I don’t know if it is the age we live in, or the food we eat, but I often get asked by women how to increase their breast milk supply. A lot of women worry they are not producing enough milk and there is such a mess of information out there they don’t know where to start. Seeing as milk is the sole source of nutrition for your child in their first year of life, this is a pretty big deal. I wrote this article so we can discuss appropriate amounts of milk, how to know if you really need to increase your supply, and then as many different ways I could think of to boost your supply if that’s what is needed. So let’s dive in!
How Much Does Baby Need?
Humans, especially people in the U.S. are way overfed. I mean we are fat, there is no getting around it. We gorge and eat way more food than we should. This happens through socialization. Learning things like we must clean our plates, or how damn delicious that ice cream is leads us to take in far more food than we need.
Babies don’t have the same socialization. They typically will not overeat. They will take in exactly as much as they feel they need and then stop. An appropriate measure of milk is 1-1.5 ounces for every hour between feedings. Amazingly, an exclusively breastfed baby almost never eats more that 4-5 ounces per feeding, even as they move into 8 and 9 months. If you ever see an exclusively bottle fed baby, you will notice that as they get older, their bottles tend to get bigger. This is because their caregivers often give that little extra push to have them finish the bottle, even if they don’t need it. We are socializing our babies to eat more than they need.
So, basic rule of thumb, your little one will need between 2-4 ounces at each feeding. That means you only need each breast to produce between 1 and 2 ounces. That isn’t too bad at all!
How Do You Know?
Of course, if you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby, you aren’t measuring by the ounce. You can’t feel in your breast or lift baby afterwards and know how many ounces they got. So what are the signs that baby is getting enough for their perfect little tummies? Let’s talk about what is NOT a good indicator first.
If you are also pumping, the amount you pump is not a good indicator. Baby’s suck is incredibly strong, and communicates with your breast far more effectively than a pump will. So if baby nurses for 10 minutes and seems content, but you pump for an hour and get less than half an ounce, the amount you pumped is not an equal indicator to how much your baby got from the breast. Do not measure your production based on what the machine pulls out.
In nursing, there is a term known as ‘cluster feeding’. Cluster feeding is when your tiny human goes to the breast for only a few minutes multiple times over a few hours. This may feel like your baby is saying they aren’t getting enough milk. It’s actually your little one’s way of helping your body regulate how much milk you are producing. They seem to want to eat constantly, but this doesn’t mean that you aren’t producing enough to keep them well fed.
So what are the signs that baby is well fed? First, you want to watch their mouth and throat for gulping and swallowing movements. This indicates that they are getting milk from the breast successfully and swallowing it. What goes in, must come out. So watch for multiple wet and poopy diapers. A rule of thumb is at least one wet diaper for every day old they are up to 6 days, and then about 6-8 diapers a day from there. So if they are 2 days old, you are only looking at 2 wet diapers. If they are 8 days old, it’s more like 6. Their urine should be light yellow or colorless. Finally, if they are content after feeding and gaining weight, they are getting plenty of milk from you. No need to worry any further.
Still worried you aren't producing enough?
Alright, so you’ve read through realistic expectations and watched for signs that baby is getting enough milk and it’s a no go. We definitely need to get supply up then. There are a few ways to approach this. I’ve broken it down into three categories. Baby focus, intake focus, and mommy focus.
Baby First
Let’s focus on what’s actually happening at the breast. Breasts are amazing milk machines, and they work on a purely supply and demand system. So if milk isn’t coming out, they aren’t producing more. The fix? Make sure milk is coming out.
Nurse on Demand
Always nurse on demand, feeding tiny whenever they are hungry and letting them nurse for as long as they want. Put all those fancy apps and timers away and just let your kiddo eat when they are hungry. Only been 30 minutes? That’s okay, feed your little one. Your body will replenish the milk when your breast empties.
Nurse both Breasts
Have baby nurse off both breasts if you can. This ensures that they are both supplying more milk regularly. Again, an empty breast is the kind that refills, but a full breast never makes more milk.
Nurse until Empty
Let baby hang out and get their fill. Let them completely empty your breast before switching sides. This one can be hard. I know there were times when it would take my kids a full 20 minutes to empty one breast. But once empty, this tells your body that it needs to make more.
Watch Baby's Latch
Sometimes if baby isn’t latching well, they cannot remove the milk from your breast. This means we need to adjust and practice until the latch is right. Breastfeeding is a skill that you and your baby have to learn together. Watch for gulping and swallowing. If they aren’t swallowing, then it’s safe to assume their latch is off. Play around with different holds until you find the right one for you.
Bye Bye Binky
I already don’t like pacifiers, I will admit. Babies suck in order to sooth themselves. So if they are sucking on a pacifier instead of at your breast, that is more time spent not emptying your breast. Like I said, supply and demand. While many women can start to feel frustrated if they are being used like a pacifier, if you are worried that you are not producing enough milk, letting your child comfort nurse will help stimulate additional production.
