I am an under-producing breastfeeding Mama. In eight weeks, I was able to increase my milk supply from barely 8 oz a day to 32-35 oz a day! How? With hardwork, determination, and following these simple seven steps.
Post Series: Pumping Mamas
New mothers face a lot of challenges. It can be especially overwhelming for those who breastfeed via pumping — whom I affectionally call Pumping Mamas. It is hard to find helpful information and resources that match our unique needs and situation. Whether you are a full-time pumper, a working mama, or just want to get a little extra milk stored up for trips or emergencies, this series is for you.
The first four steps to increase your milk supply all have to do with caring for your health. Yes, Mama, I know it can be very hard to tend to your own needs when you have a new baby, possibly older children, and everything else in your hectic life. I understand! I made the mistake of not taking care of me, and it nearly cost me my milk supply. Don’t let it happen to you.
First I shared our struggle with breastfeeding and low supply. In the previous post, we talked about how to properly care for your own health. Before we continue, I just want to restate the importance of making sure you are hydrated, getting enough calories, sleeping well, and managing stress. Taking care of your health is
As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my secret weapons — aka most effective methods — I used to increase my milk supply was to mimic a nursing baby’s cluster feeding. Milk production, after all, is a supply and demand process. When more is demanded, supply is usually increased to meet those demands.
Whether you are an exclusive pumper like me (what I like to call “full-time”), you are a working mama pumping during business hours (“part-time”), you just need to pump a little extra for a trip or to have some emergency storage, or if you are a lucky mama that has to pump to relieve over-production (Hey, it does happen!), here are some must-have items to make your time pumping easier.
Seriously. These items are life-savers!