How to increase the lactation of a nursing mother. Several effective ways - how to increase lactation How to establish lactation if it is not enough

Breastfeeding is a very important process for health and physical development baby. Sometimes in the life of a young mother, the situation develops in such an unfavorable way that the baby is sorely lacking breast milk Or it almost completely disappears. If there is a desire and aspiration to continue feeding the newborn, you need to know how to improve lactation, by what methods you can increase the production of breast milk and provide the right amount of your child.

In order for the child to always have enough milk, the mother must monitor her lifestyle, nutrition and psychological balance.

In order to improve lactation, women are advised to follow a few simple tips that doctors usually give in such cases. They are aimed at stimulating the work of the mammary glands and increasing the amount of breast milk. They relate to the lifestyle of a young mother.

  1. Drink at least 1.5 liters of high-quality (filtered, mineral) water without gas per day.
  2. Special teas to increase lactation.
  3. Try to rest more in any free minutes, do not overwork.
  4. Get enough sleep: a nursing mother, according to doctors, needs at least 10 hours of sleep a day.
  5. Two hours a day - walks in the fresh air.
  6. Avoid stress, domestic, family quarrels and experiences, do not be nervous.
  7. Avoid excessive physical activity.
  8. No diets for weight loss.
  9. Frequent feeding (at least 10 times a day).
  10. Do not give up night feedings, which just the same contribute to the production of prolactin in the female body - a hormone that improves lactation.
  11. Do things you love that make you feel good. It can be knitting, reading and even watching your favorite movie. Grandma or dad can stay with the baby at this time.
  12. Do a special self-massage at home. Wet palms liberally with castor oil. Put your left hand under your chest, your right hand on it. Make light, massaging movements in a clockwise direction. Avoid getting oil on the nipple.
  13. Sign up for a massage with a specialist, but first be sure to warn him that you are a nursing mother.

In addition to these recommendations, which mainly affect the lifestyle of a nursing mother, very great importance has her diet. It should include products, from the use of which milk becomes significantly more.


Ginger is one of those foods that promote milk production, but don't get carried away: strictly follow the recommended portions.

To improve lactation, young mothers need to include drinks, meals, and certain foods that increase breast milk production in their daily menu. These include:

  • warm tea: black (weak) with milk or green with honey - it is recommended to drink half an hour before feeding the baby;
  • cumin: chew daily a small amount of cumin seeds or eat bread with this cereal;
  • fresh almonds, pine nuts, walnuts (be careful: they can cause profuse gas formation and constipation in a child);
  • herbal teas (from oregano, lemon balm, nettle, dill, hawthorn, anise);
  • juices: carrot, currant, blackthorn;
  • meat, but low-fat broths and soups,
  • fermented milk products, milk, cheese, Adyghe cheese;
  • carrots, watermelons, onions, lettuce;
  • buckwheat, hercules;
  • seeds, nuts;
  • barley coffee with honey and milk (the product can be found in a regular store);
  • ginger.

The right breakfast for a mom who wants to improve lactation: oatmeal porridge with dried apricots, milk and a few walnuts.

By including enough of these healthy foods in your diet, women can be sure that they will have more milk after 3-4 days of a new diet. However, there are products that have exactly the opposite properties - they should be avoided by those who have problems with lactation.


Too spicy foods, as you know, are strongly discouraged from breastfeeding.

You will have to remove foods from the diet that reduce lactation by retaining fluid in the body. These include:

  • hot seasonings, spices;
  • parsley, sage, mint;
  • smoked meats;
  • canned foods.

Those women who regularly consume these products will not be able to avoid problems with lactation: they will have much less milk with such food incontinence. And if they do not take urgent measures to somehow improve lactation, do not exclude these products from their menu, the baby will soon have to be transferred to artificial feeding. To make more milk, it is recommended to prepare various folk remedies.


Uzvar is a wonderful folk remedy for increasing lactation, besides, it saturates the body of a young mother with vitamins necessary for her and her child.

You can improve lactation with the help of certain foods and drinks that contribute to the active production of breast milk by the body of a young mother. It is necessary to choose one of the recipes from the whole variety, which can be prepared daily and consumed throughout the day: the results are usually not long in coming.

  • caraway drink

Pour cumin (1 teaspoon) with boiling milk (200 ml), insist under the lid for 2 hours. Take 100 ml shortly (15 minutes) before feeding.

  • Uzvar

Rinse dried fruits (200 g of dried pears and apples, prunes, raisins), pour cold water for 10 minutes. Then pour pears and apples with 3 liters of water, cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Add raisins and prunes, cook for another 15 minutes. Add 200 g of honey, wait until it boils, remove from heat, cover with a lid, leave for 3 hours. Uzvar is considered one of the most effective means in order to improve lactation in case of problems with the production of breast milk.

  • Cedar cocktail

Fresh pine nuts (1 tablespoon) pour water (200 ml) overnight. Boil in the morning, add honey (2 tablespoons), drink.

