Natural ways to increase your breast milk supply

Insufficient milk production is one of the key problems that new mums encounter when it comes to breastfeeding, making the natural act of breastfeeding frustrating for many. If you’ve encountered this, you may wonder whether to give up on trying to make more milk and to supplement with formula.
However, the problem is that frequent breastfeeding in turns generates more milk production. If you start relying on formula, your body will also gradually produce less.

When your milk should come in

Don’t be alarmed at first if you’re not producing much milk at all. Generally, your breasts start by producing colostrums, and do not become engorged until two to five days after delivery. By this time, you will usually be at home with your baby.
If you aren’t producing much milk after a week, don’t hesitate to seek help right away. The hospital you’ve delivered at have lactation consultants available to help you trouble-shoot your breastfeeding problems and you shouldn’t suffer in silence. They may teach you massage techniques to encourage the milk to flow or loan you a pump to assist you.

At home, you can try consuming some natural remedies, mostly herbal, to help increase your food supplies.

• Fenugreek. Women in India and all over the world use this to increase milk supply. It is easily available from health food stores in the form of tablets. Some women do well on just one tablet three times a day, while others need to take more. Fenugreek is also available as a form of tea or you could mix the powder with milk for drinking.
• Vegetables and fruits. Spinach, garlic, bitter gourd, potatoes and raw papaya are believed by the Indians to improve milk production
• Meaty soups and porridge. Pig trotter soup, red bean soup and rice porridge are believed by the Chinese to be nourishing for the body and good for lactation.
• Brewer’s yeast and oatmeal. Some women in the West use this to improve their milk supply. It could be somewhat similar to the idea of eating something thick and calming like rice porridge.
• Chinese herbs. Dang Gui and dates are designed to nourish the body, clear blockages and in the process, improve your milk supply.
• Fennel. While it doesn’t improve your milk supply, it helps with letdown reflex. It is most useful for mums who find that pumping no longer works well for them