I have a toddler who I tried to exclusively breastfeed when he was a baby. Unfortunately my periods came back at about 2-3 months though and my supply totally crashes when I have a period, then returns to normal about 4 or 5 days later. The first time it happened, my baby's nappies totally dried up and he started showing other signs of becoming dehydrated and became increasingly upset, so my partner insisted on giving him top-ups of formula. The same thing happened in subsequent months.
I tried drinking tea made from ground fennel seed and fenugreek seed, ate bunches of fenugreek in my food as well as extra milk and cheese, oats, tried pumping and hand expressing and letting my baby cluster feed, but none of my efforts made any difference. I've breastfed my toddler for over 2 years and my supply always crashes when I have periods.
I'm pregnant again and really want to be able to breastfeed my next baby exclusively. I've tried talking to my midwives and GP (both when my toddler was a baby and now that I'm pregnant again), but they've all been utterly useless and unsupportive.
Does anyone have any advice on what else I can do / try to get my supply up during periods?