Another aspect to your milk supply, which is a very important one, is breastfeeding and diet. Certain food can help you increase your milk supply, and certain food can decrease your milk supply. In this case, of course, you would want to take food that will increase your milk supply and avoid food that will decrease your milk supply:
Food that will increase your milk supply:
- Galactogogues such as fenurgreek, nettle leave, anise seed, alfafa can increase milk supply quite effectively. However, you shouldn’t take for a period of more than a few weeks, otherwise your body will get used to it, and it will not be effective anymore. So you should take it for a few weeks, then stop for a few weeks, and take again, if you feel that you need it to maintain your milk supply. These come in tablet form, or in their natural seed/leave form. I only take them when my milk supply drops, and I take the seed/leave form, and drink them like tea.
- Food that nourishes your body, such as oats, essential fatty oils (eg, flaxeed oil), sufficient calcium and magnesium will also help to maintain/increase your milk supply, although in a more gradual and mild way.
- Avoid food that will decrease your breast milk such as cabbage. A lot of breastfeeding mothers also found that sour food (such as vinegar, lemon) tend to decrease their breast milk.
- You should drink lots of water. This will help you keep up the fluid in your body, which contributes to your milk supply
* feeding babies *
