how to increase lactation?

Question

Is there anything that can possibly boost milk supply,, i've tried drinking plenty of fluids but that doesnt help much..???

Answer 1

I've used Fenugreek along with Blessed Thistle and Mother's Milk tea. I got them all at my local health food store, and I've since also found the tea in the organic section at my grocery store.

I also found that pumping after feeding (and emptying my breasts at much as possible) a couple of times a day seems to help my production as well.

Hope this helps - and good luck!

Answer 2

the absolutely best thing to increase lactation is stimulation. Get the baby to the breast as often as possible. If your baby does not nurse, pump every 2 hours during the day and at least once at night. It is all supply and demand. When I was pumping (had a preemie who couldn't nurse for a while so he was fed exclusively pumped milk for 2 months) I had problems with supply a few times. I took fenugreek, oatmeal, and mothers milk tea. The fenugreek helped the most. 3 pills/3 times a day until your sweat smells like maple syrup. Also, keep in mind that babies have growth spurts quite a bit the first 6 months so they may be hungry more often and make you think you are not making enough. Also, changes in hormones can cause you to temporarially lose supply. I was always lower when I ovulated and during my period. Also, meds.can change amount of milk. If you are taking any allergy or cold med, anything with a decogestant, that effects your milk. There is a website www.breastfeeding.com that has alot of info about what you should and shouldn't eat to increase your supply. Lots of foods you wouldn't think about reduce your milk (oregano) . Check it out and good luck!

Answer 3

To increase your milk production you must nurse more often and nurse longer. And it is important not to miss any feedings. Milk production is based on supply and demand. The more your baby wants it, the more your body produces and if your baby is not nursing then your body will produce less and less. That said, you can also try pumping in between feedings. Besides this, if your milk is diminishing, it may mean you're not getting enough rest and not enough fluids. These are the two things that can help you. Rest! Don't run around too much and make sure you get enough sleep. And every time you nurse, you should be drinking a full glass or two of water.

Answer 4

First of all *stop* drinking "plenty of fluids". If you are forcing liquids, it won't help and could actually decrease your milk production (according to one research study).

Second, be sure you are nursing very frequently--at least 10-12 times in 24 hours. More specifically, if it's been 2 hours since the *beginning* of the previous feeding during the day, nurse the baby, even if you have to wake her/him. And nurse at least twice overnight. This will almost always be enough to increase your supply if you do it consistently for a week.

If you are using hormonal birth control (Pill, minipill, Nuva Ring, Mirena IUD, Depo shot, etc.), this could be the reason for the decreased supply. If you stop, the supply will usually correct itself. There are also a few foods (but not oregano!!) that can cause you to produce less milk. The most common of these are sage and mint.

Answer 5

Its commonly thought that mums always have enough milk, i teach mums to breastfeed as part of my job and its not always the case. Try expressing from a pump (after a feed) 3-4 hourly (and through the night if poss) to stimulate the process, stress can play a big part so try not to worry. Accept that your baby may need top ups with formula milk if he/she isnt thriving, your midwife can prescribe drugs that help lactation but i think it would be a good idea to speak with her anyway and have a good chat. Smoking can reduce milk supply so if you do smoke then cut down. Good luck x

Answer 6

To increase your milk supply you ever need to take your baby to the breast more often or go out and purchase a good breast-pump (I would recommended advent) and use that in between your babies normal breatfeeding times. Also make sure you stick to feeding on demand for the first 4 months as this helps your milk supply more than feeding on set times.

Mother with 2 yrs bf experience

Answer 7

Make sure that you also have enough good food to eat. You need approximately 500 calories extra a day when breastfeeding a newborn.

Also, demand increases supply of breastmilk. So keep at it, and keep trying. Soon the supply will catch up with the demand.

Answer 8

The best thing to do is nurse very frequently. Take a few days where you nurse the baby at least every hour. Within a day or two you will already notice a big increase.

Answer 9

just let your baby suckle between feeds. and don't stress out i sometimes have slumps in my milk supply but it's usually down to my boy having a growth spurt and wanting to feed more. your body will catch up it sometimes just takes a couple of days. you could also try massaging the areola and your breasts and see if you manage to lactate that way. just don't waste it put it in a bottle for later!

Answer 10

Supply meets demand. You could use a breast pump between feeds. I think it takes 3 or 4 days for your breasts to adjust to the new "demands". Careful though, you don't want to be overflowing!

And you could freeze the extra pumped breast milk for later on when you want to go out and someone else can feed your baby.