Foods to Eat and How to Increase Milk Production

Nursing mothers are constantly making milk for your baby.  Do you find that there are days when you are producing abundance of milk, and then there are days when your struggling? 

A nursing mother is recommended to drink 64 ounces of water a day. One way to keep hydrated is to keep water near you at all times, such as a water bottle.  You can sip on it throughout the day. You want to avoid getting dehydrated during the day, because you will make less milk.  Some early signs of dehydration are dry mouth, dark urine, dizziness, headaches and muscle weakness.   Along with water there are a variety of different foods that helps increase milk supply. 

Foods that Increase Milk Supply 

 oatmeal

• aid blood pressure regulation
• increase in milk production
• good source of iron, calcium and fiber

 garlic

• used for centuries to help nursing mothers
• add to your meals for a different flavor

 carrots

• good source of beta-carotene (great for lactation)
• good source carbohydrates
• boost of potassium

 nuts

• Cashews, almonds and macadamia are the most popular to boost milk supply
• Great in good fats and antioxidants
• Look for the raw nuts when possible
• avoid excess oil, or salted nuts
• add to recipes or just snack by themselves

sesame seeds 

• high in calcium
• type of a sesame seed is sweet, but loaded with sugar

ginger 

• has curative properties
• drinking ginger ale, ginger pops will help boost milk production
• add ginger to your cooking
• ginger snap cookies 
• babies tend to nurse longer if they taste ginger, because they seem to like the flavor of breastmilk
• Drink garlic milk

How do you increase your milk supply?

• Nurse your baby throughout the day. When you nurse your baby often during the day your body will start to make more milk.   Nursing often will send a message to your body to produce more milk to meet the demands of your baby.

• Don’t panic if your baby isn’t getting enough to eat. When the baby arrives into the world, it takes time for your milk to come in. While you are waiting, your baby is  getting colostrum. When you see regularly wet and poop in diapers, or you see your baby is alert and active your supply is doing well.       

•  Wait to use the bottle as long as possible.  For the first couple of weeks your baby should be nursing.  When you have your baby suck on your breast they will become emptier even more than if you have the pump and also you will make more milk.

• Feed yourself first then feed your baby.  Your baby depends on you to get the nourishment they need to to survive and grow healthy. Experts strongly suggest to  stay healthy by eating a variety of healthy foods each day and through out the day. The best diet is eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. This will be beneficial for you and your baby. If you are exclusively breastfeeding you will need an extra 300-500 calories per day more then what you needed before pregnancy weight.  

• Get support outside of your community or from people you know.  In your community there are support group for moms that are breastfeeding.  Also you can reach out to your friends or your own mother who may have experience in breastfeeding.  People that you know that are critical, unsupportive, or don’t believe breastfeeding is beneficial.  These people may show negativity.  Try to stay away from these people, because if you are near them it may make it more difficult to make milk.     

• Rest as much as possible during the day. The best way to do this is when your baby sleeps, then you sleep.  If you are not rested, your milk supply will decrease.  When I got discharged from the hospital nurses kept reminding me to rest so I can make milk.  Avoid overexerting yourself during the day.  You may need to cut down on your daily work chores and outside commitments until you gain more energy.  During this time, enjoy bonding with your baby and being a mother.