Increasing Breast Milk Supply

Many friends have come to me asking for ways to increase their milk supply. I am very flattered that so many have felt comfortable coming to me for advice, insight and support. On top of EBF Bailey for the last 5 months, I have also been pumping anywhere from 20-30 ounces each day, sometimes more. This has provided me with a very generous freezer stash that has been deemed un-useful to us. See, Miss B is an Au Naturale girl. She refuses every bottle we've tried, she refuses every pacifier we own, she even refuses teethers. She only wants momma's milk straight from the tap and momma's fingers for teething. 

For some, that can be frustrating and downright impossible. But it works for us. Being a WAHM makes it possible for me to be available to her 24/7 no matter what. Yes, there are times I wish I could go out for more than a couple hours with the girls or that Ben and I could have a nice long day or even a long weekend away without any worry that she will refuse even being syringe fed... but the truth is, this is such a short time in her life and sooner than I'm ever going to be ready, she will no longer need momma as much as she does now. She will be able to soothe herself like Bentley. Put herself to sleep like he can, eat like he can, drink like he can and momma's milk won't be necessary eventually.

So I'm OK with this. I love this. Breastfeeding has been such a beneficial part of our bond. Don't get me wrong, Bentley and I are super bonded. He is and will always be Momma's Boy. But a breastfeeding relationship is so much more than a food source. 

So back on topic. My freezer stash. 

At first, I didn't want to part with any of it. It was like a Gold Medal that I won. I wanted to look at it everyday when I opened up my deep freeze. I wanted to marvel at my winnings and my successes. But then reality set it. All that hard work and determination would be wasted if I didn't do something with it. 

So I applied to be a donor through Mother's Milk CoOp but unfortunately because I take Fenugreek and drink a Nursing Tea, they cannot use my milk for the sick and premature babies. It's understandable and not something I took personally. This just opened up a whole new world to get to know the babies I would be donating to. So I put a FB plea out asking if anyone needed donor milk. 

...

The response I received was astonishing. 

The first baby I donated to, I gave 273.5 ounces to on January 1st. What an amazing way to start the year off! 

The second baby I donated to was a little boy who was adopted. He needed milk to get him to his 1st Birthday. So I was able to donate 1044 ounces to him! 

After that donation, that left me with 600 some ounces still left in my freezer that I have been building on since. Currently I have another donation of 75 bags of milk pending. Once counted out, I will know how many ounces those 75 bags hold!

So... since I've had a very successful run with EBF and pumping so far, I have had many inquire how to increase milk supply. 

Here are my favorite ways:

• Water, water, and some more water. I cannot stress enough how important water is. Breast milk is about 50% water, which is also what a majority of foremilk is made out of. It quenches baby's thirst just enough until the hindmilk takes over. Each day I have two 20 ounce water bottles with me that I keep full and sip on throughout the day. Most days I drink upwards of 120 to 150 ounces of water each day. If I dip below 100 ounces for whatever reason, I notice the amount of milk I pump is down a bit and my girls don't fill up as quickly.
  
• Calories. Breastfeeding is not the time to go on a strict diet. Eating healthy, eating clean, eating a balanced diet is so important if you want to try to shed pounds. When you limit your caloric intake, you will be limiting your milk factory. Each ounce of breast milk contains 20-40 calories each. So for someone who is producing just 30 ounces a day, that is 600-1200 extra calories that are needed on top of your normal diet. The days I don't eat a good 3 meals with 1 or 2 snacks are days I notice my pumping amount on the lower side. For someone who is pumping 20-30 ounces a day on top of EBF a 5 month old, I'm roughly producing 60+ ounces every day.
  
