4 Unconventional Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply

Breastfeeding can be a frustrating challenge for many moms. For those who struggle with their production, it can be difficult to see some moms breastfeed so easily and produce milk in great abundance. Often, moms feel discouraged and inadequate when they see that their babies are still hungry and they are out of milk. 

Because of the deep love moms have for their children, many a mom who has been unsatisfied with her milk production has tried a lot of varying methods to stimulate the milk glands and encourage the body to increase milk production. From mother’s milk tea to malunggay pills, from drinking a glass of water after every feed (this is sound advice since a big percentage of breastmilk is composed of water) to power pumping til the nipples hurt, moms have done it!

If you’re a mom struggling with milk supply, and none of those methods have worked yet, consider these other, less conventional, methods:

• Bake some brownies

Lactation treats are actually becoming more and more mainstream, and there are plenty of lactation treat suppliers in Manila that are happy to deliver straight to your door! You can also bake them yourself. There are recipes available online that incorporate the galactogogues into their treats, and this can be a fun way to increase that supply!

• Pump and feed simultaneously

Trick your body into believing there are two babies instead of one. While you feed your baby on one side, pump out the other. During the next feeding session, feed the baby on the side that was pumped, and pump the side on which the baby previously fed. By switching at each feed, both breasts benefit from being stimulated by your baby, and your production benefits from being emptied each time. With both breasts emptying at each feed, the body will be prompted to produce more milk.

• Practice breast compression

Not as painful as it sounds, breast compression involves squeezing the breast while breastfeeding in order to put pressure on the milk glands. Compression causes the milk glands to release more milk and increase milk flow. This helps thoroughly empty the breast during feeding, and as many moms learn early on: the emptier the breasts, the more milk the body makes.

It is, in essence, the same principle behind asking women to pump for an extra 10 to 15 minutes after each feed or pump in between feeds, to really empty the breasts further and stimulate production.

Here is an easy how to for breast compression.

• Have a beer!

Beer contains barley, which has a high concentration of polysaccharides, the carbohydrates that stimulates the secretion of prolactin, the hormone that is needed for milk production. Try to find the non-alcoholic beers so that you can have the beer at any point and feed your baby at any time. If only regular beers are available, then be sure to wait at least two hours before feeding or pumping so that you are sure that the alcohol has been properly metabolised by your system. AND don’t overdo it! Breastmilk production is not an excuse to drink, although having a beer can be a great way to encourage that production.

Here are some beers you can try!

If you are still struggling despite these hoops, the best course of action would be to see a lactation consultant. They can usually assess your feeding schedule, your own routines, your diet, and your baby’s latch, character, and schedule to find a a method or system that works for optimal milk production.