HOW TO INCREASE BREAST MILK SUPPLY IN HOURS

Tips to increase breast milk supply

Breastfeeding was simple until I actually started breastfeeding! My milk supply was very content, I would breastfeed my baby for over hours and would still have milk flooding down 24*7. I remember my times when I was milking my days away. All new moms were asking me how I increase my breast milk supply?

I had not used pumping tools back then, I would just go on breastfeeding my friend’s kids, honestly. When given the opportunity, I fed my Friend’s baby who couldn’t milk at all, her supply was close to minimal and that’s where I started feeding him. I would feed my baby on one and her’s on another side.

How was my milk supply!

The credits to my milk supply would go to my healthy lifestyle but I believe one can only get ahead of a problem when they know the cause to it. Most of the times we would look for ‘how to increase breast milk supply’ which is very humanly to look for but we must know what’s the root cause of the problem and then only can we solve it!

Studies say insufficient milk supply is very rare in women despite them worrying about it constantly. It is also said, women make 3 times more milk a baby needs. So basically, you just need to kill that fear at most. But there is no harm in increasing the milk supply if that’s what seems convenient to you at the moment. Let’s get to know a little more about your breasts and milk supply issues, shall we?

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HOW TO INCREASE BREAST MILK SUPPLY IN HOURS

Cause and Solution!

1. The problem — Irregular Breastfeeding

Babies themselves are the key factor in increasing breast milk supply in mothers. The more they latch, the more milk supply it is. Breastfeeding is as natural as it gets, proper health and a good latch must do it and hence we must make sure both our breasts are actively feeding the baby.

Irregular breastfeeding is unintentional yet can do bad to your milk supply. It’s the baby that triggers the supply and without feeding enough or skipping breastfeed can lead to less milk supply. Studies say, starting breastfeeding as soon as possible has favorable results. Once you start to breastfeed, your body would know that the baby has begun to feed and it must make as much milk as possible. It’s an important key to increase breasts milk supply.

Best Use

Second, try to make good use of both the breasts, switch your baby to sides once in a while. If not, you can feed on one to the baby and you can pump the other one and save extra milk since your body is already given orders to make milk. Try to breastfeed as often as you can. If not breastfeed then pump often!

 Pumping

Pumping can come very handy. Your baby would sleep bigger naps after feeding and in between you can just pump your breasts and keep them active to avoid blockage. Women who pump often have a better flow at maintaining breast milk supply since their body doesn’t lack the stimulation even when the baby is unavailable. Also, if sometimes you do miss your breastfeeding sessions, you can pump to keep up.

Massage to increase breast milk supply

Hand massage can open up closed ducts and stimulate milk production. You can opt for manual pumping, it initiates a hand rub, that can warm up your breasts and the flow.

Heat Compression

Heat compression does the same thing to breasts. It warms up the internals for an easy letdown. You can take hot showers to heat up your body and can use heat pad massages.

2. The problem — Latching

Latching is baby’s hold on the breasts to suck the milk out. A proper latch allows the baby to squeeze the milk out through the milk ducts with the help of his mouth and tongue movements. Studies say a good latch increase breast milk supply and a bad one can lead to lower milk supply, breast pain and issues, and a hungry baby!

Most often, it is not the low milk supply that’s the problem but the improper latch. If not given the proper latch, babies won’t be able to suck milk out and as a result, your body would lack the stimulation to make more milk. So make sure your baby is latching properly. For a better latch, provide your baby with a position that’s most convenient for the baby and yourself, try changing position until you find the right one.

3. Introducing Bottle & Pacifier

As a mother, I understand why a mother would want to introduce a Pacifier or a bottle to the baby. Let’s get real, we get tired and we need to rest AND it’s damn important. But giving a Pacifier too early might affect your breast milk supply since it’s not given the baby touch!

If you do wish to introduce a bottle to your baby wait for at least a month or 2 at most, the starting months are very crucial in order to increase breast milk supply. And if it that’s not possible, don’t completely go off breastfeeding. Pump as often as you can and breastfeed once in a day, if not more to keep up with the flow.

Ways to Establish Milk Supply

1. Quit Fear to increase breast milk supply

I believe, most of the time, it’s the stress and fear of not making enough milk that closes our milk ducts than any other problem. For instance, you tell your brain… you are alright when you clearly feel the opposite but it somehow cheats the brain and makes the brain believe it. It does make a difference, positive vibes changes, and relaxes your body which as a result yields bigger and better energy. So, first off, leave the fear, everything in pregnancy is natural and it won’t bring any harm to you and your baby.

It is necessary to understand we are growing a body inside of us and later will have to feed it, so self-care is very important. Many times, we forget ourselves in the need to provide our baby with everything but what we do not realize is that the baby needs us the most, so our good health matters a lot.

Your body needs the nutrients, the rest, the fun in order to stay fit, and produce fit milk. Quit worrying, quit strangling yourself, quit not eating. Just dig in lady… eat and eat, laugh and laugh and all would be good.

2. Healthy Diet to increase breast milk supply

In order to perform well, the body has its requirements. I ate and ate and that’s why my milk supply was as healthy as a big lioness. So, before you start worrying, start to dig into your plate, kitchen, grocery. Some A-list milk yielding grocery to add up.

• Water — A lot of it. Since milk is made 87% of water, you got to drink a lot of water to keep your body hydrated.
  Oatmeal — Oatmeal is a great source for iron as you must have heard of. It promotes lactation and body health in totality.
  Barley — Barley is called the Milk Bomb.
  Others — Papaya, Garlic, FlaxSeed, brewer’s yeast, sesame seeds, etc, etc.

Though, I believe one should take all the vegetables and fruit, healthy dairy, meat in order to stay fit, just not the ones you are allergic with. Otherwise, all these have some or other nutrients that help your body to stay healthy. I mean, C’mon it is not just the breast, breastmilk that needs our attention but the complete body… so eat everything but eat healthily.

3. Supplements for increase breast milk supply

I don’t hold a strong opinion for supplements since I have never used them. Also, herbal or not, supplements are not mostly recommended. So if you are thinking of using it, make sure you consult your gynecologist first regarding so. Despite not using it, I have heard many mothers suggesting these supplements or praising them and how magically they have worked for them. Some of the popular supplements are Fenugreek, Shatavari, mother milk tea, etc. These can increase your breast milk supply.