Breastfeeding can be a wonderful way to bond a new mother and baby. Unfortunately, breastfeeding can also be a source of frustration if a mother’s milk supply is not enough to satiate the newborn. Instead of turning to formula, there are some methods that a new mother can use to attempt to increase her milk supply.
Increase fluid intake: This may be the simplest and easiest solution. If a mother finds that she’s not producing enough milk, it’s possible that she has overlooked her own hydration needs. A breastfeeding mom needs to continue with the average of 64 ounces per day of water that she consumed while pregnant. With a newborn, it’s possible for a mom to find herself too busy with the baby to look after herself, but proper hydration is a necessity. A healthy mom= a healthy baby.
Proper nutrition: Along the lines of proper hydration is proper nutrition. A breastfeeding mom burns approximately 500 calories per day simply through the act of producing milk. As with proper hydration, a mom who finds herself too busy to eat a proper balanced diet may find herself with a short supply of milk. It’s important for the mom to make time to feed herself so that baby can have adequate food as well.
Herbal supplements: Fenugreek is an herb that is well-known for its ability to increase breast milk supply. The herb can be found in capsule form at most health food stores, and should be taken two to three times per day, two to three capsules each time. Results are likely to be seen between 24 hours and two weeks from the first dose. It’s important that a breastfeeding mother should always check with her doctor or baby’s pediatrician before taking supplements that may interfere with other medication.
Lots of rest: As any new mother knows, rest is not easy to come by with a newborn in the house. Lack of sleep can damage a mother’s milk supply. A recommendation for all new moms is to sleep when baby is sleeping. This may mean several naps during the day, and while this may make a mom that is used to a schedule feel out of sorts, getting adequate sleep is important. As baby gets older, they will sleep for longer stretches at night, and mom will in turn feel well-rested.
Feed baby more: A woman’s milk store works on supply and demand. The more often a baby feeds, the more milk her body will produce. If a mom feels that her supply is diminishing, adding a few extra nursing sessions to her day can help to boost supply. Conversely, if a mom stops nursing as often, her body will stop producing as much milk.
Above all else, know that while breastfeeding is a natural way to provide nourishment to a young child, it’s not always 100% successful for every mom. If a baby is not getting enough milk through breastfeeding alone, it is important to discuss this with the baby’s pediatrician and choose other methods of providing nutrition to baby.
Related posts:
February 13th, 2010 at 3:21 am
Hi,
This is the top Google result when I searched for “new mum rest milk supply”. As such, it matters that what you tell people is factually correct. Please consider reading pages 133-4 of Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers. Under ‘Common Misconceptions’, ‘What everyone thinks affects milk supply (but doesn’t)’ it lists Drink more fluids, Eat a better diet and Get more rest.
Low milk supply is a function of insufficient extraction of milk. That can be because of poor positioning, too few feeds, taking the baby off before he’s finished or in a few cases a problem with the baby’s tongue.
Only your second last paragraph, “feed baby more” is really on the right lines.
A breastfeeding mother needs to drink only to quench her thirst – one study even found that forcing yourself to drink more than you want can actually decrease milk supply (Dusdieker 1985).
A mother is not going to stop producing milk for the sake of a 500 calorie deficit, any more than a dieting woman eating 1500 calories a day rather than the recommended 2000 would stop making red blood cells or insulin. In fact, a 1983 study in developing countries by Prentice found that neither milk quality nor quantity even begins to suffer until 3 weeks of famine conditions have passed. In the developed world it is highly unlikely that a mother’s milk will be affected in any way by her diet – only her own energy levels will drop if she doesn’t eat sufficient good food.
Likewise, rest is a good thing for anyone coming to terms with the demands of a new baby. But no study has shown any link to milk supply. It just doesn’t work that way.
It’s great that you care enough to try to help people but giving them the wrong information can lead them to miss real problems with the latch that they need help to fix, the sooner the better. And some people may feel they “must” have low milk supply if they haven’t time to eat well and are having very broken nights so may follow your advice on fenugreek. This could well lead to problems of oversupply – even mastitis.
Please give some thought to this and perhaps contact La Leche League or a lactation consultant – I’m sure they’d be happy to suggest ways in which you could really help new Mums.
February 13th, 2010 at 7:38 am
Hello Emily!
Thank you for such a full and useful comment. To tell the truth we do not claim to be the main or the only information source for women. Therefore we do recommend to consult a doctor before making a decision. And thank you for your advice. We’ll follow it.