What can I eat and drink to make the best milk?
Well, the simple answer to that is: eat enough calories and drink to match your thirst.
More specifically, you want to focus on eating protein and complex carbs (think potatoes, lentils, whole grains) steadily during the day. Try not to skip eating, especially in the morning. Focus on high quality nutritious foods. Your body and your baby will benefit from a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. When you support a healthy blood sugar by eating balanced throughout the day, you support a hormonal health – and your hormonal health is key to lactation.
There is no special breastfeeding diet. Consider all of the women around the globe who consume their usual diets and breastfeed without a second thought. If you’re concerned about your weight, though, now is not the time for a restrictive diet. While you are in the early stages of regulating your milk supply, avoid a significant lowering of your caloric intake. Place your focus on eating healthy, nutrient-dense foods to satisfy your appetite.
Foods
Beyond that, there are foods that are commonly used as galactagogues (things that help you produce more milk). Those foods include:
- Oats
- Flax
- Leafy green vegetables
Electrolytes
However, getting enough electrolytes is very important to make enough milk. You can get those from drinking coconut water, from using an electrolyte mix or drink, and from food. Salt your food, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Herbs
There are also herbs that have been associated with increased lactation. You can add some of these to your diet by adding to drinks and smoothies or by using as a tea or infusion.
- Alfalfa (great in tea)
- Blessed Thistle (great in tea)
- Moringa (powder can be added to smoothies and other drinks)
- Fennel (food and teas)
- Stinging Nettle (best to make an infusion, pouring hot water over the loose herb or tea bags and steeping 2 hours – overnight. Then add local honey if you wish and drink throughout the day).
Are Galactagogues Always Necessary?
There is some evidence that shows that galactagogues in the form of food and supplements can have a positive impact on milk production. If you are experiencing low milk supply, you want to work with an IBCLC who can help find the root cause and direct you to the most helpful solutions.
What to Avoid
There is also no food that you simply cannot eat. The key here is to watch your baby. If you notice your baby becomes irritable after that fourth cup of coffee, then this is a sign to adjust your caffeine intake. Infants can sometimes have trouble digesting the proteins in cows milk, soy, or egg. Removing those can make a difference if that is the source of your baby’s discomfort.
Sometimes a food we think may be offensive to a baby is actually something they prefer. For example, this study found that infants suckled for longer when their mothers had recently ingested garlic.
Breastmilk is made from your blood, not from the food you are currently digesting. Small particles of the foods we eat do end up in the milk, which can affect the variety of flavors our babies are able to experience when nursing. Your body regulates the composition of your milk, often taking nutrients from maternal stores to do so. It’s important to eat a healthy diet in order to replace those stores and keep your body in optimal health.
For those in Louisiana – you can eat crawfish when you’re breastfeeding. Just wash your hands really well after you’ve been peeling them before touching your baby and your breasts.
What About Fat?
You can affect the composition of fat in the milk, but your diet will not affect the amount of fat in your milk. For instance, if you eat a diet high in omega-3 fats, your breastmilk will have more omega-3 fats but the overall percentage of fat will remain the same. You can influence the fat content of your milk by frequent milk removal.
What is the key to a good milk supply?
If you are concerned about your milk supply, talk to a skilled IBCLC before making any radical diet changes. Frequent, effective emptying of the breasts is far more important than a specific food or drink! With a baby that is feeding at the breast, this means there is a deep, effective latch. When mom is pumping, this means the flanges are sized well and she is pumping frequently and following those pumping sessions with hand expression.
If there is something deeper going on – say a hormonal imbalance or an anatomical issue with the breast or baby’s mouth – an IBCLC can get to the root of that problem and create a specific care plan for you.
Worried that you’re not making enough milk? Please get in touch and set up an appointment. We can evaluate the latch, the pumping routine, and consider your unique history to figure out what is going on. Home visits, office visits, and virtual visits are all available.