Bringing Milk Back

Just recently, I was on a two-day hectic business trip. I only had time to pump at around 4am and then at 5pm. Recommended intervals between pumps is 4 hours, 3 hours if you really want to maintain your milk supply because milk supply works based on supply and demand. While away, I also got dehydrated. I was not able to take my Moringga supplement (Natalac), was not able to drink Milo nor was I able to take in soup. I was also without my trusty Spectra S2 dual electric breast pump. I was afraid I might damage it in transit so I just brought with me a Spectra Wide Neck Pump. Towards the end of the day, I was so engorged, it was difficult to focus on what people were saying. I just knew that my breasts were hurting. I could already feel the lumps forming. The manual pump did its job,helping me express 12oz after the first working day. On the second working day, I had to pump in the van going to the airport, I was able to get 9oz. Needless to say, my milk supply took a hit. 

My milk supply is still not like before I left but steadily,  I think I'm getting my milk back. Here are things that I did:

1. Drink lots of water. During the time that I was away, I had access to very limited water supply. On my first night, I had to make do with just 500mL. In the morning, I got to drink a few glasses of water and then went on until 1pm without water. My body got used to this a bit so it was difficult to force myself to drink many glasses of water in a day when I got back but I knew I had to. 
2. Take moringga supplements. I did not overdose. I still took 3 capsules per day as prescribed by my son's first pediatrician (He has had four but this deserves a post of its own). 
3. Sleep. Or at least I tried. I had to attend to my son when I got back so sleep was still elusive but I tried to steal a few winks here and there with the help of my husband. 
4. Drink Milo. In the absence of soup, I take in hot Milo. I drank Milo during breakfast and dinner. 
5. Drink Ginger Tea. I drank a mug of ginger tea every lunch when I can. 
6. Pump every three hours. This was a challenge because each session, I produced so little and that was disheartening and stressful. I had to wake up at night to pump. At work, this turned out to be quite a challenge. I would pump in the morning and then again after lunch and on the way home. My electric pump does not have a battery so I had to use a manual pump in the car. I did not mind but recently, my husband asked me to buy a Spectra 9 Plus portable dual electric pump (this also deserves a post of its own). 
7. Try not to get stressed. Before I left, my three month old baby was downing 5oz per feeding. When I got back, my baby seemed to need more than 5oz per feeding which means, a bottle now had to have 6oz. I was only pumping 3oz per session after the trip. My stored refrigerated milk went from 13 bottles to a mere 3 bottles. It was a race I had to win. My husband tried to calm me down by telling me there is a lot of frozen milk bags in the freezer. This comforted me a little but I did not want my baby to consume the frozen milk as breastmilk when frozen loses its vitamin C and other micronutrients. 
8. Let the baby latch. I let my baby latch on to me whenever he can so that he can stimulate my breasts to produce milk. I could feel his frustration and disappointment whenever he latched as he tugged at my breasts for more milk. 

It has been nine days since I got back from the trip and while I am not yet freezing milk again, at least I now have 12 refrigerated bottles at 6oz each in stock again. There is hope.