Ways to Increase Breast Milk Production
If you are worried that you might not produce enough milk, remember that the milk production mechanism works on a supply and demand basis. The more you nurse, the more milk will be produced. If you properly breastfeed and your infant wants to nurse and is latched well on the breast, your body will produce more milk, so that the quantity you produce will match demand. Note that the quantity of milk is not supposed to be uniform throughout the day or throughout the breastfeeding period. What is important is that the measurements of growth and development taken at the Family Care Center show growth and development occurring at the expected rate.
"Growth spurts"
Have you heard of “growth spurts”? These are periods of infant development during which the infant wishes to breastfeed more frequently than usual. It is also the infant's way to indicate to your body that it needs to produce more milk. These periods can last for several days, during which the infant grows and needs more milk. During this time, continued breastfeeding on demand is recommended. To make it easier for you during the day (and night), try to rest as much as you can and rely on those around you to take care of chores and other arrangements.
Milk production in the woman’s body
Production of breastmilk is a complex process that involves physiological and emotional factors in a woman. Milk production begins during pregnancy and increases up to 4 days after childbirth. The process is primarily based on the hormone prolactin, which is secreted from the pituitary gland. Coupled with the infant’s breastfeeding, which causes the secretion of oxytocin, the hormone that facilitates milk secretion, it signals to your body to begin producing milk. As previously mentioned, the milk production mechanism is based on supply and demand: the more you breastfeed, the more milk your body will produce.
If you are unsure on whether your baby gets enough milk, here is what you can do:
Consult a Family Care Center nurse
If you are still worried that you might not produce enough milk, you should consult a Family Care Center nurse, who will provide you with guidance. Request that the baby be weighed and examined, after which a determination can be made whether your infant is growing as expected. If so, the infant eats enough.
Pump to increase production
If after the weighing and measurement, the infant appears healthy but does not gain weight, you can consult a lactation consultant or a Family Care Center nurse and add to your breastfeeding routine one or two pumping sessions a day to increase milk production. Note that during the first pumping sessions for this purpose, you will express a relatively small amount of milk but the more you persist, the more your body will realize that it must produce milk and will increase the quality.
Food and plants that increase milk production
Ancient traditions and cultures found that the use of certain plants may increase milk production in the mother. For example, there is some testimony in scientific literature that the fenugreek plant can increase the quantity of milk in nursing mothers. At the same time, food supplements have no medical purpose and are therefore not approved by the Ministry of Health as milk production stimulants.
*Food supplements cannot be the exclusive solution or your first step towards increasing milk production. Before using any food and supplements for this purpose, consult professionals.
Nutrition and a healthy lifestyle during breastfeeding
Factors affecting breastmilk
- The quantity of milk changes during breastfeeding, primarily due to nursing directly from the breast and the daily quantity that the infant eats.
- Psychological and social reasons may also affect the pace of milk production. Do you feel a lack of confidence in breastfeeding or depressed? It is important that you receive professional assistance as soon as possible.
- Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, diabetes or polycystic ovaries can also affect milk production.
For more information about breastfeeding during emergency and stressful situations
Do you have any other questions? You can get advice on breastfeeding from the staff at the Family Care Centers, or at the hotline *5400 extension 9.