  • dill tea

Dill seeds (1 tablespoon) pour boiling water (200 ml), leave in a thermos for 2 hours. Drink 100 ml twice a day.

  • dill cocktail

Grind and mix together anise and dill seeds (20 g each), hay fenugreek seeds and fennel fruits (30 g each). Pour 1 teaspoon of the resulting mixture with boiling water (200 ml), leave covered for 2 hours. Drink 100 ml twice a day.

  • Milk dill cocktail

Grind dill seeds (1 tablespoon), pour kefir (200 ml), add nutmeg and salt to taste. Drink before breakfast.

  • nut milk

Peeled ground walnuts (100 g) boil in milk (500 ml) until thick, add sugar to taste. Drink 30 minutes before feeding.

  • Radish with honey

Grate the radish, squeeze the juice out of it (100 ml), dilute with boiled, but already cold water (100 ml), add honey (1 tablespoon).

  • Dandelion juice

Grind young, fresh dandelion leaves in a meat grinder, squeeze the juice out of them, add salt, let it brew for half an hour. Drink 100 ml twice a day in small sips. To remove bitterness, add a little lemon juice, honey or granulated sugar.

  • Decoction of dandelions

Grind the roots and leaves of dandelions in a meat grinder (1 teaspoon), pour boiling water (200 ml), leave for 1 hour under the lid. Strain, drink 4 times a day, 50 ml, half an hour before meals.

  • Dandelion milkshake

Grind dill leaves and dandelion petals, mix. Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture, add grated walnuts (10 g) to it, pour kefir (4 cups), beat with a mixer, drink 100 ml for breakfast.

  • Ginger tea

Grind fresh ginger root (3 tablespoons), pour a liter of water, boil. Add lemon and honey to taste. Drink 60 ml three times a day.

  • vitamin mass

Mix dried apricots, raisins, figs, prunes, peeled walnuts (1 tablespoon each). Grind, add honey. Eat half an hour before feeding, drink warm tea.

  • Herbal decoctions

Herbs that improve lactation must be chosen wisely, as each plant will only work in a certain case:

  • for stomach problems: anise, cumin, fennel, dill;
  • under stress: lemon balm, oregano;
  • with anemia: nettle.

Any herb (1 teaspoon) is poured with boiling water (200 ml), boiled for 10 minutes, infused under the lid for half an hour. Drink every hour 50 ml.

Knowing how to improve lactation, young mothers will be able to provide their baby with enough breast milk even in the most critical situations, when its production is on the verge of stopping. It is very easy to follow the above tips, it is also quite possible to organize a kind of lactation diet, and it is a pleasure to prepare tasty and healthy folk remedies that improve lactation. Enjoy and make your baby happy.

How to improve lactation

A decrease in lactation can be due to various factors, but the restoration of breastfeeding is almost always possible. Why can there be difficulties with lactation and how to normalize the production of breast milk?

1. Mom started giving supplements. If the child often wakes up at night, is capricious, often sucks, it may seem to the woman that he does not have enough nutrition, and she gives the mixture. But the more this mixture the child drinks, the less milk the mother gets. Restoration of lactation with mixed feeding is possible. But the mixture will have to be removed. If its volume is large, it is not 50-100 grams per day, you need to gradually, daily reduce the amount of supplementary feeding by 5-10 grams. In this case, the child should be applied to the breast more often.

Just keep in mind that if you decide to express extra milk after feeding, you can provoke hyperlactation. And in order to establish lactation after severe lactostasis or mastitis provoked by it, it will also take time and effort.

2. The baby is not breastfeeding, or the baby and mother are separated. Is it possible to restore lactation after a break like this, forced? Possibly lasting several weeks. Yes, and if the mother regularly and well expressed, milk will be enough immediately. If not, and it is necessary to give supplementary feeding with a mixture, we act according to paragraph one. And so that the child does not completely abandon the breast in favor of a bottle, you can purchase a special supplementary feeding system from Medela, or assemble it yourself on the basis of a dropper. This system is attached to the nipple. And from the reservoir, through a tube attached to the nipple, artificial nutrition is supplied to the baby. At the same time, he sucks the nipple, stimulates the breast, and thus it is even possible to restore lactation after Dostinex, if milk is still produced in some volume. There are some wonderful things. Even when milk appeared in a nulliparous woman.

3. The child is very small, lazy, sucks slowly. If mommy will act according to the old recommendations that each breast should be given in one feeding for 15-20 minutes. Or even feed one breast in one feeding, then the baby may be malnourished. Newborn babies sleep a lot and doze off during feedings, right with the nipple in their mouth. That is, if the baby fell asleep while suckling the breast, this does not mean that he was full. Malnutrition will be indicated by insufficient weight gain or even a slight weight loss of the baby. If this is the reason for your decrease in lactation, then everything will work out if you keep the baby at the breast for a long, very long time, maybe even an hour at one breast and an hour at the other. If the baby makes sucking movements in a dream, this means that he is not sleeping soundly, and it makes sense to continue to keep him at the breast. The need for prolonged feeding may persist until the baby is 2-3 months old.

