There is likely no breastfeeding mom out there who doesn't worry about whether or not the baby is getting enough milk, and whether or not she is producing enough milk for her baby.

It doesn’t matter how much family reassurance you receive, or how many websites you visit; you will worry about everything because it comes with the ‘being a mom’ job description.

Having said that, by arming yourself with quality, reliable information about breastfeeding in general and milk production in particular, you can ease your fears and progress from constant, crippling fear to the point where you are just permanently worried.

With that in mind, let’s talk about the basic principles of supply and demand when breastfeeding. When your breasts are stimulated to produce more milk, they up their production. When there is less demand, your breasts ease back on the milk production, so your body is constantly adjusting your output. It doesn’t matter if this demand is from your baby or pumping, the effect is the same.

In the first week or so after birth your breasts are working out how much your child needs and it can feel like you are not producing enough milk. Don’t worry; your newborn will feed little and often, stimulating an increase in milk production until your breasts have adjusted to her needs.

Your breasts will only increase your milk supply to the level your newborn needs so don’t be tempted to supplement with formula. This will mean your breasts are getting fewer ‘feed me’ signals and it will take longer to build up your supply to meet your baby's needs. The same happens during growth spurts. Your child will need more; she will feed more, you will produce more and catch up - simple!

It is very rare for a woman not to be producing enough milk for her baby. But if you are worried, speak with your health care professional. If you are producing enough milk but need to increase your supply to meet your baby’s needs during a growth spurt or if you need to express milk for your baby when you are not there to feed her, there are ways to boost your milk supply.

12 Alternating Between Both Suppliers

The advice that you should only feed on one side, so your baby gets enough of the richer hindmilk is a myth. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to breastfeeding so do not deprive your child or force them.

Sometimes your baby will fall asleep after feeding on one side, or maybe he will just finish after one breast. It is always worth burping your baby and then offering the other breast before putting your boobs away. This way you will not have a full and uncomfortable boob on one side, and your breast will receive more stimulus.

If your baby stops feeding on one breast, you have burped them, offered them the other breast and they refuse that is just fine, your little one is full so don’t force her to feed more. On these occasions, if you are uncomfortable on the side that hasn’t been emptied, pump enough milk to make yourself comfortable and remember to start with that boob first next feed.

11 Avoid Bottles And Pacifiers

The entire 'should you or should you not' give your baby a pacifier debate is a personal one. Some of our children had them, and I don’t think I could have coped without, some of our other kids didn’t and that was all right, too. This advice to try not using a pacifier is purely regarding breast milk supply.

Many babies will suckle at your breast for comfort without actually feeding. If you are happy with this, it is a fabulous way of providing extra stimulation to your breasts and consequently causing them to produce more of that white gold your little one needs.

If you give your baby a pacifier instead of allowing them to comfort suckle, it will deny you this help. On the other hand, if your child is already using a pacifier weigh up the pros and cons of taking it away. You may induce further upset and stress when you don’t need too.

The same principle is applied for supplementary feeding. Unless you are advised to do so for medical reasons, do not offer your baby bottles of formula if you can avoid it. Some children develop a preference for the shape and sensation of the bottle nipple, and even if this does not happen, again it interferes with your supply and demand process.

10 Prioritize One-On-One Time With Baby

I know it is not easy to arrange this one, especially if you have older children that need looking after, but if you possibly can, take a nursing staycation.

Get yourself some books, a TV in the bedroom or plug your phone charger in beside your bed, whatever you might need for a little mental stimulation either before or during feeds. Pack up a ton of snacks and drinks and arrange for someone else to cook all of the meals and bring them to you.

Now the good bit - go to bed for three days. Really. I mean it. Whip your top off and just spend all of your time getting as much skin to skin contact as you can. This is thought to cause your body to produce more of the hormones you need for lactation plus you will be emptying your breasts as much as possible priming them to fill up with more every time.

9 Don't Skip The Health Check

Even if you have a healthy milk supply, it is possible an undetected illness or condition is making it more difficult or more tiring for you to produce the milk your baby needs. It is always worth a visit to your doctor to check you are not anemic, have hypothyroidism, or have another similar issue that could impact your health.

Before you attend an appointment make a list of any symptoms and worries, you may have. By the time you get to the doctor, you may forget some of the issues you are experiencing. It is not enough to tell your doctor you are exhausted; they might assume it is the usual tiredness of a new mother and merely reassure you and send you home.

If your doctor can rule out any underlying health problems, you can begin considering ways to pump up production safe in the knowledge you are in the best position physically to do so.

8 Reduce Medical Drug Use

First thing’s first, never, under any circumstances stop taking prescription medications without speaking to your doctor first. By doing so, you could put yourself at risk of withdrawal side effects or a negative impact on your health.

Many types of medication can affect your milk supply, both prescription and over the counter drugs. The most common drugs to cause a decrease in your milk supply are:

  • Diuretics
  • Antihistamines
  • Some decongestants
  • Sedating medications
  • Excessive B6 supplements
  • Contraceptives containing estrogen

Most of these are easy to do without. For example, it may be uncomfortable to have a cold with a stuffy nose, but it is not the end of the world if you do not take a decongestant.

Birth control pills containing estrogen are the biggest issue for most women. Although breastfeeding can reduce the likelihood of you becoming pregnant, I speak from experience when I say it is not to be relied on. As a mother who became pregnant during her first post-baby cycle, before having a period, while exclusively breastfeeding, I can speak to the importance of reliable contraception.

