This post is all about tips to help you increase your milk supply.
Increasing Milk Supply by AGATA
Okay, let me start by saying that this is how I increased my own milk supply. I went from not being able to provide any milk and having to bottle feed, and now I am solely breastfeeding my baby. No, I am not claiming to be an expert or a professional but I am someone who has struggled through this journey of wanting to increase breast milk supply.
Disclaimer! The items listed in this post are things that I used or considered getting, I am not getting paid to post these!
A Little Background About My Breastfeeding Journey
My delivery was fine but post-delivery I suffered a major hemorrhage and lost nearly 3 liters of blood. When I tell you that I had no milk supply, I honestly did not. It could have been due to many factors – losing all the blood, having all these medicines given to me, tiredness, trauma, etc.
But before I went into labour I knew that I wanted to breastfeed! I am not going to lie to you and tell you that it was easy because it was one of the most difficult roller-coasters of emotions that I have been on. I cannot tell you the number of times that I thought it was going nowhere and I should just quit! But I persevered and managed to increase my milk supply.
Why I Persevered?
Okay, so I am a stubborn person. I will try my hardest to do the things that I want. I know that there are pros and cons of breast and bottle feeding and I am not suggesting that one is better than the other. Just because breastfeeding was and is right for me, does not mean that I think differently about people who do not breastfeed. This is your journey and you are doing exactly what is right for you!
Honestly, the fact that I had no milk supply bothered me. First, yes I did feel that there was a lot of pressure on me to be able to do this and even was told by people that as a woman I should be able to do this. Second, and this might sound silly, but I knew that I had to have some milk supply somewhere.
BUT, I have to be honest, I had numerous breakdowns while trying to get milk to come out, trying to breastfeed, feeling like a cow getting milked, having chapped nipples, you name it, I probably had a breakdown about it (hormones and emotions were and still are all over the place). And yes, at that time I thought “what is wrong with me?” – the answer is nothing, but I understand all too well the feeling of not being good enough.
So here are the things that I personally did to help increase my milk supply! Again, I am not a professional so please consult with your health visitor or lactation specialist as well!
1. ASKING FOR HELP
Okay, so I pretty much say this in all my tips, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to ask for help. Personally, I had tubes coming out of my arms and various parts of my body, I could not bend my fingers, and I could not even get up, so I did have to ask for help more than I wanted. But let me tell you, it was super important that I did.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed so I expressed this to everyone! I put my baby on my breast as soon as I could, but nothing came out! And then I was rushed to the theater as I was bleeding too much! But, in the meantime, I agreed for my baby to have a bottle.
Why? Well, I simply wanted to feed my baby.
But the more I asked people for help the more they understood just how much I was struggling and the more help I got. I ended up extending my stay at the hospital to talk to lactation specialists, which was the best thing I did. And they even let me borrow a pump when I went home, I borrowed it for 2 days before my pump arrived.
2. Expressing and Pumping to Increase Milk Supply
I did not understand how to hand express! Because I had tubes in my hand I could not move my hands comfortably and I had to ask for help. It was not a good experience, I felt like a cow being milked. And, everyone did it differently. I ended up with sore nipples. And so I was so frustrated with the fact that I had no idea how to do it!
After speaking to a lot of people, I got it! No surprise here, but the best explanations came from ladies who have actually breastfed themselves. I mean no disrespect to anyone that helped me because I have to say I was looked after very well. But, the experience of breastfeeding is so much more valuable than reading how to do it from a book.
Essentially, what you do is just massage your boob by cupping your boob on the sides and slowly moving your hand to the front! DO NOT SQUEEZE THE NIPPLE. I had my nipple squeezed and turned and it was horrible! Now that I know it now, it’s not difficult, but I understand how confusing it can be!
I massaged my boobs before pumping and the first time I pumped nothing came out, but I persevered and now I can get a whole feed out!
At the hospital, they had a big medela pump, which was good but too expensive and too big for me. I bought the single automatic medela pump which I can easily store and carry around. You can buy a cheaper one which is manual, but for me, that was too much work. I am all about balance, I like a bargain but I also like to make my life easier where I can.
3. Latching at (almost) EVERY Feed
So latching your baby onto your breast is super important to help stimulate your milk ducts, but also to help your baby out with knowing what to do! Once your milk supply comes in this will help your baby know how to breastfeed.
