Boosting Milk Production and Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has been quite the adventure. I am working in writing about my experience but it’s so much to put into words at the moment. The first few weeks I spent so much time reading about breastfeeding- I watched countless youtube videos of other breastfeeding parents. Below are some things that I feel helped me with my milk production based on my online research and anecdotes from family and friends.

Check out my IG @ vegan.xicana for a video

Water

Staying hydrated is the most important thing. Breastfeeding makes you incredibly thirsty but also you need the water to produce milk. Some people also swear by coconut water and powerade but for me water is key. 

Oats

I try to eat oatmeal daily and when that isn’t possible I make sure to have my tea or warm beverages with oatmilk. I also added chia, hemp seeds, and flax to my oatmeal for added fat, protein and nutrients. 

Brewers Yeast

If you’ve seen those lactation cookies you’ve probably noticed that many of them have brewers yeast and oatmeal. I would add both of these to my smoothies to ensure milk production .

Sunflower Lecithin

There were a few times I could feel a clogged milk duct or afraid I would develop mastitis and I used this to ensure my milk flowed. This helped in those moments. I also placed slices of raw potato inside my bra throughout the day and felt that that helped too. You can take this by the spoonful or add to your smoothies.

Atole and Champurrado

The days after birth I had a lot of atole (chocolate,cinnamon, almond milk, and masa harina) and champurrado (chocolate, cinnamon, almond milk,maizena/corn starch) and I would eat this with bollilos. This is one of those family things that my mom recommended and it made me feel so loved because it reminded me of my childhood. There are lots of recipes for atoles and warm batidos that you can take. They are comforting and can add lots of nutrients and promote healing.

There are also teas and supplements out there with fennel and other herbs but I don’t really like the flavor and have not really needed this to have the right amount of milk for my baby. 

Protein and fats

Almonds and walnuts help me with hunger and added protein.

Pea protein was also helpful to me. My baby had a slight soy sensitivity so I stopped consuming it until recently and protein powders with pea protein ensured I was full and able to produce milk.

Avocado- very rich and filling and can be added to food or smoothies.

Other recommendations:

Feeding on demand- having baby at the breast will tell your body to produce more milk. Those first few weeks are so necessary. I thought I wasn’t producing enough because my baby was cluster feeding lots and seemed to always be hungry. The doctors would tell me I had to feed every 2-3hrs so I thought it was odd when my baby wanted to eat sooner but there was nothing odd, babies get hungry, thirty or need comfort. If you are unsure if baby is not eating you can weigh before and after a feed. Some hospitals let you use their weights for this and seeing a lactation consultant or going to a local breastfeeding group can help. 

Pumping after feeds- after you feed the baby you can pump to tell your body you need more milk, plus you can store the milk if you ever need to be away from baby.

I hope this was helpful! Breastfeeding is hard dedicated work and at the end of the day whichever way you feed your baby is great! You got this and are doing a great job!