4. The introduction of complementary foods. Many mothers are in a hurry to replace breastfeeding with complementary foods. Accordingly, the amount of milk is increasingly reduced. In most cases, early introduction of complementary foods is a mistake, at 4 months, since by 7-8 months adult food can completely replace breast milk - according to WHO, the best nutrition for a child under 1 year old. How to restore lactation if milk is gone in this case? If the child at least sometimes sucks the breast, then, no matter how trite, offer it more often. And it is better even before complementary foods, that is, hungry. It is good for children to breastfeed before going to bed and immediately after, at night.

5. Frequent use of a pacifier. The more the baby sucks on the pacifier, the less it stimulates the breast. By the way, most mothers who offer a dummy to their children have their periods very early after childbirth. Sometimes even after 6-8 weeks. And this is also in some way a negative factor. Amount of breast milk due to recovery menstrual cycle will decrease even more.

6. Scheduled feedings. Once every 3 hours during the day, pediatricians recommend breastfeeding children. From birth to accustom to discipline, so to speak. And they say that if a child requires a breast more than 1 time in 3 hours, he does not have enough milk. Of course, this opinion is far from reality. But Small child, 5-6 months old, needs frequent breastfeeding. This helps to more easily survive reactions to vaccinations, teething. Yes, and put the baby to sleep, just giving him a breast, much easier and more correct than long-term motion sickness.

7. Lack of night feedings. It is believed that the duration of night sleep without feeding should be at least 6 hours even for infants. Of course, few mothers want to wake up several times a night. However, only artificial people can sleep that long, with rare exceptions, since artificial milk or sour-milk formula is digested longer than breast milk. And the baby stays full longer.

At the same time, there is such a thing as REM sleep - during superficial sleep, many young children wake up. No need to think that frequent awakenings at night are a sign of a child's hunger and lack of milk.

But if the baby cries at night, it is easiest to soothe him with the breast. And plus to this is an improvement in lactation, due to an increase in the production of prolactin. This hormone is produced at night. If you do not breastfeed your baby at night, lactation will decrease somewhat.

8. Severe psychological state. Restoration of lactation after stress, contributes, as it is logical to assume, a good mood, frequent and prolonged communication with the child. If the baby is small and there is such an opportunity, you can forget about household chores and stay with him for a couple of days in bed. Just watch your favorite movie, enjoy the unity with your child. Tablets to restore lactation of breast milk can be taken, but not too hoping for good effect. It is important to restore peace of mind, then milk will be produced in the right amount.

9. A woman has a lactation crisis. In certain months of the child's development (1, 3, 6, 9), the baby needs more milk. Therefore, a feeling of an “empty” chest can be created. The child sucks more often and for a longer time, including at night, it can be a little capricious. But this is not a reason to worry and supplement it with a mixture. A maximum of a week later, there will be more milk, and the baby will be calmer. This physiological feature. Norm.

If you have urgent questions about how to restore lactation after a long break in feeding caused by illness, how to teach breastfeeding to a child who has refused it, and the like, find a certified breastfeeding consultant in your city and arrange a consultation. Oddly enough, these people are often not doctors or even honey. sisters, in the physiology of lactation understand more pediatricians.

Undoubtedly, every woman dreams of feeling this happiness - breastfeeding her own child. All mothers know about the benefits and benefits of natural feeding, so they strive to give their baby everything only the best. In fact, it is not so easy to establish lactation. Often, new mothers giving birth for the first time do not imagine the correct sucking technique. A seemingly simple process does not bring results, women face some problems and difficulties.

Most young mothers do not have the correct technique for applying the baby to the breast, so they often have to face difficulties in establishing lactation (see also:)

Phases of lactation

When does the first breast milk appear? The next day after giving birth, women have colostrum. It happens even in the hospital. As a rule, it is not much, just a few drops. The secretion of all women who have given birth will work differently. Sometimes milk arrives in small portions, and its volume increases closer to 4-5 days. Sometimes milk comes abruptly and unexpectedly - usually for 3-4 days. In such cases, a woman notices a sharp increase in the volume of the mammary glands, they harden and cause pain, enlarged veins are visible on the chest, body temperature rises.

This period lasts from 1 to 2 days, followed by the establishment of normal feeding, but only if the breasts are well emptied. A couple of weeks after giving birth, a woman already has mature milk, which will change its composition depending on the mother's diet.

How long does it take for the body to start producing milk? In women who have given birth to their first child, milk may come late - only on the 5th-6th day, and in some cases only at the beginning of the second week. Once having arrived, milk arrives in increasing quantities every day and reaches its “climax” between 10 and 20 weeks. A high level of production will be established and will be maintained throughout the entire period of feeding. Milk production will depend on a number of reasons, in particular, on the duration of feeding. In one day, a woman in the first week after childbirth produces about 200-300 ml of useful "drink".

How to recognize mature lactation?

