How can I produce more breast milk?

Dear doctor, I have a three-and-ahalf months-old baby and I returned to work a month ago. I have a low output of breast milk. Although the situation was the same with my second child, the milk was at least enough when complemented with other foods even after nine months.
My maternal relatives say they had the same problem including my grandmother who says despite being in the village with lots of food varieties, she also had a low breastmilk output.

Although my relatives insist the problem is with our genes and nothing can be done about it, I feel I can breast feed at least up to 1.5 years like I did with my first born. If not, at least one year but not just months.

I have tried various milk enhancing foods such as katunkuma (garden eggs), ebbuga (amaranthus), ebyenda (offals) as well as drinking lots of bushera (millet porridge), water and fruits as advised by friends and relatives with little success. I am instead growing fat!

When I returned to work, I got strong support from my colleagues (no work overload) and the baby’s caretakers are doing a good job so I’m not stressed.

I am free to return home to breastfeed during my lunch break because the route to home is jam-free at this time and my place of work is not far away from home. However, when I get home at lunch time, usually the milk is so low the baby just gives up suckling and instead plays with the breast!

I need advice on what to do because l am worried the milk will dry up before the baby makes six months or worse, he will get so comfortable with formula milk that we shall miss out on the bonding and might give up the breast completely!

Are there drugs to help enhance milk production and if so, what are the side effects? I am not on the pill; my husband works abroad and returns twice a year.

I will greatly appreciate any practical remedies to this issue that is causing me distress.
Nakawere

Dear Nakawere, many women think their milk supply is low when it is not, especially, if they feel their breasts are not full or as they breastfeed there is no milk at the baby’s angle of the mouth. What is true however, is that a growing baby may demand more leading to a mother thinking her breasts are dry.

One can tell the baby is getting enough if it is healthy and playing.

That said, many mothers who breastfeed less because they have started working, those with cracked painful nipples due to wrong positioning of the baby at the breast and those on wrong contraceptive pills, may get dry breasts.

Dry breasts can starve the baby and therefore the problem has to be solved instead of rushing for formula feeding as the first resort. A starving baby will lose weight apart from being perpetually irritated.

For most women, it is not producing less milk but it is actually failing to properly put the baby at breast that is the problem.

That said, there are people who are not producing enough milk and require a boost. Frequent breastfeeding stimulates more production of milk and one has to give both breasts.

Proper positioning at the breast is useful to avoid cracking of nipples. Compress the breasts if the baby seems not to be getting enough milk. It is not true that low milk production is hereditary but apart from taking lots of fluids, one requires to be stress free to produce adequate amounts of milk.