Need to Increase Breast Milk Supply (Production)?

Milk production (sometimes referred to as milk supply) increases when you activate prolactin receptors. The best ways to activate these receptors are with comfortable nipple stimulation and frequent milk removal.

Nipple Stimulation:

• Breastfeeding with good latch and pain-free suckling from your baby. This will be less than optimal if you have a baby born at less than 39 weeks gestation.

• Gentle tugging, rolling, rubbing of your nipples. Normalize frequent self-stimulation of your nipples.

• Proper pump flange size so that nipples are stimulated as they glide against the flange tunnel.

  
  

Frequent Milk Removal:

• Within 1-2 hours after birth, start with hand expression and continue at least 12 times/ 24 hours until colostrum transitions to copious milk production, and then as often as needed to avoid full breasts. Full breasts decrease milk production. Hand expression to collect colostrum/milk and to increase milk production should be done after each feeding plus between feedings to ensure 12 or more removals/24 hours. This will help ensure full milk production by day 10.

• Frequent, responsive feedings from your breastfeeding baby. Not on a schedule, but according to your baby’s cues, which may be very subtle. A minimum of 8 times/24 hours but ideally 12 or more times/24 hours until copious milk production is noticed.

• From a pump if needed, but not on a set schedule. Mix the frequency of pumping up so your body kicks in to make more milk because it does not know when to expect you to need it. Maybe an hour apart sometimes and up to three hours apart other times. Be sure to remove milk before your breasts get full.

Once full milk production is achieved (720-900mL or 24-30 ounces/24 hours for each baby you are providing milk for), switch to maintaining milk production. See blog about overproduction and complications which can arise from overproduction, a condition brought on by pumping when not necessary.

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