Mature lactation is characterized by an uninterrupted supply of milk and the absence of sudden tides. Each woman may have her own individual characteristics in this regard. So, sometimes during the phase of mature lactation there are crises, while other women calmly continue to feed the babies without any failures.

Mature lactation is accompanied by soft mammary glands. This phase can be established in different ways, in time it takes from 1 to 3 months. A woman notices changes in her well-being. The previously present discomfort from the rush of milk becomes imperceptible. The feeling of lightness often frightens mothers with the fact that the milk in the breast could disappear completely.

How to understand when mature lactation has come? It can be identified by a number of symptoms:

  • the chest becomes soft and light (not heavy);
  • absence of pain symptoms with milk tides;
  • before each feeding it seems that the breasts are not completely filled, that milk has not arrived in them;
  • the absence of discomfort of any plan that previously bothered the nursing mother.


The period of mature lactation becomes a real joy for the mother, since the physiological discomfort from lactation remains in the past

Remember! The most important role is played not by hormones, but by the quality of the emptying of the mammary glands at each feeding.

During this period, a woman may have a place. They are accompanied by a decrease in the intensity of milk production. There is no need to be afraid of these crises - the situation, as a rule, improves within three days, rarely a week.

Hypogalactia

What to do if the woman who gave birth does not have milk? The lack of milk in the mother may well be diagnosed. This phenomenon is called hypogalactia, i.e. decreased lactation after childbirth. The reasons for its appearance can be very diverse. Some of the most significant are overwork, poor nutrition, stress and a nervous home and social environment.

Hypogalactia is curable - in order to fight it, you must first of all provide your mother with a full and sufficient sleep in the amount of 7-8 hours a day, as well as good nutrition. What it includes: strong tea (1 liter) with the addition of milk (1 liter), as well as fermented milk products in equal amounts. It is important in this case to establish and "neutralize" interfering factors.

Help in the development of lactation

A young mother should be informed about the principles underlying successful lactation even in the maternity hospital, immediately after childbirth. Medical staff must convey to the woman the following information:

  • Earlier breastfeeding. It is extremely important (experts on breastfeeding do not tire of repeating this) to give the baby a breast as soon as possible after birth (immediately in the hospital), preferably within 30-60 minutes. Why is there such a hurry? At this time, neuroendocrine mechanisms start their work, which are responsible for the regulation of milk production in a woman who has just given birth. The first early application is a signal for the beginning of active actions: “A lot of milk is required!”.
  • Colostrum is a valuable product for the baby. Thanks to the first drops, the newborn receives unique components that populate his small stomach with beneficial microflora, and protective antibodies begin to be produced in the body. The first application is an impetus to the activation of a whole range of functions. It is at this time that close bonds begin to be established between mother and child. When these connections become tangible, the mother understands the needs of her baby and gives herself a positive attitude to continue full breastfeeding.
  • Feeding on demand- the baby receives a breast as soon as necessary (he wants to eat or just calm down). The duration of feeding is also not limited. This method helps to establish sufficient milk production. Frequent and prolonged sucking stimulates the mammary glands, as a result, more and more milk comes. Sucking releases the hormone prolactin. The task of prolactin is the active secretory activity of the mammary glands.


If the mother manages to feed the baby within an hour after the birth, milk production will be urgently launched in full due to complex hormonal processes.

Additional Important Factors

  • Feed at night and early morning hours. It is at this time that the maximum amount of prolactin will be produced, the likelihood of establishing stable lactation will be higher.
  • Do not supplement with water. Breastfed newborns do not need additional fluids, as mother's milk is not only food, but also drink.
  • Do not formula feed. Often mothers make the mistake of starting to feed the baby. adapted mixtures for fear of lack of milk. Such actions are erroneous: the colostrum that appears at this time in the breast is very nutritious. Its energy value is so high that even 5 ml of colostrum (and there is always a little of it at this time, from 10 to 50 ml per day) will be enough for the baby. It is easier for a baby to “get” a mixture from a bottle, and this can reduce the sucking activity of the child, complicate and slow down the process of lactation.
  • In the first practices of attachment, it is important to prevent the appearance of cracks and irritation on the nipples and areolas, they will complicate the feeding process.

To maintain breast health and improve lactation, a young mother needs to follow the correct application technique. You can see it in specialized videos, and employees of the maternity hospital or the local pediatrician are also obliged to give basic knowledge.

Milk straining

Getting to the stage of mature lactation is not always easy. Attachment pain will persist until this period arrives. A baby who is not emptying his chest well needs your help - you need to drain the milk ducts so that they all begin to function. Would you like to know how to open your chest? Follow the following rules.

rules

  1. Correct application technique is the key to good lactation. When feeding, the child should capture the nipple with the mouth along with the areola, then each gland will be stimulated and work. The constant arrival of milk in the first week and incomplete emptying of the breasts by the baby can cause a fever. The way out of this situation is to express as much as possible to the last drop. Otherwise, lactostasis may lie in wait for you (more in the article:).
  2. Before feeding, you can make compresses from the cabbage leaf. Apply the leaves to the breasts for 10-20 minutes, they will help soften the breasts and relieve pain, after the compress it will be easier to spread.
  3. With absence high temperature it is quite possible to drink something hot: tea with milk, and you can also take a warm shower or bath.
  4. The flow of milk will increase if, before pumping, the mammary glands are developed with a light massage in the form of strokes, but without active pressing on the glands. It will be a great stimulation for full pumping.
  5. How to unwind after childbirth? For pumping, you can use modern devices that operate by creating a vacuum. The device is attached to the areola, after which work begins: manually, if it is manual, or from the network (with an electric type of device). Which type is more convenient is up to you.
  6. If you want to pump yourself (for more details in the article:), you need to do it “from the inside”. By making circular movements with both hands, you will help increase the flow of milk to the areola - this will help disperse lactation. Now you need to press on the areola and make a smooth movement towards the nipple, as if prompting the milk in the right direction.
  7. After the process is completed, it is recommended to leave the chest open. You need to do this for 15 minutes. So a new portion of milk will get unhindered access to the mammary glands.

You can consider the pumping technique in more detail using examples of video tutorials. Such training courses will tell you how to disperse milk and strain it correctly.

Breastfeeding is a special period in the life of a new mother. Breastfeeding helps to recover faster after childbirth, provide protection from mastopathy and establish close relationships with the baby. Often breastfeeding mothers face a shortage of milk. Today we will tell you how to increase lactation at home, and what to do if there is practically no milk in the chest.

5 main factors influencing the increase and maintenance of lactation

Proper development of a child is impossible without proper nutrition. Mother's milk is ideally suited to the ability of the baby's body to absorb food. From breast milk, the baby receives everything he needs: enzymes, growth factors, immunoglobulins that protect the child's body from infections.

Important! Every baby should receive breast milk for at least 6 months, because it is completely tailored to the individual needs of the crumbs.

Among the many factors affecting the occurrence, increase and preservation of milk secretion, the most important are:

  1. The health status of the nursing mother and baby.
  2. The mother's desire and will to breastfeed her baby.
  3. The state of mind of a nursing mother and the situation in the family.
  4. Regular attachment of the newborn to the breast;
  5. Conscientious preparation and study correct technique breastfeeding.

What to do if there is not enough milk? We will definitely talk about many effective ways to improve lactation, but first we advise you to watch this video:

Before concluding that the mother has little milk, the above factors must be excluded. If there are errors in the correct attachment of the breast, the physical fatigue of a nursing mother or excessive mental stress (excitement, anxiety), then a lack of milk is only a consequence of existing problems. Their solution will help to avoid a decrease in lactation and premature weaning.

Menu for a nursing mother: a list of products to increase the amount of milk

The quality of milk and its quantity directly depend on the diet and diet followed by a nursing mother. A varied diet stimulates the improvement of lactation and helps to establish proper breastfeeding.

Foods that should be included in the daily diet of the mother:

  • boiled milk and fermented milk products (kefir, curdled milk) - at least 0.5 l / day;
  • cottage cheese or curd products - 50-100 g / day;
  • boiled meat - at least 200 g / day;
  • fresh vegetables (carrots, onions, sweet peppers, radishes) - 600 g / day;
  • butter - 30 g / day;
  • boiled chicken eggs - 1-2 pcs.;
  • fruits (green apple, pear) - at least 300 g / day;
  • black bread with cumin - 400 g / day.

Also in the lactation period, it is recommended to use vegetable oil daily as a dressing for fresh vegetables or dishes with cereals (about 20 g / day). Sunflower oil is a natural source of vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids. We talked about it in one of the previous issues.

Foods that increase lactation:

  • warm green tea (low brewed);
  • hot chicken broth;
  • liquid cereals in milk from rice and barley groats;
  • bee honey (as a substitute for sugar);
  • watermelons;
  • walnuts;
  • first courses with sea and river fish.

Nursing mothers need to monitor the amount of fluid consumed per day. It must be at least 2.5 liters (including all liquid dishes). 10-15 minutes before the next feeding, it is useful to drink a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey - this simple drink helps increase lactation and stimulates the flow of milk in the breast.

What foods to avoid when lactating:

  • natural coffe;
  • meat semi-finished products;
  • fast food, chips and crackers with flavorings;
  • store-bought sauces (mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese sauces, etc.);
  • canned products of industrial origin;
  • foods high in cocoa (including chocolate);
  • any alcoholic drinks(Strongly prohibited!).

Note! In recent years, there has been a tendency for infants to be born with a deficiency of the immune system. Try to avoid eating foods that can cause allergies in your baby.

Increasing lactation folk remedies

Home methods to increase milk production were used by our grandmothers. Complaints about the lack of breast milk occurred at all times, and nursing mothers tried all available methods to solve the problem of breastfeeding. Many of them are relevant to this day.

More liquid!

Drinking fluids helps increase milk production - this is a well-known fact. Try to drink whenever possible as often as possible. Lactation improves with the use of warm herbal decoctions, milk, special herbal drinks for mothers.

Many of the herbs can be found in drugstores for pennies: dill seeds, anise, cumin, and fennel. A vitamin drink will help to cope with a lactation crisis.

Recipe 1. Take a teaspoon of cumin seeds, pour a glass of water. Bring to a boil over heat, then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it brew for half an hour, strain the resulting broth. To improve the taste, you can add 0.5 tsp. honey.

Recipe 2. Pour anise seeds into a thermos, pour 200 ml of boiled hot water. Close the lid and let it brew for 2-3 hours. Then strain the infusion and cool. Take a drink of 50 ml before each feeding.

Self-massage of the breasts

Kneading the breast after feeding develops the inflows well, stimulating the production of milk and its frequent flushes. Massage should be done on the breast that the baby was fed. Hand movements during the massage should be circular, from the nipple to the periphery, with light finger pressure over the entire surface, for 5-7 minutes.

Breastfeeding on demand

Feeding your baby on demand is the key to proper breastfeeding and the production of the right amount of milk for each feeding. Do not take night breaks, let the baby be applied to the breast as many times as his body requires. Frequent application is the best way to stimulate lactation without any additional methods. Try to do the first months without calculating feeding by the hour - the baby knows better when it is time for him to eat, and your breasts will “adjust” to his requirements.

What to do so that the child does not starve and how to improve lactation? New mom tips:

Medications to improve lactation

Currently, the question of how to increase lactation can be solved with one trip to the pharmacy. Many medicines have been tested by mothers and help to solve an acute problem with HB - a decrease in lactation and a lack of milk. If folk remedies do not help, and the lactation crisis has dragged on, then it's time to contact a breastfeeding specialist and find the right drug to increase the amount of milk.

Release form Titles Operating principle
Herbal teas for nursing mothers Lactavit, Hipp, Humana, Grandmother's basket, Laktafitol Lactogenic agents with a firming and tonic effect. Teas based on natural herbs (fennel, cumin, anise, etc.) have a pleasant taste and are used as daily drinks in the diet.
Tablets and granules Lactogon, Apilak, Mlecoin Effective drugs to increase lactation. Taken with food as an active supplement when breastfeeding is over. As part of natural ingredients - nettle, ginger, royal jelly.
Milk mixtures to improve lactation Lactamyl, Milky Way, Femilac, Bellakt Mama+, MD mil Mama Nutritious milk formulas fill the needs of a nursing mother in vitamins, minerals and stimulate the glands to produce breast milk. It is enough to dilute the mixture with water and drink several times a day as a cocktail. Milk formula, when used regularly, helps to produce milk and increase its quantity.

Means for stimulating lactation can be a real help in reducing milk in the breast. But you should not expect a quick effect: in one case, it will take a couple of days to normalize feeding, in the other it will take a week.

On a note! A lactation consultant will help you choose the most suitable drug - having studied specifically your history of feeding and observing the process, it will be easier for a specialist to suggest the best solution to your problem and, if necessary, choose a drug with you.

5 best ways to stimulate milk production

Before resorting to medical methods, it is better to try simple methods that you can use at your own discretion and without the recommendation of a doctor.

  1. Frequent breastfeeding
    Nature herself made sure that the baby was full of mother's milk. At the time of each application to the breast in the body of a woman, two important hormones are released and activated: oxytocin and prolactin. They are responsible for the amount of milk produced during lactation. The more often the baby suckles the mother's breast, the more milk will arrive at each moment of feeding.
  2. Baby feeding at night
    A night break is detrimental to breastfeeding - if the baby does not suckle for a long time, there is less milk. The body of nursing mothers believes that the child will receive enough milk, which means that you can reduce its amount. So there is a decline in milk production. Try to feed your baby at least two times at night to maintain lactation at the proper level.
  3. Ensuring tactile contact with the baby
    “Skin to skin” is the basic recipe for more milk without any additional recipes. Lactogenic hormones wake up at the moment of communication between the mother and the baby, when the baby is rocked or carried in her arms. Caress your baby more often, and the problem with a lack of milk will be solved by itself.
  4. Rest, rest and only rest
    At the time of the formation of lactation, free yourself from at least some of the household chores and chores. Sufficient sleep - at least 7-8 hours a day, good nutrition and peace of mind - these are the main conditions for the full production of a sufficient amount of mother's milk.
  5. Easy and useful “chest” gymnastics
    Daily gymnastics for the chest stimulates the ducts, blood circulation and the production of breast milk. It is necessary to engage in standing or sitting on a fitball in a comfortable position. Place both hands together, palm to palm. Get them over your head. Tilt your head back, then press the back of your head vigorously on your folded arms several times. Repeat the exercise 2-3 more times.

P.S. Earlier we talked about the nutrition of a nursing mother and about products. Let's reinforce this topic once again, since it is proper nutrition that is the key to good lactation:

A young mother may not be familiar with all the intricacies of breastfeeding, therefore, at the first stage of motherhood, there may be many difficulties associated with feeding and.

Believe me, these are temporary problems that can be avoided by keeping calm and common sense. Very soon you will learn to understand the desires of your crumbs without words, but for now - be patient!

And now let's dwell on this in more detail.

So how to increase the amount of breast milk during breastfeeding, what foods increase lactation in a nursing mother? Let's find out from our article.

How do you know if your baby is getting enough milk?

In the first days of a baby's life, there are usually no problems with feeding. Still: after all, next to the young mother there is a medical staff, at any moment answering all questions!

The nurses will help the woman to drain the breast, teach how to properly attach the baby to the breast, and the doctors will monitor how the mother’s milk arrives, explain how to prolong breast-feeding long time.

But upon returning home, the young mother will need to independently learn to guess the desires of the crumbs, determine whether he is full, and for what reason he cries.

Whether your baby is hungry or not, you can tell by the nature of his stool. If the baby gets enough milk, his stool becomes dark yellow, has a slight odor and a slightly watery consistency.

You can find out if the baby is hungry by looking at the stool!

The number of bowel movements in a well-fed child in the first months of life is up to 8 times a day. This is quite normal and confirms that your baby is getting enough breast milk.

If the frequency of the stool has changed and the color has changed to brown, the baby needs more food. Just do not rush to introduce complementary formula for infants: usually the correction of the mother's diet leads to an increase in the amount of her milk.

The second true indicator of your baby's satiety is the amount of urine and its color. If the baby's diaper is full every 3-4 hours and is heavy, and the absorbed discharge light color- most likely, the baby is not malnourished.

This symptom is typical for a baby older than five days of age, before this time the urine may have a dark color - this is a variant of the norm, do not worry.

You can find out if your baby is getting enough milk by weighing him before and after each feeding. To do this, purchase a special scale for newborns (you can rent them or buy them in a store).

Massage to improve lactation:

  • Get on all fours, tilt your head down. Move around the room in this position until you get tired.
  • Stand up straight. Spread your arms to the sides, and then cross them in front of you like scissors and spread them again. Repeat the exercise up to 10 times, with each swing raising your arms higher, at the end crossing them over your head.
  • Sit Turkish. Bend your elbows at chest level, bringing your palms together and pointing your fingers up. Counting to 3, firmly press your palms together, at the expense of 4, relax them without lowering your hands. Repeat 10 times.

Weigh the baby before and after each breastfeeding, note the difference. For 3-5 days, record the readings of the milk your child has eaten. A child at the age of one week should eat 30-50 ml of milk per feeding. By the month, this rate reaches 100 ml.

Of course, each baby is individual: one may eat more milk, the other - less. A weakened child will drink less milk than his strong peer who was born with a large weight. Show your chart to your pediatrician, who will determine if your baby's feeding rate needs to be adjusted and if you are breastfeeding correctly.

Whether a baby is getting enough milk can also be determined by how correctly he grabs the breast when feeding: the baby should wrap his lips around not only the nipple, but also the halo. With a wide open mouth, the child grabs the mammary gland and begins sucking movements, then a pause follows, during which the baby takes a sip of a portion of milk and closes his mouth. The longer the pause, the more milk the baby got.

How to increase the amount of breast milk?

It would seem that you are doing everything right: the baby is confidently suckling the breast, he is gaining weight well, calm and cheerful.

But suddenly you began to notice that the amount of breast milk you have decreased, the breast does not fill up so much before feeding, and the child wakes up more often to eat.

Perhaps you are just tired and lost your usual rhythm of life. Try to calm down: the help of household members will now be useful. Involve relatives in caring for the child, get more rest, if possible, take solo walks in the fresh air.

Do not forget about the proper nutrition of a nursing mother: your diet should include healthy, non-greasy foods and forget about spices. The amount of liquid you consume should be about 2 liters per day: preference should be given to decoctions of dried fruits, herbal infusions.

Recipes to enhance lactation:

  1. Healthy cocktail. Mix 100 ml of milk, 3 cups of kefir, 1 teaspoon of chopped dill, 1 teaspoon of honey, 2 walnut kernels. Beat all the ingredients with a mixer or in a blender. Drinking a glass of this smoothie at breakfast will promote good milk flow throughout the day.
  2. Milk-nut infusion. Brew 3-4 walnut kernels with a glass of boiled milk. Add 1 teaspoon of honey. Keep the mixture in a thermos for about an hour. Divide the serving into 4 portions and take during the day as well as at night.

Dairy products must be present in your diet: fermented baked milk, low-fat kefir, they will positively affect milk production and have useful action to the gastrointestinal tract.

A young mother should not forget about night feedings. As you know, the hormone Prolactin is responsible for the quality production of milk. And most of its production occurs at night.

This is why breastfeeding at night is essential to increase breast milk supply. At first it will seem very difficult, but motherhood is not an easy task, be patient for the sake of your child!

