Do you feel that you aren’t producing enough milk to keep your baby full?
Are you losing sleep thinking of ways of increasing milk supply for your little one?
When the baby is fussy or needs to nurse only an hour after the feeding, it’s natural to stress that you’re not producing enough milk, but I want you to know that you are SO not the only one…
I can totally feel your pain! Breastfeeding was something I was so excited about as a new mom, and although my daughters latch was great, I had NO idea how much she was actually receiving in each session, and her lower starting birth weight and lean frame concerned me in the first few sessions. Because I didn’t know what to expect a lot of breast milk during the first few feedings; I spent days agonizing over whether or not I was producing enough milk to sustain my little one.
Combine this with the fact that I had little to no idea if I would be able to maintain my supply when I returned to work, I began investigating ways of increasing my milk supply so that I could build it up and maintain it following my return to work.
While there are no dramatic short-term fixes. I did discover workable solutions that gradually and consistently continued boosting my milk supply. Throughout my breastfeeding I was able to sustain my baby girl as well as early on, produce enough to store extra milk in the freezer.
Below are several techniques and approaches to support milk supply and formulate a good stash.
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How to Determine If You Have A Low Milk Supply
Many new moms think they have a low milk supply when they don’t!
When I was feeding my baby, I also used to imagine that my milk supply is low. Worry over milk supply is the number one reason women state they quit breastfeeding.
It’s not surprising. Milk supply is complicated!
There are various practices your baby will do and loads of things your body will do that will make you question yourself and your capacity to produce milk. So, before looking for ways to boost your milk supply, it’s SUPER important to understand whether or not your milk supply is truly deficient?
The following are the real indications of low milk supply and ways to know if your baby isn’t getting enough milk.
- Well baby weight checks are an ideal approach to decide whether you have a low milk supply. Your child should not lose more than 7 percent of his birth weight in the initial few days.
- If your baby isn’t peeing or pooping enough for their age, it’s an indication that they’re not getting enough milk.
- On the off chance that your baby is giving any indications of drying out like dry mouth, dull pee, tearless crying, and sunken eyes, you should check with your PCP right away.
Reasons for Low Milk Supply
While there are several reasons anecdotally described for why a mama may have a low milk supply, these are probably the most widely recognized reasons behind the short milk supply.
- Some women’s breasts don’t grow naturally and might not have enough “milk-production” channels to address their baby’s needs.
- A few moms who breastfeed and take conception prevention pills notice a significant drop in their milk.
- Sometimes, the issue is not the low milk supply; but it lies with your little one; often, babies don’t have a good latch, and it might be hard for them to get the milk from your breasts.
- You don’t consume enough calories. Exclusive breastfeeding requires eating an extra 500 calories every day.
- You don’t drink enough liquids. While drinking additional water won’t increment your milk supply, but dehydration can reduce your milk supply.
- In an initial couple of weeks, supplementing with formula can fool your breasts into delivering less milk.
- Turning out to be pregnant-your milk supply may decline when you get to be around 20 weeks pregnant.
- Pacifiers given to a newborn in the early days of breastfeeding can reduce your milk supply since all the baby’s suckling ought to be at the breast to stimulate production.
How to Build A Milk Supply Quickly?
If you establish that you genuinely have a low milk supply, these are a few strategies to produce more breastmilk and build a stockpile. Peruse on to discover how to make your milk supply quick!
Nursing on Demand
Your milk supply depends on supply and demand. The more your child nurses, the more milk you’ll create. Let your infant feed on request when you’re building your supply, and your body will react by boosting milk formulation.
Power Pumping
There’s a growing buzz around the idea of “power pumping.”
The thought behind power pumping is to fool your body into creating more milk by quickly purging the breasts. It replicates what babies do when they are “cluster feeding” where the baby is on and off the breasts frequently to demand your body to produce more milk. It’s not intended to supplant your typical pumping schedule; rather, it’s intended to expand your milk supply within an organized plan.
Basically, for 2-3 days straight, you pump after each nursing session for 10-20 minutes. Power pumping completely empties your breasts and motions your body to make more milk.
