Increasing Milk Supply

LLL Leader volunteers are often asked, “How do I increase my milk supply?” It’s important to first check for signs that your baby is getting enough milk. If you have not done so, read through here.

Milk production begins during pregnancy and is established in the days and weeks following birth. It is important to remember that lactation works on the principle of supply and demand. The more your baby nurses, the more milk your body produces. If baby is unable to nurse directly, feeds will need to be replaced by pumping or hand expression. If feeds are skipped, milk production slows down.

Steps for increasing milk supply

The following steps for increasing milk supply are tried-and-true and backed by scientific research.

Step 1: Skin-to-Skin Contact

Step 3: Breast Compressions

At-breast supplementer

If your baby needs a supplement of expressed milk, donor milk, or formula, you might want to consider using a device called an at-breast supplementer or nursing supplementer. Using something like this can give your baby that extra milk while they are nursing.
Supplementers can help parents have an at-breast or at-chest relationship with their baby whether or not they are able to produce milk. Commercial supplementers may be called by their brand names, but they work on the same principle: by delivering the supplement through a small tubing that attaches to your breast. There are also many low cost, do-it-yourself options that are just as effective.

Read a mother’s story about the long term use of a supplementer here.

Other things to consider

If you are looking to increase your milk supply, some of the following tips might be helpful to you.

• Avoid pacifiers and bottles when possible. Your baby finding comfort at the breast stimulates your supply.
• Some parents have found success after taking a “nursing vacation.” A nursing vacation looks like a weekend in bed with your baby with as much skin-to-skin time and nursing as possible. You can relax together without distractions and reconnect. This easy access to nursing can help encourage your baby to nurse more often and stimulate more milk production as a result.
• Triple check that your baby is latched effectively. A shallow latch caused by bad positioning or a tongue tie will lead to less milk being removed and a lower supply over time. For more information on tongue ties and how they impact nursing, read here.

I stopped nursing early on. Can I start nursing again? 

LLL Leader volunteers often hear from families who tried to breastfeed initially but stopped for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, breastfeeding seemed too hard or painful, and formula was seen as an easier option. Other times, there may have been a medical emergency that led to unintentional weaning. Or perhaps you are adopting a child after birthing and nursing your own children prior. For all these situations, relactation may be attempted.

Relactation requires time, patience, determination, and a cooperative baby! Whether you stopped breastfeeding due to a medical procedure, separation from baby, or just bad advice, many families find they can rebuild a milk supply very successfully.

Sometimes, relactation produces enough breastmilk to meet all of baby’s needs. Other times, supplementation may still be needed. The following strategies can be helpful for relactation and induced lactation to stimulate milk production:

• Putting baby to breast to suck at each feeding and for comfort between feedings as often as possible.
• Using hand expression or a breast pump.
• Using a nursing supplementer to provide expressed milk at the breast while baby sucks at the breast.
• Taking herbs/medication that increase milk supply. If you do use herbs or medications to increase your supply, be sure to consult a lactation-focused health care professional about your specific medical history as well as your breastfeeding goals.

Read more about relactation and induced lactation here.

BREASTFEEDING IS MORE THAN MILK.

The physical act of breastfeeding is more than the quantity of milk that is supplied, as you will find when you hold your baby in your arms. It is warmth, nutrition, and love all rolled into one. Understanding and appreciating the signs of knowing when your baby is getting enough to eat is one of the most important things you can learn. If you have any concerns regarding your baby, they should be addressed with your health care provider.

If your baby is showing signs of not getting enough milk, please do not hesitate to seek help from an LLL USA Leader or lactation professional and also your baby’s health care provider. Remember, you are the expert on your baby. If something doesn’t seem right, trust your intuition and reach out for help.

RESOURCES

Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?, LLL USA

Helping to Get Breastfeeding Off to a Good Start: Milk Supply, LLL USA blog

Increasing Milk Supply, LLLI

Maximizing Milk Production, Stanford Medicine

To Pump More Milk, Use Hands On Pumping, Nancy Morbacher, IBCLC

Perceived Insufficient Milk, KellyMom

Increasing Low Milk Supply, KellyMom

Feed The Baby: Building A Milk Supply, LLLI

How often should my baby feed?, LLLI

At-Breast Supplementer Nursing, LLLI

PERSONAL STORIES

Breastfeeding: More than Milk, LLL USA blog

Not only about milk (At-breast supplementer), LLL USA blog

Breastfeeding With A Lactation Aid, LLL USA blog

In praise of at-breast supplementers, LLL GB

What Breastfeeding Taught Me about being a Mother (Low Milk Supply), LLL USA blog

Evolution of a Breastfeeding Mother, LLLI

IS YOUR CONCERN OR QUESTION NOT COVERED HERE?

Please contact a local LLL Leader with your specific questions.

Medical questions and legal questions should be directed to appropriate health care and legal professionals.

Page updated May 2022

Portions partially adapted from LLLI materials.