Warning - oversharing follows! Nursing difficulties

So I'm suffering what is commonly referred to as a "drop in production". Without going into the gory details (or maybe I already have?), I'm not making enough milk for my son. AHHHHHH! As if the pressures of being a working mom weren't enough, now I'm not making enough FOOD for my infant! AHHHHH!

When I think about it, its not surprising. I've been excercising, trying to lose the last bit of baby weight, fighting off some random throat and tummy upsets and probably not drinking enough water. Add to that the fact that since my son has been introduced to cereal and bananas, he might not be consuming as much when he's nursing, and it makes sense that my production has significantly dropped.

On a typical day at daycare (since they can much more accurately measure what they are feeding him), he gets anywhere from 12 - 24 oz's of breastmilk a day. I managed to send him to day care this morning with a whopping 3 1/2 oz's.

I was warned this would happen - by other Mom's, my midwife, our pediatrician, etc. So its normal, but that doesn't really help actually produce more milk. So I need to drink lots more water, go on a pumping marathon (Breastmilk is produced based on demand, so the more it is "demanded" the more I will produce. So I have to trick my body into making more by building in some extra "feedings" by pumping. What fun!) and hopefully the supply will pick back up.

Our ultimate goal is to make it to one year with my son still getting at least some breastmilk (expecting that by that time he'll be exposed to much more fun food and won't really be wanting all that much breastmilk anyway. Who wants milk when there's cookies, bananas, Cheerios and the like?!), so 5 1/2 months doesn't exactly feel like I've made it even close to the finish line.

I'm not giving up yet, luckily my son is flexible enough to take formula during these slow production times.

I TOLD you it there was oversharing involved!