10 Affordable Tips to Increase Breastmilk

10 affordable tips to increase breastmilk

Hello there.

I am Crystal and I am a stay-at-home mom that breastfeeds on demand. I have a four years old son and a 5 months old baby boy. I have been breastfeeding and breast pumping for over 5 months now. I would like to share 10 of the easiest things that I’ve done to increase my milk supply that almost cost me nothing.

1.) Eat! (3 meals/day and 3-4 snacks/day)
If you are breastfeeding you shouldn’t be scared about gaining weight. Actually, you will lose a lot of weight by feeding your baby. Eating extra will only benefit your baby. If it is hard for you to remember to snack because I know how hard it can be if you are a stay-at-home mom, make a schedule for yourself and put it on the fridge. You can also do meal plans and prep your food ahead of time. If you have a full-time job, pack extra snacks in your lunch bag and snack every two hours (before lunch and after lunch.)

2.) Drink lots of water and keep hydrated. Sometimes I like to add crystal light into my water to give a little taste and it helps a lot. I find that drinking more water really increases my milk supply because when I forget to drink water I can see a big difference after pumping. I always have my water bottle or cup of tea with me. I love myself a warm cup of tea.

3.) Take a warm shower. When I have time I like to take a warm shower before a pumping session. I find this tip to really help me pump out more milk. Remember the more milk that you can express out you will be able to create more milk as well. I always try my best to pump milk and save it in the freezer because I want to have enough supply for when my baby has teeth and/or doesn’t want my nipples anymore.

4.) A warm wet towel. Instead of taking a shower, because I know how busy us moms can be at times. You can just use a warm wet towel to stimulate your milk production. Wet the towel in some warm water, squeeze it out and place it on your breast for a few minutes before you pump. I also find this tip to be very relaxing and comforting at the same time. I like to use this tip before I pump and also during the times that I hand express.

5.) Massage breast. Massaging your breast will allow blood flow and stimulate prolactin to increase your milk supply. I massage my breast using coconut oil but you can find any oil that works best for you and is also good for the skin. I also use coconut oil for my sore and cracked nipples the first month. It worked great! Breastmilk also works great for sore and cracked nipples as well.

6.) Hand Express. Hand expression can be tedious but it works great. Most of the time, I can get more milk out by hand expressing than by pumping. I like take a 5 minutes to hand express my milk after I have pumped for 10-15 minutes. Sometimes by hand expressing I can double what was in the bottle already.

7.) Feed baby each sides of the breast equally. Don’t feed baby one breast and leave the other breast engorge. The engorged breast is going to think that baby doesn’t need any more milk and slow down its production. Again, when more milk is expressed that is when the breast will create more milk.

8.) After breastfeeding baby, wait for 30 minutes, then pump for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the breast to think that the baby is in need of more milk and it will create more milk. Pumping is very important when it comes to wanting to increase your milk supply. The more you pump you will notice that your supply will increase dramatically…count your ounces everyday so you can compare your results.

9.) Early and Late pump sessions. Pump around 6am to 9am for 10-15 minutes and also pump around 1am to 2am for another 10-15minutes. Once I was too tired and skipped out for two days without my early and late pumping sessions, I saw a big decrease in my supply throughout the day. I always try my best to make time for my early and late pumping sessions. If you are a stay-at-home mom like me, this tip can be tiring so remember it’s okay to take naps with your baby and also ask for help. :) If you work, pump before you head out in the morning and late at night before bed.

10.) Avoid bottle feeding. This will sometimes lead to nipple confusion and your baby may not want to be nursed anymore on the breast, which can also decrease your supply. Baby’s suction is stronger than a breast pump. Baby can help you by taking the most milk out allowing your breast to be more empty and able to create more milk.

This is all for now, if I left somethings out please comment down below. I hope this video was helpful and happy milking. Thank you for watching and reading.

instagram: crystallyfoung21

Crystal Lyfoung
http://www.abs4mom.com/2017/01/26/10-affordable-tips-to-increase-breastmilk/
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