Is Your Milk Supply Low? How to Boost Your Milk Production as a New Mom

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8 minute read

While it’s natural for your milk to take a few days to come in, 10-15% of moms continue to struggle with low milk supply. If you’re worried your newborn isn’t getting enough milk, you may be wondering if your milk supply is low.

Should you be nursing for longer? Do you need to drink milk-boosting tea? Does your baby need to supplement with formula? 

As a new mom, these questions (and so many others) can weigh heavily on your mind and take the joy out of what should be a beautiful, comfortable breastfeeding experience. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top questions moms have about low milk supply, how to find out whether you have a low milk supply, and proactive steps you can take to make sure your baby is getting the milk they need. 

Signs You Might Have Low Milk Supply

It can be helpful to be on the lookout for some of the early signs that could indicate you might have milk supply issues once your baby is born. The main “yellow flag” to keep an eye out for is a lack of changes to your breasts during pregnancy. 

According to the American Pregnancy Association, you should see:

  • Your breasts get larger throughout your pregnancy. 
  • Tenderness, sensitivity, and even itchiness. 
  • Darkening of your nipples and areolas (the skin around your nipples). 
  • Darkened veins along your beasts. 
  • Your nipples sticking out more and small bumps on your areolas.

These are all positive signs that your body is preparing to make milk for your baby. Beyond these changes to your body, there are other factors that can also impact your supply like:  

  • Previous breast surgeries or breast trauma.
  • A history of polycystic ovary syndrome (P.C.O.S.) or other thyroid issues.
  • Diabetes might also impact supply. 
  • A rare condition of mammary hypoplasia — where there isn’t enough milk-producing glandular tissue within the breast.

These risk factors don’t guarantee that you will have any milk supply challenges. But these are all good reasons to make a feeding plan and find a good lactation consultant before your little one arrives. 

Breast Milk Supply 101: How it Works

Image from: How Much Milk Your Baby Needs | WIC Breastfeeding Support | https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/how-much-milk-your-baby-needs

At first, it doesn’t take much milk to fill up your baby. That’s because at birth, their little tummy is only the size of a marble! 

During the first few days of your baby’s life your body produces a thick, yellowish substance called colostrum. And gradually, your body will start producing breast milk — usually around day 3 — as your little one’s tummy starts to get bigger. 

As you begin breastfeeding, your baby’s sucking signals to your body that it needs to make more milk. And as milk is removed from your breasts, your body makes more! It’s a beautiful supply and demand cycle. 

How to Tell if Your Baby is Getting Enough Milk

In the early days of feeding your baby, it can be challenging to know if they’re getting enough milk to meet their nutritional needs. The duration of a feeding session — whether long or short! — isn’t always a good indicator of how much milk your baby is getting. 

Your baby should be breastfeeding often, usually 8-12 times — or more! — in a 24 hour period. 

And in addition to eating often, here are some helpful signs that your little one is getting enough milk: 

  • Your baby is breastfeeding often, 8-12 times per day (24 hours).
  • You can see and hear your baby swallowing while breastfeeding.
  • Your baby seems happy and content after eating. 
  • Your baby is steadily gaining weight. (It’s normal for babies to lose some weight in the first week following birth, but they should be back to their birth weight by day 10-14 of life.)
  • Your baby has enough pees and poops throughout the day.

The last one — the number of pee and poop diapers in a day — is one of the easiest ways to keep track of how much your baby is eating. As your baby’s stomach grows and they drink more milk each day, you can expect more pee and poop diapers. 

Use the chart below to keep track of your baby’s diapers during the first week: 

Image from: How Much Milk Your Baby Needs | WIC Breastfeeding Support  | https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/how-much-milk-your-baby-needs

It’s also helpful to know that as your milk changes from colostrum to breast milk, your baby’s poops will change as well (from a thick dark tar-like consistency to more yellow, loose, and seedy). 

Use the chart below as a helpful guide for the first week with your baby.

Image from USDA WIC Feeding Support | How Much Milk Your Baby Needs | https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/how-much-milk-your-baby-needs 

How to Know if You Have Low Milk Supply

Here are some of the signs to look out for that your baby might not be getting enough to eat:

  • Your baby is breastfeeding fewer than 8 times per day (24 hours) most days.
  • You cannot see or hear your baby swallowing while breastfeeding.
  • Your baby has trouble staying latched on the breast or you hear clicking sounds during feedings.
  • Your baby seems fussy after breastfeeding.
  • Your baby continues to lose weight after day 5.
  • Your baby has fewer than 3 poops and fewer than 6 pees per day by 5 days old.
  • Your baby’s skin looks a bit yellow.

If you notice any of these signs it could mean that you have a low milk supply. But it could also be an indicator that your baby is having a hard time latching, sucking or swallowing. 

