These 9 Tips Will Increase Your Milk Supply in 48 Hours

If you are a nursing mother or about to deliver, one of the things to be super conscious about is milk supply. As your body and hormones change, you are likely to experience a drastic drop in milk supply. When this happens, how will you bounce back and increase your milk supply?

In this article, we will discuss everything related to milk production, supply, causes of reduced milk supply, and much more. Without further ado, let’s get started.

How Much Milk Should I Produce?

There are two major determinant factors of milk production: hormones and demand-supply.

 In the first few days postpartum, prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, is activated. Prolactin triggers the brain and milk ducts to produce more milk.

After about two weeks postpartum, the supply versus demand issue comes into play. The more you nurse the baby, the more the breasts produce more milk.

With these two factors in mind, it is clear that there is no one-shoe-fits-all when it comes to the amount of milk supply. Every baby is different, and their demand for milk varies.

How Can I Know That I am Producing Less Milk?

 These are the most common ways to know that you are producing less milk and your baby is starving:

1.      Fussiness After Feeding

A baby who is not getting an adequate milk supply gets fussy after every feeding. When babies are full, they appear bubbly and sleep soon after.

In some cases, the baby might be disinterested in breastfeeding.

Note: Fussiness after breastfeeding could also be a result of other factors that I discussed in this article.

2.      Fewer Dirty Diapers

If your baby is dirtying fewer diapers than normal, it could be a result of an inadequate milk supply. A baby who is getting an adequate milk supply should pee and poop more, dirtying between 2 and 6 diapers every day. The poop should be mustard colored and big, while the urine should be yellow.

Note: Fewer bowel movements could be a result of other things which I discussed in this article.

3.      Drastic Weight Loss

A low milk supply could cause your baby to lose a lot of weight within a short period. In some cases, babies might lose up to 10% of their birth weight if they are not getting adequate milk supply.

What Causes Low Milk Supply?

If your baby has shown one or more of the symptoms above, let us get to the root cause of the issue. These are the major causes of low milk supply in nursing mothers:

1.      Extensive Use of a Pacifier

I mentioned that using a pacifier helps babies deal with colic, which is a plus. Although it is beneficial, using the pacifier for an extended period makes the baby feel full even when they have not breastfed.

Less breastfeeding means that the demand is low, and milk production goes down.

2.      Medication/Health Issues

 Some underlying medical issues might cause your milk supply to go down. For example, thyroid issues, arthritis, flu, cancer, and polycystic ovary syndrome might cause the supply to go down drastically.

Similarly, some medications adversely affect milk production. Therefore, before a doctor puts you under medication, inquire if it could reduce your milk supply.

3.      Smoking/Drinking

Smoking has a negative impact on the let-down reflex, which is responsible for milk production in the ducts. Any time you smoke, the let-down reflex gets damaged, reducing your milk supply.

A combination of alcohol and smoking is worse and might even cause your milk production to stop.

4.      Poor Latch

If you are a first-time mother, you are likely to give the baby a poor latch, which I discussed in this article.

Poor latch makes the baby suckle less milk while biting your nipples, making your body adjust accordingly, leading to a low milk supply.

5.      Inadequate Feeding

As a mother, you should be eating enough meals to produce more milk for the baby. Failure to take enough food results in low milk production, which only leaves your baby frustrated and starving.

6.      Advancement in Age

As you age, prolactin levels go down, and the body struggles to meet the demand for breast milk. It could be due to advanced age that you have a low milk supply. Research shows that mothers who are above 35 years old produce less milk than younger ones.

7.      Using Nipple Shields

Nipple shields are both comfy and convenient as they help mothers reduce leakage. What many nursing mothers might need to learn is that these shields might reduce milk supply.

A nipple shield contains about four openings, while your nipple has close to 20 openings. That means any milk that leaks out of the nipple gets trapped in the nipple shield.

 With time, the milk might back up into the ducts, signaling the brain to delay in activating the prolactin hormone. Consequently, the milk supply ends up going down significantly.

8.      Breast Trauma/Surgery

Breast surgical procedures, whether medical or aesthetic, might interfere with the ducts and blood vessels, leading to low milk supply. Similarly, any trauma or injury to the breast might be the reason for the low milk supply.

Other causes of low milk supply include:

• Severe stress/depression.
• Pregnancy complications.
• Postpartum complications.
• Premature birth.
• Supplementing breastfeeding with bottle feeding.
• Failure to empty the breast after feeding.
• Hypoplastic breasts.
• Inadequate pumping sessions.
• Sleepy/inactive baby.
• Lip or tongue tie.
• Exclusive pumping.
• Chronic health conditions such as PCOS, diabetes, and anemia.

