breastfeeding positivity Archives

In Motherhood

How to Effectively Increase your Milk Supply

May 31, 2023 No Comments

If your milk supply is low, it can be frustrating and disappointing not being able to provide everything your baby needs.

I do want to clarify that a healthy, strong baby can remove more milk from the breast than a pump can. This means that what you pump might not be a good indication of how much milk you’re making. A better judge is how your baby responds after nursing. If he/she is satisfied, you’re making enough regardless of how much you pump. If he/she is still hungry after nursing, you might have low supply and the following tips should help.

Here are some ways to boost your milk supply, followed by what worked best for me. Not every method works for everyone. Try out several and you’re bound to find a few that work!

This post contains affiliate links to my favorite items, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. This is at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.

Tips to Increase your Supply:

Achieve your letdown reflex: Make sure you’re having one (or more!) letdown during every pump session. Make sure you’re relaxed while pumping and try to create a pumping routine. It often helps to think of or look at your baby. I often write blog posts while pumping and that works well for me because that’s my routine.

Check out this post on how to make pumping easier.

Eat old fashioned oats (not instant): I’m honestly not sure why, but something in oats can increase milk supply. Try hot oatmeal, overnight oats, or cookies made with oatmeal – yum! Eating more oats really helped one of my friends boost her supply.

Take care of yourself: As a new mom, this is way easier said than done. Try to get as much sleep as you can, stay hydrated, and eat as well as you can. I love meal prepping some salads then eating them while my son plays on his playmat.

Visit a lactation consultant: Make sure your baby is being effective and efficient at the breast by seeking the guidance of a lactation consultant. Ensuring your baby has a good latch will help make sure you’re emptying your breasts regularly. This in turn, tells your body you need more milk.

Lactation cookies: These ingredients can help increase your supply. I tried and loved Milkmakers’ oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I personally use homemade oatmeal chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies.

Power pump: To power pump, pump for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break, pump for another 10 minutes, take another 10 minute break, followed by one more 10 minute pump session. The session takes one hour and can be done daily for a few days. This tricks your body into thinking you have twins.

What Worked Best for Me:

I’m not sure which of these definitely helped since I implemented most of them around the same time. However, my supply increased by an ounce or two per pump after I started the following:

Don’t stress: If we aren’t producing enough it’s easy to stress about it, which can further hurt our supply. If you feel that’s the case (and your baby isn’t getting enough milk), adding in formula can be a big relief and take weight off your shoulders. If you add in formula, make sure you pump every time you give a bottle of formula so your body still knows you need milk at that time.

Increase the suction: I read online that more suction doesn’t help, but one of our lactation consultants said it does, so it’s worth trying. She recommended using 50% suction strength or more. I’d make sure you’re still comfortable though because pain can inhibit your letdown reflex. If you’re uncomfortable when increasing the suction, make sure your flanges are the right size and try nipple butter to ensure your nipples can move smoothly in the flanges.

Correct flange sizes: If your flange is too big, it can pull too much areola into the flange. If your flange is too small your nipples will rub against the wall everytime and create friction. Having the right size flanges reduces pain- pain while pumping can inhibit your letdown reflex, so having the right size flange can increase your milk output.

Nipple butter: Your nipples will be close to the walls, when you get properly sized flanges. Additionally, using a nipple butter or something like olive oil helps them flow in and out easily without any friction.

Nurse more: Assuming your baby is nursing well and emptying the breast, nursing on demand (everytime your baby wants to) tells your body you need more milk.

Pump after breastfeeding: My friend recommended this. She said it worked really well for her. Pumping after breastfeeding is telling your body that you need more milk even after your baby has finished nursing; this tricks your body into thinking you have twins.

You might also be interested in how to stay positive when breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned.

Skin-to-skin: Cuddling your baby while he/she only wears a diaper and you’ve removed your shirt and bra helps release hormones in your body that encourage milk production.

Cut back on formula: Formula can be great and necessary. However, if you’ve gotten the okay from your pediatrician and your baby is nursing well, reducing the amount of formula you give your baby can help boost your milk supply. Everytime you use formula your body doesn’t realize you need more milk, or milk at that time.

Note: If you do use formula, make sure you pump so your body knows you still need (more) milk.

Take moringa: One of our lactation consultants recommended I take moringa capsules. She said these ones have more than enough mg when taken as directed.

Electrolytes: Stay hydrated with Gatorade or coconut water, which also help replenish electrolytes. I drink 10-12oz of Gatorade per day- it’s a nice treat too!

Try lactation drinks: I loved Milkmakers’ berry lemonade lactation drink mix but I’ve also tried Premama’s berry drink mix. Premama’s tastes a little funny. I got used to it after a week or so. Now, I look forward to it as something to drink other than water to stay hydrated.

I hope some of these work for you and help to increase your milk supply!

Share your tips and what worked for you in the comments!

How to Effectively Increase your Milk Supply

In Motherhood

The Perfect Lactation Cookie Recipe For Moms

May 16, 2023 1 Comment

If you’re trying to increase your milk supply, I bet you’re willing to try just about anything- I know I am! Even though the verdict is still out on whether or not lactation cookies help boost milk supply, who wouldn’t love an excuse to eat cookies?! I love making this homemade lactation cookie recipe; not only are they cheaper than store-bought cookies, they’re arguably more delicious too!

Some notes:

For healthier cookies, substitute chia seeds for one of the eggs. To do this, simply mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 15 minutes. The mixture will turn into an egg-like texture.

I love substituting half of the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips- they make these extra tasty and feel like a special treat!

