Worried that you aren’t providing enough milk for your little one? Maybe you want to give your baby more so that they can grow healthy and strong!

Whichever way you look at it, you’re not alone. We get that question quite often, actually. So often that we’ve now decided to put the matter to bed once and for all with our secret list of tips that will help with your breastmilk supply chain issue.

How to Boost Supply

This may seem counterintuitive, but we will first recommend that you try to understand your baby first. Oftentimes, it’s not that you’re not producing enough or that they’re not getting enough milk. Sometimes, it’s just that they are full or there isn’t proper latching to stimulate breast milk supply

However, if you still feel that they are still not getting enough milk, here are our top methods to help you along your breastfeeding journey.

1. Feed often

The most effective approach to improve your milk supply when pumping is to pump more frequently.

One method is called Cluster pumping. Cluster pumping is a technique that involves pumping every five minutes to stimulate your breasts repeatedly. When your breasts are full, your body signals you to cease producing milk. Because empty breasts stimulate milk production, the more you empty your breasts, the more milk you’ll produce.

Cluster pumping may not be realistic in the workplace, but you can try it at home in the evenings or on the weekends. Try a few cluster pumping sessions until you notice a noticeable increase in your supply. Also, remember to drink enough water while nursing or pumping.

Another approach to pump more frequently is to schedule an extra session during the day, especially if you work from home. Pump eight times a day, for example, if you normally pump seven a day.

If you want to enhance your supply but are normally with your baby all day, use the pump to add a session on top of the day’s nursing.

Because milk supply is governed by hormones and your circadian clock, many women produce the most milk in the morning. You can pump before your baby wakes up in the morning or shortly after nursing.

If pumping in the mornings does not work for you, you can try pumping at night after your baby has gone to bed.

Your body will eventually adjust to give more milk during the extra pumping session. Take your additional pumping session at the same time every day for the best benefits.

2. Continue pumping after feeds

After your infant has stopped nursing, your breasts may not be fully empty. Simply check your breasts are emptied by pumping or hand-expressing one or both breasts after each nursing section. This tells your body to start making more milk.

Pumping after nursing can result in an increase in the amount of milk you make throughout the day over time.

You can effectively double up the effectiveness of this technique by pumping the other breast at the same time to receive maximum milk output. Using a pumping bra will make double pumping easier. These bras are designed to keep breast shields in place while you are hands-free.

If you want to enhance your supply or store a stock of milk in the freezer, you can combine double pumping with cluster pumping.

3. Stay nourished and hydrated

Do try to consume enough calories and stay hydrated by drinking water and other clear beverages. Being well-nourished and hydrated can assist you in maintaining a healthy milk production.

Breastfeeding mothers may require up to 13 cups of water each day. Drink at least one cup of water every time you pump or breastfeed, and then drink the rest of your cups throughout the day.

You should also plan to consume an additional 450 to 500 calories per day. This is in addition to your daily caloric intake. The sort of calories you consume is just as crucial as it was when you were pregnant, as breastfeeding demands high nutritional requirements because, technically, your baby still relies on you fully to grow via breast milk. 

Should you forget to eat, we’ll be more than happy to deliver your ReLacto meals to you!

4. Get rest

A good night’s sleep or a long nap might help your milk supply tremendously. Your body wears down when you’re burning the candle at both ends. Making sure you get enough rest can help your body function at its best and increase milk production. This is also because, without sufficient rest, stress hormones like cortisol increase. This effect may have inhibitory effects on milk production.

5. Consult a doctor

This last one may be the most obvious, but if you need help raising your milk production, don’t be afraid to contact your child’s paediatrician or a board-certified lactation consultant. When breastfeeding, it is critical to have a supportive community.

A doctor and lactation consultant can inform you if your baby is healthy and if there is anything you can do to increase your supply. They can also examine your pump to ensure that you’re using it correctly and that the fit is correct.

Bonus tips

If those were not enough for you, we’ve come up with some additional bonus tips that we have found to be quite helpful.

De-stress and relax

While pumping, try to relax. If you’re pumping at work, take a mental vacation during your pumping time. Avoid focusing on how much milk you’re producing, as this may generate further stress.

One study discovered that when mothers of preterm children listened to a sound clip while pumping, they produced much more — and fattier — milk. We don’t know what kind of music they heard because this was a small study. But it’s still worth a shot to listen to relaxing music while pumping or find other ways to unwind.

If you’re not into music, how about getting a massage to help you relax and relieve stress?

Prolong your sessions

Another method for increasing your milk supply is to substitute feeding your baby with a 10-20 minutes pump. This tells your body that it needs to produce more milk.

Auditory and tactile stimulus initiates the cascade of chemicals that influence nursing (prolactin, oxytocin, etc.).

Feeding on demand and pumping after feedings are likely to make the most difference in your milk supply.

Incorporating Lactogenic ingredients

Should all else fail and you heard that there are some simple food ingredients you can incorporate into your regular meals and dishes that may help with milk supply. Food ingredients like fenugreek, fennel, ginger, garlic, green papaya and moringa oleifera. These are also the same ingredients commonly used throughout our ReLacto dishes.

Closing words

There you have it. Our picks for the top 5 tips and some bonus ones that’ll boost your breast milk supply! You could always supplement it with a diet or a breastfeeding food plan. Our ReLacto breastfeeding menu plan contains lactogenic ingredients that are popular with breastfeeding mothers to support their milk flow and production. If you’re interested and want to enquire about our breastfeeding mum meal plan, feel free to contact us today!