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Rebuilding Your Milk Supply
If extra milk calms your baby’s crying and you want to rebuild your
milk supply, you probably can. Speak to your doctor, a lactation
consultant, or a La Leche League leader for advice. You can try some of
these remedies too:
1. Diagnose the Problem
Sometimes poor feeding is caused by a “mommy problem.”
You may be trying to put your baby on the breast incorrectly.
Or you may have flat nipples, a thyroid problem, fatigue,
pain, poor nutrition, and—rarely—insufficient breast tissue.
If your nipples are cracked or sore, speak with your doctor to
make sure you don’t have a yeast infection. Also you can try
letting a little of your milk dry on them after each feeding.
Breast milk contains special factors that speed the healing of
irritated skin.
Poor feeding may also be caused by a “baby problem.” Some
babies have a hard time getting the hang of nursing. Some
are weak, some are “lazy,” some suck their tongue instead of
your nipple, a few are tongue-tied, and others are just plain
confused and try to bite instead of suckle.
Regardless of the cause, if you are having pain or any nursing
problem, get help as soon as possible.
2. Increase Your Supply. Once you know your breasts are fine and
your baby is sucking well, the next step is increasing your milk

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supply. Here’s how:
Eat well and get as much rest as you can.
Empty your breasts frequently. Nurse your baby every two to
three hours (during your waking hours). Some lactation
consultants recommend that moms use only one breast per
feeding; however, especially when you want to build up your
milk supply, I think it’s best to switch breasts frequently
(move her from one breast to the other every seven to ten
minutes until she stops wanting to suck).
If you are not too tired or overwhelmed, you may build up
your milk supply further by pumping or expressing milk once
or twice a day. I recommend pumping for five to ten minutes
before the first feeding of the morning, or whenever your
breasts feel the fullest. Don’t worry about depriving your
baby of milk. You’ll remove some foremilk, but that still
leaves the rich hindmilk for her to enjoy. After a few days
you should notice your supply increasing.
Use imagery while you’re nursing or pumping to increase
milk production. Get comfortable and imagine your favorite
safe, relaxing place and visualize your breasts making lots of
milk. One mother I know imagined lying in the sun on a
tropical island, with rivers of milk flowing out of her breasts
to the ocean, turning the seas white—it worked!
Try some fenugreek tea or a product called Mother’s Milk tea
made of fennel, anise, mint, and fenugreek to stimulate your
breasts’ milk glands.
Ask your doctor about prescription medications that help
increase your milk supply or the letting down of the milk you
already have. Also ask if you need your thyroid checked.