8 Proven Tips to Boost Your Breast Milk Supply
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Wondering how to increase your breast milk supply?
You are not alone. This is one of the most common questions I get as a lactation consultant. Read on to learn how milk production works and get proven tips to get you started on boosting your breast milk supply.
Milk supply is a nuanced topic. I could write a whole book on this subject and many IBCLC’s already have done just that - so keep that in mind when reading this post! (Making More Milk by Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC, and Diana West, BA, IBCLC is an excellent and thorough resource that I recommend if you want to delve deeper into your milk supply.) My goal is to give you a basic understanding of milk production and what components are necessary for a full milk supply, along with some tips you can use as starting points to increase your supply. These tips will focus on the frequency and thoroughness by which you empty your breasts. If you are struggling with supply I always encourage you to work one-on-one with an IBCLC. If you don’t respond to frequent and efficient milk removal then it’s time to investigate what else is going on to impact your supply.
How does milk production work?
Milk production starts off as a hormonally driven process. Colostrum production begins during pregnancy, and after birth delivery of the placenta triggers the next stage of milk production and what people typically describe as “milk coming in.” Important note- colostrum is milk, the coming in of milk means the rapid increase in volume and the beginning of the progression to mature milk. Prolactin is the hormone responsible for stimulating milk production, and oxytocin is the hormone responsible for the release of milk or your milk let-down. Over the days and weeks following the birth of your baby, you will enter into the third stage of milk production, where it is no longer under hormonal control but switches to purely demand (your baby or hands/pump) and supply (your body responding by making milk).
Another key concept for understanding milk production is that drained breasts make milk at a faster rate than full breasts. Your milk contains a small whey protein called feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL). The more milk in your breasts, the more FIL, which then slows down production.
Drained breasts make milk at a faster rate than full breasts.
What’s needed for a full milk supply?
So while the focus of this blog post is #1 (see below), keep in mind that there are other pieces to the puzzle and if they are impacted this can affect your ability to make a full milk supply. These are:
Frequent and effective milk removal
Adequate nutrition and calories
Undamaged nerve pathways and ducts
Sufficient glandular tissue
Hormones and hormone receptors
Now let’s get into those 8 tips for boosting supply!
1 - Make sure your baby is latching optimally.
The foundation of an optimal milk supply is making sure your baby is able to effectively and efficiently remove the milk while breastfeeding. If you and your baby are still struggling with latch then it’s best to see a lactation consultant for some help. It could just be a matter of getting help with positioning, or there could be more going on like a tongue-tie or the fact that your baby was born early. Regardless, an LC can help you figure out how to make latching better and protect your milk supply at the same time.
2- Take a nursing vacation with lots of skin-to-skin.
What do I mean by a nursing vacation? It’s not a break from breastfeeding, rather quite the opposite! It’s basically 2-3 days of nothing but you and your baby nursing very frequently, doing lots of skin-to-skin while focusing on relaxing and bonding. You can pick a weekend to do this when your partner or friend can help you by making sure you stay fed, taking care of other children, and doing the house chores. The goal is for you to do nothing but breastfeed and be with your baby.
What are the benefits of skin-to-skin?
More stable heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels for your baby.
Encourages pre-feeding behaviors and reflexes
Calms you and your baby by reducing cortisol (stress) levels and releasing oxytocin (the hormone responsible for milk let-down)
PRO TIP - Taking a nice relaxing bath with your baby is a great time to do skin-to-skin. You can also do skin-to-skin while babywearing by removing your top and stripping the baby down to a diaper before putting them in their carrier.
3 - Feed more frequently and offer both breasts.
Sometimes when babies are put on a feeding schedule instead of being fed per their hunger cues, this can mess with your supply. Everyone has a different breast milk storage capacity (it has nothing to do with breast size). For those with a larger capacity, they can go longer between milk removals without it downregulating supply. Figuring out if you have a larger or smaller storage capacity can help you figure out the number of times per day you need to remove milk to maintain your supply. If you want to increase your supply or need a boost, make sure you are offering your baby both breasts at each feed. Sometimes they may not take the second breast or only feed on it for a short time, and that’s ok. The more stimulation your breasts receive the better when you are working on boosting your milk supply. If your baby consistently does not take the second breast, using a silicone manual pump, like the haakaa, on that side while baby nurses on the other can be helpful to empty some milk from that breast.
