A mother who plans on breastfeeding her baby needs to put some thought into what she is putting into her body due to the way in which it has a direct impact on breast milk production. Diet is often overlooked in this kind of situation as stress and lack of sleep will be put down as causes of a drop in milk production instead of food.
While stress and poor sleep does contribute, it will also prove to be beneficial for you to make sure you are eating the correct food for health reasons in general. So, to help, we are going to look at the best natural foods that you really should not ignore when you want to know how to increase breast milk production fast.
How Your Eating Changes Your Milk Supply.
Your body is very good at using whatever you eat for its own benefit. While we think about our blood sugar levels or our ability to either put on weight or lose it, we cannot afford to ignore how it is able to change your breast milk supply.
What you must remember is that a poor diet is going to have a greater chance of affecting you, the mother, rather than the baby. Producing milk is a stressful time, and it uses up a lot of energy. Not giving your body enough nutrients and minerals is going to lead to you not having an adequate level of fuel to actually go ahead and produce the quality and level of milk that your baby needs.
But then, this is not about just eating whatever you feel like as surely you will then get some energy and boost your milk supply as a result. Instead, it is a bit more complicated than that as we are about to explain. Oh, and with this, we are going to stick to natural foods.
Organic Fenugreek.
Fenugreek is rather spectacular in that it has been shown time and time again to be effective at boosting breast milk production within 24 to 72 hours after taking it for the first time. While the reasons behind its ability are not fully known, it has been used for generations for this very purpose. Also, it is deemed to be completely safe for everyone.
Oats.
One reason why you may be struggling with milk supply is due to lower iron levels after your pregnancy. Oats are high in natural iron and can help combat this problem so, as a result, they will also then boost your milk supply. As it is a good source of iron, it also then increases the level of red blood cells and this, in turn, boosts milk production.
Papaya.
Aside from being delicious, papaya is also known as a galactagogue which means it boosts breast milk production. This is largely due to the way in which it encourages the development of more oxytocin in the body and that has a profound impact on your ability to produce milk.
Milk Thistle.
This is another galactagogue and has been used to help in milk production across Europe and Asia for generations. It works by increasing the amount of hormones related to milk production, so your body is then effectively kickstarted into producing more milk.
Legumes.
Legumes include the likes of chickpeas and lentils, and they are also known as phytoestrogens. What this means is that it is a plant based type of estrogen, so it could prove to be beneficial to your body in a number of ways. A change in hormone levels can result in poorer milk supply, so taking natural foods that can combat this will clearly be beneficial to you.
Fennel.
The reason why fennel could be so beneficial is because it has a number of different estrogen like properties. As we mentioned earlier, changes in hormones will often be a major cause of some difficulty in creating milk. The fact that fennel has the ability to replicate certain aspects will make it far more likely that the entire milk production cycle will be put into action once again.
Dark Greens.
When discussing dark greens, we are talking about the likes of kale, spinach, swiss chard and arugula. These vegetables are packed full of so many different vitamins and minerals that your body loves them, so you do need to increase your intake in your diet. The combination of vitamins contained within these vegetables will spur your body onto creating more milk as it has the energy and ability to do so. Also, they do contain phytoestrogens which fits in nicely with the overall theme of hormonal changes being at the root of a drop in milk production.
Organic Lactation Tea.
One final thing to consider is lactation tea. This is a special combination that contains a number of different compounds that are effective at boosting milk production. They will contain various herbs, vitamins and minerals that your body is craving. Do consider getting in touch with a lactation consultant to make sure that you are using the correct version for your own needs. However, it makes sense that if you are giving your body the correct fuel for this kind of thing that your milk supply will indeed start to increase.
So, those are the best natural foods that you can consume that will then have a direct impact on both the quality and quantity of your breast milk production. Look at really bringing them into your diet on a regular basis and even though they will not help instantly, the difference will take effect and you will be amazed at how it changes production.
We cannot guarantee you the level to which these natural foods are going to help, but here is more than enough literature to back up the claims being made and that there really will be a significant improvement. However, do be aware that we are not talking about something that is going to improve as soon as you take it, so perseverance is going to be key.