From Barbara: As an IBCLC,one of the most common reasons parents come to see me is that they are worried about their rate of milk production. They feed they need to work on increasing their rate of milk production. Notice my terminology. RATE of milk production. All parents can usually make some human milk. However, some definitely make more than others.

First of all, if you are a parent and you are struggling with your rate of milk production, or just worried, wondering if you are making enough milk, please don’t do it alone! People like me are trained to help parents work as effectively as possible. Parents who are worried about their rate of milk production are usually working really hard. I want you to be working as smart as possible. What will get you the most bang for the buck in terms of your time and energy?

What can a family do?

Get help. Ask around. Find an IBCLC who is well recommended or has good reviews.

Go to a support group! At the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor have our Breastfeeding Cafe each week. La Leche League and Breastfeeding USA are around the world. Here in Michigan we also have the Black Mother’s Breastfeeding Association. Misery does love company! Find some people who care about nursing as much as you!

When you go and see someone they will most likely talk about herbs and medications that could help with increasing milk rate of production but they should first focus on better milk removal. A better, deeper latch. And increasing the frequency and effectiveness of each milk removal. These ares key. Without good milk removal all the herbs and medications in the world are not going to get you to where you want to go. Once effective milk removal techniques are covered, then you can talk about other ideas that might help up-regulate the rate of milk production.

Foods? Sure, why not. Good fats, lots of fiber, and probiotics all have been shown in diary research (I know we are not cows but we are all mammals!) to help with increasing milk production or calorie count per oz. Eat to hunger, drink to thirst. Avoid mint, parsley, and sage.

I do feel that increasing the rate of milk production is like preventing a cold. Each person needs something a little different but there are some common things that seems to help.

I would also highly recommend the 2020 Edition of Making More Milk and lowmilksupply.org.

Furthermore, consider listening to All Things Breastfeeding Episode 26: Low Milk Supply

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