How can increase breast milk

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that approximately 75 percent of new mothers start off breastfeeding their babies, but many stop either partially or completely within the first few months.

One of the most common reasons for this is worry about insufficient milk production. For many women, your milk supply is just fine.

However, if you do need to increase your breast milk production, there are ways to do it. Read on to learn how to increase your breast milk production using several evidence-based methods and some practices mothers have sworn by for centuries.

The following are things that you can do to increase breast milk production. When your baby suckles your breast, hormones that trigger your breasts to produce milk are released.

The let-down reflex is when muscles in your breasts contract and move the milk through the ducts, which happens shortly after your baby begins breastfeeding. The more you breastfeed, the more milk your breasts make.

Breastfeeding your new baby 8 to 12 times a day can help establish and maintain milk production. Pumping between feedings can also help you increase milk production. Warming your breasts before pumping can help make you more comfortable and pump easier, too.

Have your baby feed from both breasts at each feeding. Let your baby feed from the first breast until they slow down or stop feeding before offering the second breast. The stimulation of having both breasts breastfed from can help increase milk production. Pumping milk from both breasts simultaneously has also been found to increase milk production and result in a higher fat content in the milk. You can find lactation cookies in stores and online on Amazon or you can make your own.

These foods and herbs contain galactagogues, which may promote lactation. More research is needed, though. There are other foods and herbs that may increase breast milk production, according to the Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation.

Some, such as fenugreek , have been found to take effect in as little as seven days. These foods and herbs include:. Always talk to your doctor before taking a new supplement, especially when breastfeeding. Even natural remedies can cause side effects. There are several factors that can interfere with the let-down reflex and cause low milk supply, including:. Anxiety, stress, and even embarrassment can interfere with the let-down reflex and cause you to produce less milk.

Creating a private and relaxing environment for breastfeeding and making the experience enjoyable and free of stress can help increase breast milk production. Try one of these 10 ways to relieve stress. Some medical conditions may interfere with milk production. These conditions include:. Medications that contain pseudoephedrine , such as sinus and allergy medications, and certain types of hormonal birth control may lower breast milk production.

Smoking and drinking moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol can lower your milk production. Not having enough glandular tissue because of breast surgery, such as breast reduction, cyst removal, or mastectomy, can interfere with lactation. Breast surgery and nipple piercings can damage the nerves that are connected to breast milk production. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations.

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Registry Builder New. Medically Reviewed by Micah Resnick, M. Medical Review Policy All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. Getty Images. Wondering if you're producing enough breast milk? Here's how to tell, plus tips for increasing your milk supply if baby's not getting his fill. Back to Top. In This Article. Continue Reading Below. Read This Next. The Breastfeeding Diet. A supplemental nursing system SNS can be a satisfying way for her to get all the milk she needs at the breast.

If you need to encourage your milk supply in the first five days after birth, you can use a double electric breast pump with initiation technology, such as the Medela Symphony. This type of pump is designed to mimic the way a baby stimulates the breasts while feeding, and has been found to increase longer-term milk production. Once your milk has come in, double pumping means you can express more milk in less time.

Aim to be removing milk by breastfeeding as well as pumping eight to 12 times a day, including one session at night when your levels of the milk-producing hormone prolactin are highest. The more frequently milk is removed, the better. After two or three days of regular pumping you should see a significant increase in supply. For advice on getting more milk from each pumping session, read breast pumping tips. It has been shown to increase the amount of milk mums can express in a session.

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