I usually save about half of the dough in the fridge to make a fresh batch later on.

This post contains affiliate links to my favorite items, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.

My Homemade Lactation Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons brewers yeast

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sticks butter (at room temperature)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar or half white sugar and half brown sugar

2 eggs (or substitute 1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons water for one egg)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips/chunks (or for a special, delicious treat, substitute butterscotch chips for half of the chips)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the butter and sugar together.
Add the egg(s) (and optional chia seeds), vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, brewers yeast, and flaxseed.
Stir until combined.
Add the oats and mix again. The dough will be fairly dry.
Then add the flour and mix again.
Add the chocolate (and optional butterscotch chips) and mix.
Taking about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, place about an inch apart on a nonstick baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, until just starting to turn golden brown.
Enjoy warm out of the oven, or leftover the next few days!

I hope you find the time to give these cookies a try and love them as much as I do! Let me know in the comments how it goes!

The Perfect Lactation Cookie Recipe for Moms

In Motherhood

The Zomee Versus The Lansinoh – An Epic Breast Pump Review

May 15, 2023 1 Comment

Selecting a pump can seem like a big and overwhelming decision with so many options available, so I wanted to share my experience with the Zomee collection cups and the Lansinoh Signature Pro pump.

You might also be interested in this post on finding an ideal breast pump, where my friend shares tips on choosing a breast pump and her experience with the Bellababy electric breast pump.

Don’t forget, you can get a free pump through your health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act! Contact your insurance company for more information.

This post contains affiliate links to my favorite items, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.

Zomee Z2 Collection Cups (with double electric breast pump)

Pros:

Automatic shut off: After 30 minutes, it automatically turns off which is nice if you fall asleep while pumping (I fell asleep once and woke up when it shut off).
USB charger: I love this because it’s international-travel friendly because you don’t need to worry about different plugs and voltages in different countries.
Small motor: This was so nice because I could really be on the go with it!
The cups are more discreet than traditional milk collection bottles- just slip them into your bra.
The motor is pretty quiet.

Cons:

They worked well for a few weeks but then sometimes I’d get nothing out of one breast.
The screen stays on the whole time; it’s very bright in the middle of the night.
It’s easy to accidentally touch the buttons. I’d accidentally turn it off mid-cycle which was annoying because then I wouldn’t know how long I had been pumping. It was also painful sometimes if I accidentally increased the suction.
The suction felt too strong for me and hurt my nipples over time.
It didn’t seem to be as efficient at expressing milk as the Lansinoh pump.

Lansinoh Signature Pro pump

Pros:

Affordable (especially if you add it to your Amazon baby registry and use your completion discount!)
Super easy to assemble
Easy to clean
The light doesn’t stay on, which is nice at night

Cons:

The motor is sort of loud
The pieces might loosen overtime
It’s only AC adapter or battery powered: It isn’t USB or rechargeable, but the batteries are lasting a lot of pump sessions so far and I plan on buying rechargeable AA batteries.
The light doesn’t stay on: You can’t see the screen at night after it shuts off.
The light is really bright in the dark.

Overall, the Lansinoh Signature Pro pump is working better for me and I’ve been happy with it, especially since it didn’t break the bank! The Zomee pump worked well for a few weeks but it seemed to stop working as well after using it for a few weeks.

What pump(s) have you tried? How did you like them?

The Zomee Versus The Lansinoh - An Epic Breast Pump Review

In Motherhood

How to Stay Positive When Breastfeeding Doesn’t Go as Planned

May 3, 2023 No Comments

If you’ve always wanted to breastfeed, it can be really upsetting, frustrating, and hard to stay positive when breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned. So how do you say positive when things don’t go as planned?

These are some things I’ve been doing to stay positive during a frustrating breastfeeding journey.

Tricks to Stay Positive When Breastfeeding:

Take walks: Getting out of the house and into the fresh air does wonders for mental health and sanity. It’s grounding, as well as calming. I especially love walking on sunny days, but even cloudy days have a positive impact on my mood.

Remember it isn’t forever: In the moment, it’s easy to think breastfeeding (or pumping) will last forever, so it’s been helpful to remind myself that it’s only temporary. Also, taking note of how far you’ve come and how much closer you are to introducing solid foods can help.

Work with a lactation consultant: If you still want to breastfeed, work with a lactation consultant to get support and guidance.

Talk about it: Even though you rarely hear this, breastfeeding is difficult for a lot of women. You don’t need to keep your emotions to yourself! Share what you’re going through and how it makes you feel with your family, friends, therapist, and/or doctor- whoever you feel comfortable with and will make you feel better about the situation.

Remember it’s not your fault: Chances are, there’s nothing you could have done to avoid the less than ideal situation you’re in now. Don’t blame yourself!

Some breastmilk is better than none: If you’re still working hard to give your baby some breastmilk, remind yourself that even just a little breastmilk is better than none! Breastmilk has so many benefits for your baby; even if you can only give your baby a little, it’ll pay off.

Give yourself permission to do what’s best for you and your baby/situation: Try to let go of how you thought things would go. Instead, evaluate the situation and give yourself permission to adjust the plan to fit your unique situation.

Remember You’re Doing an Amazing Job!

Breastfeeding (and motherhood!) is hard work, but you’re doing an amazing job! Keep up your hard work; I promise it’ll all pay off and get easier soon (or so I’ve heard)!

I hope this post helped if you’ve been wondering what to do when breastfeeding isn’t going as planned. Let me know what suggestions you’re going to try, and share which tactics are helping you in the comments!