Tips on How to Increase Milk Supply

Now that we have covered the major causes of low milk supply among nursing mothers let’s find ways to increase milk supply.

a)      Compress the Breasts When Feeding

When breastfeeding, try compressing the breast to help the milk flow freely. This strategy is effective, especially if your baby has a weak latch.

Once you notice the baby is feeding without straining, stop compressing the breast and let them feed to their fill.

b)      Wake Them Up

If your baby spends most of their time sleeping, find a way to wake them up for breastfeeding. When doing this, could you not make it an inconvenience?

The best way to wake them up is by undressing them fully and breastfeeding/bottle-feeding them skin-to-skin.

Another way to wake the baby up for feeding is through massaging their feet, head, and even hands. There are tons of videos online on how to massage your baby without hurting them. \

c)       Avoid Supplementing

Unless you have a certain ailment, are under medication, or your job entails spending days away from your baby, don’t introduce your baby to formula. Supplementing breast milk with baby formula is a sure way to reduce your milk supply.

d)      Check Your Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyles are essential since they help to increase your milk supply effectively. Avoid stress-causing thoughts as much as possible. Additionally, eat as much healthy food as possible and stay hydrated all the time.

e)       Foods

Foods, essential oils, and herbs that you ingest to increase milk supply are called galactagogue/lactagogue. Contrary to common beliefs that galactagogues increase your milk supply overnight, there is no solid evidence to support these claims.

The most common foods that could increase your milk supply include:

• Chicken peas
• Almonds
• Lentils
• Coconut
• Asparagus
• Oats
• Millet
• Pumpkins
• Mushrooms
• Sunflower seeds
• Green papaya
• Sesame seeds
• Nuts (walnuts, cashew nuts, and groundnuts)

f)        Pump Between Feedings

Breast compressions might not always increase your milk supply when breastfeeding. It is, therefore, advisable to pump between feedings to stimulate more milk.

One of the best strategies for increasing milk production is power pumping. Power pumping entails pumping the breasts for an extended period (about 1 hour) with very short breaks. Pumping for an extended period is a good way to increase milk supply overnight.

If your breasts remain with milk after breastfeeding, you can pump out the excess milk.

g)      Relax Your Mind

There are several relaxation techniques that you can observe to increase your milk supply. You can meditate, listen to calming music, and reduce light brightness to let your mind calm down.

When breastfeeding, go to a quiet place where you can concentrate better.

h)      Avoid Smoking and Alcohol Intake

We have already discussed the dangers associated with alcohol and smoking for a nursing mother. Avoid the two, and you will record an insane increase in your milk supply.

i)        Skin-to-Skin Feeding

Breastfeeding using skin-to-skin contact activates the oxytocin and prolactin hormones. The two hormones are responsible for milk let-down and production, respectively. Dress the baby down when feeding them to increase your milk supply.

j)        Essential Oils

Experiments and trials have shown that some essential oils can increase your milk supply. However, there is no research to back up those claims.

The essential oils that moms take when breastfeeding to increase their milk supply induce a calming effect, making them concentrate better.

Lavender and fennel are the most commonly used essential oils to boost milk supply.

k)       Go Herbal

Some herbs have provided effective results to mothers looking for ways to boost milk supply. These herbs include:

• Alfalfa
• Oat straw
• Lactation teas
• Fenugreek
• Blessed thistle

You can consume the above herbs in the form of teas, pills, or cookies. Before you embark on the journey to using these galactagogues to boost your milk supply, inform your physician for further guidance.

l)        Prescription Medication

There are two prescription drugs that you can use to increase your milk supply: domperidone and reglan.

Caution: Never use these drugs to increase your milk supply unless the other tips have completely failed. These drugs are not FDA-approved and have serious side effects.

The most common side effects of these drugs include:

• Severe depression
• Fatigue
• Cardiac risk

How Long Will It Take For Me to Increase Mill Supply?

There is no specific timeline on when your milk supply will increase after following these tips because…

Every lady is unique, and they respond differently to certain things. Some women may record a substantial increase in milk supply within a day, while in others, it might take weeks, months, or never.

Another thing to note is that the primary cause of the reduction in milk supply also plays a crucial role. Therefore, if your low milk supply is due to stress and you avoid stress-causing things, your milk supply might increase within a day.

On the other hand, if your mill supply was due to breast trauma or surgery, it might take months for the milk supply to increase.

If all of these tips work, see a doctor for further guidance on how to increase your milk supply.