Breastfeeding has never been easy for us. With an inconsistent supply of milk, it was hard trying to produce enough breastmilk for 2 boys, whose intake is only increasing. I did so much research and followed all of these different things listed below to increase my milk supply!
- Consistently follow a pumping schedule. This was number 1. I would pump right after I breastfeed to empty out my breasts. My lactation consultant taught me that lactation will increase 2x once the breast is emptied. Pretty much you get a refill as long as it’s emptied. More stimulated your breasts are, the more milk it will produce. Even when my boys were sleeping well at night, I would still wake up every 3 hours so at 12 am and 3 am to pump. However, once I had a consistent supply of milk as well as freezer supply (about 20 breastmilk bags), I stopped pumping at night (at around 5 months).
- drink lots of water! I have a 1.8 liter hydroflask, which I probably refill about 3 times a day. I am just always drinking water, especially when I am pumping.
- lactation supplements. I have tried mother love more milk plus and honest postnatal lactation plus. Personally for me, I found better results with honest.
- lactation teas. I was gifted these, but it worked pretty well for me! It was bitter though, so I always added honey or lemon to it.
- lactation cookies. I honestly have no idea how effective these are, but I bought a few of these as well.
- oatmeal. from my research they are known to increase lactation, so I would try to have some kind of oatmeal daily!
- essential oils. I’m a total essential oils nerd, especially during my pregnancy and when I was dealing with low milk supply. I love these organic smells and I would diffuse clary sage, basil, and geranium, which from my research would increase milk supply.
I am totally not a lactation guru of any sort, but just wanted to share what worked for me!
