How To Increase Breast Milk Supply? Natural Ways To Boost Breastmilk Production

Pregnancy marks the beginning of a new life in the life of all mothers. You are constantly worried about what to feed your child and what to not during this time. The ideal food for your infant is breast milk. Now, most mothers have little idea about how to increase breast milk supply. 

Luckily, there are several natural ways by which you can achieve this!

To increase breast milk supply, you can consume various foods like barley, fenugreek, garlic, etc. Besides, some procedures act as stimulants for milk production. Also, you can take drugs or supplements. 

To understand these better, you need to know what foods and drugs can help you increase your milk supply. Also, you must understand some facts like the basic physiology of breast milk production, things that you shouldn’t consume during lactation, and what stuff can reduce your milk supply. So, to learn all these clearly, please keep on reading!

Some Natural Ways To Boost Breast Milk Supply

Natural methods are the best ways to deal with any kind of life situation. Artificial material, in contrast, frequently contains preservatives and chemicals.

Some straightforward natural methods can help you boost your breast milk supply. Here, I would like to explain the 15 easiest methods briefly. 

Drink Lots And Lots Of Fluids

To be fair, it’s quite basic knowledge that if you drink lots of fluid, your body can produce more fluid. On the other hand, if you stay dehydrated, it is evident that your body will fail to produce sufficient fluids.

Indeed, breast milk is the secretion of your mammary glands. The lactating tissues produce this white viscid fluid that your infant feeds on. An average adult should drink at least two liters of fluid per day. 

However, during the initial days of lactation, drink a little more because pregnancy makes a lot of changes to your body. Your nutrient demands increase, and now your baby depends on you too. So, whatever you eat is associated indirectly with your infant.

Hence, drink more and more healthy fluids. The most accessible and most available fluid is water. So, drink at least two to three liters of water every day!

Consume Fenugreek Seeds

It might sound weird to you a little. Also, not everybody is a fan of having fenugreek seeds. But you will be amazed to know that if you consume fenugreek tea during lactation, your breast milk supply can increase manifolds! 

Fenugreek is an Asian spice that is commonly available. It is quite popular because of its tremendous health benefits! You can make a simple tea out of fenugreek seeds if you don’t want to eat them alone.

Soak some fenugreek seeds overnight in water. It permits water to penetrate the seeds and properly hydrate them. The next day, boil the seeds. Consume this daily, and you’ll discover that your breast milk supply has dramatically increased! 

Eating Garlic

Garlic is not a very favorite food item for most people. Mostly, it is the least preferred food item for its weird smell. However, the health benefits of garlic know no bounds! Garlic cures it all, starting from cardiac diseases to gastrointestinal troubles. And it is also the best natural remedy for boosting your breast milk supply.

It has been seen that mothers who consumed garlic cloves raw or even those who added more garlic content to their diets and recipes got the benefits. The lactogenic properties of garlic are not that widely known. But from a very ancient time, garlic has been used to promote breast milk supply.

So, try to increase the amount of garlic in your diet. Maybe add it as a spice, eat the cloves raw and minced, or have it with black tea. In all ways, you will benefit, and so will your child.

Barley And Oats

Barley is probably a long-lost food item in most parts of the world. Earlier, babies were fed barley, which increased barley production worldwide. However, barley has been replaced in our life by a variety of cereals. In many cases, oats have taken the place of barley!

Most importantly, barley and oats are both rich in glucans. In particular, they contain a very high quantity of Beta-glucan. However, barley is richer than oats. Oats are now a favorite breakfast meal for most working people. Also, it is a good meal if you want to stay fit and eat a high energy-yielding diet.

Add some milk, add some fruit like strawberries, and prepare nice oatmeal. You can’t imagine how beneficial it can increase your milk production. Moreover, barley is easy to consume and can be bought from any local store. 

Eat More Papaya

Papaya is a popular fruit that is also a good source of lactose. Papaya is likely to include oxytocin, a hormone that aids in the contraction of the muscle and epithelial cells, resulting in milk production.

So, any stimulant that increases oxytocin can increase breast milk production. Among the many hormones related to breast milk production, oxytocin is a core one. 

