Pumping and Milk Production Tips

As I talked about briefly in my post Why I Chose to Exclusively Pump, there were a few things that did and didn't work for me when it came to increasing my milk production. I want to share some of them and also some things that worked for a few of my mommy friends! Please share in the comment section what worked for you and what you feel might have hindered or hurt your supply!

Five Things That May Boost Production
1. Beer - Not saying you should get drunk or anything, but half a beer went a long way for me. I would drink one every once in a while before bed and by my 3/4 am pump session I would have a ton of milk. I read somewhere it's the hops. I have no clue but it definitely worked for me.
2. Brewers Yeast - this really worked for my friend Cassandra when she had her son. I didn't get around to trying it personally but everyone i know who tried it noticed a significant increase in production.
3. H2O and Sleep- Staying hydrated is key in my opinion and also one of the easiest things to do. I don't know if it will increase your production but i do believe it will maximize your typical production if that makes sense. Now sleep may sound like a joke but rest really is key. If you can have a friend or family member visit while you take a nap do it!
4. Check for "tongue tie" - this isn't a production tip necessarily but some babies are born with a tongue tie which can prevent or make it difficult for them to latch. I had never heard of this until I spoke with my cousins and friends and found out how common it was. What they all had in common however was that they had't heard of it either until trying to breastfeed for some time with much difficulty. Once they took their children to the pediatrician again they found out what was going on. It's very simple to fix and typically the pediatrician will clip it right then! In the event that your child has a "tongue tie" and is being bottle fed until you both are prepared to latch again, stay patient as they adjust back and if you can pump so your production doesn't begin to diminish (my suggestion only, you may have things that work really well for you that don't mesh with what worked for me or my friends!)
5. Mothers Milk - This is another one I didn't try myself but I'm sharing because of my friends' successes with it. It has all the typical milk production ingredients including organic fenugreek and coriander fruit.

BONUS
If your breastfeeding try pumping after you feed anytime you have the extra time to spare and do both sides. I believe it pushes your body to produce more milk and gets out any extra milk that may be left. This is much easier when your child is first born because they don't drink as much, but gets more difficult as their diets increase. This is exceptionally helpful for working mommas who plan to return to work but want their babies to have breast milk while they are away! In my experience it was so much easier to build up a stockpile when my son was only consuming 2 ounces per feeding than when he increased to 7 or 8! Every breastfeeding mom who left their child in my care after returning to work expressed that they wish they had pumped more while they were on maternity leave! They were very adamant in suggesting I do so with Jackson and I'm so grateful for it!


Five Things That May Slow Production (or minimize or milk supply)
1. Stress - I know when my milk production was low the primary cause was likely stress. As new moms there are so many things we worry about most of which we have absolutely no control over. Trust me when I say if for any reason your child needs to supplement with formula or switch to formula all together, they will be just fine. Try not to let your production or lack there of stress you out!
2. Too much caffeine - I couldn't wait to up my coffee intake after I delivered Jackson but I realized quickly that caffeine really can dehydrate you and effect your production (and baby too). I learned ease up a bit and cut back.
3. Check your pump - Sometimes the clear tubes aren't pushed in all the way or the membranes tear when your cleaning them. The membranes are relatively inexpensive to replace so I would try to make sure I had a pack of extras on standby (they aren't the most durable things and can get holes easily). The same with the Madela handheld pump, give it a couple once overs to make sure all the pieces are fit snugly so the suction is working properly.

Madela Membranes

4. Birth control Pills - If you have leftover birth control pills I would stay away from those if your planning to breastfeed or pump. When you have your 6 week checkup your doctor will prescribe you a "mini pill" (or progesterone-only) if you wanted to continue birth control in the pill form. My doctor told me it was the estrogen that we should stay away from until we are done producing milk. A plus my doctor told me, not how true it is but I trust her, is that the mini pill kicks in within 48 hours of starting it.
5. Some Medications - I would say check with your doctor before taking any typical over the counter meds like allergy meds, etc just to get the go ahead. My cousin had issues with antihistamines and decongestants and her doctor gave her a few do's and don't's that helped!

I really hope some of these things work for you mommas and please share in the comments or on Facebook or Pinterest your experiences so we can continue to learn from each other!

As always thanks for reading!

Brittini Rae