5 tips for keeping your breast milk supply up

keeping your breast milk supply up
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Women’s breasts are designed to produce enough milk regardless of their size. Sadly, there are women who are having a hard time producing a lot of milk. As it is necessary for the baby’s development, it poses a problem. There are reasons why the breasts seem not to produce enough milk and there are ways to fix the problem. Here are 5 tips for keeping your breast milk supply up:

1. Keep nursing

Your breasts will keep on producing milk for as long as the demand is there. It means that your baby should keep on breast feeding if you want the milk to keep flowing. Babies also go through a phase called growth spurt. It is easy to think that at this point, the baby is so hungry that not enough milk is produced. The truth is that the baby is just trying to ensure that there is enough milk to support the body after going through a growth spurt. The only thing to avoid at this point is using supplement formula. This reduces the demand for breast milk and this affects the flow of milk.

2. Just keep pumping

There should be a pumping routine to follow if you are heading back to work if you wish to have a smoother transition. It also helps so that there is enough stash of milk at home. Even for mums who are not going back to work, pumping still helps keep the milk flowing. Pumping boosts milk production and it is perfect for when new mums want to get a quick break or even take a nap. You can find the best breast pumps at babygearguide.co.uk just in case you don’t have one at home yet. Quality breast pumps can help a lot in solving the problem.

3. Adjust the latch

This could be the reason why not enough milk is produced. Your baby is breast feeding and so there should be enough opening of the mouth so that the nipples go towards the back. Otherwise, it would be difficult for milk to come out. There are tutorial videos online for you to follow if you think the position of your baby while breastfeeding is incorrect. Proper position could bring the supply back. It takes time for some babies to adjust so you really need to help out.

4. Eat healthy

Nothing beats healthy and balanced diet if you want to ensure that you produce enough breast milk. After giving birth, you might feel too conscious with your body to a point that you decide to go on a diet. No matter how tempting it is, never go on a diet.

Breastfeeding mums need more calories and also more fluids. Therefore, you need to eat a lot. Of course, they must not be empty calories obtained from processed foods. They should be the healthy kind coming from fruits, vegetables and nuts. Healthy fats from eggs, salmon and avocado are also recommended. It is advised to have at least 3 eggs a day as eggs contain protein and good fats. They are essential in breast feeding.

It is also worth exploring lactation boosting supplements that contain herbs and vitamins that boost up your prolactin. which is the hormone responsible for the production of your breast milk.

5. Seek help

After trying all these techniques and you think that nothing is happening, it might be time to consult an expert to help you out. Don’t just keep this problem to yourself. In the end, your baby will be the one to suffer if you pretend everything is fine. You should also not just resort to formula milk to augment the problem. There are helplines available for you. In many places, lactation consultants are available and they are just a phone call away. Make an appointment with them and they will help you fix the problem. They have provided help in many cases in the past. Just know that if the problem persists, you can always get help.

It is easy to feel bad if your breasts don’t produce enough milk especially if you understand the benefits of breastfeeding for your baby. You should not give up though as the above mentioned tips for keeping your breast milk supply up could still work. Sometimes, simple adjustments could be done and breast milk supply will get back on track. You also have to train your baby to drink properly. Most of all, you have to feel good about breastfeeding. Your attitude might have also affected the process negatively and a change in perception could make a difference.

 

Are you struggling with keeping your breast milk supply up? Do share in a comment below.

13 comments

  1. Useful tips. Unfortunately, milk supply isn’t something that can always be increased. Due to medical conditions, my body didn’t produce enough milk and we ended up hospitalised due to the ‘just keep trying’ message I was given by our midwives who didn’t realise.

  2. Great tips to try out here before seeking other options. I was so happy when the weaning stage came in as I did struggle to keep up with demand!

  3. Great advice – I found the ‘just keep feeding’ mantra worked for me at times when demand was increased. It was hard work but the more you feed (or pump) the more milk the body produces in response. I always found that a few days of cluster feeds and my milk supply had adjusted.

  4. These are great tips. I was always worried about not producing enough but you’re right, the more I fed, the more I produced!

  5. Such great tips. I tried a few of these and ended up getting help (which wasn’t as scary as I first thought it would be). I was breastfeeding so wrong and ended up getting thrush and mastitis. Breastfeeding through cracked, bleeding nipples was not fun. I also found adjusting the latch helped so much and pumping really helped too!

  6. I struggled to have enough for Monkey but second time round with Kipper it worked better. Although I did think I may need to combination feed I managed to keep my supply going with him. Both were big huge babies and I do think that can make a difference x

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