5 Â Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply
Struggling with low milk production is a common issue among new breastfeeding mothers. We constantly worry if our baby is getting enough to eat. Luckily, there are so many different ways to increase your breast milk supply quickly and naturally. Here’s a list of 5 ways to increase your milk supply for baby!
Drink More Water
Breast feeding makes you THIRSTY! Like really thirsty. The problem is, when it comes to all there is to do with taking care of a newborn, we can often forget to drink. Keep a water bottle filled with cold water close by. I found that drinking with a straw also helped me drink more than without.
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!
To Make More, Take More
This is a saying I learned from the Milkology Online Breastfeeding Class. Stacey, the Lactation Counselor who teaches the class, explains how lactation works and ho milk is made on a supply and demand type system. So in order to make more milk, you need to take more milk out of your body.
Do this by adding a pumping session to your morning and/or evening routine. You may not have much milk during that first pump session, but stick with it! The signal will make it to your body that there is more of a demand for milk and therefore, it needs to start producing more!
Galactagogue
Galactagogue is a fancy word for food that helps increase your milk production. Many of these foods are easy to incorporate into your every day diet and are easy on baby’s tummy.
- Oatmeal
- Almonds
- Ginger
- Fennel
- Brown Rice
- Brewers Yeast
You can incorporate multiple foods on this list by making lactation oatmeal, a lactation smoothie, or milk bites (think chocolate and oatmeal style energy balls, but for milk making!)
Supplements
While there are many foods that can increase milk supply, there are also many natural herbs that can increase milk supply as well. Luckily for us, these herbs are usually combined into supplement form for easier taking.
- Fenugreek Capsules– A common supplement used to increase milk supply.
- Let There Be Milk. This is a supplement that includes fenugreek, goats rue, red raspberry leaf and blessed thistle, all of which have shown to increase milk supply. Available in drops and capsule form.
- UpSpring MilkFlow– All of the great herbs that increase milk production, but in a yummy raspberry flavored drink!
- Nursing Teas- Adding one cup of Traditional Medicines Nursing Tea to my morning routine greatly helped increase my milk supply quickly. I would add a little honey to sweeten the taste.
Lactation Counselor
If you feel you are really struggling with your milk supply, reach out to a lactation counselor. You can contact the hospital you delivered at for help locating one in your area. A lactation counselor has had to go through expensive training and will be extremely helpful in all areas of breastfeeding.