take them.

try increasing your fluids, eat oatmeal and other foods that increase milk supply....i am terrified of my supply going down and officially am going back to work PT as opposed to FT which is exciting and scary all at the same time....secretly i think my husband is terrified to have her all the time while i am working because he hasnt figured out how to soothe her yet (basically because he doesnt have a boob lol) and that is why he wants me to go back only PT which is fine with me...i have to put myself in his shoes...my friend said "how would u feel if you woke up tomorrow and you werent able to nurse your baby...wouldnt u be terrified on how you would soothe her?"...she is totally right...even when i had to pump and dump i was terrified on how she was going to be so i am sure that is how my husband feels.

I'm back up to where I was! I'm not sure if it was the lactation cookies, eating oatmeal every AM, or the fact that I replaced my tubing for my pump. Anyway, we are back on track with the pumping. I completely know how you feel- Brenna has been really fussy the past 2 nights because she's cutting her 2nd tooth and she only wants me. In a way, I feel so happy knowing she wants her mama but at 2 AM, I'm dying to go back to bed!

Somewhere I had read that the ingredients in the lactation cookies were actually more potent if you ate them raw - so I made a batch of dough without the eggs and am snacking on it now. Hoping it helps, sits my production always goes down when I'm cycling. I also added the Fenugreek back to my routine and flaxseed oil. I'm really bad about eating breakfast - but wish I was better and ate my oatmeal.

Poly- when you say cycling.... Has your period returned already???

Oh yeah, Trey isn't even 4 months old and I've had my period 3 FREAKING times. The first was SUPER light, the 2nd was medium and the third, which just ended yesterday was a full blown period. Sorry for the term cycling, I think that's a livestock term and we deal so much with livestock, that I interchange my terms sometimes. Like the other day I asked my sis when she was supposed to calve?? Luckily she has a good sense of humor and doesn't mind being associated with a cow.

My friend says that it's cuz I didn't exclusively breast feed at first - I had to supplement cuz I didn't have enough supply and then my supply went down with the infected C-section incision and then it went down again when I had the flu when Trey was 3 weeks old. She might be right, but I have a feeling I'm one of those ones that would have gotten it back right away anyways. Even when I wasn't ovulating my period was like clockwork. I also ovulated about 2 weeks after our D&C back in Nov 2012 - like clockwork.

I was just reading that if u get prego your supply can go down ..i was gonna say POAS but i see you are back to normal!!

Oh Poly- that sucks! I'm wondering when mine will return. I've heard it's different for every woman. So not looking forward to that day.

Kate- Ha! I've read that too but there is 0% chance I'm pregnant. We've literally had sex 2 x since I delivered her and we used protection. Not sure about you girls, but my sex drive has really taken a nosedive. I have no interest. I don't know if it's the hormones from postpartum or the hormones from nursing.