Forgo Formula
This piece of advice feels like some of the hardest. I remember my midwife specifically telling me not to keep formula in the house because then it would be that much easier to turn to if I was struggling. If you are really worried about your production, giving your baby formula unfortunately is only going to make it worse. Formula fed babies statistically eat more as well, so now even if you do get your supply back up, your baby may require more than you can produce. And if you absolutely must supplement with formula, and your goal is to exclusively breastfeed, make sure you pump every time baby gets a bottle.
Eating and Drinking
A very common approach to improving breastmilk supply is by focusing on what we are putting into our bodies. I was just recently laughing with a friend as we reminisced about our time in the hospital after giving birth. I would order room service, and even though I was exclusive pumping and getting ridiculous amounts like 10-16 ounces in a sitting, I still only received half of a waffle for breakfast! You need hydration and nutrition to help your body with the work of producing milk.
Now I have talked to various different professionals around this topic specifically. Some professionals insist it doesn’t matter and others swear by these methods. I decided to include them because I have worked with enough parents directly that have had positive results. Even if it is only a placebo effect, if it works for you, then it was worth trying.
Water
Drink all the water. Lots of water. Ounces upon ounces of water. I once read an article that stipulated that you should drink a many ounces a day as equal to half your body weight. So if you are 140 pounds, you need to drink 70 ounces a day. Okay, real moment, I’m not measuring ounces in and out of myself. I’m more focused on measuring ounces in and out of my baby! So my trick is to keep water next to any location you might be nursing at. This way any time you are nursing, you are drinking water. That plus drinking it at meals should help. And if you don’t love plain water, you can always add a lemon or some cucumber or something simple.
Eat Well
In the same way that good food gives your body energy, you also need good food to help your body make milk. Burgers, fries, and shakes aren’t going to help you get there. I’m not here to lecture you about your diet or even make overarching comments on the food generally found in the U.S. I’m not even going to spend a ton of time educating you on what “healthy food” is. You should have a general idea of what is healthy and what is not. This doesn’t mean you can never have a cookie, but you have to give your body something to work with that isn’t exclusively sugar or fat.
Mother's Milk Tea
Fenugreek Warning
I am adding this warning here specifically because Mother’s Milk Tea has fenugreek in it. For some women, fenugreek stimulates lactation. For some women, it does the opposite! So utilize anything with fenugreek with caution and if you notice a drop in production, stop using that product immediately.
Prenatal Vitamins
Just because you are growing your baby outside your body now doesn’t mean you should stop taking your prenatal vitamins. As long as you are nursing, I highly encourage you to continue taking your vitamins. I don’t have any significant evidence on its effects on lactation, but it’s much easier for your body to produce milk if you are healthy.
Lactation Cookies
Mommy Time
Now we get to the real juice and meat of the problem. Ladies, you just had a baby. Or maybe you just went back to work. Or maybe 7 months without a regular sleep schedule is starting to get to you. Your body is made to make milk, but not if you are exhausted, stressed out, and on the verge of a breakdown. I have seen many mamas bring their milk supply back up just by setting some realistic boundaries for themselves, creating appropriate expectations with their partner, and getting a little bit of help around the house.
Lower Your Stress
I know, I know, way easier said than done. But if you are wound up from too much stress, your body sometimes can’t even relax enough to let down. I really call out partners on this one. Too many moms are trying to do it alone. The cooking, the cleaning, the nursing, going back to work, changing all the diapers, and managing schedules. You need to ask your partner for help. And if they aren’t the right person to help you, maybe you consider a maid to help with cleaning, a meal train with friends and family to help with food, or even a postpartum doula who will help with all of it (if they are good at least).
Sometimes lowering your stress even needs to happen in the moment, which I know can be super hard if your little one is crying. I remember stressing about nursing with my first and I was nearly in tears. My midwife told my partner to take baby for a little walk, away from me, and prescribed me a shower. I know it sounds little, but just taking the time to take care of myself really reset my mood and I felt much more patient and capable.
Get Sleep
Nap time, bed time, all the time, sleep when you can for as long as you can. We need sleep. Humans will literally go insane without it. So if you can work out shifts with your partner, or if you need to co-sleep, or even hide under your desk for a nap, do it. One caution for my tummy sleepers! If you are worried about your milk supply, the pressure of sleeping on your tummy and compressing the breasts can slow down milk production. So try to get off the ladies when you are catching your sleep.
Pumping
Consider pumping between nursing sessions to help stimulate additional supply. As we said, a full breast won’t make more milk. So if you pump between feeding sessions, your body will learn to start making more milk. You also want to be sure to pump every time you supplement with formula.
I Still Need Help!
If you would like to talk to a live person, just to discuss your experience or even to receive some hands on support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. All of my lactation services can be viewed here. I am doing more and more remote options with parents via Zoom since Covid has required a new way of working with individuals. This has significantly expanded my ability to support people. Never feel like you are in this alone. Let someone help you.