It’s important to consult with a lactation consultant to determine what’s going on and the best next steps on your breastfeeding journey. 

What to Do If You Think You Have a Low Milk Supply

If you’re worried about your milk supply, the best thing to do is to schedule a visit with a lactation consultant. 

Lactation consultants meet with new parents in their office, in your home, or via telehealth. During your visit, they will weigh your baby, observe your feeding sessions, offering helpful guidance, education, and action steps to get you and your baby on the right path. 

This could include assisting you by adjusting feeding positions, helping your baby achieve a deeper latch, or providing you with nipple balms, nipple shields, or other helpful products to make breastfeeding easier and more enjoyable. 

How to Find a Lactation Consultant

The hospital/birthing center where you delivered your baby most likely has lactation consultants on staff. These lactation consultants will meet with you while you’re in the hospital with your little one and can schedule follow up appointments once you return home. 

Your OBGYN/midwife should also have a list of lactation consultants in your area. They will be able to provide this information before or after your baby is born to connect you to helpful lactation resources. 

You can also check with your baby’s pediatrician — many have lactation consultants on staff that can pop into your baby’s check-ups. 

Another option is to search for lactation consultants in your area using La Leche’s helpful search tool. 

Pro Tip: Look for an IBCLC — these lactation consultants have clinical experience, specialized lactation education, and a commitment to breastfeeding families.

How to Increase Your Milk Supply

If you need to increase your milk supply, consider pumping after your baby’s feeding sessions. Most babies leave some milk behind that can be expressed through an electric breast pump or through hand expression. 

After your baby is done nursing, pump for 10-15 minutes on each breast. Try to do this 8-12 times per day to gradually increase your supply. 

Bottle feed this extra milk to your baby after your nursing sessions. 

Pro Tip: Don’t get discouraged if you don’t collect much milk at first. As you continue to pump, this signals to your body to produce more milk. Over time, your body will start making more milk to meet the “demand” of your baby and pumping sessions. 

Tips to Help Increase Your Milk Supply

Working to increase your milk supply —  on top of being sleep deprived and caring for a newborn — can be really stressful and hard…even with the help of an amazing lactation consultant. 

Here are 3 helpful tips that can offer some comfort when your breastfeeding journey is more difficult than you anticipated: 

  1. Find a breastfeeding support group.

Local support groups — like our twice weekly Lactation Lounge — can provide much needed community and encouragement during a particularly isolating time. 

A support group is a great place to meet other nursing moms, get answers from professional lactation consultants, and weigh your baby in-between appointments. 

Our Lactation Lounge is open to all mothers in the community and is facilitated by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Please join us every Monday and Friday!

  1. Eat foods + supplements to support your milk production. 

Breastfeeding uses a lot of your body’s energy! You’ll need an extra 330-400 calories per day (compared to your diet before becoming pregnant). 

Some nursing moms may swear by certain foods that increase milk supply — but there isn’t yet enough evidence to confirm these findings. Try to eat a well rounded diet full of healthy fats, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

It is important to note that your body needs extra iodine and choline while you’re breastfeeding. 

Iodine can be found in dairy products, eggs, seafood, or in iodized table salt. And choline can be found in dairy and protein, such as eggs, meats, some seafood, beans, peas, and lentils.

You may also find comfort drinking a cup of lactation tea — made with organic herbs traditionally used to help support healthy breast milk production and promote healthy lactation.

There are also some game changing milk support products out there. Check out our Lactation Support Guide to learn more about some of our favorite supplements, tinctures, tonics, and snacks that may help boost your milk production.  

  1. Take care of your breasts + breastfeeding sessions. 

The first step to successful breastfeeding sessions? Making sure you and your baby are as comfortable as possible! Because when you’re spending hours nursing your little one, it’s important to be relaxed and at ease to encourage a smooth letdown of milk.

Find a comfortable chair, use a breastfeeding pillow and nursing stool if you need it. And make the most of your feeding sessions with a high-quality pump that gets the most milk out of your breasts. You may also enjoy using a milk collector or breast massager while your baby nurses.

And take care of your breasts in between nursing sessions! Use a quality nipple butter, Silverette cups, or Hydrogel pads to provide much-needed relief and healing before your baby’s next nursing session. 

More of Your Breastfeeding Questions Answered: 

We know that low milk supply may be only one of your many questions about breastfeeding. Here are some additional articles to support you along your journey: 

And if you still have questions about breastfeeding… Join us in person for a breastfeeding class!

Breastfeeding Classes in Vista, CA

One of the key ingredients to a successful breastfeeding experience is education! We offer several helpful breastfeeding classes at the Babies in Bloom Boutique to get you off to a good start so that you can avoid common breastfeeding problems. 

Here are our upcoming breastfeeding classes: 

Our classes are held at: 127 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084. We hope to see you there!

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