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There are many reasons your milk supply can suddenly dip, stressing a lot, getting sick, drinking too little water, etc.
When this happens, we tend to stress more which will only aggravate the problem.
If you are looking for ways to boost your supply ASAP, continue reading.
Stay Hydrated
Make sure to have a MINIMUM of 2 litres of water a day, breast milk is made up of roughly 88% water, not to mention that upto 60% of our bodies are made up of water. If you feel thirsty, you are mildly dehydrated. The average amount of water typically consumed by breastfeeding mothers is 3.1 litres, compared to 2.2 litres for non-lactating women and 2.3 litres for pregnant women.
Stress less & Rest More
If you notice that you’re having symptoms of stress, anxiety, or postpartum depression, it’s important to speak to a psychologist to get adequate care. As moms we want to do everything ourselves, however, there is nothing wrong with asking for help from someone we trust so you can recover, and maintain your milk supply for your baby.
Practice Skin to Skin Contact
As mothers, holding our baby skin-to-skin will help us with bonding, stimulate our mothering instincts and intuition, and help increase our confidence with our baby. Skin-to-skin contact releases prolactin and stimulates oxytocin which help with milk production. Some experts recommend skin to skin for at least three months for full-term babies and six months for premature babies. I recommend buying this hands free, skin to skin baby wrap that you can accomplish more at once.
Pump It Up!
Breastmilk works as a supply and demand system. The more you feed or express, the more you produce. Power pumping attempts to imitate cluster feeding, but with a pump. The amount of time you need to power pump depends on the individual. Some mothers may need to power pump for 2 hours a day for at least a week to see an increase in supply, while for others, one time a day works just fine.
Although you can use a manual or an electric pump, an electric pump might work better given the frequency of pumping. With a manual pump, there’s the likelihood of your hands getting tired before you’re able to complete a session. My favourite pump, based on extensive research is the Spectra S1.
You might also try double pumping: using both breasts during each session. Alternatively, you may wish to feed your baby on one breast while pumping the other.
Pumping schedule below:
- pump 20 minutes
- rest 10 minutes
- pump 10 minutes
- rest 10 minutes
- pump 10 minutes
Make Sure Baby is latched Correctly
If your baby isn’t latching correctly, your milk supply could suffer, your baby won’t be able to drain milk effectively, have poor weight gain, and put you at a risk of mastitis and blocked milk ducts. Have the latch checked by a lactation consultant as soon as you can. They will also check if your baby has a tongue-tie or any other conditions that could make latching more difficult. Also research the different feeding positions to try.
Feed On Demand
Our bodies produce milk according to the baby’s ‘demand’. As our milk is drained, our body receives signals to make more, therefore frequent feeding on demand can lead to faster milk production.
Galactagogues
Galactagogues are food items that people swear can boost your milk production. Below are a list of galactagogues as well as a few extra items I noticed increased my milk
- Apple juice
- Apricots
- Asparagus
- Beetroot
- Brewers Yeast
- Carrot juice before meals
- Coconut milk
- Crushed garlic
- Dill Seeds (Boil dill seeds in water for 5 minutes , it is also said to assist in postpartum recovery)
- Eggs
- Fennel Seeds
- Fenugreek (however if baby is showing signs of colic then abstain. Also abstain or drink lots of water with it if you have a history of ulcers)
- Hummus (good protein food for mum)
- Milo (Could be because of Malt)
- Organic oats
- Paw paw
- Poppy seeds
- Nuts, including cashews, walnuts, and macadamia nuts.
- Singhara powder ( It should be consumed by new mothers, as it aids in lactation by promoting the secretion of milk in mammary glands.)
- Spinach (is a good source of calcium, iron, Vitamin K, A, and folate. Folate (or folic acid) is particularly important for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.)
Lactation Recipes
Jungle Juice
Ingredients:
500ml cooled down Rooibos tea (2 teabags)
1 litre water
500ml Apple juice
30ml Blackthorn Berry Elixir (Schlehen)
1 Sachet Blackcurrent rehydrate
10 drops Rescue remedy
Method:
- Use a 2 litre jug
- Immerse 2 teabags of ordinary Rooibos in 500ml boiled water.
Wait for tea to cool down (+/- 15 – 20 min). Strain and discard teabags. - Add 1 litre cold water and 500ml apple juice to cooled down tea in 2 litre jug.
- Mix in the other ingredients
(Berry Elixir, Rehydrate and Rescue remedy)
Store in fridge, drink chilled - Consume 2litres over 24 hours. One glass after/during every feed/express
Lactation Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup self raising wholemeal flour (if you have plain flour, add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder)
1/2 cup organic virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons of water (depends on how moist you prefer the cookies to be)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of brewers yeast – do not substitute with bakers yeast or any other yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 cups oats – organic, steel cut oats are best for you, but rolled oats are fine
Method:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed and water, let them sit for a few minutes before adding to mix.
Add the dry ingredients (apart from the oats and your additional ingredients) and mix well again.
Stir in the oats and your additional ingredients.
Using a dessert spoon, scoop the mixture into your hand and roll it into a ball.
Place the biscuits onto a lightly greased or lined baking tray.
Flatten them a little with your fingers or a spatula. If you like a soft centre, don’t squash them down too much.
Bake the lactation cookies for around 10-12 minutes, depending on how well cooked or crunchy you like your biscuits.
Things That Decrease Milk Supplies
Stress
Gluten
Sage, thyme, parsley, oregano
Peppermint and spearmint
Supplementing without pumping to maintain supply
Certain medication
Caffeine
