How To Keep Your Breast Milk Supply Up

Breastfeeding!

It’s no joke. I realize that for some it can be challenging and for others it comes quite easy.

I am fortunate to say that despite a difficult delivery, little Kwynnie latched like a champ right away and ate her little heart out! (Ouch at first!) My milk came strong, so we have been lucky in that way.

(I feel like it made up for the crappy week in the hospital. More on that later!)

Anyway, there are a few things that I am doing to make sure my supply stays up and flowing.

My plan is to nurse her for as long as I can, but I am not putting any pressure on myself in that regard. For now, it’s going great and I hope that we can keep this good thing going.

Here are a few things that I have found extremely helpful when it comes to breastfeeding:

1. Consult the experts, but do what works for you.

In the hospital, every single nurse that came in had something different to offer in regards to breastfeeding. They send a lactation consultant in before you leave, who had something different to say from the nurses. I even met with another lactation consultant when I got home. Almost every single person offered up slight varying advice.

While it was a little frustrating as you’re just trying to learn the new skill of nursing, I ended up taking a little bit from everyone and doing what works for me and my baby.

I think this is the ultimate lesson in parenting. Listen to the advice, but when you get home, it’s you and your kiddo and you have to do what feels right to you.

So ask friends, research things til you are blue in the face (I sure did!) and then throw it all away and trust your instincts. You’ve got this mama!

2. Drink a shit ton of water

Breast milk is made up of 80% water! Did you know that? I didn’t. I do now. So I try to drink my weight in water to keep my supply up. Chug, chug, chug. Keep a water bottle everywhere you feed and keep them filled up at all times.

3. Eat well and stay nourished

They say breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. I don’t see this as an excuse to eat whatever I want, but I do see this as a good reminder to make sure I am well fed and nourished.

At the very least, I make sure to have yummy soups on hand and overnight oats. I even had my friend and chef Lisa Adams cook and deliver food for me the first 5 weeks Kwynn was home with us. It was incredibly helpful to have a refrigerator filled with delicious food.

Ask for help in the kitchen if you need. This feels like a very important aspect of healing after baby arrives and into their first few months of life.

4. Pump it up!

Most insurance will cover a hospital grade pump. I have the Spectra. I usually pump once around 11pm and then again in the am after I feed her. This has allowed me to store a bunch of milk in the freezer as well.

(For an amazing idea on how to efficiently store breast milk, watch this video.  One of my followers pointed me to it. It’s genius!)

Because I had some complications in the hospital, we gave Kwynn formula one day, which meant my husband got a chance to feed her.

Luckily, she took to the bottle no problem. I was actually really grateful for this experience because now she has no problem taking a bottle of breastmilk. This means that I get a little break and some rest, so someone else can feed her.

5. Rest!

Speaking of rest, from my understanding, this is super important when it comes to supply. I know it’s hard with a newborn, but there have been times I have been tempted to get up, do laundry and get things done while she naps. But, I have forced myself to stay in bed and chill. Take the time when you can, please mama!

6. Lactation cookies

Ok, at last. Here is the recipe for the lactation cookies. Listen, they are COOKIES! They have sugar and butter. I figure if I am going to eat cookies, I’m going for it. I’m sure there are other recipes online that are healthier, but these are really yummy.

I add raisins and I store them in the freezer as they are pretty good cold and this recipe makes A LOT!!

Ingredients you will need

3 cups of steel cut oats
2 cups of almond flour
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of butter
4 tablespoons of water
4 tablespoons of Brewer’s Yeast
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking soda

How to whip them up

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal with the water and set aside for 3-5 minutes
3. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beat well.
4. Stir in flaxseed meal mixture with vanilla to the butter mix. Beat until blended.
5. Stir together your dry ingredients separately (except oats and chips)
6. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oats and then chips
7. Scoop or drop onto baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. It makes approximately 3-4 dozen (!!)

(recipe borrowed from here)

Your turn!

Do you have any good breastfeeding tips? Leave a comment below so others can reap the benefits of your expertise!

Happy Nursing:)

Xo
Erin