Chichi Tea

One of the biggest problems with my breastfeeding so far, (it has now been 3 1/2 months) has been my low milk supply. Now, I say it's a low milk supply, but I think I've just been really hard on myself. Because my baby is just about 13 pounds or so now, and the doctor said she has gained more than enough weight. She's a tough and sturdy, well-fed baby. And I know that when I breastfeed her, she takes in up to 4 ounces from one breast. But I feel that when I pump, it's just not enough. I can barely get 3 ounces from both breasts all together. 2 ounces on my right, 1 ounce on my left. And that's pretty much how it's always been. I think I do have enough milk if I was constantly breastfeeding her, but I work full-time. So I need to pump and store milk everyday (refrigerated and frozen) so that when I can't feed her, she has plenty of milk to be fed from her bottles. But it's a constant struggle to have enough milk for her, 'cause she's one hungry baby. So far I've managed pretty good, but it gets so incredibly tiring. Pumping is so exhausting, it really takes a toll on your body and your emotions. I have to pump every two hours for 20 minutes, all day and night, everyday. That's the best way I researched to keep your milk supply up. That, in addition to actually breastfeeding my baby about once or twice during the day, and then through the night whenever she wakes up to eat. And also, having extra milk stored helps during those times when she's especially hungry and I have to give her a bottle even after I've breastfeed her because it wasn't enough. That's been the case during those dreaded growth spurts. I tell ya' man, I don't think I've ever been as passionate about anything in my life as I am with breastfeeding!

Anyway, so I've been on this quest to increase my milk supply. A few weeks ago, I decided to try all the things they tell you to do. I got the beer, the old-fashioned oatmeal (not the instant one), and this Mother's Milk tea here. I feel like I get the best result from this tea and from beer. The oatmeal, not so much. Sometimes when I drink this chichi tea, I do feel let down in my breasts, which tells me that it must be doing something. (I also feel let down whenever I drink beer as well.) This tea hasn't increased the amount of milk I pump at each session, but the amount is pretty consistent. I haven't run out of milk, so that's a good sign. And I'm wondering if it's not so much that I don't have a lot of milk in there, but that my body is not responding so well to the pumping, which is why only a little bit comes out that way.

This tea doesn't taste bad at all for being an herbal tea. It's a traditional combination of anise, fennel and coriander which has been used for centuries by European women to promote healthy lactation. I usually go for black teas myself, like Chai or Earl Gray. And I like drinking tea with milk and sugar, so I add that to this Mother's Milk and it's pretty good. The box says you're supposed to drink it 3-5 times a day. With my schedule, I'm lucky if I remember to drink it once a day. I'm getting better though, and I do two bags at a time to get more out of one tea time. I found this at Rite-Aid in the vitamins section for about $6. So far I like it and I will continue to drink it to fuel my Chichi Power.