Ideas on producing more breastmilk

Alisha - posted on 05/04/2011

Drink tons of water and pump when your baby is sleeping. I used to pump at least 2-3 times a day to keep the supply up and also to have a lot stored up in case I had to go somewhere. The more milk you take out, the more your body will make even if not a lot comes out, pump at least 10 minutes each side electric and around 15 for a hand pump.

Jennifer - posted on 04/26/2011

You have to drink a lot of water every day, like 100 ounces and then pump to encourage milk production. It works!

Dalia - posted on 04/25/2011

I know that if you eat healthy, no chemicals, no conservants, no spoiled food - milk is there how much you want, good quality one and baby is happy and sleeps at least 2 times per day. Is difficult to find really natural food, so that is a problem for moms that want breastmilk. I live in village and have most of products from my own garden. There I know that is how God gives them. I can't count on what you buy from shops. For example if I eat just one apple that was treated with chemicals my baby doesn't want to sleep all day long and is restless.

Rachel - posted on 04/24/2011

When my babe was younger, I read the book The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk. It was REALLY helpful!!
Some things I learned:
Fenugreek and blessed thistle don't really work for me... :-)
Placenta pills really DO help.
Basil essential oil, rubbed on the the breast help.
Cutting out peppermint helped.
Eating a large amount of protein helped.
Drinking enough water, but not drowning myself helped.
Relaxing helped.
Being in a different room from my husband helped.
I would recommend that you check with La Leche League also. They also have a forum where you could find helpful information.

Elfrieda - posted on 04/24/2011

Have a dark beer every day. This is such weird advice, but it makes a dramatic difference in some women. My sister-in-law starts leaking if she does this, but I tried it and it made a tiny difference but not much. There's no harm in trying it for a few days.

You should drink it WHILE nursing or immediately afterward, so that there is plenty of time for it to work itself out of your bloodstream before the next feed.

Bonus: if somebody comes visiting and sees you nursing a bottle and a baby at the same time, they'll *know* you're a classy mom. :P

Rebekah - posted on 04/22/2011

Make sure you are eating at least 500 extra calories a day. Those need to be "good" calories - not ice cream, chocolate bars, etc. Food keeps your supply up.

Oatmeal! A milk dream! It works wonders! Just make sure it's not the instant kind.

Drink lots of fluids.

Fenugreek -- you need to take enough of this to make your body smell like maple syrup for it to keep working!

Mother's Milk tea helps.

Roabus tea helps.

If that still doesn't ease your mind, I'd recommend you visiting a mid-wife or your doctor just to make sure everything is OK, they can give lots of recommendations as well.

Sarah - posted on 04/22/2011

How do you know your supply is low? Is she having plenty of wet and dirty nappies? Is she settled most of the time? If so, then I would say you're probably producing enough milk. The times and amounts babies feed varies for different reasons, such as a growth spurt. If the weather has recently got warmer, she may feed more often, as she will get more thirsty. ( She won't need water.) Hope this has been some help.

Heather - posted on 04/21/2011

The breast feeding moms community would probably be of far more use to you than I can be (although other moms here might be more help as well). If you are concerned I recommend pumping between feedings. Milk supply is on demand, so if your body is using all it can produce, it will start producing more.