Moreover, oxytocin has also been termed the hormone of love. Because oxytocin is released when your infant sucks on your breast, this oxytocin helps create a bond of love and affection between you and your child. As a result, it increases your milk supply and strengthens your bond with your child! Start eating papayas today!

Fennel

After fenugreek, the most widely known Indian herb for boosting breast milk supply is fennel. It is a kind of vegetable. Fennel has natural properties to increase breast milk. It also contains plenty of phytoestrogens. These substances are essential for causing the contraction of mammary glands. 

So, to eat fennel, you can pair it up with some chicken or dory fish. It can taste delicious when sautéed with olive oil and vinegar. Hence, you can enjoy some tasty meals and a good number of health benefits simultaneously!

Lactation Cookies

These are not so popular. A lot of you may not even have heard of these. But guess what? These are so effective in increasing breast milk production. If you can’t buy them, you can easily make them on your own by looking up a YouTube recipe.

Besides, you can buy them from any local store or on Amazon. These contain whole oats, brewer’s yeast, wheat, etc. To make it on your own, you will need flour, butter, sugar, yeast, wheat germ, flaxseeds, oats, eggs, baking soda, etc. However, if you are a vegetarian, you can avoid eggs.

The cookies are delicious as well. Have them with a glass of milk or a cup of tea. You can replace your evening snacks with these. You will observe that your milk production has increased several times more!

Breastfeeding More Frequently 

It is a general rule that if you feed your baby more, the milk production will increase more. Think about this, if you don’t feed your baby regularly, the milk already produced is stored inside. 

It can be harmful to both you and your baby. Moreover, if you don’t empty the breast, how can you expect to produce more? So, feed the baby regularly from one side and then the other. 

Also, thick yellow-colored milk is produced from the breasts just after delivery. Most people throw it away. But this is wrong! This milk is very high in nutrients, and you must feed your child this milk.

Furthermore, during the initial days, try to feed your infant every two to three hours. It will help you to empty the breasts frequently and increase production. 

Basically, in the first few days, you need to observe how often your infant needs feeding and how long it can feed at once. Gradually, you will learn how many times you need to feed your infant. 

Use A Breast Pump

It is another method for those mothers who don’t want to breastfeed directly. Here, you can use a suction device, commonly known as a breast pump. It works on energy, creating a negative suction that helps extract milk from your breasts.

After that, you can collect this milk in containers and keep it stored for future use. This method is beneficial for women who can not feed their babies. For example, it is helpful for women with Polycystic Ovaries or inverted nipples. Using the pump can help you empty the breast and increase further production. 

Kangaroo Mother Care

This technique comes from the basic idea of how a kangaroo cares for its joey. The kangaroo is the only animal that carries its offspring in its abdominal pocket. It causes direct skin-to-skin contact between the baby and its mother.

Likewise, Kangaroo Mother Care KMC is a popular technique in medical science. The babies who are low in birth weight cannot feed directly from the mother’s breast on their first attempt. So, they are kept in direct skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. 

It creates a miraculous bond between the mother and the baby. As a result, during this time, when the baby is at the mother’s breast, the baby starts suckling on its own. This technique is a remedy for babies who are reluctant to feed. So, it has a potential role in boosting the breast milk supply. 

Put Your Baby To Breastfeeding Instead Of Using A Pacifier 

Most babies are very fussy and love to suck on pacifiers. All the screaming and hushing stop miraculously when you put a pacifier in their mouth. The baby sucks on it and stays calm and quiet. 

So, if you make a habit of using a pacifier, your baby will start to depend on it. However, the ideal method is to put your baby to sleep every time it cries. Usually, babies cry when they are hungry or need to sleep. So, if you start breastfeeding them right away, they will stop crying.

It can do the job of a pacifier well. Side by side, the purpose of breastfeeding is also fulfilled, and your breast milk production can continue to rise. Feeding the baby to sleep should be done frequently. It will boost the milk supply as well.

Pump Between Feedings

It is a very beneficial method. What you need to do here is, pump your breasts using a breast pump in between two consecutive feeding sessions. It is so effective in boosting the milk supply.

If you are feeding your baby every two to three hours, just try to pump for a while before the next feeding session. This helps to empty the breast and produce the milk again. Also, you can keep the milk for future use. Attempt to pump for at least 30 minutes per day. You will benefit a lot.

