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I am at the tail end now nursing my third baby, and I started making a list of the five most important pieces of information I’ve learned, to achieve a great milk supply. I’ve also done research, took this amazing course, and learned everything I could about pumping, so I am well-versed on all things breastfeeding. It’s super easy to stress about having enough milk, but if you focus on the right foods and helpful tools, you can really achieve a generous supply that will allow you to have a storage supply and a nice, chubby baby. Here are my 5 insanely great tips on all things lactation and breast milk supply!
Increase Milk Supply With Your Food:
First, you need to focus on the best foods to eat. I have an insanely popular post, The 5 Best Foods To Pump Up Your Milk Supply and Lose The Baby Weight. Read that post to get yourself acquainted with the right foods to eat to nourish your body and your baby. I also created a specialized breastfeeding diet, with meal plans, recipes and shopping lists to help you establish a healthy milk supply, while also losing the baby weight. In fact, this program is so much more than a diet. I also have core and pelvic floor repair work, and a complete workout program you can do to gain your fitness back. This is the most comprehensive postpartum recovery plan out there! I have text, downloads and video to make it simple and easy, as well as a brand-new app to make the program super user-friendly and easy to access. If you want somewhere to start, check out this free, 5-day breastfeeding diet meal plan!
Use protein shakes as milk-boosting breakfasts (or snacks/desserts!):
It’s no secret that protein shakes have really helped me lose the baby weight fast, without affecting my milk supply at all. I’ve done this three times now, and I can’t tell you how beneficial good nutrition is for your milk supply. Protein shakes are such a fast way to get in good nutrition, assuming you have an awesome, clean protein that is safe for breastfeeding. There are a few lactation-boosting protein powders out there, and this one tastes the best!
The protein powder I recommend is sweet, clean, super nutrient-dense and full of nutrients both mama and baby need. It is also specifically formulated to increase your milk supply, so I can’t tell you how beneficial it is to have as a part of your meal plan. What’s great about protein shakes is that you can make them fast, and one-handed. You can also make other lactation recipes with them like muffins and ice cream, which can help change things up!
Lactation “Nice” Cream Recipe For Every Night
Have Pre-Made Snacks and Treats On-Hand:
As a breastfeeding mama, hunger can come quickly. I’ve found that having some healthy snacks and treats on hand really make a big difference. Rather than letting myself get starving, I make sure that doesn’t happen by snacking. Snacking, if you snack on healthy foods, can really help with weight loss too, because it will prevent you from binge eating on something else later. In my program, I have a list of healthy snack ideas as well, that help with weight loss and milk supply. Letting yourself go hungry isn’t going to help your milk supply or your weight loss efforts. If you are truly hungry, your body needs nutrients. Having nutrient-dense snacks on hand really helps ensure your body has all the nutrients it needs to heal postpartum and produce lots of milk.
If you need some lactation treat ideas, here are some yummy recipes!
Spinach Lactation Muffins Recipe
Lactation Cookies from How Sweet It Is
Pumpkin Spice Lactation Cookies from Premeditated Leftovers
Did you know you can also increase the fat content and nutrients in your milk supply too?
Use Milk-Boosting Supplements and Galactogogues
The right herbs, teas and galactogogues can really help increase your milk supply fast! Yes, these really really help, which is why I created Milk Dust. A protein powder that nourishes new mommies properly, increases milk supply with galactogogues like Fenugreek, Milk Thistle and Red Raspberry Leaf. Studies that show the best results for milk supply show that a combination of herbs have the best results. Using a nutritious, safe and clean product can be such a helpful tool to increase your milk supply. Here are some other supplements that worked well for me, with all three babies.
Mother’s Milk Tea that is full of fennel. It’s caffeine free, and tastes better if you add some healthy sweetener (Stevia is my favorite) with little milk of choice.
You can also grab some great packaged goodies, so you don’t have to do any baking. I like these because they are quick and easy to take on the go. These aren’t the healthiest options, but they are fast. I highly recommend reading this post on supplements and nutrients, which I think is a better way to go than packaged goods!
Try a Manual Pump:
A manual pump can really help increase milk supply. I talk about all the tips and tricks my sister and I used to increase our milk supply fast. My sister in particular, had to pump for twins and work part time. So she basically lived to pump. The manual pump got her the most milk in the shortest amount of time. I didn’t need that much extra milk, so I would nurse the baby on one side, while pumping the other. I got so much more milk that way. Here are a few we like, and this is the one she used. This is an awesome resource for learning everything you need to know on pumping!
Try Some Extra Night Feedings:
Supply and demand is key to milk supply. This is really the big trick for me to increase milk supply. I let my baby nurse a few times a night. I actually co-sleep, and talk about what I love and hate about it, but one thing it does do is help me keep up a great supply. It’s not for everyone, but it may be a great decision for you if you need to increase your milk supply. I actually get more sleep with my babies co-sleeping, so maybe you will too, or you can think of it as temporary until your supply goes up and you can then go back to separate sleeping.
I learned the most about on-demand nursing, and how it was actually okay and necessary in this little gem of a resource! I felt a bit awkward at first with how much I stopped to breastfeed. So many articles talk about feeding every 3-4 hours, but I sometimes fed every hour. I fed my babies when they wanted to be fed, and my supply never suffered. Don’t let any articles or advice make you feel like you need to feed less.
Ultimately, increasing milk supply comes down to treating your body well, nourishing yourself properly, and feeding when your baby wants to be fed. With a few supplements and little tricks, you can get your milk supply to increase naturally!
3 Comments
I’m drinking Healthy nursing tea. Takes a couple weeks to work. My milk supply went from half an ounce to 2 ounces for both breasts. Work in progress. I drank 3-4 cups daily.
Great tips! For me, pumping right after a feeding significantly increased my milk supply. Great post!