HOW TO INCREASE MILK SUPPLY

Got milk?

A breakfast meal; maybe not balanced but pretty good!

We all know East or West, home is breast. Bland joke alert hehe.. Anyway, every mother wants the very best for her offspring, and this includes giving them good nutrition right from the start. However, not everyone is able to breastfeed, and a few are not willing, for reasons they best know so no judgies 🤗

If you do want to however, but do not have enough milk, then I have some tips on foodstuffs you could eat to promote better milk production. And before we get any further I do have to say that breastfeeding is a supply and demand endeavor, the more you breastfeed,the more milk will be produced. Now let's get in there and dissect the list:

Fennel Seeds

These cumin look-alikes have a pleasantly minty yet herby taste and aroma, with a hint of licorice from afar, and the way to ingest them is to make a tea out of them i.e. boil them then strain and drink the fluid either plain or with a teaspoon of honey. You can also just add a tablespoon or two to your regular tea depending on your taste to enhance the flavor and I bet you'll like it as will toto for it will translate to more milk, almost miraculously and really fast.

Raw Garlic

There are some studies that seem to show babies love the taste of garlic in breastmilk (do not stone me I am just but a mere messenger) and so this will help with milk production by encouraging him to suckle harder and perhaps for longer, which will lead to better milk production, flavored milk for that matter 😉 Also, this cure-all will help fight off some annoying light diseases like the common cold and some throat infections. Do note though that it can give you nasty heartburn if consumed too much at a go, and find the best way to go about it. Also, the smell you have will be repulsive (mostly to vampires hehe) so consider this. Personally I just chew a clove every other day in the evening, or crush a clove, stir in a quarter cup of warm water and drink, but the torture of eating garlic is real so just find a way to get (and keep) it down.

Water

This is a no-brainer really, because milk is liquid, it will have a relatively high constitution of water so do take adequate amounts of water and help things along, this will save you dehydration and consequently prevent headaches and constipation, nasty things to have to deal with. Make sure that the water is clean though, to avoid getting yourself and/or toto sick, and the milk will flow.

Rest

So this here is not a physical thing you can consume, but one that you do. Getting enough rest will ensure that your body works properly and makes milk at the optimum settings as a well rested mum is often a happy mum, and I learnt from experience that stress will dry up the milk faster than you can blink. So get help around the house, never ever feel ashamed to ask for assistance, you have earned it after all and it's not a permanent state. Also, be sure to identify and eliminate stress sources fast or at least know how to manage them, think happy thoughts (seriously) and put your baby before all else as far as you can, guard your peace of mind jealously and do all you can to rest, and you will be the best mum to your baby, just like he/she deserves ☺️

Fenugreek

I personally have no experience with these leaves as I attempted and failed to locate them in local supermarkets, but I have heard raving reviews about them. People though complain about the taste and aroma being really strong so this is not for the faint of stomach, and some suggestions I have heard on keeping it down are having a lemon or lime or lemon leaves at hand to sniff after or during taking it. I will stop here lest I complicate things further than I suspect I have already complicated them...

For the moment, these are the surest and easiest ways I know to work with milk supply improvement, and in the event that I get new options I will be sure to update the list. If you know of anything else I have left out, do post it in the comments section and let us all learn a thing or two. And also do subscribe to keep getting updated on new posts, and until next week, stay safe!