Proper Positioning And Attachment 

Most lactation failures occur because most mothers do not know that they should put their infant in the correct position. You can’t put the baby in whatever way you want. You have to hold the infant correctly. 

Always make sure the baby’s chin touches the breast and the whole of your nipple is inside its mouth. The upper part of the black area should be visible above the baby’s mouth. Also, you must support the head and neck with your hand.

If you don’t position yourself properly, the baby can not get enough milk. You might think your baby is reluctant to feed, but it is not even getting the proper amount of milk. So, when you position the baby correctly, it feeds well, and ultimately, the milk supply increases. 

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

As a new mom, it’s hard to make time to sleep or eat properly. Most mothers are unkempt and become sad as they can’t care for themselves while caring for their families. But please try to take some time for yourself too. This is your most fundamental need during this time!

It is hard to get a good seven or eight hours’ sleep in the earlier days. The baby will wake you up most nights. However, even if you can, try to get a night of complete sleep on some days. Keep a baby monitor if you need it. Get some assistance. 

Don’t overdo yourself. Just don’t hamper your health. If you stay healthy, your baby will remain healthy as well. Also, mental stress can reduce milk supply. So try to get some good sleep and rest whenever you can.

Have Confidence In Yourself

Pregnancy and post-pregnancy periods can be exhausting, depressing, and stressful in any woman’s life. Suddenly, your whole world changes, and now, you are a mother. Another life, another living individual, depends on you.

It can be scary, and it is alright. But it is you who has brought you this far. You are a strong woman ready to face any downhill in life. If you stay depressed constantly, it affects your health in turn. Ultimately, milk production is reduced to a great extent. Your baby gets deprived of breast milk.

So, be confident because you can face any adverse situation. Pregnancy is the most beautiful period in a woman’s life. Embrace it with open arms. Don’t stress out mentally or physically. Then, you and your baby can lead a happy and healthy life!

Why Is Breastfeeding Important? 

Breast milk is the perfect food for an infant at any stage of life. You must provide your child with all the essential nutrients, and the best way to do it is by breastfeeding. It’s a complete food for the infant during the first six months of its life.

Most mothers nowadays are hesitant to put their infants to breastfeed. But this only means depriving your child of the crucial nutrients it needs. We need carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals in adequate amounts to make a balanced diet. For infants, this breast milk is a complete food with all the proximate components. 

Babies have a high basal metabolic rate. However, they can’t have big-sized meals like us at a time. So, they need constant feeding in tiny amounts. The milk produced by your breasts is the natural food provided for your infant. They digest and absorb foods quickly. So, you need to feed them the right amounts.

In most countries, doctors recommend that you feed your child only breast milk for the first six months and not even a drop of water. This is known as Exclusive Breastfeeding. However, after six months, breast milk alone is not sufficient to meet the nutrient demands of your child as they grow older. So, you need to provide some complementary foods.

Despite this, infants are fed formula milk from a very young age besides breast milk in many other states. This is most likely due to the mother’s reluctance to provide for their child. That’s why studies are constantly being conducted on improving the quality of formula milk. So, if your doctor recommends formula milk, you are safe to try it out!

Can Foods Affect Breast Milk Production? 

While some foods influence breast milk production well, there are foods that can even reduce the milk supply. Not just foods, some psychological factors can also affect milk supply.

Previously, I mentioned all the kinds of foods that can boost your milk production. Now, let us talk about the things that can hamper milk supply. Below are some everyday bad food items that are anti-lactogenic.

Alcohol

The most dangerous and harmful food item that can hamper your milk supply is alcohol. We know alcohol has beneficial effects when consumed a little. But when you exceed limits, you are doing damage to yourself. 

It is the function of the liver to detoxify poisons and alcohol. When you consume a lot of alcohol, gradually, it starts to hamper the liver. At one point, you may develop alcohol intoxication or liver disease. It can increase your blood alcohol level and ultimately increase the risk of transferring alcohol to your body fluids.

When this happens, alcohol may be secreted into breast milk. This intoxicated milk is very harmful to your child. Also, alcohol can reduce breast milk supply significantly! This is because alcohol inhibits the secretion of oxytocin. So, without oxytocin, your mammary glands do not contract, and there is no milk secretion. Thus, avoid alcohol as much as possible!

