Increasing Breastfeed Supply

     

Increasing breastfeed supply

Busting the myth:

If you are a first time mommy and you are worried that your baby still cries even after you have breast fed him, and all you think is that your breast milk is not enough and all he wants is more feed, then you are wrong, and everyone else who is telling you that is also wrong!!!

Babies often cry when they are hungry, but they cry more often because of other things, like sleepiness, diaper rash, colic etc.

Although it can happen that your breastmilk supply is hindered because of some reasons, and you should know that breastmilk takes some time, a day or two to get the flow, but thinking that every time your baby is crying is that because of he is getting less breastmilk, and every time he cries you try to tuck in his mouth a bottle of formula milk. Don’t do that!

Reasons that can hinder breastmilk supply:

Stress:

If you are taking a lot of stress and have too much worry or anxiety on your head, then this can hinder your breastmilk supply. So it is very important that while you take care of your baby you should also take care of yourself. Because when you are healthy, you can raise a healthy baby.

Sleep deprivation/tiredness:

Restlessness can have many adverse effects on our bodies. When a woman gives birth to a baby, she undergoes a lot of things that she might not have expected. It is very common that the firs timer moms do not expect the sleepless nights and because of that they do not plan for themselves the daytime naps. Sleep deprivation can also affect your breastmilk supply, so it is important to get enough rest during the day.

Medical conditions:

If you have a prior medical condition like diabetes, or any hormonal imbalance, or might have had a breast surgery like removal of some breast tissue etc, that can be one potential reason of lesser or no breast milk.

How did I manage to have enough breastmilk supply?

Never give up on breastfeeding:

The one thing that helped me keep my babies totally and solely on breastfeeding for around four months was that I never gave up on it. Even if I had sore breasts, painful feeding time, crazy ‘this way or that way’ moments, I just kept breastfeeding. It is important to understand that our bodies get used to the things that we put them through. So, if you are regularly breastfeeding or pumping your breasts will get used to it and make enough supply for the baby.

Drink a lot of liquids/Water:

This is one of the most important things to follow if you really wish to keep your new-born baby solely on breastfeeding at least up till four months. I have a friend who constantly complained about low breast milk supply despite trying everything else. Then I pointed out to her that she was not drinking enough water/liquid during the day. So, when she started drinking more water (adequate amount), she told me that she had noticeable change in the supply.  

Fiber and protein rich foods:

I included fiber and protein rich foods to my daily menu, and that really boosted the supply for me. I want to put a disclaimer here that I am not a certified nutritionist nor a doctor by profession, but these are the things that really helped me. There was a time when after my second son had born, I was breastfeeding both my kids simultaneously. Including whole wheat roti (flat bread) and some meat curry (based on my ethnic background) helped me keep up the flow. You can always choose from your own liking the kind of cuisine you wish, but do not forget to include fiber, and protein.

Have enough rest during the day:

Restlessness and stress can heavily affect our body functions. Almost all our body functions are administered through brain, and when we do not give our brain some time out, it can lead to disfunction of many things, out of which breastmilk supply is one. So, I always planned good nap times during the day if I could not get sleep at night, or otherwise would not do any chores when the baby would be asleep but rather take rest at that time.

Keeping up a routine:

Keeping up a routine doesn’t mean that right after the baby arrived in the world, you set your alarms when to feed and when not to, but during the first week or two you may want the baby to figure out how much he feeds and for how long does one feed-time last. So, when you have figured it out, you can at least keep a two hour, one and-half hour break between feeding times excluding nap times. This will give your body some time to ‘brew’ that ‘drink’ if you know what I mean. 😉