While I have been told to do this every single time, sometimes it was just too difficult. For example, in the first few days while my nipples were sore I needed a break and I am thankful I did. I would skip putting her on the boob once a day and put cream on my nipples. I would also skip a feed and pump instead- this meant that I would still be stimulating my milk ducts but I would also get a break from the stress.
Yes, some feeds were stressful, I was trying to latch her on and nothing was coming out so of course, she would be crying as she was hungry and I would get upset that nothing is coming out. So in those moments, I needed a break. And it was good.
IMPORTANTLY, I would only take a break for one or two feeds! I would not go the entire day without trying to breastfeed.
4. Bottle or Mix Feeding
Yes, I have been told by a number of people that I should not give my baby a bottle if I want to breastfeed. But I also knew that I was not going to starve my baby. And yes, I did have to bottlefeed while I tried desperately to produce milk.
Almost every single feed, I would put my baby on my breast. But I would give her a bottle so that she can have a decent feed.
I was told that if I give my baby a bottle she would prefer it over breastfeeding as breastfeeding requires her to do the work while bottle feeding is easier for her. It might be just my baby but she now refuses a bottle! A fun fact we found out not too long ago. She refuses to even drink my expressed milk from a bottle!
5. Prepare for CLUSTER FEEDING when trying to Increase Milk Supply
Yes, I have talked about this before! Cluster feeding is not fun! It is EXHAUSTING! But, you can do it!
When babies cluster feed, it may feel like all you are doing all day is feeding. Because you are! This is your baby’s way of telling your boobs that they need to produce more milk.
And yes, there have been a lot of times when people have told me that maybe it’s because I am not producing enough to feed the baby. However, those are also the people who stopped breastfeeding early on because they thought that they were not producing enough milk.
And again, that is fine. I am not shaming anyone for stopping breastfeeding. I am just talking about my experience!
In my experience, I have days where all I do all day is feed, but my baby is gaining weight. Therefore, I must have enough for her to be happy and healthy. Even though some days it really does not feel like that is the case!
[Recommended: 7 Must-Know Breastfeeding Realities]
6. Your Mindset is Super Important
So your mindset towards breastfeeding and towards your goal to breastfeed is super important!
You need to be kind to yourself throughout this journey and you need to try not to stress too much! So this, for me is really hard! I put so much pressure on myself that it started to impact my mental health and well-being. Even though my partner’s support was incredible, I still put so much pressure on myself!
At one point, while we were still in the hospital, I nearly called it quits. I was crying so much, I was stressed and breastfeeding was sooo difficult and super stressful and I would get so worked up when it came to breastfeeding. My partner said that it is okay if I do not breastfeed, that he would not think any less of me and it was more important that I focused on enjoying this time with my daughter rather than stressing about the feeding. At that point, he bottle-fed my daughter and I was coming to terms with bottle-feeding her.
But as you probably guessed, I did not come to terms with it and here I am breastfeeding without needing formula.
The conversation I had with my partner allowed me to see that I wanted to breastfeed but that it was okay to bottle-feed as well and that I can do both. So there was a bit less pressure on me.
This does not mean that I find breastfeeding easy, it means that when I get those cluster feeding days, I am able to look at it from a different perspective. Of course, I am human and I do get stressed out or super tired and that is okay.
[Recommended: 7 Essential Tips for Breastfeeding at Night]
Bonus: Diet & Beverages to Increase Milk Supply
Without a doubt, your diet is super important! You need enough calories to fuel your body and to be able to produce breast milk! While I do have my own diet plan, I am not convinced that one food that I eat is more important than the rest to increase my milk supply! I do believe it is about balance!
I know that there are a lot of people that suggest different foods and beverages that might help increase milk supply. For example, some people swear by lactation cookies while others believe that drinking milky tea will help increase milk supply. While I am not saying that these things don’t work. What I am saying is that I think that it’s about doing a number of different things and fuelling your body with enough calories is important for your milk production.
How Has Your Journey Been?
If you are reading this, I know how difficult it can be but you can do it! You need to be strong! But again, if you decide that it is not for you then that is also fine. You are doing great, do not forget that!
The tips above are what I wish I knew before this journey began! I hope they help you and keep you motivated in your journey!