Increasing Milk Supply

During my trials with breastfeeding there were times when I needed/wanted to increase my milk supply to ensure that my son was getting enough easily and gaining weight well...in other words, to make my baby thrive instead of just survive. Some of the below methods I've tried (and if so I'll comment) and some I haven't. All have been reputed to be effective, and natural. Most are just emmenegogues with the exception of pumping. If instructions are necessary, I've shared!

**note - titles are also LINKS to products & information!**

• Fenugreek - typically can be found at most health/herbal stores in pill form. For maximum effectiveness, 3 capsules 3x a day should be taken, and once you smell like maple syrup you know its working! For quitting, gradually decrease dosage.
• Mother's Milk/MilkMaid Teas - typically the box instructions are one cup 3x a day as needed to increase supply. They're surprisingly tasty too! 
• Lactation Cookies - easy to make and SOOOOOO delicious! I added banana, slivered almonds, and semi-sweet bakers chocolate to mine!!! The link to the rest of my recipe is in the title :-) also, it's my understanding that the ingredients that do the increasing are the brewer's yeast (NOT the same as dry active yeast, do NOT substitute!) and the flaxseed meal. ***see update below***
• Goat's Rue - from what I understand it builds up breast tissue (could help retain some of that post-pregnancy bra size!) so will also increase capacity over time! Some of the Amazon.com reviews state that it is more effective than fenugreek as well.
• Oatmeal - yep, you got it! Everyday oatmeal. One bowl per day is recommended, interesting thoughts on why this works found at the link (title!), but no one really knows why.
• Water - for obvious reasons....if you're dehydrated your milk will be too!
• Pumping - pumping after each nursing session (both sides) can help increase your supply by telling your body that demand is higher than supply. The exact schedule can be played with of course.
• Motherlove's More Milk line - the website says it much better, but the company Motherlove has combined all the best milk increasing herbs into one convenient (and pricey) product

***UPDATE***

For anyone interested in DELICIOUS lactation cookies without the effort of baking, help support a stay-at-home-mom (ME!) and visit my Etsy Shop and order MY cookies!!! I bake them to order and ship as quick as a hiccup! Please leave a comment with any questions, suggestions, or requests  :-)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaydensCraftyMom