4 Things to do to increase your milk supply FAST
Read time: 6 minutes
So, you're looking for ways to increase your milk supply fast.
Patience is essential, but when it comes to infant feeding and the fact that you're your baby's food source, time is most certainly of the essence.
Ask how to boost your supply fast, be it online or to your best friend, and you're sure to get tons of suggestions. It seems like anything, and everything, can help boost your milk supply quickly, yet many parents are still searching for the thing that will work for them.
In this post, I am going to fill you in on 4 things you can start doing today that will help boost your milk supply fast. No need to wait for supplements to come in the mail, no trips to the supermarket, and you don't need to go to Starbucks and try out any new drinks (unless you really want to).
But fair warning, none of the things I will share with you today are fun or exciting.
In fact, the point that most people fail to share in their enthusiasm in helping parents succeed in boosting their production is that it takes a lot of hard work.
The sooner you want to see results, the more time you have to set aside up front doing the work. And what is considered fast to one person may seem like an eternity to another.
But the good news is that boosting your supply quickly, isn't overly complicated. And the list of things will need to increase your milk supply is pretty short.
All you need is at least two of the following:
A baby that transfers milk well
A working pump with properly fitted flanges
A single (or set) of hands
See, easy peasy.
If you're nursing directly but your baby doesn't transfer well, or you're pumping with improperly sized flanges, you are setting yourself up for an even more challenging journey.
In theory, you could increase your supply with only your hands, but it's not a method that I would recommend using to the general public. It also isn't the most time-sensitive approach, and let's face it, we're looking for maximum results in the least amount of time.
Not sure how to tell if your baby is drinking well? Stay tuned. Blog post coming soon!
Need help with flange sizing? Check out our flange sizing guide, which outlines everything you need to know to find the best flange fit possible.
Now that you have an understanding of the tools you will need, I want to share a piece of wisdom that is important to remember.
That is this:
The speed at which you see results is in direct proportion to your understanding of what is causing the low supply in the first place.
In other words, the cause of your low milk supply is something you must not overlook in a hasty attempt at increasing your milk production. Exploring the root of your low supply can be tricky and complicated, which is why I feel it is something that is best done with the help of a lactation professional.
If you need a recommendation, I know of one that's pretty rad and would love to help you out! :)
But in an attempt to uncomplicate your investigation into the culprit of your low supply, I have created an easy- to- use checklist that will help you quickly identify possible influencing factors. Download the checklist here.
In the same vein, it’s also important to note that for you to see quick results in your milk production volume, you must actually have low supply.
Imagine being tasked with responsibility of visually determining how much of an increase you see in water volume after a 5 minute period.
In one job, you get sent to meet with a person, we'll call them Sam, who is filling up a blow-up kiddy pool with a red solo cup. Though there is a bit of water in it, there is only enough water to barely cover the bottom surface of the pool.
Now imagine another situation where you meet with a person named Adrian who is filling up a pool of the same size with the same red solo cup as your last job. But in this case, Adrian's pool is about 75 percent full.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the best at analogies, but on which job do you think you'd notice an increase of volume faster?
In both cases, given enough time, there would be a noticeable difference in water volume. But while observing Sam’s Kiddy Pool, you’re likely to see a change in volume more quickly because there is a lower starting volume.
The same is true for your milk supply.
Remember this:
Perceived low supply is not the same a true low supply and to beat low supply you must first have low supply.
For the sake of this post though, we are assuming that you do have low supply and that the cause of your low supply is NOT due to any underlying medical issues, pregnancy, or medications to include birth control.
So what can you do today to see improvements in your milk volume quickly? If you follow all of the tips I've posted below, you should see an increase in a week and a half time to two weeks.
If you don't see any changes after following this post, it may mean you need a more tailored approach at increasing your supply. Don't worry, I am here to help you every step of the way!
Were you looking for an overnight fix? Unfortunately, an overnight solution doesn't exist. Hard work, over some time, is the key to seeing supply improvements.
Increase the number of milk removal sessions by at least 4.
The quickest way to see results is to increase the number of milk removal sessions.
Why four you may ask?
Assuming the average person is hitting roughly eight effective milk removal sessions in 24 hours, increasing that number by four is a 50% increase.
Here are some ideas for how you can squeeze in 4 extra sessions.
Offer the breast 4 extra times a day.
Pump an additional 4 times a day
At least four times daily, offer the breast before any supplementation. Follow it up with a 15-20 minute pump session.
Pick four nursing sessions to hand express after
Make pumping part of your morning, noon, and night routine
Use a supplemental nursing system four times daily for at the breast feeding in addition to your normal pump routine
Get “handsy” before, during and after every pump
The most under-utilized technique in improving pump output is doing a pre-pump breast massage. A 1-2 minute breast massage that includes nipple stimulation, shaking, jiggling and rubbing increases blood flow and oxytocin release. This helps to bring on the milk ejection reflex (letdown) more quickly, allowing you more time for additional letdowns during your pump sessions.
Pausing your pump session after the first or second letdown and adding another breast massage can be especially helpful. Most people pump for 15-25 minutes straight without paying attention to if the pump is getting anything out after the first 10 minutes or so. It may be better to stop pumping, massage, and try again to illicit another letdown. During the second stage of pumping, use breast compression to drain the breast well.
Lastly, all pump sessions should be followed up with a 5-10 minute hand expression session. Don’t know how to hand express? No time like the present to learn! (Video)
Fully Drain your breasts at least once a day
Using the fact that empty breasts make milk faster, and combining it with an established technique used to resolve other breastfeeding issues, I've come up with a method that is sure to boost your supply quickly.
But before I explain this super easy to implement method, I wanted to go over the basics of what causes an increase in milk supply. The formula is simple:
Demand for milk removal > than current production + adequate breast drainage - underlying issues causing low supply = Increased milk production
We’ve tackled the first part of the equation (Demand for milk removal greater than current production) by increasing the number of milk removal session by 4.
We’ve addressed the adequate breast drainage aspect by adding hands on pumping.
Now we’re going to tackle both of those at ones by using the full drainage method of increasing milk production.
If your baby latches and nurses effectively:
Nurse baby for a full feeding
Follow the feeding session with a “handsy” pump session
Right after the pump session, offer your baby the empty breast.
If your baby latches without pain/nipple damage but does not nurse effectively
Nurse baby for 10-15 minutes
Follow the nursing session with a “handsy” pump session. Be sure to focus on draining the breast fully.
Offer the baby the breast again, either to finish their feeding at the breast using an at the breast feeder or for comfort.
If your baby does not latch at all
Do 3 “handsy” pump sessions within a 2 hour period.
Follow your normal pump pattern for the rest of the day
Shorten the time between expression sessions
You may have enjoying your 8 hour stretch of rest at night, but when you’re trying to boost you’re supply, you’re on double duty!
It is important that you get your rest, but doing 1 middle of the night pump to ensure you don’t go longer than 5 hours between a pump session will do wonders. This is especially true for those of us with small storage capacities who noticed a massive dip once our babies started sleeping longer or we dropped our MOTN (middle of the night) pump.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, there is no substitute for the hard work it may take to boost your supply. The good news is, however, that our supplies are generally very responsive so by following the “recipe to success” outlined above, you may begin to start seeing results in as little as 3-4 days.!
If you don’t see any improvement to your output in two weeks time, a little more investigation may be necessary. It can be discouraging to work so hard and see so little improvement, but just know, I am here to help you reach your milk feeding goals. Booking a consultation is easy and I would love to help you out.
Have questions? Post them down in the comments below!