Lost Milk Supply

My son is 10 weeks old and I have been trying to breastfeed him.  My supply is slowly decreasing it is now at 2 oz after both breast have been pumped.  I go back to work in a week and I am wondering if there is any hope of building this supply back up?  I have tried fenugreek, milk thistle, oatmeal, drinking a dark beer.  How long do I give it to start working before giving up?  

[tiredbuthappy]

how often and how long do you nurse?
How often and how long do you pump? Are you using a good pump?
What makes you think your baby isn't get enough at the breast? Does he seem hungry? Some women do not respond well to the pump. I know a woman who could not pump a single drop (tried almost every pump out there) but did have the supply to exclusively breast feed her son for years directly from the breast. Many babies are more efficient than pumps, so even if you only pump a couple of ounces you may have enough milk for nursing.

How is your baby's latch? A poor latch can impact supply. Have you seen a lactation consultant?

If you are nursing, you should be nursing on demand, for as long as the baby wants. If you are pumping, you should be pumping as often as a newborn would nurse, which is generally considered to be 8 to 10 times/day. Pump 10-15 minutes, and be sure to pump several minutes past the last drops. This will signal to your body to make more milk. You can do compressions while you pump- this often helps with let downs and emptying. Are you feeling let-downs while you pump?

Even if you cannot produce much with the pump, the extra stimulation will stimulate supply.
If your baby can nurse directly but you cannot pump, worst comes to worst you can nurse while at home and formula feed while at work.

If you have any more questions, you can pop over to the breastfeeding forum as well. We have plenty of women there who have worked while breastfeeding, as well as women who nursed exclusively, combo fed breast milk and formula, pumped exclusively, etc... I know this is very stressful for you, and with a little more info we may be able to help you. Good Luck!