Five Ways to Prevent Low Milk Supply When Breastfeeding

Most mothers naturally make an adequate breastmilk supply to feed their infants. Unfortunately, some mothers will experience periods of low supply when breastfeeding. This may last only a short time such as a day, or it may stretch out into weeks and months. For most women facing a low breastmilk supply it is easily solved by taking a few simple steps. Knowing these five things will help you get your supply back up and prevent low supply from happening again in the future.

1. Take care of yourself. One of the most common causes of low breastmilk supply is the mother putting herself last on her list of priorities. Stress, lack of sleep, and low fluids can all cause a mother's breastmilk supply to dwindle. Breastfeeding mothers need to take the time to keep themselves healthy, both physically and emotionally. The more you worry about your breastmilk supply the lower it may become.
2. Breastfeed as frequently as possible. Breastmilk has a natural supply and demand system. The greater the demand for milk, the more your supply will become. Restricting infant eating through schedules and sleep training can often cause a woman's breast milk supply to drop. Allow your infant to feed as often as she wants and needs to stimulate your breasts into creating more milk. When not nursing spending time lying together skin to skin also helps to stimulate your breasts into creating more milk.
3. Use an efficient breast pump. If you are unable to nurse your infant more, using a good quality breast pump can be almost as effective. Though nothing will compare to your actual baby's latch, stimulating your breasts several times a day with a pump can cause you to make more breast milk. You may not notice much milk being pumped out at first, yet with repeated use you will notice your supply increasing. Be careful, however, as a low quality pump can cause pain and discomfort.
4. Enjoy milk stimulating herbs. There are a few herbs that are thought to increase breastmilk supply for many women. Though testing on these claims has been inadequate so far, there are many women who swear by herbs such as fenugeek, milk thistle, and Brewer's yeast. You can easily find these at most health food stores or in online herbal shops. Many breastfeeding sites also offer herbal teas already packaged and designed for increasing your supply to where you need it. Buying these premade teas can be a tastier way to get milk boosting herbs into your daily diet.
5. Caffeine can give a short term boost. Soda, coffee, and other drinks that have caffeine are good for giving a quick, yet temporary, boost in your supply. The caffeine stimulates your milk production and helps you make a little more. This can come at a cost, however, as the caffeine can also stimulate your infant and cause grumpiness and loss of sleep. If you need a quick boost caffeine will work, but be prepared for any possible negative effects you may face later.

It can be frustrating and a bit worrying when you notice that your breastmilk supply is lower than it should be. Luckily a few simple tricks will help you increase your milk supply and keep it up so that you can breastfeed with a little more peace. And having a little more peace will make the rest of your day go a lot smoother.

Summer Minor is a mother of three that shares breastfeeding advice at her site, Mama2Mama Tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Summer_Minor