Upping Milk Supply, or, Don't Sniff the Jasmine!

Did you know applying jasmine flowers on your breasts is an ancient way to dry up your milk? Several studies have confirmed the effects. Seems like it's a good idea for nursing mothers to find another favorite fragrance beside jasmine!


Onto milk supply. It's one of the most frequently asked questions of a breastfeeding mom. How can I up my milk supply? Low milk supply is also the number one reason why women wean here in America.

First, a mother must determine that she actually HAS a low milk supply. In the early weeks, a baby not gaining weight quickly with a breastfeeding mom is about just as likely to suffer from an oversupply of milk. When you have an oversupply of milk, baby's diapers may be green instead of yellow, and baby may suffer from extra gas. Sometimes moms will have very strong letdowns and squirt across the room and soak a towel before they can latch baby on. Normally, this condition betters with time, but there are tricks (like not switching breasts as often) to better the situation more rapidly.

For true undersupply, in the early weeks, is your baby wetting 5-6 disposables (or 6-8 cloth)? Can you hear the baby swallowing? Is the baby's weight gain adequate over the past month? Frequency and duration of nursing is not a very good indicator of milk supply. Some older, exclusively breastfed babies nurse as little as 4 times a day, while others nip 20 or more times in a day.

To up your supply,

Nurse, nurse, nurse! Allow baby full access to the breast, and never switch breasts until baby comes off himself (or herself).

Consider night nursing - using a family bed can help stimulate supply. The hormones at night "recharge" your milk supply, so try to get a good night's rest as well!

Drink adequate fluids, and get plenty of rest. Exercise if you can manage it.

Fenugreek and Mother's Milk tea are both measures that have been used with reported success. Here at The Nursing Baby we offer a nursing tea, and three herbal supplements (More Milk Plus, More Milk Two (for pregnant nursing mothers), and Goat's Rue (this one I love!). Milk Increasers

Consult a lactation consultant or your friendly LLL leader if these measures do not help.
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