Some people worry about their milk supply during their breastfeeding journey. There may be times when you feel as though your supply is low but often this is due to ‘cluster feeding’ when baby has a growth spurt. Sometimes illness, lack of feeding regularly and lack of adequate hydration and nutrition can be to blame for a reduction in supply.
However, if you still feel like you need to increase breastmilk supply, here are five ways to help you out.
Focus on supply and demand mechanism
Breastmilk production works on the demand-supply rule. As demand increases, your body produces more milk. It’s a simple phenomenon. However, the main point here is the latch of your baby. If the baby has a good latch, the supply will keep on increasing with your baby’s demand. We also refer to this as ‘response feeding’ – when your baby signals they are hungry, respond and feed, even if its only been 20 minutes since they last fed. If they are going through a growth spurt, they will need the extra milk and it will help send a signal to your brain to produce more. If you notice your baby seems to be feeding continuously however, consider consulting with an infant feeding advisor to make sure the baby’s latch is ok.
Babies have a smaller stomach, so they get hungry more often than older children and adults. So, you may need to breastfeed your baby more often.
Look out for what you eat and drink
Being a mum is a tough job, and breastfeeding can take it out of you sometimes! Focus on what you are eating and drinking. From ensuring nourishment and health of your baby, you need to eat healthy too. Eat foods rich in protein and nutrients as a healthy and balanced diet will increase your breastmilk supply. Also, you need to stay hydrated all the time. Drink lots of water, fresh juices, and milk. Regarding alcohol, although it’s not been proven to be harmful whilst breastfeeding if consumed in small quantities, it may lower your breastmilk supply if you drink too much. This is because alcohol makes you dehydrated.
Use natural supplements
Women have been using natural supplements to increase breastmilk supply since ancient times. Foods like ginger, fenugreek, cumin, fennel, and alfalfa have been known to give effective results in increasing breastmilk supply. Furthermore, you can make lactation cookies from natural ingredients that contain galactagogues. You can include ingredients like oats, flaxseed meal, brewer’s yeast and wheat germ.
Take care of yourself
The most crucial factor that contributes to increasing breastmilk supply is self-care. Being a mother is hard work. Your body goes through a huge change. And it is not just the body, and motherhood can lead towards depression as well. So, the most important thing is to believe in yourself, cherish these moments, stay positive and happy. A happy mother leads to a happy child. So, make sure you have a healthy mind and a healthy body.
You might be struggling to increase your breastmilk supply, but with the right guidance, you can get everything right on track!