Increasing Your Milk Supply

Breast milk is made by supply and demand. The more your baby demands by sucking at the breast, the more you'll make. Be patient! It takes your body a couple of days to increase production.

There are two important parts to having an abundance of milk:

Frequent and effective sucking by your baby;
Frequent emptying of the breast until it's soft.

There are a number of reasons for low milk production:

A sleepy baby that doesn't suck much at the breast;
A baby that receives supplemental formula which causes him to sleep more and feel fuller, thus demanding less frequency at the breast;
Unrelieved engorgement: The pressure exerted during engorgement decreases milk production;
A sick mother or baby;
Sore nipples can lead to less nursing by sheer avoidance due to pain;
Stress, fatigue, dieting or returning back to work;
Growth spurts of your baby at about 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 4 to 6 months causing a temporary imbalance in supply and demand.

Recommendations

Nurse more frequently and longer at each feeding. Arouse a sleepy baby and empty both breasts at a feeding or switch back and forth during the feeding. Nurse 8-10 times in 24 hours (MINIMUM).
Get more rest! Sleep when your baby sleeps. Delegate responsibilities. Limit visitors. Fatigue is a major factor in decreased milk production.
Drink to quench your thirst.
Avoid cigarettes; nicotine inhibits let down and is associated with poor milk supply.
Delay taking the birth control pill or 'mini-pill'; use another form of birth control while nursing.
Avoid dieting. Mother Nature has prepared you during your pregnancy with extra fat stores that will be utilized during lactation. Body fat decreases during lactation and a well-fed lactating mother is more likely to produce a healthy infant. In general, you'll need an extra 500 calories a day for milk production (compared to 200-300 extra calories a day during pregnancy).
Arouse your baby for night feedings.

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