A breastfeeding mom’s worst nightmare is waking up to discover her milk supply has plummeted. While some supplements are known to naturally increase milk production (fenugreek and milk thistle to name a couple), taking an excessive amount of anything may cause harm to your baby so taking a supplement should not be your first resort. If you have found your milk supply has dropped, take a look at these five simple tips before you run out in desperation to the nearest pharmacy.
A couple of ground rules when it comes to a low milk supply- you first need to determine if your supply is actually “low.” Make sure your expectations are realistic and if you are not sure if you are producing enough, consult a lactation consultant prior to taking any supplements.
This is certainly not new advice as it is the most cliché statement a breastfeeding mom is told from the beginning. While it may be a common statement, it is the easiest and simplest way to get your milk supply in check! Your body makes milk at the rate in which your baby eats so by nursing more you are signaling your body to produce more milk.
1. Nurse Frequently
Whether you are nursing exclusively or supplementing with bottles of expressed milk from pumping, you should be emptying your breasts a maximum of every three hours. If you are away from the baby or the baby is sleeping through the night, it is necessary to pump to empty your breasts during those missed feedings. If you have been skipping nursing or pumping sessions, not emptying your breasts often enough is more than likely the culprit as you are sending the signal to your body that it does not need to make as much milk. You can pump while getting other stuff done with pumping bras and pumping camisoles leaving your hands free.
2. Food Watch
Raising tiny humans is a huge job and it takes a lot of energy. The days are so long and exhausting that is not uncommon to miss meals or not watch what we are eating. Make sure you are eating healthy and frequently to replace all the calories you are burning from nursing your baby. Additionally, there are a lot of foods that naturally assist with milk production like oatmeal and almonds so load up on those!
3. Take a postnatal vitamin
A good postnatal vitamin is basically a prenatal vitamin but with the nutrients needed to support the system of a nursing mother and her baby. Keeping your body charged with the right set of nutrients is necessary to maintain the health and energy your body needs to keep up the demands you are placing on it by feeding another human. You have to take care of yourself in order to effectively take care of a nursing baby.
4. Get rest
When do I have time to rest you maybe saying? Find time whenever the opportunity presents itself to reset your batteries. Don’t stress or deprive yourself from sleep, because it would be quite difficult to get your milk production back where it needs to be.
5. Stay hydrated
Water, water and more water!! You need a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day as a nursing mom. If you are falling behind on your water intake, this will certainly derail your efforts of increasing your milk supply as your breast milk is almost all water- 88% of breast milk is water according to KellyMom.
BONUS
6. Lactation Massager
The lactation massager has gotten pretty famous among mothers suffering from a low supply of breastmilk. This very handy waterproof portable device (by providing gentle pressure and vibration to the affected breast) helps express breast milk and restore your flow. The milk expressing tool will help make emptying breasts easier, while also assisting in reduced supply, undersupply, and oversupply issues.” It also helps with relieving pain caused by engorgement, mastitis, plugged ducts, and breast redness, tenderness, and other nursing ailments.
Following these simple steps should aid in an increase in your production relatively quickly. If not, you can always try a supplement for a final push but be sure to consult a professional before you start adding them into the mix.
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