4 - Make sure you are breastfeeding or pumping at night.
So many times I hear from parents whose babies started sleeping longer stretches at night and subsequently they noticed a drop in their milk supply. Prolactin, the milk-making hormone, follows a circadian rhythm and is higher at night and in the wee hours of the morning. If you have ever pumped in the morning you probably noticed you get much more output than you do at other times of the day. Not only is prolactin higher at night, but so are the levels of melatonin and tryptophan in your milk. Both are sleep-inducing hormones meant to help your baby get back to sleep sooner. This drop in nighttime feedings can also reduce the number of total times per day you are draining your breasts. If your breasts have a smaller storage capacity this reduction in feedings can impact your supply.
5 - If you are supplementing, supplement at the breast.
Supplementing at the breast is a way to get your baby the expressed milk or formula they are receiving through a feeding tube placed alongside your nipple while directly latched onto your breast. Some parents find supplementing at the breast intimidating or it feels like more work. The pros to doing this are it allows your baby and you to get more breastfeeding time and practice. The extra stimulation to your breasts helps with your milk supply. It also saves you time because you don’t have to breastfeed and then bottle feed afterward. If you decide to give this a try it is a good idea to work with a lactation consultant who can show you how to do this and give you the supplies you need to get started.
6 - Add in extra pumping sessions or power pumping.
If you are reading this and already exclusively pumping the same principles for boosting milk production apply. The goal is to increase the frequency and keep breasts drained. If you are not pumping then adding in some pumping sessions after breastfeeding can help. It is important to note that if your baby is not breastfeeding well you will want to be pumping to protect your supply while you work on the breastfeeding difficulties. Again, this is a time you want to work one-on-one with a lactation consultant.
Power pumping can be something you add into your pumping routine for a few days to give your breasts added stimulation. Power pumping is basically a way to mimic your baby cluster feeding at your breast. If you are already pumping you would do this session at a time you normally pump, the difference is that you will be pumping on and off for an hour.
Sample power pumping schedule; 20 min pump, 10 min rest, 10 min pump, 10 min rest, 10 min pump.
7 - Start doing hands-on pumping and hand expression.
Dr. Jane Morton researched the effects of mothers using their hands during pumping and the results are pretty amazing! The first study found that mothers who used their hands during pumping pumped 48% more milk than mothers who just used the pump.
Another study found mothers using their hands during pumping, pumped milk with twice as much fat!
How to do this (easiest if you have a hands free bra to hold the flanges in place):
Gentle massage of both breasts before you turn the pump on- circular motion and gentle strokes.
While pumping do compressions and gentle massage all around the breast. Feel for areas that feel fuller and concentrate on those areas.
If you have time after you turn off the pump, finish with some hand expression, again feel for any area that still seems full and massage those areas.
If you aren’t pumping, or don’t want to take out the pump, another way to increase production and empty your breasts between breastfeeding is to hand express. On average, babies only take about 67% of the available milk in the breasts. Doing some hand expression after nursing or pumping is a great way to drain the breasts more fully and also get out the milk containing more fat. Not sure how to hand express? Here is a great video from Dr. Jane Morton.
8 - Find ways to reduce and manage stress.
Oxytocin, the hormone responsible for milk let-down, can be impeded by stress. Managing a drop in milk supply or worrying about increasing your supply can be very stressful. Many parents that I work with blame themselves or feel as if they’ve let their baby down. This is certainly not the truth but as parents, we are super hard on ourselves. Having a non-judgmental support system during this time can make all the difference, especially since working on increasing your supply can take extra time and energy. Getting a lactation consultant to guide you during this time can also help you feel more supported (if you’ve never worked with an LC take a look at this post to see what to expect). Getting some fresh air, asking for help so you can get some sleep, and listening to relaxing music or meditation while pumping, are all things you can do right now to ease some stress.
Your mental health is important, so if you are feeling depressed or anxious getting mental health support is important. Postpartum Support International is a great resource to find information, peer support, and professionals trained in perinatal mood disorders. Your mental and emotional needs are all valid and important so getting support is never selfish.
If you are struggling with breastfeeding or milk supply, please seek the support of a lactation consultant. We offer in-person support if you are in the Atlanta area or virtual support no matter what state or country you live in!
