My baby is just over 4 months old. I've been breastfeeding him and also been giving him formula about once a day. Whe went to Disney in December and I increased his formula because it was difficult to breastfeed and we were also very busy. Got up at 6:30, returning at 10:00 at night and the only food we really got in was pasta, burgers and pizza (there was nothing healthy to eat at the parks) My milk has reduced and I would like to increase it again so I only have to give him one bottle of formula a day. Please help.

Since your breastfeeding was well established before you went away on holiday, it should not be difficult to increase your milk supply again. However, you will have to really take the effort to have a few calm and quiet days, really concentrate on eating a healthy and balanced diet, and drinking two litres of water a day.

Then there a few techniques which will increase your milk supply. Make sure that when you do feed, at least one of your breasts is completely drained of milk. If baby will drain both breasts at each feed then that is ideal. So let your baby carry on sucking for a short time after you think that the breast is drained. Increased feeding is the best way to increase milk. Sometimes this seems counter intuitive, because why feed if there is no milk? But it the sucking action that will stimulate the milk production, so be patient. However because of the increased feeding, you need to take good care of your breasts and ensure that they don’t get sore. If you do have pain, be sure to check that your baby is correctly latched and is lying in the correct position.

If you are not relaxed then this can also interfere with the milk production. On these few days while you are taking it easy, try and feed in a quiet and private place so that you are calm and not feeling self conscious about feeding. Also remember that large gaps between feeds are not conducive to milk production. On the feeds when baby takes formula, perhaps you should try to let baby have a short suck as well. This would be especially helpful for the feeds which you hope to replace with breast milk. Then you can gradually increase the breast feeding and decrease the formula at the relevant feeds.

One last idea would be to visit your local health store. They generally sell herbal teas that are very effective at raising milk production.

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