How To Boost Milk Supply Fast and Naturally
Many mammas wonder about natural ways to increase milk supply at some point in their breastfeeding or breast pumping journey. We ask ourselves questions like 'am I making enough milk?' or 'what can I do to boost my milk supply while breastfeeding?'
Luckily for us Mammas, there are a few ways to help maintain and build a good supply and boost production.
PS (The last 2 tips gave me oversupply for my newborns)
1. STAY HYDRATED
Its important to replenish your fluids mamma! Do you find yourself incredibly thirsty when let down happens? Your body is working hard to produce liquid gold to feed your bubba - thats right, liquid. Makes sense to drink more and keep hydrated, so you can make more and hydrate that wee babe.
2. EAT A WELL BALANCED DIET AND ONE RICH IN GALACTOGOGUES!
Hey mamma, your body has worked hard baking that baby to perfection, and now it needs to use its reserves and energy to nourish your little one. Just as your body needed extra calories during pregnancy, breastfeeding mammas need approximately extra ~500 calories per day. Choose nutritious food that give you energy, such as protein-rich foods like oatmeal, vegetables, wholemeal grains and complex carbohydrates in a varied diet to give your body optimal energy to make that milk that brings the babes to your yard.
3. NURSE OFTEN AND FOLLOW YOUR BABIES NEEDS
Nursing babies do not follow a schedule, they set it. So, try to go with the (milk) flow and follow your boss baby's cues, especially when your baby is still a newborn. Lactation consultants often recommend feeding on demand, which means that every time your baby is hungry, you feed them. This certainly is not always possible, especially for moms who work outside the home. You do also have to take your mental health into consideration as well. But, if you re looking for a boost, feeding on demand may be the way to go.
4. LET BABY NURSE FROM EACH SIDE
Milk production is a demand-supply system so the more often baby feeds, the more milk production occurs. When your breast is fully empty, it sends a message to your brain to produce more milk. Added bonus, when you baby completely empties a breast, they are sure to get all the foremilk and fatty hindmilk behind it, which is great for their development.
5. USE A BREAST PUMP AND TRY POWER PUMPING. REALLY.
If there was one tip that boosted my supply the fastest, I went from low supply to over supply (Proud Mamma moment). Breast pumps are very useful to empty the breast if baby only feeding one side or to start a milk stash or to maintain milk supply for home or work. Some mammas, like myself, may exclusively pump for a period of time. Remember, demand = Supply. The more milk your body thinks your baby needs, the more it will make – the baby staying at the breast signals the body that there is more demand, which often leads to a higher milk supply.
Power pumping is also another technique that quickly builds milk supply. Power pumping attempts to mimic cluster feeding, but with a breast pump. (This is why it’s also called “cluster pumping.”)
In order to power pump, you’ll want to sit down and pump on and off at an interval for about an hour.
You can do this once a day and choose the interval that works for you – you can do 20 minutes first and then 10 minutes off and on, 12 minutes on and 8 off, 15 and 5, etc.
The amount of time doesn’t have to be exact – cluster feeding babies don’t nurse for exactly 15 minutes, take a 5 minute break, etc. You just want to spend more than half the time pumping and some time resting.
Supply usually boosts after at least 2/3 days of doing a power pump once a day.
6. MAMMAS MILK BAR BLENDS
Do you like to drink? No, no, no cocktail for you Mamma.
We're talking about Tea, Milkshakes, Hot Drinks, Smoothies that is! If so, you may want to try out our range of galactogogue rich blends to aid increase in supply levels. Personally, having mixed and taken these blends myself during my own breastfeeding journey, I'v found the most effective result was a mix of tea and smoothies. We'd recommend you try out various options to see what works for you and your body.