Switch Nursing
Switch nursing is alternating breasts multiple times during a feeding. When you employ this breastfeeding strategy, your baby breastfeeds for a couple of moments on one breast, switches over to the next breast for a couple of moments, and then switches back to the primary breast again, and so on. This switch nursing will guarantee that both breasts get enough stimulation to produce more milk.
Breast Massage
I found this approach pretty simple. Through periods of my breastfeeding journal when supply seemed low, I’d apply a hot, wet towel to my breasts before breastfeeding, then using my fingertips, daintily massage my breasts to get back on track and stimulate milk production.
Breast massage has various advantages, including increased supply, less risk of clogs, and less engorgement pain.
Don’t Give Your Baby Formula.
Your body makes more breast milk when your baby nurses at the breast. On the off chance that you skip feedings or give your little one formula instead of breastfeeding, you aren’t telling your body that you need it to make more breast milk. So, remember this rule—more breastfeeding equals more milk supply!
How Long Does It Take to Increase Milk Supply?
The quickest method to build your supply is to ask your body to make more milk. Whether that implies nursing more frequently with your infant or pumping– increased breast incitement will tell your body you need it to begin making more milk. According to my personal experience, it usually takes around 3-5 days before you see an increase in your supply.
What Foods Help Produce Breast Milk?
After trying out all the techniques mentioned above, I moved on to eating certain things to boost my milk supply. Here’s a gander at five foods that I found useful with breastfeeding milk creation.
1. Fenugreek Seeds
When attempting different herbs to increase my milk supply, I discovered this magical herb, the one thing that made the most significant difference for me. Trust me; I multiplied my milk production from 2 oz to 4-5 oz inside 48 hours. I used this tea of fenugreek seeds and drank it a few times each day, mainly while pumping. It had a tremendous effect and increased my milk flow.
2. Fennel seeds
The crunchy, licorice-enhanced seeds are another regular milk booster, and they’re usually found in lactation treats and teas. Like fenugreek, fennel seeds contain estrogen-like exacerbates that are thought to upgrade milk supply.
3. Barley and Oats
I used to add whole barley to soups, stews, plates of mixed greens, and even risotto. You can likewise utilize barley flakes to make milk or add it to your homemade bread recipe.
Oats are simple to work with for busy mothers—cooked and finished off with nutrient-dense toppings like fresh fruits, pecans, and chia seeds. This was one of the things that truly helped me when my work schedule got hectic. Having oatmeal everyday for breakfast is one of the tips for increasing milk supply that made breastfeeding less of a burden when I returned to work.
4. Lactation Cookies
At the beginning of breastfeeding, I had my friends make me a few batches of some delectable lactation treats to nibble on. There is an assortment of lactation cookies recipes. Still, the key to boosting milk creation is to incorporate galactagogues, or milk-stimulating nourishments, such as brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, flaxseeds, and whole oats.
5. Garlic
You don’t have to go overboard yet adding garlic to your nourishments not just includes another layer of scrumptiousness, it additionally supports your milk production. Garlic has been utilized by nursing moms for quite a long time to help support their breastmilk supply.
Other ways of increasing milk supply
- Modify your breastfeeding position or switch to another place to enable appropriate latching.
- Attempt to have more skin-to-skin contact with your baby before and during feedings. This contact can help invigorate the hormone oxytocin and get your milk streaming with the let-down reflex.
- Use unwinding methods to diminish any stress that you might be feeling. You can take a stab at tuning in to some calming music that will permit you to relax and improve milk flow.
- Ensure that you are practicing a healthy way of life. Breastfeeding a child requires a sound eating regimen, moderate exercise, a lot of rest, and shirking of medications that can reduce your breast milk supply.
- Talk to your PCP about any drug you’re taking while breastfeeding.
DO NOT GIVE UP!
I’ve compiled this guide to offer you the best tips I found when battling low milk supply. I saw significant improvement when I attempted these strategies, and it was sufficient to keep my child off formula.
If this rundown feels intimidating, start implementing one strategy at a time that you think will most aid you and go from that point.
Additionally, remember to ask for help from your partner and your loved ones, and always consult with your baby’s doctor or a lactation authority to get the help you need. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.
In the meantime, know that you are not alone, keep trying and don’t give up. All the best with your breastfeeding venture, you got it, MAMA!