Tips to Increase Breastmilk – Natural ways of enhancing the Breastmilk
To all those moms who start their post with “My milk supply was low from day 1”, I just want to say that your milk supply will always be sufficient from day 1 of birth because your body will start making colostrum while you are pregnant. And colostrum (even if it’s only a few drops) is all that a newborn needs and can digest.
Your milk supply is not low from day 1 but you are often misguided by the support system (elders at home, visitors, parents, inlaws, siblings) into thinking so. They definitely care for you and your baby but that doesn’t mean all said is true. They are planting an idea in your brain that your milk is not enough. Please trust your bodies. If your body is capable of nurturing a baby in the womb, it will be very very very much capable of nurturing the baby once it is out too!
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Reasons assumed for breast milk being insufficient
• Continuous crying
Babies cry for a variety of reasons and not all cries mean hunger. They cry if they need to burp, pee, poop, fart, cough, sneeze. Do not assume that whenever the baby cries it’s because of hunger.
• Sticking to your breast for a long time or too often
They are using you as pacifiers, which is absolutely ok. This is common in all babies, sometimes they keep sucking even if the breast milk stops, because babies find it soothing in sucking breast.
• Mom is not on the diet
Mom is eating or not eating certain foods has nothing to do with breastmilk production. Breastmilk is made by blood, not from your tummy.
• Milk not flowing from nipples
You are not a fountain, your body knows to produce how much and when needed. Once you feed your child, it takes time to reproduce the milk, which will be ready for the baby’s next session. Milk needs not to be there all the time.
• Watery milk
Your Breast milk changes according to babies’ age and nutrition requirements and everybody’s Breast milk is made of 88% water and this explains everything. This is what we say, do not give water to babies below 6 months. Breastmilk is a liquid gold it takes care of all needs of the baby.
Tips to Increase Breastmilk – Natural ways of enhancing the Breastmilk
1. Believe in Demand and Supply formula
The more your baby sucks at your breast the more your body produces. Sufficient enough for that tiny tummy. Do not go by the clock – Till the baby reaches the birth weight in the first few days keep nursing the baby every 2 hours. Later when the baby demands. Do not watch the clock but keep offering your baby whenever he wants to feed, even if you had just fed 20 minutes before.
2. Co-sleeping helps
Babies need to be fed during the night and many new mothers fall asleep while feeding their baby. Co-sleeping helps to minimize disruption to sleep for both a mother and her baby. Yes, you can feed your baby while sleeping, and all stories related to an ear infection or milk coming out from ears is a myth. Any position you are in, your baby’s position won’t change. He would still be sleeping. Be cautious about burping until the baby outgrows its need.
3. Use Nursing Pillow
As already explained nursing comfortably makes it for a longer nursing journey. It helps position your baby well and ensures your back is not stressed.
4. Never offer Formula
Even one drop of formula offered to your baby, in turn, your baby drinking 1 drop less milk from your body, sends in a message to your body that this is sufficient, do not produce more. This is the trap you are falling into. Combination feeding is not necessary. Go for exclusive breastmilk, that’s the milestone for every mother I would say.
5. More Water
Keep yourself well hydrated. It’s a myth or just a funny story that says the more water you drink the more watery the milk will be, as already said breast milk is anyways made up of 88% water.
6. Good food
For your baby to be healthy you need to be healthy. Trust me when I say no food increases breast milk production. All that is for the mother to stay strong, recover from labor procedures, and be sane enough to breastfeed and take care of the baby. So eat for your body’s requirements. Just the first few days when you feel constipation eat light food, later all fruits, vegetables, greens, pulses, grains, dry fruits you can eat.
7. Avoid taking Medicines
Galactus and other medicines to increase breastmilk are never appreciated. Your breasts would be left engorged as you produce more than required and in turn, suffer because of overproduction.
8. Don’t go by Weight
The standard chart says your baby must double the birthweight by 6 months and triple it by 12 months or 1 year. Every baby is different, so there is no need to fit in. If your baby is active and reaching milestones there is absolutely no worry.
9. Skin to Skin helps
Strip the baby to diaper and then place your baby on your breasts for as long as you can, at least half an hour. This does magic. The more your baby comes in contact with your body the more your body knows to produce milk for the baby.
10. The Doctor says So
Still, there is no need to offer a formula. Check all the above points, try them for a few more days. Your doctor has no idea what he or she is saying. Please change the doctor.
11. No Solids before 6 months
There is no food on earth that has the nutritional value required for your baby. With age and requirement, our body produces breastmilk. Only post 6 months your baby needs that extra vitamin and iron which shall be provided by solid foods like fruits and vegetables.
12. Check the Pee Count
If your baby is peeing 6 times a day and more it means your baby is getting sufficient milk.No need to worry whether breastmilk is sufficient or not.
In the end, all I had to say to new mothers!
- If people say so, if your close relatives say so – Give a smile, ignore their comments and move on
- If they say give formula so that the baby sleeps longs – Give a smile, ignore their tips and move on
- If they say start solids your baby is lean – Do the same, as chubby baby doesn’t mean a healthy baby
- If they say we turned out to be good – Give a nasty smile this time and move on.
Video: Tips to Increase Breastmilk – Natural ways of enhancing the Breastmilk
- Video in Hindi – माँ का दूध बढ़ाने के 12 सुलभ उपाय
- Video in Kannada – ಎದೆಹಾಲು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಲು 12 ಸುಲಭ ಉಪಾಯ
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