Trying to increase breastmilk production is a common topic for nursing mothers. Especially mothers that are having a hard time producing enough milk and those that may have had a sudden shift decrease in their supply. You are not the only mother who worries about whether or not she is producing enough breastmilk for her child, and you should know that you are in good company.
However, new mothers initially breastfeed their infants, but most of them stop doing so, either in part or entirely, within the first few months of their babies’ lives. The concern that there won’t be enough milk production is one of the most typical factors in this situation.
Your milk production is probably healthy for the majority of women. There are, however, options available to you if you need to boost the amount of breastmilk you produce.
Continue reading if you want to understand how to increase your breast milk production by utilizing various techniques, some of which are supported by evidence and others that moms have adhered to for centuries.
How to increase breastmilk production?
The following is a list of activities that you can do to produce enough breastmilk that you produce. The length of time it will take to increase your milk supply may vary depending on how low it was, to begin with, and the factors that are contributing to your decreased breast milk production. Here are some techniques to increase breast milk production:
1. Breastfeed more often
Repeated breastfeeding is best; you should allow your child to decide when they have had enough. The act of your infant sucking on your breast causes the release of hormones that stimulate milk production in your breasts. However, the term for this reflex is the “let-down” reflex.
RELATED ARTICLES: Love Hate Relationship With Breastfeeding
The let-down response occurs shortly after your infant begins nursing, and it is characterized by the contraction of the muscles in your breasts, which forces the milk to travel through the ducts in your breasts. When you nurse your child, your breasts will produce more milk the more you do it.
2. Pump between feedings
Pumping your breasts between feedings can also help you produce enough breastmilk. It may help you feel more comfortable and make it simpler to pump if you warm your breasts before you start the process.
3. Breastfeed from both sides
At each feeding, ensure that your infant consumes milk from both of your breasts. Before offering the second breast, you should let your baby continue to eat from the first breast until they either slow down or cease nursing.
The stimulation that comes from breastfeeding from both breasts can assist in increasing the amount of milk that is produced. It has also been discovered that concurrently pumping milk from both breasts can be beneficial. Increase the amount of milk produced by a Reliable Source, which will lead to greater fat in the milk.
4. Power Pumping Method
The power pumping method is really good method to increase breastmilk production. Power pumping is a strategy that promotes your body to make more breast milk by acting like cluster feeding, which stimulates your body to produce more milk.
When you cluster feeds your breastfed infant, the feedings will be shorter and occur more frequently. Your infant may consume two or three shorter daily feedings rather than a single full meal every three hours.
These feedings may be spaced out over a few hours. Because your baby is nursing more frequently, your body responds by naturally increasing your milk production.
RELATED ARTICLE: How Important is Nutrition While Breastfeeding?
Power pumping can have comparable effects. Aiming more frequently within a specific time limit each day allows your body to boost its milk supply naturally.
Other options to increase breastmilk supply includes consuming supplements such as
- fenugreek
- oats
- flaxseed
- requesting a prescription from your doctor.
Moreover, power pumping may provide a quicker cure and improve your flow in as little as a few days, and while these other treatments may work for some women, there is no guarantee that they will.
In addition, if you can increase your supply naturally, you eliminate the risk of experiencing unanticipated adverse reactions to any supplements or medications you take, such as irritability, headaches, problems sleeping, or nausea, among other symptoms.
However, power pumping is a superb strategy for generating more milk but is only recommended for women who need to increase their milk supply and can only do so if they are already producing enough milk.
If your body already produces enough milk to satisfy your child’s requirements, you do not need to use this procedure. Oversupply can be a problem, so if your supply is plentiful, stick to what works.
5. Seeking a Lactation Consultant
Lactation consultants are knowledgeable about various methods your supply could be decreasing. They may suggest different supplements, alternative ways to how you are expressing your milk, and offer emotion support. See the article we did on lactation consultants for more information.
Final Verdict:
Breastfeeding may be a difficult experience for new moms, particularly if they are anxious about producing enough milk to meet their baby’s nutritional needs and ensure their child remains happy and healthy.
Because your breasts are not see-through like a bottle, you are unable to gauge the amount of milk you are producing or how much your child is consuming while you are breastfeeding rather than using a bottle. So, we hope after reading this article, you will get to know how to increase breast milk production.
Also See:
How Important is Nutrition While Breastfeeding?
Different Stages of Breastmilk Composition
Love Hate Relationship to Breastfeeding
Five Reason’s You May Need A Lactation Consultant – Messy Nesting
Reference
https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/how-to-increase-breast-milk
