13 Secrets to Increase Your Milk Supply

When I was breastfeeding, I tried everything to get my milk supply to go up. It was the reason that I ended up quitting actually. I only noticed a slight difference with a lot of these tips and tricks, but a lot of women SWEAR by these. If you are anything like I was, you have been searching endlessly for ways to increase your milk supply. Fear not mama, I have done plenty of research and have compiled it all in one post for you! Whether you are looking to build a freezer stash or to exclusive breastfeed your baby, there are plenty of tricks listed below for you to try!

If you haven’t read my breastfeeding story, check out my post, The Hardest Decision I Had to Make as A New Mom.

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Drink Water to Increase Milk Supply

Breastmilk is mostly made of water, so if you are wanting to increase your milk supply, drinking water is one of the best things that you can do! Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to drink 128 ounces of water a day! That’s double the amount we are normally encouraged to drink. This WATER BOTTLE is the best thing! It’s a Hydroflask and it keeps your water nice and cold. You should be filling this size up about 3 1/2 times a day! Drink up mama!

Drink Body Armor

Drinking Body Armor is a great way to increase your supply! Lots of moms swear by this drink. The one thing that you have to be aware of, is the extra sugar you’d be taking in by drinking this. If you are unfamiliar with what Body Armor is, HERE is a set of different flavors. My favorites are fruit punch and strawberry banana!

Pump Frequently

You milk supply works on supply and demand. The more milk is demanded, the more your body will make. When I was trying to increase my supply, I would pump for 10 minutes every hour. I did notice an increase from doing that, but after so long it capped. Pumping can be exhausting though, so don’t wear yourself out and sacrifice too much time that could be spent with your baby!

Power Pump to Boost Your Milk Supply

Along with pumping frequently, you should power pump once a day if you want to boost your milk supply. Power pumping in the morning is the best time to do it. If you don’t know what power pumping is, it’s when you pump for 20 minutes, rest for 10, pump for 10, rest for 10, etc. for one hour. This is a good thing to do when baby is napping and you want to watch a show!

Empty Yourself After Baby Feeds

Like I mentioned earlier, milk supply works on supply and demand. If your baby doesn’t completely empty you after a feeding, then your body will think that it is making too much milk because it didn’t get all eaten. If you want your body to think otherwise, be sure to pump after every feeding to make sure you are empty.

Drink Mothers Milk Tea

Drinking Mothers Milk Tea can really increase your milk supply! You’re supposed to drink several cups a day. I only drank 1 a day and noticed a difference in my milk supply! This MOTHERS MILK TEA is great if you add a lot of honey to it!

Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast

You should eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. I literally ate it every day. Oats definitely help increase your milk supply! I really liked mixing my oatmeal up by having different flavors every morning. If I mixed it up, I didn’t get so sick of it so fast. I also added flaxseed into my oatmeal to add an extra boost to my supply!

Eat Lactation Snacks

Lactation snacks are a great way to increase your milk supply! I made my own, but you can also buy a lot! HERE are some yummy ones you can check out. I bought that mix a couple of times and really liked them! If you want to make your own, be sure to grab some FLAXSEED and BREWERS YEAST because most recipes will call for both of those ingredients. Those ingredients are key to turning regular treats into lactation treats!

Take Supplements that Increase Milk Supply

When I was struggling to boost my milk supply, the first thing that my lactation consultant told me to do, was to take supplements. These SUPPLEMENTS from Mommy Knows Best are great! Definitely worth the effort to buy. Supplements are a super easy way to boost your milk supply.

Eat Extra Calories

Breastfeeding mothers are supposed to eat an extra 450 to 500 calories a day. It’s not that hard to eat extra calories because you’re honestly so hungry when nursing. Eating the lactation snacks that I linked earlier, is a great way to take in those extra calories!

Massage Your Breasts and Use a Warm Compress

Massaging your breasts can help your milk come down and flow, which helps increase the demand! LAVIE MASSAGERS are seriously the way to go! These are expensive, but you won’t regret getting them! Even if you aren’t trying to increase your supply, these will help with mastitis, clogged milk ducts, and so much more!

Look at Pictures/Videos of Your Baby

I know, this seems totally crazy. There has actually been research done that proves that you’re letdown happens faster and that you can produce more milk when you are looking at photos/videos of your baby. This can also happen when you hear your baby cry. I recorded a video of my baby crying and always watched it when I pumped! Looking at adorable pictures that make your heart melt is a great way to go too 😉

Snuggle with Your Baby and do Skin-to-Skin to Increase Milk Supply

Believe it or not, doing skin-to-skin can really increase your milk supply! That’s just one of the reasons that it is so important to do skin-to-skin immediately after giving birth. If you are wanting to increase your milk supply, get lots of baby snuggles and skin-to-skin in!

Increasing milk supply is no easy thing to do, but lots of women have great success with these little tips and tricks. Some of these worked for me, but unfortunately none of them worked well enough for me to continue. Do you know of any other great secrets to increasing your milk supply? If so, tell me in the comments! Good luck mama! You can do it!