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Hi there, this is Melissa (I still can't get in under my old login). I had low supply-issues too, but the good news is that there are lots of things you can do to increase breastmilk production. Have you spoken with a La Leche League leader or a IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)? Check with your midwife or the hospital where you delivered to see if they have one on staff. That is a good place to start. They may be able to arrange for you to borrow a special scale to weigh the baby before and after breastfeeding to determine if you truly have a low-supply issue. Other things to look for are weight gain and the number of wet diapers a baby has each day.
Like I said, I had low-supply issues, and I always suspected that not having a colon was partially to blame, with the dehydration issues I always seem to be fighting. In addition, my son was born premature at 34½ weeks, and my milk never really came in -- I never got engorged like most new moms, but I wasn't going to let it stop me from breastfeeding. Supposedly, the chances of my child having problems with IBD later in life are greatly reduced if he is exclusively breastfed for at least six months, in addition to a whole host of other health benefits, and I'm happy to say that we're still breastfeeding at 14 months.
To overcome low-supply issues, do an internet search for "galactagogues," which are substances that you can take or eat to stimulate breastmilk production. Some of these are: oatmeal (steel cut, not instant), almonds, an herbal supplement called fenugreek, which can be found at natural food stores and some grocery stores or pharmacies, blessed thistle (another herb), domperidone (a GI medication that has the side effect of stimulating breastmilk production), Reglan (Rx drug with the same result as domperidone, but not recommended for long-term use because of bad side effects), and mother's milk tea (also at natural food stores).
Other things that you can do are to put your baby to the breast as much as possible, use an SNS system if you need to supplement with formula (check with LLL or a lactation consultant for more info on this), and pump using a hospital-grade breastpump after every feeding. The more milk that is drained from the breast, the more the body is signaled to make more, so nurse, nurse, nurse!
Go to the forums at Kellymom.com, the best website that I've found to answer breastfeeding questions.
For me personally, it was the hospital-grade pump, frequent feeding/pumping and domperidone that worked the best. Now that my son is older and eating mostly real food, we nurse about four or five times a day, and I no longer pump. I'm gradually decreasing the amount of domperidone that I take (reducing 10mgs per week) with the thought of being off of it entirely by the time I've used up my current supply.
It was a great deal of hard work and required a huge commitment to overcome the problem, but I'm really glad that I kept at it. At one point, my son developed a sensitivity to the dairy in my diet, so I had to entirely eliminate dairy for a while, too. Eventually, he was able to tolerate it, which made my life much easier!
My son is doing wonderfully, and I know that he got the best that there is by being breastfed.
Good luck to you and your baby and let me know if you have any specific questions!
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