How can I increase my breast milk naturally?

11 Tips to Increase Breast Milk

As pregnancy progresses the excitement to become a mother is increasing as well, especially when it’s your first baby. But not only the excitement of meeting your baby soon that increases, but the anxiousness also increases.

Being a first-time mum where you know everything just in theory, it’s time for you to make a particular decision now when the baby not even born such as breastfeeding. You probably know by now that breastfeeding is essential and probably the best thing for your baby. Breastfeeding is highly recommended especially for the first six months.

You probably hear lots of stories where someone’s breast milk production is not enough, and it prompted her to switch to formula milk. Follow these 11 tips to increase breast milk production.

1. Rest

Rest can be the furthest off a mother’s mind. You have to take care of a baby and a man, a house to clean, tasks to do – these tasks can hardly leave a mother with time for herself. This can lead to stress and a drop in milk production. If your little one is napping, these tasks can wait. Try to take a nap during the day and sleep with your baby at night so that you do not have to crawl out of your comfortable bed to feed the baby.

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2. Eat well

It is also said that good food, such as beans, nuts, grains, and oatmeal, increase your milk production, but only slightly. Try to eat oatmeal and oatmeal cookies every morning during the snack. In the same way, green papaya is used throughout Asia as a lactogenic food, and it is served with soup. Click here to get more information about what should you eat during breastfeeding. Don’t start a diet yet instead eat a lot of healthy food such as fruit and veggies.

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3. Drink a lot

By absorbing many liquids such as water, milk, and juices, you can stay hydrated and more able to produce human milk. It also helps you stay healthy and meet the demands of motherhood.

Drink plenty of water as the amount of water you consumed correlates with your breast milk production.

4. Pump each time after nursing

Try to take your breast milk every hour and a half after you have breastfed your baby and keep your breast milk in the freezer. The stored breast milk can be used when your baby still hungry after you feed him/her later.

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5. Massage your breast

Massaging your breasts can stimulate the production of breast milk. The action of breastfeeding itself is a great massage on the breasts, which gets the milk flowing. In between feedings, similarly, knead your breasts to breastfeeding itself – preferably in the shower or bath when warm water is on your breasts. Massage will stimulate your body to increase the flow of breast milk.

6. Nurse more

If you find your baby seems hungry, go ahead and feed him or her, even if it takes an hour earlier than your schedule suggests. Your baby’s needs are against the schedule you have set.

7. Lose the Binky / Pacifier

Babies want to suck. It calms them, and most babies love pacifiers. Although its use is not wrong, it can interfere with a good lock in breastfeeding. Try to lose binky and pacifier until well after your baby has learned to breastfeed.

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8. Checking with a lactation consultant

Many breastfeeding advisors follow a typical line of behavior. The first step is to improve the elimination of milk, often accompanied by a combination of breastfeeding and pumping. Then a breastfeeding consultant can recommend herbs, such as fenugreek, malunggay, goat street or Shatavari, to increase your offer.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything and still have concerns about your milk supply, make an appointment to speak with a lactation consultant.

9. Eat Oatmeal

Oatmeal increases breast milk supply. I never liked oatmeal, unless it was one of those days where there was snow outside, and all you want to do is sleep under the warm sheets of your bed all day. Now I eat it every day, just because of the effects it has on my supply. The best thing I like about it? It’s easy to prepare and doesn’t take much time to make.

It doesn’t have to be mushy oatmeal every day, though. I often like to have a snack or dessert of yogurt with granola…it’s even better if you have fresh fruit! Oatmeal cookies can also help increase breast milk production.

10. Avoid Hormonal Birth Control

Hormonal birth control pills are the most common, and it might have some side effects on the person who uses them. One thing you need to know is that just because you are using the pills won’t make you immune to sexually transferred diseases which is too bad. So avoid it to increase your breast milk production.

11. Avoid Formula Top-Up Feeds

A recent study states that adding a small amount of formula can increase the breastfeeding time of babies. The study in the US showed that when the underweight of newborns received both formula and breast milk immediately after delivery, 79% of their mothers were still breastfeeding after three months. So avoid Formula top-up feed now.

If you follow tips described in the previous paragraphs, you don’t have to worry that you don’t have enough breastmilk for your baby. All you need to do is to follow the tips and learn how to pump your breast as pumping can be tricky especially if you never did it before.

Conclusion

Breastfeeding is a wonderful opportunity for a new mother to provide amazing nutrients to her new baby, and to bond with the newborn. To get the milk flowing, there are numerous things you can do to increase its production.

On average, babies need around 25 oz of breast milk per day. Although this quantity may vary depending on the size and age of the baby, it is imperative that your baby receives the appropriate amount. Hopefully, the tips contained in this article will help you to ensure your child receives adequate nutrition for healthy growth.

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