Caffeine And Coffee

I can understand if you are a coffee addict. It’s tough to start your day without coffee. But during lactation, you need to be extra careful. Because your baby feeds on you as well, reduce your caffeine intake. 

Caffeine is present in tea, coffee, chocolate, cola, etc. It is present in coffee in the highest amounts. Caffeine can reduce breast milk supply. So, replace your regular cup with a decaf one. And if possible, try to avoid coffee. Some have said that the decaf can also contain tiny amounts of caffeine. So, why take the risk!

Caffeine is not suitable for lactating mothers. Also, it might get secreted into your breast milk. So, refrain from coffee for as long as your baby is breastfeeding. 

Other Foods

Besides the foods mentioned above, some other notable food items can hamper breast milk supply. For example, there is a chaste berry, menthol, peppermint, sage, parsley, etc. Chaste berries can inhibit prolactin secretion, the hormone which is the inevitable stimulant of milk secretion. 

In addition, smoking, although not a food, is a consumable product. Smoking affects the milk supply very severely. It would be best if you didn’t smoke, let alone during lactation. So, refrain from this habit when you are nursing your child.

Do Breasts Need Time To Refill?

No, breasts do not need a gap time to refill. Whenever the baby sucks milk, it is instantly produced again. So, there is no refilling time for breasts.

When the baby sucks on your breast, some nerve signals transmit through the nipple to your brain. These signals cause the release of certain hormones, which ultimately act on the mammary glands. As a result, there is milk secretion. This milk is produced instantly when a baby sucks on a breast.

So, it is more like if the baby sucks more, more signals will be transmitted, and more milk will be produced. Very rarely do the breasts become empty. If your baby is feeding well, it is implausible that your breast can become empty.

Thus, refilling time is not a problem for breastfeeding. However, after a prolonged feeding session, you may need to allow a good 20-30 minutes to rest your breasts. It can help you overcome milk exhaustion. 

Nurse your baby continuously. Feed the child at an interval of two to three hours. Only then do the mammary glands continue adequately functioning. There won’t be any stasis of milk. Milk stasis can ultimately lead to infections that can be severe! So, empty the breasts regularly by feeding your infant correctly. 

Causes Of Low Breast Milk Supply 

A lot of factors are often held responsible for low milk supply. Breast milk supply is related to your dietary habits and several psychological and health-related factors. 

Some medical disorders can also lead to a low breast milk supply. Here, I would like to point out some common causes of low breast milk supply.

Medical Disorders

I mentioned earlier that women with polycystic ovaries often struggle to breastfeed their infants. It is because of the hormonal changes that occur in this disease. The milk supply is reduced dramatically. So, get yourself checked if you are in doubt. 

Also, women with Eclampsia have very little milk flow. It takes time to overcome this. High blood pressure often leads to lactation failure. Diabetes Mellitus is another cause of low milk supply.

Psychological Factors 

Anxiety, stress, depression, low mood, exhaustion, irritability, etc., are all the root psychological causes of low milk supply. So, wipe out any kind of mental worry and trouble. You are a mother, and your child needs you.

Don’t stress too much. Take rest, both mentally and physically. Taking too much stress affects the hormonal pathway of milk secretion. Ultimately, the baby is deprived of good quantities of milk.

Previous Breast Surgery 

You may have had a mastectomy or any breast surgery where you had to excise most parts of your breast tissue. It can require most of the functioning glands to be excised. Ultimately, there are not enough milk-secreting glands and tissues.

It can lead to a reduced milk supply. Also, some nipple piercings can interfere with the nerve supply of breasts and eventually hamper milk secretion. 

Conclusion 

Breast milk is the only ideal source of food for an infant. You must provide your infant with adequate feeding to ensure its proper growth and development. By now, you have learned so many ways by which you can naturally increase your breast milk production. So, try some of the ways yourself and check out the results!

I hope you have found some effective methods on how to increase breast milk supply. Also, I hope this article helped you gain some perspectives regarding all the ins and outs of breastfeeding. Thank you for reading the entire article with patience. I wish you and your baby the best of health!