What helped me increase my milk supply

Breastfeeding is such a beautiful experience that creates a deep bond between mommy and the baby. It is a precious time that every mom should try to experience. Now, I do know that it is not always possible and that is ok. But if you can make it happen, you will feel such a deep connection with your baby, and it will give you such a fulfilling feeling. After breastfeeding for a while you will notice that you not only grew the baby inside your tummy, but you also helped your baby grow more by supplying milk through such close contact as breastfeeding. Moreover, breastfeeding itself can increase the milk production. When breastfeeding the hormone oxytocin is released, which causes milk ejection. Oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone” is the happy hormone that you experience just by holding your little baby in your arms.

Unfortunately, breastfeeding does not always come easy. I experienced difficulties with my milk supply the first month. By week five I was ready to give up all together. Especially, because while using the breast pump I would only extract an ounce at a time when my baby needed so much more. I continued to pump from week five to week eight when I noticed that me and the baby developed thrush. This was no fun experience because it lasted a few weeks. I had so much discomfort that we introduced formula briefly.

However, the formula phase did not last long, as my baby started refusing formula after only two weeks. We tried different formulas, but he rejected all of them. So, I had to go back to full-time breastfeeding. While we did the formula, I was still breastfeeding two to three times a day and at night but we used formula to ensure that the baby was getting all the nutrition he needed.

The Breast Pump Disaster

When we developed thrush, I decided to discontinue the pumping. I know, you are thinking shouldn’t you pump instead of breastfeeding when you have thrush? Not necessarily because you are spreading the thrush onto all your pumping gear. Yes, you can boil the pumping devices it in hot water and disinfect it but I started to feel that the breast pump was what caused the thrush in the first place. See, I did not experience the thrush until the first time I pumped my milk. Even though I followed all the directions and disinfected everything, something went wrong. This is why I feel pumping had something to do with me developing thrush. It may have caused an injury that became infected or maybe it was just not meant to be. Needless to say, I tossed out the pump.

There is a lot of hype about pumping breast milk but after my research I found out that it is very difficult to find the right pump. Some moms go through three or four pumps and still don’t find the right one. The complaints are usually around the suction of the pump but I feel that the pump is an unpleasant and unnatural way of getting to your milk that has been forced on us moms so we can return to work faster. If we pump, we can go back to work as the pump is the new milk provider for the baby. This claim sounds harsh, but I feel it has a lot of truth to it.

By utilizing breast pumps to extract our milk for the baby, it makes us available for returning to work sooner and because most moms get frustrated with pumping at work, they usually give up breast feeding all together by month five. Who could blame them? They have to struggle to find a private spot in their workplace where they can attach this device to their breast and then sit there for 15 minutes to half an hour hoping no one walks in on them. I have heard stories of moms having to pump in disgusting and smelly bathrooms. How sad is this? Can’t we do better for our moms? No wonder women opt out of having children.

Back to increasing your breast milk supply. At the time I am writing this article my baby is 19 months old and still breastfeeding. Initially, I was going to stop at 12 months but being blessed with an ongoing supply and knowing all the benefits of breastfeeding, I will continue until he is 2 years old.

How did I increase my milk supply?

Increasing my milk supply was no easy task. I conducted a lot of research and came up with a few solutions. Now, I do believe that my solutions are best when applied all together. I attribute my ongoing milk supply to doing a few lifestyle changes and by introducing a few helpers. My lifestyle changes included lowering stress levels, hydrating more and introducing more vegetables into my diet. My little helpers were lactation tea and lactation cookies. 

Lifestyle changes

Stress

Being a new mom is not easy as you are learning to care for this new little human. To make matters worse you have a lot of decisions to make early on such as whether to vaccinate, circumcise, use daycare, and the list goes on. You also have to be up frequently at night to feed your little one. Lowering your stress with all this going on seems next to impossible. However, it can be done by involving your partner in the decision process and by reminding yourself that this is a temporary situation and that the baby is such a blessing. By keeping your thoughts regulated and calm, you can calm those stress levels. Also, try reading and journaling because it is quiet and you can attend to it while breastfeeding. 

Diet

During your pregnancy and during the first few postpartum months your hormones are all over the place and you may crave some unhealthy options. Although, it is good to give in from time to time, try to ensure that you incorporate a lot of vegetables into your diet. I would also recommend oatmeal for breakfast as it has a lot of fiber that your body will need, especially in the first few weeks after giving birth. I am sure you know where I am going with this.

Hydration 

I would suggest you have a few water stations around the house. Actually, every spot where you breastfeed, you should place a water bottle nearby. In the initial stages of breastfeeding, you will be very dehydrated. Therefore, you should drink before you feel thirsty and not wait until you are parched.

Supplemental changes

Lactation cookies

Eating cookies to increase my milk supply sounded silly at first. But these are not just any cookies. The cookies contain the ingredient Brewer’s Yeast which is known to increase milk supply in nursing mothers. Once I started eating one bag every other day, I started to see an increase in my milk supply. I would have had them every day, but they are a bit on the pricey side. However, they are worth it, especially since they taste pretty good. My favorite flavor is oatmeal chocolate chip. They currently come in four flavors. The other three flavors are chocolate salted caramel, oatmeal raisin and lemon. You can find these at Target or on Amazon. 

Tea

In addition to the lactation cookies, I started to consume lactation tea. The tea I used was Mothers Milk by Traditional Medicinals. The tea contains fennel, anise, coriander, fenugreek and blessed thistle to help promote lactation. This tea is recommended by lactation consultants, and it is affordable. You can find it at the grocery store or on Amazon. I was drinking a cup a day. Once I started drinking the tea in addition to the lactation cookies, I started to see a real improvement in my milk production. During the time when I thought I had to give up breastfeeding due to an insufficient milk supply, this helped me push through the hurdle and continue breastfeeding.

Conclusion

I am hoping that my tips help you increase your milk supply and keep you motivated to push through the hurdles. Please don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t get through the hurdle. There might be some medical related reasons. I am not a medical professional, so it might be a good idea to see your doctor or a lactation consultant as they may have other resources that could work for you.