How to Increase Your Milk Supply

By: Natalie Jarrett, MSN, IBCLC & Kerry Lett, MPH, RDN, LDN, CLC

Breastfeeding was off to a good start, but now your supply has dropped. Or maybe you never got your supply where you wanted it to be in the first place. What now? There are some simple changes you can make that will hopefully help boost your supply and get you back on track. 

Consider Frequency

The first thing to consider is how frequently you are feeding your baby and/or are pumping. You should be feeding your baby on demand, as often as they want to eat, usually every 2-4 hours. However, for babies who have not regained their birth weight yet, they must be fed every 2-3 hours around the clock. Some miracle babies sleep through the night from just a few weeks of age, but unfortunately some lactating parents’ milk supply cannot tolerate this length of time. If your supply was off to a good start, but then slowly started to decline after your baby started sleeping longer stretches, this might be your problem! Adding in an overnight pump session can be helpful to mitigate this. Try starting to pump around 4 hours from the last feed and then slowly stretching it a little longer to 5-6 hours from the last feed. 

Try Power Pumping

If frequency of feeds or pump sessions does not seem to be the problem, the next thing to consider is adding in a power pump session. This is when you pump for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break, pump for another 10 minutes, take another 10 minute break, and then finally pump for another 10 minutes. This will take an hour to do and you should do it once a day. In the morning right after you have fed your baby can be a good time to do this, since the hormone that helps make milk is at its highest levels early in the day. Power pumping helps to stimulate cluster feeding, which is the body’s natural way of boosting milk supply as your baby gets bigger and goes through growth spurts.

Consider Your Nutrition

Another option to help boost milk supply is to make a few dietary changes. While there is not extensive research demonstrating that oral galactagogues (substances that increase milk supply), such as fennel, blessed thistle, and alfalfa, are effective at increasing breastmilk production, there is some evidence that natural galactagogues may benefit infant’s weight gain and the lactating mother’s milk volume (1). While there is low evidence that galactagogues are effective in research studies, many women perceive natural galactagogues to enhance their breast milk supply (2). Fenugreek is a popular galactagogue; however, recent research has found that it can sometimes cause decreased milk supply, so we would recommend avoiding supplements that contain fenugreek (3). If you are planning on trying any galactagogue, remember that the safety of these products has not been fully determined and like all herbs and medications, galactagogues may have potential side effects and drug interactions that must be considered for each lactating parent. Therefore, it is advised that all lactating parent’s considering galactagogues talk to their health care provider before starting these herbs. Additionally, it is important to remember that any galactagogue will be the most effective at increasing your milk supply when combined with increased breastfeeding frequency and milk removal.

Practice Self-Care

Be sure to take care of yourself too. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps and have other people help you around the house and with meal prep, if possible. Try to relax as much as possible. If you are pumping, it can be helpful to cover up the pump and do something else while you are pumping, so you are not as focused on watching your milk output. Looking at photos or videos of your baby can also be helpful if you are pumping, so you can connect with baby and get the milk-making biological process flowing. 

Meet With an Expert

You may also want to meet with a lactation consultant to make sure your baby is latched on correctly, is removing milk from the breasts well, and there is not something else that could be medically affecting your supply. You must remove milk from your breasts in order for your body to make more milk, so if there is an issue with your baby’s latch or suction this could be affecting your supply. If you are not able to be seen right away, try pumping frequently to protect your milk supply until you can get help. If you feel that you would benefit from a lactation consultant, schedule your appointment today at www.milestonesnutrition.com/lactation.

Natalie Jarrett, MSN, IBCLC is the lactation consultant Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition in Cary, NC. Natalie specializes in empowering lactating parents during their breastfeeding journey, while helping to minimize any breastfeeding difficulties. Schedule an appointment today.

Kerry Lett, MPH, RDN, LDN,CLC is the pediatric & maternal registered dietitian, certified lactation consultant, and owner of Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition in Cary, NC. Kerry is passionate about helping growing families navigate life and achieve all of their milestones along the way. Schedule an appointment today.

Last medically reviewed on March 25, 2024