Why Should You Drink Lactation Drinks?

Breastfeeding is different for every mother. Some have it easier where the milk supply is abundant and they do not have to worry much about their baby not getting enough, while others have it harder with a low milk supply. For these breastfeeding mothers wondering how to boost their milk supply, the answer may be as simple as sipping a cup of drink. How so?

A mother’s milk supply can be affected by her fluid intake levels. It may come as a surprise to know that hydration plays an important role in milk production. However, seeing that breast milk is made up of around 80% water, having insufficient fluids can affect the amount of breast milk one produces. Being dehydrated, where the loss of fluid is greater than the intake of fluid, it may cause a breastfeeding mother to not produce enough breast milk. Some ways a mother may experience dehydration is not drinking enough or losing fluid too quickly, perhaps through sweat, vomiting, or diarrhoea. 

To minimise the chance of that happening, what mothers can do is ensure adequate fluid intake! While you’re at it, it’s also a good idea to incorporate ingredients that are traditionally known to boost milk supply in their regular drinks. This not only makes hydrating adequately more fun and interesting in terms of palette, but it also helps to give your drink that additional notch in your daily routine turning your regular drinks into lactation drinks that support your breast milk supply. Lactation drinks are essentially drinks prepared with lactation-boosting ingredients to help to breastfeed mothers support their milk supply. At ReLacto, every meal we serve comes with a lactation drink! Here are some of the popular ones that we highly recommend.

1. Black Bean Black Sesame Drink

Rich in folate, vitamin B6, and potassium, black beans are great for boosting breast milk supply. And when paired with black sesame, they are a force to be reckoned with as black sesame is rich in calcium, zinc, manganese, and magnesium. 

2. Lemongrass Fenugreek Drink

The Lemongrass Fenugreek Drink contains two amazing ingredients for lactation, fenugreek seeds and moringa leaf powder. Fenugreek seeds promote milk production, while moringa leaf powder boosts milk secretion and stimulates milk production hormones, and this power combo makes this drink quite a powerful lactation drink.

3. Roselle Black Dates Drink

If you’ve not heard of roselle flowers, you’re in for a treat. Aside from tasting delicious, they are traditionally known to ease coughing and wheezing due to fluid stagnation that usually starts in the spleen and goes to the lungs. Mixing them with fennel seeds reduces the inhibitory effects of other hormones (dopamine) on breast milk production, they help to support good, smooth milk flow.

4. Mulberry Herbal Drink

Making quite the tasty lactation drink, the Mulberry Herbal Drink is mainly made with 3 potent ingredients — Akebia Quinata (通草), Mulberry Mistletoe (桑寄生), and sun-dried tangerine peel. As fantastic as they are at improving lactation, these 3 ingredients bring other benefits too. Akebia Quinata is popularly used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with urinary tract infections, whereas Mulberry Mistletoe can tonify the kidney and liver, which have yin deficiency causing lower back and leg soreness and joint problems, numbness and weakness. The Mulberry Mistletoe also nourishes the blood, calms the womb, and has great skin benefits too. Lastly, the sun-dried tangerine peel is traditionally believed to provide relief for nausea and acid reflux, making the Mulberry Herbal Drink very soothing and calming.

So now you know that staying hydrated is vital not only for breastfeeding but for health in general. Having adequate fluid intake helps the body absorb and transport vitamins and minerals more efficiently, and aids with digestion as you consume food from your healthy breastfeeding meal plan, which we definitely suggest including lactation drinks such as those above. Incorporating lactation drinks as part of your diet to boosting lactation might just be the solution to combat your low milk supply. Having proper menu planning for lactating mothers goes hand in hand with a healthy breastfeeding meal plan, and it goes a long way. 

For a hassle-free lactation journey, why not leave it to us here at ReLacto to take care of your needs? With ingredients specially selected for our lactation menu, you can get over 100 scrumptious and nutritious meals twice a day with sustainable and biodegradable packaging. Just have a look at our menu here and we promise you’ll be hooked.