If you do not want to become pregnant again too quickly and you are worried your birth control pill is affecting your milk supply, see your doctor and arrange another method of contraception before stopping the pill.

7 Conserve Energy For Each Feeding

Your physical state can have an impact on your milk supply. If you are not eating and drinking enough your body will not have the fuel to produce what you need. If you do not take the opportunity to rest when you can (easier said than done I know!), you will feel considerably more tired, and this will have an impact on your breastfeeding, your level of worry, and your mental health.

If someone asks if they can help out, say yes. You don’t have to ask them to do anything with the baby because there are plenty of other ways friends and family can help you and in turn help you take care of yourself. If the house needs cleaning or the laundry needs doing, and it bothers you, ask them to do that. If people offer to bring over food ask if they could assemble healthy snack packs that you can just grab and eat while you are feeding. You could use the list of milk boosting foods below to put together a list of foods you would like.

6 Choose Foods Strategically

Some foods have been shown to increase a breastfeeding mother's milk supply and the ones we recommend here have the added benefit of boosting your health, too.

Oatmeal - Not only does oatmeal contain saponins, which are an anti-inflammatory and boost the immune system, but it is also packed with iron, B vitamins, fiber, and calcium. If you are not a fan of oatmeal, you can still get all of the benefits by eating oatmeal cookies, in moderation as if we needed an excuse.

Carrots - A glass of carrot juice, grated carrot on a salad, cooked carrot or raw, it doesn’t matter, they can all boost milk production. They are high in vitamin A and beta-carotene, and you could even ask friends and family to bring you over bottles of it when they visit.

Asparagus - Packed full of fiber, vitamins K, hormines C and A, folic acid and it stimulates the hormones responsible for lactation. Another bonus is that it is easy to prep and cook.

5 Ignore The Timetable

Trying to feed your baby on a timetable is counter-productive, especially in the early days of breastfeeding. Your child will want to eat little and often, and your girls will need that stimulation to know they have to kick it up a notch and ramp up the supply.

By not feeding your baby until it is ‘time’ you are not only depriving your body of the stimulus it needs to do it’s job effectively but you are depriving you and your baby valuable contact. Leaving your little one to cry is a stressful and distressing experience for you both and will further exacerbate any negative feeling and emotions you may be experiencing at this time. And don’t even get me started on the madness of waking a sleeping baby in order to feed them because it is time they fed (not including times where it is medically recommended of course).

4 Feed Baby Before Hunger Strikes

Slightly different from not attempting to set a feeding schedule is feeding your baby before they appear to be hungry.

Learn to watch for early cues from your little one and make a preemptive strike. Don’t wait for your baby to become restless and agitated before beginning a feed but offer her your breast as soon as she has woken up and is alert enough for a feed.

This technique not only helps to reduce stresses caused by angry babies who are too worked up to latch on properly but by feeding immediately you can often squeeze in an extra feed (or two in the early days) every 24 hours. This additional feed gives your boobs an extra round of stimulation and therefore enables you to build up your supply more quickly.

This is another method that has the added benefit of getting you to sit down a bit sooner and a bit more frequently, therefore resting just that little bit more.

3 Preemptively Massage The Area

Don’t worry I haven’t gone a bit mad. I’m not advocating some romantic lighting and an evening of having oil or lotion rubbed lovingly into your boobs. Although if your partner is up for doing the massaging without the oils or lotions, and you're up for receiving it that works, too.

What I am suggesting is that you sit back in a chair and place a warm towel on your breasts. After they are comfortable and toasty, take your hands and wrap them around your breast. Very gently but firmly run your hands from your arm pit area all the way to your nipple. Then softly squeeze your breasts massaging all around them.

This has a triple whammy effect. First of all, you become more relaxed, which is always a good thing, secondly you may squeeze a little milk from your breasts in the process, and finally you will help with any blocked milk ducts that may be reducing your milk flow.

2 Pump When Possible

Pumping isn’t always the best thing to do. In the early days and weeks with your newborn you may be feeding every two hours or more. By the time you have burped her, changed her diaper, and grabbed yourself two minutes in the washroom you will have little time to sit with the pump and express any milk remaining after your baby has finished feeding. It will become an added burden and may even be counterproductive in the short term.

On the flip side, once breast feeding is established, pumping milk can be an excellent way to help increase your milk supply, especially when your baby is going through a growth spurt and suddenly starts feeding more frequently again. Use the pump for 5-10 minutes after every feed to increase your output.

Another time this can be beneficial is when you go back to work. If you want to maintain breast-feeding while you are at home, it will help to express milk while you are away from your little one.

1 Consider Some Alternative Remedies

As always I would like to start with the disclaimer that you should not take any supplements or herbal remedies without first checking with your healthcare provider and ensuring you are purchasing the items from a reputable retailer.

With that in mind, some breastfeeding mothers have found fenugreek to be a useful supplement when trying to increase their milk supply. However, there are some cautionary notes to this. You should never tale fenugreek if you are pregnant as it is known to induce uterine contractions. In fact, it was used for hundreds of years to induce labor or to cause miscarraige. It also lowers your bloodsugar, so if you have diabetes, this is certainly one to avoid.

Brewers yeast is a safer alternative and is readily available at most supermarkets and health food stores. The recommended dosage is three capsules, three times a day, with meals which can be quite a lot to take.

Personally, I never noticed any effect from herbal supplements, and there are many ‘lactation blends’ on the market that claim to help increase your milk supply. There is no evidence to suggest they help but the placebo effect can still be worthwhile so, try it if you like.

Sources: The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, La Leche League International