What are some natural ways to increase milk production

Katie - posted on 04/08/2009

I don't pump hardly anything even though my son can get plenty out. If you need more breastmilk pumped, then after you put him to bed have a glass of wine before pumping (it seems to help my let down). The best thing to increase production is skin-to-skin contact. Put him in a diaper and let him lay on your bare chest for several hours when you get home (or before he goes to bed) with a blanket over both of you. He can nurse if he wants, or just snuggle for a while. As far as herbal stuff goes, Fenugreek worked wonders for me. You have to take a lot (1-3 capsules 3-4 times a day until you smell like maple syrup) but it really does work to bump up your supply.

Lisa - posted on 04/07/2009

       Had issues with milk production when my daughter was 1 month old, I started taking domperidone, which you need a script for and fenugreek and blessed thistle. I have weaned myself off the 2 herbals and am now taking only domperidone.  My 10 month old is still nursing and weighs a healthy 22lbs 12 oz..  good luck                                                                             

Monica - posted on 04/07/2009

there is a tea called organic mothers milk it works wonders, the taste is so so but it works. and pump a little extra with drinking the tea. it says to have like 4 cups a day or somthing like that but it is awesome i used it the whole time my son nursed!

Bridget - posted on 04/07/2009

Water (your 8 glasses a day PLUS one glass each and every time you pump), oatmeal, almonds, protein at lunch time, fenugreek, having a rest, looking at a picture of baby while you pump, keep your breasts warm - if your work has air-conditioning make sure you wear a warm singlet under your uniform.

Krystal - posted on 04/07/2009

definitely agree with the water water water. tons of it! i also found that oatmeal was a good booster for me - i would eat it for breakfast each morning and have an oatmeal bar for snack.

i never got much out of pumping ( i would spend 15 minutes on each breast and get 2 oz total) but i too knew my daughter was getting enough. you could try pumping one breast while nursing on the other. this definitely helped me the few times i needed to get a supply for cereal, sippy cup, etc.

good luck!

Steph - posted on 04/07/2009

hey. I'm not sure where you live. Although my mid-wife sent me to a shop in guelph on. It is an all natural shop. I got blessed thistle, i think, and I can't remeber the other but if you go to an all natural shop then they should know. They are booth in a dark green bottle. She had me take 5 of each at a time. 3 times a day. I took them for 2 days and I haven't lost my milk yet. And that was almost a yr. ago. Hope that helps. Also she told me that the baby feeding is the natural stimulante to produce milk. good luck.

Casey - posted on 04/07/2009

i just started pumping about once or twice a day to store and freeze my milk, and my cousin told me that oatmeal increases milk supply, and that your supply is higher in the morning so she told me to have oatmeal for breakfast then pump. i'm abotut to try it today, so we'll see how it works.

Jessica - posted on 04/07/2009

add in a couple extra pumping sessions.. it may seem like your doing nothing, but the more you empty out your supply the more your body will learn to produce.. if you demand more if it, your body will learn to supply ;)

Amanda - posted on 04/06/2009

When my supply decreased I started to pump an extra time each day when we were at home and the same amount when I was at work that she would usually eat. That brought it up a little for me but didn't seem to last long. I added blessed thistle herb and fenugreek herbal tablets and had a great result 5-6 oz from each breast. I also made sure I drank alot of h2o, by doing this off and on I was able to increase my supply 3 times within 8 months and was able to nurse her until she was 18 months, I was also weary of using the herbs at first but we had no problems everything was wonderful

Dionne - posted on 04/06/2009

U could try some homeopathics if ur not keen on herbals. I've been using it to help increase my store & they are easy to take - just drops or chewable small pillules (tiny lil pills) that just taste like a lolly. I've also heard fenugreek tablets are good & pumping more frequently.

Karen - posted on 04/06/2009

Drinking more and the more you pump, the more you'll produce. If you pump at an in between time to have some stored, you won't have to worry so much about how much you get at each session.

Dianne - posted on 04/06/2009

I agree with the water consumption comment. I can't get by without drinking 6-8 glasses of water each day in addition to my cup of decaf coffee and glass of juice.

Hillary - posted on 04/06/2009

That same thing happened to me when I was only pumping every now and then...now that I started pumping every day or every other day, I can get a couple more oz. (not all the time, but usually).  I've noticed drinking a lot of water throughout the day helps me out too.  Good luck!