Ways to help breast milk come in faster include breastfeeding directly and more frequently, ensuring your baby has a proper latch, practicing skin-to-skin contact, massaging the breasts, and keeping your body relaxed and hydrated.
After giving birth, you may wonder how to make your breast milk come in faster. This is actually quite common because during the first 2 to 5 days after delivery, the breasts produce colostrum in relatively small amounts.
A larger volume of breast milk usually starts to increase around the fourth day after giving birth. Therefore, having a small amount of breast milk on the first day does not mean that your body is unable to produce enough milk.
Causes of Low Milk Supply After Giving Birth
A small amount of breast milk after delivery can be influenced by several factors. Here are some common causes:
- Hormonal changes: After giving birth, estrogen and progesterone levels decrease, allowing the hormone prolactin to stimulate breast milk production.
- The breasts are not emptied frequently enough: Regular stimulation through breastfeeding or expressing milk helps signal the body to continue producing breast milk.
- Poor latch: An improper latch can make it difficult for the baby to suck effectively, which may reduce milk removal from the breasts.
- Difficulty sucking: Certain conditions may make it difficult for the baby to breastfeed effectively, resulting in insufficient stimulation of the breasts.
Ways to Help Breast Milk Come In Faster
Here are several ways to support breastfeeding and help maintain an optimal milk supply.
1. Breastfeed Directly
Breastfeed your baby every 2–3 hours or whenever they show hunger cues, as your baby's sucking provides stimulation to the breasts. This stimulation helps your body maintain milk production through the supply-and-demand mechanism, where the more frequently the breasts are emptied, the more milk the body is stimulated to produce.
2. Make Sure Your Baby Has a Proper Latch
Make sure your baby's mouth opens wide and takes in a large portion of the areola, rather than latching onto the nipple alone. A proper latch allows milk to be removed more effectively while also helping reduce nipple pain.
3. Gently Massage Your Breasts
Gently massage your breasts before or while expressing milk using circular motions with your fingertips, moving from the outer part of the breast toward the area around the nipple. Do this gently for a few minutes and avoid applying too much pressure to prevent discomfort or pain.
4. Practice Skin-to-Skin Contact with Your Baby
Place your baby, wearing only a diaper, on your bare chest, then cover both of you with a cloth or blanket. Direct skin-to-skin contact can help calm your baby and support breastfeeding initiation and continuation.
5. Relax Your Body and Mind
Tension can make the let-down reflex, or milk ejection reflex, feel more difficult. Try sitting comfortably, breathing slowly, and choosing a quiet place to breastfeed so that your body can relax.
6. Increase Breastfeeding Frequency
During the first few weeks, babies generally breastfeed around 8–12 times within 24 hours. This frequency provides regular stimulation to the breasts and helps maintain breast milk production.
7. Avoid Using Pacifiers
If possible, prioritize direct breastfeeding, especially while you and your baby are still establishing a comfortable breastfeeding routine. Direct sucking provides stimulation to the breasts and helps encourage continued milk production, while pacifier use may still be considered based on each baby's needs and circumstances.
8. Try Oxytocin Massage
Oxytocin massage is a massage technique performed along the spine, from the neck down toward the shoulder blades, which may help you feel more relaxed while breastfeeding. The hormone oxytocin plays a role in milk ejection, but oxytocin massage is not an instant way to increase breast milk production.
9. Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods
Consuming nutrient-rich foods can help meet your body's energy and nutritional needs while breastfeeding, allowing milk production to continue optimally. Choose foods such as eggs, fish, chicken, meat, green vegetables, fruits, rice or other carbohydrate sources, and healthy fats such as avocados and nuts.
10. Drink Plenty of Water
Drink according to your thirst and make sure you stay hydrated while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers generally need around 2.7 liters of fluids per day from all sources, including water and fluids from food. However, the amount can be adjusted based on your thirst, activity level, and individual needs.
11. Take a Warm Shower Before Breastfeeding
Taking a warm shower or applying a warm compress before breastfeeding can help you feel more relaxed and comfortable. Being relaxed can support the release of oxytocin, which plays a role in the milk ejection reflex or let-down reflex, making it easier for milk to flow, especially during breastfeeding or pumping.
12. Try Power Pumping
Power pumping can be done once a day for around 3–7 days to provide additional stimulation to the breasts. One possible pattern is to pump for 20 minutes, rest for 10 minutes, pump for another 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes, and then pump again for 10 minutes, for a session lasting around 1 hour.
13. Practice Yoga or Meditation
Gentle yoga or meditation can help you manage tension and create a calmer environment before breastfeeding. The primary benefit is relaxation rather than directly increasing breast milk production.
14. Get Enough Rest
Caring for a newborn can often interrupt your sleep, even though breastfeeding mothers generally need around 7–9 hours of sleep within 24 hours, including nighttime sleep and short daytime naps. Try to sleep or rest when your baby sleeps, and ask loved ones for help with household chores so you can get enough rest.
15. Breastfeed from Both Breasts
Breastfeeding from both breasts during a feeding session can provide adequate stimulation to both breasts and support milk production. Allow your baby to breastfeed from the first breast until they finish or naturally release the breast, then offer the other breast if they still show signs of hunger.
Conclusion
Knowing ways to help breast milk come in faster can help you feel more confident during the early stages of breastfeeding. Focus on the factors that have the greatest impact, such as breastfeeding directly and frequently, ensuring a proper latch, practicing skin-to-skin contact, and keeping your body comfortable and hydrated.
If your baby has difficulty latching, rarely breastfeeds, does not seem to swallow, or has fewer wet diapers than expected for their age, do not hesitate to seek help from a doctor, midwife, or lactation consultant.
In addition to making sure your baby's breast milk needs are met, their comfort should also be considered during everyday activities. To help keep your baby's skin comfortable, you can choose MAKUKU Slim Luxury Silky, which features SAP Thin Core Technology as thin as 1.6 mm, Natural Fine Silk, and high absorbency for up to 12 hours.
FAQ
1. Should breast milk come in abundantly right after giving birth?
Not necessarily. During the first 2–5 days after giving birth, the body produces colostrum in small amounts. Breast milk production usually begins to increase around the fourth day after delivery.
2. How can I tell if my baby is getting enough breast milk?
Pay attention to whether your baby breastfeeds around 8–12 times a day, you can hear them swallowing, they appear satisfied after feeding, and they have an age-appropriate number of wet diapers. Their weight should also be monitored regularly.
3. Does having a small amount of breast milk mean that the milk is not good?
Not necessarily, Moms. During the first 2–5 days after giving birth, the body naturally produces colostrum in small amounts, but colostrum is still rich in nutrients and protective factors for your baby. Normal colostrum may have a yellowish color and thicker texture, while breast milk accompanied by a large amount of blood, pus, or unusual changes should be discussed with a doctor.
