Q: My daughter is 9 months old. She was exclusively breast fed, until recently. A few weeks ago, I caught a bug that left me very dehydrated. Since then I cannot get my milk supply back to normal. Earlier, while pumping at work, I would bring home 6-8 ounces. Now I can only get 2. My daughter turns away quickly while nursing because nothing comes out. I have to give her formula to keep her fed and feel bad about it. What can I do to get my milk supply back to normal?

A:Since your baby is now 9 months old you should give her top feeds more. By 1 year she should be eating whole meal. So do not be dependent on breast milk, because that would not be sufficient for the growing child. You can continue breast milk till you are able to produce, i.e. for few more months. But otherwise start giving other liquids like milk, juice, soups etc for better nourishment. Try to eat a healthy diet so as to have good quality & quantity milk. Sometimes babies themselves stop taking breast milk as they start eating other things, since it is not sufficient for them.