Modern multivitamins for nursing mothers can also increase the amount of breast milk. Your body is weakened by childbirth and caring for the baby, and getting enough nutrients from food is not always possible.

Talk to your doctor: ask which vitamins are right for you, how and how much to take. There are also drugs that increase lactation: a doctor's consultation, apparently, will not be superfluous for you.

Drink tea with milk half an hour before feeding!

After feeding the crumbs, pour hot water over the breast (about 40 degrees), in a circular motion From top to bottom, express excess milk for 5 minutes. This procedure well stimulates the production of milk and relaxes the nervous system. And with a calm mother, as you know, the child does not cry.

Drink tea with milk half an hour before each feeding. This is an old, proven method of producing breast milk for years. Tea should not be hot and strong: dilute it in a cup with a little milk. You can add a teaspoon of honey to this mixture: a healthy product is ready for use!

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What to do if a nursing mother has lost milk?

Milk cannot disappear in one day, therefore, if you have not had problems with feeding before, the baby is cheerful and cheerful, gaining weight - you should not be upset.

The amount of milk may have decreased for psychological reasons or due to fatigue.

The attitude is important here: if you are confident in yourself, agree to go through all the difficulties, just to continue breastfeeding your baby - you will be able to return lactation to normal.

If your baby is constantly crying, making quick movements while sucking - most likely, he really does not have enough milk! Do not panic! And don't stop feeding, especially at night. Try to feed the baby from both breasts: after he eats from one, offer the second.

Carry the child in your arms more often, focus only on the child. Leave the care of your home to your loved ones. Do not rush to supplement the baby from the bottle: after recognizing the nipple, he is unlikely to take the breast next time.

If you lose breast milk, your doctor may advise you to take medications: for example, it increases lactation perfectly. Also, with small amounts of breast milk, many mothers take the drug Leptaden.

To increase lactation, it would be useful for the mother to use dry milk formulas: Femilak, Enfa-Mama, Olympic - they are designed specifically for nursing mothers, they do not cause harm, they act gently.

If the amount of milk in your breasts began to decrease, try drinking teas for nursing mothers: for example, Hipp tea is designed to maintain normal lactation, alternating it with fruit juices and drinks (both fresh and store-bought), you will not know what a "Lactation Crisis" is. Also, you can add biologically active additives "Apilactin" or "Laktogon" to your permanent diet.

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Increasing lactation folk remedies

How and how to increase lactation of breast milk folk remedies? Many mothers are well helped to increase the amount of breast milk juice from carrots.

Grate a small carrot, squeeze through cheesecloth and take half a glass several times a day, after diluting the resulting juice with milk.

You can also pour a few tablespoons of grated carrots with milk, add honey and use this mixture 100 g 3 times a day.

Carrot juice increases lactation!

You can also make a healthy drink from anise seeds to increase lactation: pour the seeds with a glass of boiling water, wrap in a towel and let it brew for several hours. Half an hour before meals, take the resulting broth in a tablespoon 3 times a day. In the same way, you can prepare an infusion of cumin.

In late spring, juice from dandelion leaves well increases lactation. Pass the young leaves of the plant through a meat grinder, squeeze through cheesecloth, salt the juice and let it brew for about an hour. The resulting infusion drink 2 times a day for half a cup. To soften the bitterness, add a little sugar or a spoonful of honey to the drink.

An infusion of dill seeds also helps to increase lactation: brew them with a glass of boiling water, let it brew for 2 hours and use a tablespoon 6-8 times a day.

For a new mother, the main thing is to establish the process in the right way breastfeeding. We can say with confidence that your child is eating properly and has enough milk if:

  • the baby's diaper is full every 3-4 hours, the urine is light and odorless
  • The baby has a bowel movement after every feed. The color of his stool is dark yellow and the consistency is slightly watery.
  • when feeding, the baby grabs the nipple along with the areola, makes confident sucking movements: the mouth is open - pause - the mouth is closed.
  1. Sleep should be at least 10 hours a day - night and day.
  2. Outdoor walks for at least 2 hours.
  3. Frequent attachment of the child to the breast from birth (at least 10 times a day), with obligatory night feedings.
  4. Good nutrition and an increase in the amount of fluid consumed up to 1.5-2 liters per day (this is tea, soups, decoctions, milk, sour-milk products).
  5. Shower-massage of the chest.
  6. Drink hot green tea 30 minutes before feeding.
  7. Use vitamins for nursing mothers.

So that you always have a lot of breast milk - rest more often, take care only of the child. Leave household chores to loved ones. Take your baby to bed and be sure to feed him at night: this perfectly stimulates milk production.

Eat right and drink enough fluids. If your milk begins to disappear - do not panic: be sure to consult a doctor.

Modern medicines, biological supplements, folk methods for increasing lactation will definitely help you continue breastfeeding. Stay calm and confidently go to your goal: feeding the crumbs only with breast milk!

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