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The first month of breastfeeding is the most crucial for having a successful breastfeeding journey and improving your lactation. This goes especially for first-time mums, who are figuring everything out and finding the right technique that’ll help them improve their milk supply. This period is one of the most critical since most of them get easily discouraged by not having enough milk, especially during the first two weeks.
This is the time when both the breasts and the brain are just now adapting to everything, so giving themselves the needed time to adapt is paramount. Practice shows that the more the baby latches, the more the brain receives signals that more milk supply is needed. Consistency and calmness are the keys to having an increased milk supply. Being anxious or stressed can only interfere with the let-down reflex. Luckily, there are a few other things that can help you during this adaptation period.
Eat Lactation Cookies
The first and easiest thing you can do to improve your milk supply is to eat biscuits for lactation. They have been present for an extended period of time since these delicious biscuits for lactation are a beneficial, healthy, easy and fast way to help new mums improve their breast milk supply.
The main reason is that they contain a high concentration of saponin, which aside from improving the immune system, can also help in increasing prolactin which is a key hormone for milk production. Along with this, lactation biscuits usually contain oat with is packed with lots of vitamins, minerals and protein which is a great healthy yet nutritious food choice when nursing.
Breastfeeding biscuits can also contain flaxseed which is an ingredient extremely high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They won’t only protect you against cardiovascular disease, but they’ll also improve your breast milk condition and help in the baby’s immune system improvement. Some of them can also contain brewer’s yeast which is said that it can help improve milk supply.
This ingredient is full of B vitamins and it can also contain traces of some minerals like selenium and chromium. These cookies can come from different manufacturers and can have different ingredients, the key is to choose the ones that contain at least one of the aforementioned ingredients.
The greatest thing about them is that you can stock several packs and always have them in hand. They’re convenient and super delicious and have all the things you need for improving your milk supply. The choice for such cookies is huge, so you can even choose from the ones that don’t contain dairy, eggs, milk and sugar. This gives you the freedom to find just the right biscuits for your needs.
What Foods Increase Breast Milk?
Aside from the aforementioned things, there are some other things that can help in increasing the milk supply. Fenugreek is a type of herb that is used for increasing milk supply, and the effect can be seen in about a week. It can be used in cookies, in the form of supplements or in tea. Aside from this, there are some other herbs and foods that can help in improving milk supply like ginger, garlic, fennel and spirulina. Before taking any of these, consulting with your doctor is paramount.
Pump Between Feedings
While breastfeeding your baby more often can trigger your breasts to produce more milk is the ideal option, during the first month, your breasts will need a little boost from your side since your baby doesn’t have the needed strength to consume lots of milk. That’s why you’ll need to pump between feedings in order to increase milk production.
While in the past this was done manually, nowadays, you can enjoy the blessing of modern-day technology. Using convenient and comfortable breast pumps is an easy way to improve your milk supply and you should try pumping whenever you have milk left over after each feeding session. You should also pump whenever your baby has missed a feeding (it may happen during the first months since babies are too sleepy) and when your baby gets a bottle of breast milk or formula.
An important thing to know is that not all pumps are created equally, so nowadays you have the chance to choose between hand (manual) pumps and electric breast pumps. Portable and convenient, these pumps can instantly improve your milk supply and will allow you to breastfeed your baby as long as you want.
The best of all is that you can use the pumped milk whenever you want. All it takes is to stock it in designated storage bags and keep it in the freezer for about 6 months or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This allows you to keep your baby on breast milk even when not in the position to breastfeed it at the needed time.
Using frozen breast milk allows mums to return to work, run errands or just rest their nipples for at least one feeding. Usually, these pumps can come alone on their one or in a set with some other accessories like storage bags, filters, flex tubing, etc.
Practice Breast Compression
Breast compression is a technique that can help your baby take in more breast milk while breastfeeding, but it’s also an excellent way to remove more breast milk from the breast when pumping. Breast compression can be extremely helpful during the first two months when your baby is sleepy or doesn’t have a strong latch, since it’ll keep your milk flowing and your baby will drink easily.
