Both of my kids were breastfed. Breastfeeding is simultaneously the most convenient and the most challenging thing in the new mom world.

It’s great to not have to get out of bed to mix a bottle or remember to bring all of your bottle mixing tools with you when you leave the house. But it’s also challenging and painful in the beginning. Not made ANY easier by society and their opinions.

Only other breastfeeding mothers understand the trouble, the emotional exhaustion, the physical pain and the judgement that goes along with breastfeeding. It’s HARD. Every aspect of it.

Whether you’re just starting out and having latching problems or it’s so painful that you cry at every feeding. Whether you’re established but having anxiety over supply, made worse by non-breastfeeders opinions of how hungry your baby is or isn’t.

Being shunned to vacant rooms for “Privacy” while you get to listen to everyone else having fun in the next room over. Being clawed until blood’s drawn because you’re afraid of nicking her finger again with the nail clippers. And then TEETHING.

But pumping, for many of us, institutes a WHOLE other set of problems with breastfeeding. Lots of moms don’t have any issues with pumping. The biggest irritant for these lucky ladies is the time consumption it demands.

For me, pumping was a daunting task. I would pump for 30 minutes and only get an ounce from both sides COMBINED. It would take me all day and three to four pumping sessions before I had enough to fill one bag for the freezer.

I remember when my doctor suggested benedryl for my PUPPPs and when I told him it knocked me out for 2 days and I had to take care of my baby, he replied with “Just pump some up and put it in a bottle! Your husband can feed baby while you sleep.” I couldn’t explain to him why it wasn’t as simple as that.

Or when relatives got upset because I couldn’t let them keep the baby for a couple of hours. “Just pump up some milk for her!” they would insist over and over. No matter how many times I tried to explain it to them.

It’s hard to explain that pumping doesn’t work very well for you to people who already aren’t thrilled that you’re breastfeeding.

How much you pump DOES NOT directly and unconditionally correlate to how much you’re producing.

I overcame my pumping obstacles through stubbornness, mostly. Like Will Smith said in that one interview, “I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill.”

I became obsessed with ALWAYS doing something that related to breastfeeding. I was at ALL TIMES either

Feeding baby
Eating something to increase supply
Drinking something to increase supply
Using oils that increased supply
Pumping

And eventually, I found the time in my life when I wasn’t stressed over this process and I actually had some milk stock piled in the freezer.

Increasing Supply

I see tons of Mamas stressing over low supply. More likely than not, your supply isn’t actually low. You SHOULDN’T ever feel engorged. Engorgement is uncomfortable and usually caused by skipping a feeding or over production.

The only way to know if you really do have a low supply is if baby is having less wet diapers or not gaining weight. THAT’S when you should be concerned. Stress WILL lower supply.

So unless baby is having some problems, you need to find trust in your body and the process. You’re not just automatically going to produce enough for two babies without some prompting.

But it never hurts to be a little proactive.

It really is a supply and demand thing. The BEST thing you can do for your supply is tell your body you need more in the form of feeding and pumping. The more you feed and pump, the more your body is going to produce.

This is why babies ‘cluster feed’. When they go through these spurts when they’re wanting to be attached all of the time, let them. They’re upping yall’s supply.

Foods to Increase Supply

Oatmeal
Lactation Cookies
Brewers yeast
Nuts
- Almonds
Seeds
- Flax seed
Healthy fats
- Avocado
- Nut butters
Protein Protein Protein
Veggies Veggies Veggies

I had myself convinced that anything chocolate increased supply. Although dark chocolate can, this super power of chocolate probably doesn’t extend to brownies or candy bars. But it was a fun thing to tell myself until my enlarging hips became angry.

Drinks to Increase Supply

Mother’s Milk Tea
Water Water Water

Essential Oils to Increase Supply

Fennel
Basil
Clary Sage

I like to make a roll on of 10 drops basil + 10 drops clary sage topped off with fractionated coconut oil. Use 1-2 times daily as needed. Simply roll straight onto the breasts, avoiding the nipple.

Dilute more with 5 drops each topped with fractionated coconut oil if you have super sensitive skin like I do.

I also like to take 1 drop fennel + 1 drop basil in a veggie capsule daily. This one gave me THE biggest boost in supply.

Fennel can’t be taken or used 10 days in a row though, since it can increase flow of the urinary tract as well. We don’t want that. Which is why I don’t include it in my roller balls.

Myself and some friends have also had some luck increasing supply with high quality vitamins.

How to Pump More

Now that you’ve got your supply where you want it, it’s time to convince your body that the pump needs your baby’s milk.

Find a Pumping Routine

Sit in the same spot, with the same beverage at the same times each day. Creating this routine around pumping lets your body learn the cues for what you want from it.

I always pumped right after breakfast and then as soon as baby went down for a nap throughout the day. Since baby would be sleeping for a while, I wouldn’t sabotage myself with thoughts of “What if she gets hungry and I’ve just pumped!?”

Distract Yourself

Watch tv, play on your phone, read a book, have a conversation. Do something, ANYTHING but think about pumping.

We often get in our own ways with thinking too much about it. If you’re putting the pressure on yourself or worried about how much you have or haven’t been getting, the stress will shut it down and exactly nothing is what you’ll get.

Look at Your Baby

Oxytocin is released when you look at your baby. This hormone helps release the milk from your body.

Pump More

It really is a supply and demand thing.

The more you try, the more chance you have at figuring it out. Practice makes perfect.

Experiment

Use different angles. Different pumps. Different flange sizes. Try manual and automatic. Different speeds and rhythms.

We’re all different and different things work for each of us. Listen to your intuition. If if pops in your head, try it.

Foreplay

Oxytocin thing.

Good luck! And let us know in the comments if you have something that works for you!

Author

S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water

LET’S BE FRIENDS!

Explore working with me to find your voice and share your message with the world.

How to Pump More Milk