How to Increase Breast Milk Flow

Breastfeeding

The only tools you really need to increase breast milk flow are time and patience. Your body will almost always produce enough milk to meet your baby's demand. Breast milk contains all the nutrients your baby needs and protects your baby from disease by strengthening her immune system. Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to enhance the bond between you and your baby. There are a few simple steps that can increase breast milk flow.

Things You'll Need

• Fluids Warm shower/warm washcloths Breast pump (optional)

Instructions

Nurse frequently

1. 

   Nurse frequently. This stimulates the milk glands to increase production of milk. Newborns nurse about every one to three hours for 15 to 20 minutes on each side, usually nursing eight to 12 times each day. Start nursing on the same side from which you finished nursing your baby the previous feeding. Use different nursing positions so that you drain all milk ducts.

2. 

   Encourage letdown of your milk. You can massage your breasts gently from the outside toward the nipple; apply warm, moist cloths to your breasts; or stand in a warm shower. You will feel a tingling as letdown begins.

3. 

   Make sure your baby is latching on properly. Guide her mouth onto the nipple. Her lips must be on the areola and not just the nipple to stimulate milk production. Her bottom lip will cover slightly more of the areola than the top lip.

4. Watch your diet. By two weeks postpartum, you will produce about about 25 ounces of milk daily, so you need to increase your fluids by about a quart a day to 2.5 to three quarts daily and add about 500 calories to your diet. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

5. Don't smoke. Smoking can decrease milk production and alter the milk's taste, making it less attractive to your baby. You should never expose your baby to second-hand smoke while nursing her.

6. Pump every three to four hours for at least 15 minutes if you are unable to nurse your baby. It's better to wait at least four weeks to give your baby a bottle because the artificial nipple feels different, and she may resist nursing if given a bottle too soon.

Tips & Warnings

• Count diapers. If your baby is urinating regularly and the urine is pale in color, she is getting enough milk. She should have one diaper in the first 24 hours, two in the second, three in the third and six to eight by the sixth day.

• Your baby's stomach is very small at birth, holding only about a teaspoon of milk at a time on the first day and about two ounces by seven days, but her stomach empties rapidly. That's why she needs frequent feedings. If she's spitting up, you may be overfeeding her.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Breast-feeding Positions