Read more on PCOS and what you can do if it is affecting your breastfeeding- Hormonal changes. Sometimes when a woman starts menstruating or becomes pregnant, her supply will become less.
- Taking oral contraceptive pills containing oestrogen can lower your milk supply
- Smoking can lower your milk supply...
read more on smoking and breastfeeding
Our step by step guide on how to breastfeed
How to Boost milk production Naturally- More frequent feedings at the breast and the use of a
pump inbetween feedings.
- Milk thistle,(Silybum marianum) is sometimes prescribed to increase breast milk
(read more on safe herbs while breastfeeding here)
- Warm compresses to the breast may help in milk let down.
- Many mothers have found that relaxation and visualization techniques help. There are tapes that mothers can listen to that are specially made to help them relax and visualize milk removal.
- Oatmeal has been proven to increase a woman's milk supply. The added iron in your diet will help with milk production.
- Mothers Milk Tea is a drink for mothers with low milk supply. It usually contains sweet fennel seed, anise seed, coriander seed, spearmint leaf, lemongrass leaf, lemon verbena leaf, althea root, blessed thistle herb, and fenugreek seed.
- Fenugreek supplement or fenugreek seeds. This is one of the greatest milk stimulating herbs and can start increasing your milk supply within 24 hours. (Not for you, if you have any nut allergies)
Read more on breastfeeding and fenugreek here
- Drink plenty of water and juices, fluids are vital in your body's milk production.
- Breast-feeding requires at least an extra 500 calories per day. Too few calories and your body will not have enough energy for proper milk production. Read more on breastfeeding diet guidelines
- To maximise milk production you can use
breast massage
This will maximize breast drainage so that the signal to the breast to make more milk is improved. An easy and efficient way to maximize removal of milk is to massage the breasts before and during feeding (or pumping).
-
Breast compression
– Use your hand and push out any left over milk that has not moved through your breasts. When baby is nibbling compress the breast gently but firmly (not too hard – don’t hurt yourself!)
- Seaweed! Koreans traditionally use seaweed soup as a remedy/tonic for new moms to help stimulate milk production. Here's a link to the recipe… seaweed soup for low milk supply
- Quinoa, a grain, has been used by traditional societies during lactation and is said to boost milk production. - While you are feeding, stroke and calm your baby using a lot of skin-to-skin contact, enjoy his sweet face and the feel of his skin. This will help your milk ejection reflex…and help you relax.
- Make sure that all of the milk is removed from your breasts after each feeding. If there is milk left in the breasts, it tells the body that it does not need to make as much and therefore leads to low milk supply
- Try nipple stimulation. Nipple stimulation releases oxytocin into the bloodstream, which is the hormone responsible for the milk ejection reflex.
Read more on the different galactagogues that help with milk production
medications that enhance milk production: Domperidone, Reglan (Reglan does often have side effects, such as depression)
Does breast size matter in relation to breastfeeding and milk supply?
No. I've seen moms with
small breasts
produce large amounts of milk. Breast size mainly determines storage capacity, not milk production. Women with
large breasts
usually produce milk at slower rates since they can store a lot, while women with small breasts will produce milk at faster rates in order to meet the requirements of baby, who will drain the breasts faster.
Pumping to increase milk supply


- Use an
electric pump
instead of a hand pump. Hand pumps are helpful for occasional pumping but a lot of mothers find it to be arduous and time-consuming if used more than once in a day. Use a hospital-grade pump, they work better. Also buy a hands-free setup for your pump to make things easier for yourself.
- Using hand massage and hand compression while pumping increases milk volume, it also drains the breast better and faster.
- Try pumping every two hours around the clock for a few days to boost supply
- Pump for at least 20 minutes per session
- Always pump after baby is done nursing
- Pump with the outlook that “any amount that I make is good and I will not be critical about quantity or the lack thereof.”
More on breast pumps and pumping tips
Supplemental Feeding:
Bottle feeding can be detrimental in the early days of a nursing relationship. By having your own supplemental feeding device you can manage how your baby is supplemented after birth.
The most common devices deliver the supplement to the baby via a small, flexible tube that is taped or placed on the mother’s nipple. The babies takes both the tube and the mother’s nipple into their mouth and receives the supplement while nursing at the breast.
Read more on this here
Read more on combination feeding "mixing breast milk and formula"
Other methods include
finger-feeding and bottle-feeding
Will I Ever Have Enough Milk?
Low milk supply experts state that the time spent nursing or pumping develops mammary and nerve tissue, and that this improves chances for the next time. By the time the second or third child comes along, most moms are able to fully nurse their babies.
Breastfeeding on demand
will increase your chances of a full milk supply
Sometimes with all these measures taken above, you may still have a low milk supply. Depression, anger and denial are all common reactions to what can come as a blow to the new mommy. A lactation specialist or postpartum counselor may be able to help you work through your
frustration and depression.
Story of a mom and
her journey
from birth and how she handled low milk supply