How I was Able To Increase My Milk Supply
Breastfeeding was one of those things that I REALLY wanted to be successful in and be able to stick it out for as long as my body would allow me to. 3 months in and we are doing pretty great so far. However, I didn’t get here by luck… breastfeeding is a full time job, but one that I was TOTALY down to do. I was going to work at it and do whatever I needed to do to have a healthy supply of food for my baby to have. Here are a handful of things that I did before labor, right after labor, and continue to do today to keep my supply up.
Encapsulated my placenta
This one I know for many is going to be a “WTF” or “HELLL NO” but hear me out Linda before you ditch this idea entirely.
Many people ditch the placenta after it birthed due to the hospitals saying it is a ‘bio hazard” however it has SO MANY benefits to YOU to be able to consume it after birth. Mommy Made Encapsulation is where I encapsulated my placenta through. It was simple, easy, and very quick! All I had to do was tell the hospital that I was planning to keep my placenta. Since I was GB+ I had to sign documentation releasing my placenta from the hospital and then follow the Mommy Made instructions.
Skin to Skin
Skin to skin right after delivering your baby (naturally or c-section) is amazing to bring in your milk supply as well as to bond with your baby. The Oxytocin that is produced in your body by having your baby on your skin will signal to your body to produce milk. The more skin to skin THE BETTER! Even after leaving the hospital, do skin to skin. It will not only help with milk production and increase the bond with you and your baby.
Work with your Hospitals Lactation Team
The Lactation Team and I became BESTIES after my stay due to how much I would have them in my room asking them all the questions. From how to help secure a better latch, how to make sure my baby is getting enough food, how to properly hold my baby to help my milk come in better. Even after I left the hospital, I had regular appointments with them for about a month straight to make sure we were doing things right and to pick their brains even more.
Lactation Bites
I truly believe that food is medicine and can do SO MANY THINGS for you. When it comes to breastfeeding, food is fuel to help you produce a strong milk. BUFF BITES yall are literally INCREDIBLE!!! Before pregnancy I would have their normal Buff Bites (The Cake Batter is my Favorite) but the lactation bites are next level. When I noticed that my supply was slowly decrease after starting 75 Hard, I popped in a Buff bite every morning, I noticed my supply was back to its over producing ways and I was LEAKING after just 2 hours from my previous feeding.
They are so smooth and so nourishing. Its a must have, and you can stock up on them and freeze them.
Power pumping
Power pumping, my favorite trick as it kills two birds with one stone: Building Supply and Building a Freezer Supply. Power pumping will be different for each person as it all depends on how your baby feeds. Some feed on demand and some people feed their baby on a schedule. We fed on a schedule. After we got the clear from our lactation team that we could feed Stone every 3 hours, we started adding in Power Pumping.
How we made it work for our feeding schedule was about an hour after Stone would feed, I would pump for 20 minutes to empty out everything in my boobs. This will signal to the body that your baby is “cluster feeding” and more milk needs to be produced. I would do this for every feed for about 2 weeks. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it knowing I would be able to provide for my son.
PUMPING TIP: Look at pictures of your baby when you are pumping as it releases Oxytocin in your body and helps signal your body to keep producing milk
Pump before you go to bed
After Stone was back at his birth weight, we got the clear from our lactation consultant to let Stone sleep for longer periods of time during the night. I knew if I would go 7 hours with out feeding stone that 1. My boobs/nipples were going to be uncomfortable and leaking and 2. My supply could drop. I pump where I would normally feed Stone based off of feeding time. I pump for 20 minutes, put the milk I just pumped in the fridge incase he woke up in the middle of the night (I put it in a bottle) or if he doesn’t wake up until the morning I put the milk I pumped before bed into the freezer, building my freezer stash.
Being the soul provider for nourishment for your baby can be very stressful, but as always… remember you got this and you are doing a GREAT JOB!!
