Ah, the milk supply – it’s every breastfeeding mom’s concern. From foods to avoid while breastfeeding to taking supplements that could possibly make you smell like maple syrup, moms will do whatever it takes to ensure her breastfeeding experience is operating at optimal levels.
My breastfeeding journey with Laila was rough. I’ll spare you of details, but I talk all about the details here. Breastfeeding was no picnic in the park and it took many days and nights failing and trying things to finally get the hang of it. I hated pumping, I always had to wear a nursing bra and pads & I could never get a freezer stash so I could actually leave the child. When we decided to have our 2nd, I felt WAY MORE prepared and confident and knew what to expect going in.
When I had Liana, I was so confident and had gotten the hang of it that I was able to store & max out at 200 oz. in the deep freezer from pumping, nurse that drop of a hat & feel comfortable leaving the house in case she got hungry. Read about my experience with her here. It still took 7 weeks to get used to the process again, but I was able to approach it with so much more wisdom and knowledge than the first time. Today I am sharing my tips of what I learned outside of just eating a healthy rich diet in order to help increase my milk supply tremendously the 2nd time around.
Your Pump Flanges Make the Difference
All moms are usually offered a free pump through their insurance companies and usually they provide all of the basic “starter kit” pieces that will accompany the pump. That includes flanges. Flanges are those amazing funnel shaped pieces of plastic you have to put on your boobs. The size of your flanges and how your nipples pump through them makes a huge difference! If your nipples are stuffed in them, chances are you’re not pumping out enough milk! Crazy, right?! Make sure your flanges are a proper fit and your nipples pump through without rubbing against the sides.
Step Away from the Fenugreek – Go Legendairy!
This was a GAME CHANGER for me. With Laila I bought all the fenugreek supplements and sadly it wasn’t effective, until Legendairy. I came across this brand when Liana was just about a few days old, as I was trying to find something to help me with my milk supply. Legendairy had supplements with raving reviews across the board for helping to boost supplies around the world. Their products use all-natural supplements, are vegan and NO FENUGREEK.
Using these, I was pumping so much milk, it was unreal. Not only that, my milk was so much thicker, creamier and my fat content was high! Since Liana was pretty gassy initially, I opted to use this blend, which is formulated to help sensitive tummies.
Follow/Join a Nursing Community
Speaking of Legendairy, they have built an entire community around helping women maximize their breastfeeding journey. These lactation consultants are dedicated to helping moms in any way shape or form. They have SO MUCH information to share, it’s almost like “how do you all know this stuff?!” You can check them out here.
Get a Hand Express Pump
My girlfriend gave me this little gadget and I did not think this little piece of silicone could have so much of an impact. When you’re nursing your baby, your other breast will “let down” and leak milk. Rather than let that go to waste, you will use this handy gadget to “pump” on the empty side so you don’t waste any milk. Genius!! So as I was in the early stages of Liana’s life, I would hand pump approx.. 5 oz./day until she went to school. Eventually those ounces added up and was essential in helping me get to the 200oz. stocked in the freezer that I mentioned beore.
Big things do come in small packages!