5 Ways to Increase Breast Milk Supply
While breastfeeding might be a natural way to feed your newborn child, it isn?t always the easiest. A variety of problems can arise when learning to breastfeed, low milk supply being among the most common. Returning to work, exhaustion, and simply not eating enough or drinking enough fluids can be cause for a reduction in breast milk supply. Fortunately, there are some things you can do about it; try one or more of these five common home remedies to boost your milk supply.
1. Pump or breastfeed more frequently. If you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby, try using a breast pump and pumping for five to ten minutes after each nursing session. You can also try adding a pumping session or two to your routine during the day to boost your supply, such as first thing in the morning or while your baby sleeps or naps. Use a hospital-grade pump if you can ? especially if you are exclusively pumping; it?ll help to more efficiently remove your milk.
2. Drink plenty of fluids. Keep track of how much water you?re drinking during the day; is it enough? Try drinking a glass of water every time your baby nurses to ensure that you?re drinking enough.
3. Rest and relax. While it can be difficult to get much rest with a newborn, make an effort to take care of yourself, rest when you can, and get enough sleep. Try taking a nap during the day or just resting on the sofa with your little one.
4. Eat oatmeal. Many new moms have said that adding oatmeal to their diets increased their milk supply. Steel-cut oatmeal is the most effective (available at most health stores). Have a bowl or oatmeal for breakfast, or snack on oatmeal-granola during the day.
5. Take away the pacifier. It may help to take away the pacifier if your baby uses one; his or her need to suck will ensures that enough time is spent at the breast in order for baby to be fed and your supply to be sufficient.
Many moms also rely on herbal remedies, such as fenugreek, to increase their supply. While it can be a short-term breastmilk booster, you should always consult with your doctor before taking any herbal remedies.
Secret Mommy says...
I needed help increasing my supply and found all of these things worked well. Eating oatmeal and taking Fenugreek surprisingly helped a LOT!
But the one thing I would stress the most is constant nursing/taking away the binky/etc. Many of my friends told me that my baby should not be latched on for an hour at a time and to break him off after 20 or 30 minutes. Well, I discovered that my baby wanted to latch on for a long time and I honestly believe it was because he knew I needed his nursing to increase my supply. When he was first born he needed a supplemental bottle of an ounce or two at every feeding. By 3 months he only needed a bottle or two a day (still only one to three or four ounces) and now he only gets one once in a while if it’s for convenience or something.
Though the oatmeal (oat bran cold cereals work, too) became a habit for me, I’ve quit taking the fenugreek and have no supply issues.
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Jessdel27 says...
Thanks for the additional information since I didn’t know about oatmeal and fenugreek for increasing milk supply.
Maybe I was lucky, but I resisted giving my son any supplemental feed even though the midwives said I should seeing that he was a big baby. Being Jamaican, breastfeeding is the norm especially among middle and lower income mothers. To increase milk supply we believe that increasing fluid intakes boost milk supply. I do not like water, but found that after significantly increasing my fluid intake my milk supply increased and I was able to breastfeed exclusively for the 1st 6 months.
Dieting while breastfeeding will also slow milk production. This is because nursing uses about 500 calories per day, so if you are dieting you will not have the necessary energy for maximum milk production.
I had a hard time weaning him so he breastfed until a week before his 3rd birthday. I doubt I will breastfeed that long the next time around.
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new mommy says...
I was doing well with the breastfeeding and pumping until I had acid refluxes, during which I could not pump enough milk. Iam taking herbal medication and mothers milk tea along with oatmeal. Since my periods got started, I don’t see any increase in my supply. My baby is 4 months old and am a working mom.Does the herbal medication take time to kick in? Any help would be appreciated
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