5 Natural Breastmilk Increasing Foods | Hea Boosters

As a new mom, it is normal to have several doubts and questions. ‘Am I feeding my little one enough?’ ‘Is my baby getting enough breastmilk?’ ‘Will milk flow reduce if I start pumping my milk instead of breastfeeding?’ All these questions and doubts can stress you out.

Breastfeeding isn't something we're born knowing how to do and with the added responsibility of having a Tony human who is entirely dependent on you, it can sometimes feel really overwhelming, especially if you're trying to figure it all out by yourself.

While your body generally produces enough milk, to cater to your little one's needs, if you're on the lookout for a few breastmilk increasing foods we've got a few such as shatavari and methi (fenugreek) that are widely used by many cultures and can really help increase the flow of breastmilk.

Here are 5 natural breastmilk increasing foods:

1. Shatavari:

A member of the asparagus family, shatavari, is known to boost breast milk production and is popular for the multiple benefits it confers upon a woman's reproductive health in general. It enhances the production of hormones like prolactin that improving the quality and the amount of your breast milk. Shatavari increases the secretion of steroid hormones that enhance milk production.

2. Fennel seeds:

Fennel seeds are considered one of the most common and useful herbs that are consumed by women worldwide. Fennel seeds contain phytoestrogens, which are essential for increasing breast milk supply, which makes it one of the best natural supplements for increasing the milk supply. It also helps in improving digestive health, blood pressure, and reduces asthma and other respiratory ailments.

3. Green leafy vegetables:

Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of micronutrients, dietary fibre, and bioactive compounds that can be helpful during the postpartum recovery period and also help mom’s reach their daily nutritional requirements.

Additionally, they contain phytoestrogens, a substance found in certain plants which can produce effects like that of the hormone estrogen when ingested into the body, that may enhance breast milk supply. Adding several green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, methi leaves, and mustard leaves, to your diet will help increase your breastmilk.

4. Tofu:

Tofu is a soy product and is rich in protein and essential micronutrients. Tofu has been used to improve breast milk supply due to its phytoestrogen content. You can add tofu to a variety of preparation, such as soups salads, and curries.

5. Almonds:

Nuts, especially raw almonds are healthy and full of protein and calcium. Almonds are known for their potential estrogenic activity which increases breastmilk production. Raw almonds are a rich source of healthy proteins and calcium, which can help the growth process of your baby.

Apart from consuming all of the above-mentioned breast milk increasing foods, it is important for you to stay hydrated throughout the day. With 87% of breastmilk is made up of water, the volume of milk can drop sharply if you don't hydrate often and enough.

Adding milk, coconut water or other fluids to your diet such as smoothies is a good option to stay hydrated for long. Remember that stress plays a major role in lowering the production of breastmilk. One of the ways to reduce this is to have an open line of communication between your partner, family and your friends, and allowing them to help

While taking care of several things and adjusting to new timetables and routines, it is normal for new moms to skip meals and inadvertently neglect their nutritional needs. It is important to remember that only a good meal plan can take care of you and your little one completely.

Having a balanced diet plays an important role in the production of breastmilk. Adding breastmilk increasing foods(such as shatavari, methi, and the others mentioned above) to your daily meals will help increase your milk flow and conference a host of other benefits on you and your baby too.


Studies:

Review of herbs that increase breastmilk:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5158159

Affects of stress on breastmilk:
bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186