• Nursing Teas. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, I enjoy a nice tea every now and then. So, since I'm EBF if I'm going to drink tea, I might as well drink a tea that is going to facilitate healthy lactation. I have drank a few different teas. My first was from Birds & Bees Teas, Our Lady of La Leche. I really enjoyed this tea. I also drank their Ripe & Ready tea during the last month of my pregnancy to help me prepare for my VBAC. Since I like to change things up a bit, I decided to try Earth Mama Angel Baby's Organic Milkmaid Tea. This was, by far, my favorite tea so far. But, I wouldn't stay true to myself if I didn't switch it up again... and I bought Traditional Medicinal's Mother's Milk Tea and currently that has been what I've stuck too. Maybe I'm weird, but the typical complaints that nursing teas taste like black licorice or taste awful in general is not a complaint of mine. I actually look forward to my (almost) daily mug or two of tea. I feel healthier drinking it and I always notice a fun little boost in milk supply!
  
• Oatmeal... I've never been fond of oatmeal, but now I quite enjoy it. For me, I've just been enjoying whatever oatmeal I choose. I particularly like Maple & Brown Sugar. Technically, you're supposed to eat Steel Cut Oatmeal but I've always seen a nice boost with regular quick oatmeal.
   
• Nutella. I don't know why it works. But it works! Maybe because it's packed full of calories. Or maybe because it's made with nuts. But for one... it's yummy and two... boy does it really boost up my milk supply! I usually pair some Nutella with my oatmeal for a nice little late night snack.
  
• Beer. Even a few sips. Alcohol is safe while breastfeeding. Because breast milk is like blood, things go into and right back out of your milk the same as they go into and out of your blood. So things like alcohol are safe. Pumping & dumping is NOT necessary because the alcohol is not going to be metabolized any faster by P&D. You are just wasting perfectly good milk. The rule of thumb is "sober enough to drive, sober enough to nurse without interruption." If you're not feeling the effects of the alcohol, don't fret about needing to nurse. Anyways. Beer is a great booster!
   
• Fenugreek. This is also found in most nursing teas but can also be taken along with teas in a capsule form. Most, including myself, have seen a nice boost of supply in 24 hours!
   
• Sleep, sleep, sleep. Rest is a very important factor in producing milk. When I'm rundown, so is my milk supply. Stress plays a huge factor in a decreased or dipped supply which usually goes hand-in-hand with exhaustion. After a good nap or a really good night's rest after a run of exhaustion, my girls are in overdrive!
  
• Power Pumping. You pump for an hour. If you have a double electric pump, you pump for 10 minutes. Take a break. Then repeat until your hour is up. All together you will have 30 minutes of pumping and 30 minutes of rest. If you only have a single electric pump or a hand pump, then you rotate sides. Pump the right side for 10 minutes, then pump the left side for 10 minutes. Same concept, you just won't have a rest period.
  
• Pumping after each nursing or before each nursing. I find the days that I am able to pump right before Bailey nurses are the days I tend to see the biggest yield in my pumping amount. By pumping before a nursing, you are able to get the baby, who happens to be the most effective milk removal tool, to boost your supply by removing a greater amount of milk. 

Other things I've heard that can boost milk supply:

• Caffeine. Coffee, pops, etc. I've heard many women claim they are super full shortly after enjoying a caffeinated beverage. I've noticed that Frappe's will help me fill up quickly during the day (a time when I don't fill up quickly). Though, Frappe's don't have a lot of caffeine in them, so it's likely the fat and caloric content that boosts supply. Diet Pepsi has also kicked my girls into overdrive but I try to steer clear of diet soda's.
   
• Pumpkin. I've heard a few women state that the pie filling or anything pumpkin is a super good booster! I have been wanting to try it but keep forgetting it when I go to the grocery store.
   
• Coconut Water. Simply; I believe Coconut Water is a super-hydrated and therefore gives your body plenty of fluid to work with for milk production. I've been too afraid to try it simply because I've heard the taste is awful. 

I hope this blog post can help some women increase their milk supply for whatever reason it is needed! Always feel free to email me or find my FB page and contact me there as well. I'm always open to give support if it's needed!

Until next time, friends