Many new moms find themselves wishing they could increase their milk supply in one day because they aren't producing enough milk. It is very difficult to instantly increase your breast milk production, but there are some steps you can take to get your supply up as quick as possible. Overall, the best is to gradually increase your supply through diet, increasing feedings and building a greater need for milk. However, there are times when there's a need for instant milk.
How do you know you aren't producing enough breast milk?
It can be really hard to know for sure if your baby is getting enough milk. The simplest way to know is if your baby has enough dirty diapers. If baby is getting enough milk, their weight will increase from their birth weight. In the early days, colostrum comes first. This is harder to measure and pump, but after about 3 or 4 days, more and more milk comes in. As the amount of milk you make increases, your baby should have more wet diapers. If baby doesn't seem to have many wet diapers, and they are dropping weight, these are signs that you are making less milk than they need, OR baby is having trouble latching and sucking. Gettingn in touch with an international board certified lactation consultant as soon as possible is always a really good idea. They can determine if your baby's latch is good, while also helping you navigate breastfeeding all together.
Don't be confused by a growth spurt or cluster feeding:
Sometimes a growth spurt can look like a drop in supply. Baby will start wanting to feed more often, and seem less full. Don't worry, they may cluster feed and seem always hungry for a bit, but your body will produce extra milk and respond to baby's signals for more milk.
Is it really possible to increase breast milk in one day?
New mothers can increase your breast milk instantly with a certain number of tricks, at certain times. For example, if you are struggling to pump enough breast milk, you can try manually massaging to help your body let go of more milk. But, this can be difficult if you are pumping after just feeding your baby. Typically, an increase in supply happens in about 24 hours, and can take a few days, but there are some super tricks you can try to get that instant boost.
Listen, my milk supply has never been so good. this stuff has been a miracle (and its delicious)! -@raisedkind instagram and happy customer!
Here are the best tips to increase your breast milk fast (24 hours):
- Use a massaging tool like the Lavie to help express more milk at once
- Use an electric pump on both breasts in between feedings.
- Use a manual pump to pump milk one one side, while the baby nurses the other to encourage milk immediately
- Add in extra feedings in the morning to help get more milk by the evening
- Pump longer to see if you can get more let downs
- Nurse skin-to-skin with baby
- Use warm compresses and breast compressions while pumping and feeding
By utlizing these tricks, you can hopefully get an instant boost in your milk supply. Besides these little hacks, there are also some foods you can eat to help increase your supply.
Are there any foods that increase milk supply immediately?
There are some lactogenic foods that have anecdotally been proven to help increase milk supply fast. These foods include:
- Oatmeal
- Milk Dust (customers report immediate milk supply increase within hours!!)
- Lactation Bars (the Milk Dust bars have been shown to help supply in one day!)
- Brewer's Yeast
- Quinoa (lesser known, but super powers!)
- Pumpkin seeds
- Gatorade (yes, hydration is really helpful so drink enough fluids!)
This is the short list of foods shown to help increase milk supply fast for many nursing mamas. We have a full list of foods that will be helpful, and of course staying hydrated and well nourished is key to milk supply too. Adding these foods to your diet every day can really have a positive effect on your overall milk production.
When can I realistically expect my milk flow to increase?
Most of the time, it is difficult to increase your milk supply instantly. Realistically, you can expect your supply to start increasing in 24 hours, and continue to slowly increase in 3-5 days depending on the steps you take. By taking the following actions seriously, you can dramatically increase your milk supply by giving your body a few days to adjust. the amount of breast milk you will increase depends on your body's response, and baby's demand. If you aren't seeing any increase, you can talk to your health care provider about any possible medical condition. Medical advice is strongly encouraged if you have any issues increasing supply, or feel like you aren't able to support your baby's needs.
5 Long term steps to increasing your breast milk supply for good:
By focusing on the long term, or giving your body at least a few days, you can increse your supply overall, and hopefully build a large stash! Here's the best way to ensure you have enough milk to meet baby's needs.
Drink more water:
Breast milk is liquid, so it takes liquid from your body! Make sure to stay super hydrated, and sip on your water all day. Don't guzzle it, but sip on it, so your body can absorb small amounts all day to stay hydrated.
Start your day with a Milk Dust smoothie:
You can check out our Instagram highlights of all our reviews, or on Amazon to see all the milk our smoothies are helping mamas produce! A Milk Dust smoothie (or mocha frapp or brownie!) is a great way to start the day and ensure your milk supply will be flowin by the end of the day! Milk Dust offers so many milk-boosting ingredients like fennel seeds, flax seed, chia seeds, pumpkin seed and brown rice protein. It offers a propietary blend (patent-pending) that is backed by science and full of nutrients specifically for lactation.
Power pump:
Yes, power pumping really works! Even if it is annoying and inconvenient, adding in those pumping sessions really helps. The emptier you can keep your breasts, the more they will fill up! the more they want to fill, the more milk you have. Just think about keeping the breasts empty, and use the pump to do it. That will keep your body in "milk making" mode!
Don't forget to keep baby close:
Keep your baby close with skin contact when you are pumping, so your body is even more likely to think it is feeding the baby, not the pump. It is really important, and more important than you'd think for you to see, smell and feel your baby close by.
Wake up in the night to pump;
This is the most annoying trick, but adding that pumping session in the night really helps get more milk and encourage your body to keep making milk all night long. This is something you can do to get your supply up, then taper off and hopefully not need to as much.
Add more stimulation:
Hand expression is an easy extra stimulation you can do in the shower to keep milk flowing. The more your breasts are stimulated, the more milk they will want to make. Sometimes an electric breast pump can be dificult to get too, so using your hand or a massager throughout the day really helps with convenience.
What if I have a low supply?
Having a low supply does not mean that you can't increase your supply instantly. It may in fact mean you can increase your supply faster because there's more room to grow! It is really important that you understand what it means to have a low supply. Many new moms mistake empy breasts as having a low supply. Empty breasts are a good thing because they signal your body to make more milk.
A must read: Signs Your Milk Supply Is Dropping and What To Do
If you think you really have a low milk supply, definitely start with your diet to help improve your supply. There is a lot that nutrition can do to really encourage your supply. Our lactation consultant also has some amazing tips to solve a low milk supply for good. Make sure your diet is full of nutrient-dense, milk-boosting foods to give your body everything you need to produce milk. Our Milk Dust is specifically formulated to support a new mother's nutritional needs. This enables hormones to level and the body to work optimally.
Besides a healthy diet, there are some things to look at if you think you have a low supply.
- Make sure baby is latching properly
- Make sure your falanges fit properly
- Make sure you are hydrated
- Stay close to baby as long as possible
By following our smiple tricks, you can increase your milk supply in one day, while also fixing your low milk supply for the long term.
