How to Make More Milk: Demand = Supply

• To build our supply, the following suggestions may help.
  
• Provided that our baby is correctly positioned we will find that the quickest and most successful way to boost our supply is to breastfeed more frequently. We may want to offer a breastfeed every two or three hours during the day, for a few days, or at least increase the number of feeds by offering the breast in between our baby's usual breastfeeds.
  Here is an easy way of doing this. If our baby does not settle after a feed, wait 20 or 30 minutes and then offer another quick little topping up breastfeed. Those few minutes of extra nursing and cuddling may be all that is needed to soothe and satisfy.
• Whenever practicable, let our baby finish the first breast before switching to the second breast. Let our baby decide the length of the breastfeed. Some babies may take up to 20 minutes or longer to drain a breast and obtain all the kilojoule-rich milk.
  
• Alternatively we may find it helps to change sides several times during a feed whenever our baby's sucking seems to become less vigorous. Some people find that this encourages the baby to suck more strongly and stimulates a good let-down reflex.
  If our baby is awake we can offer little snack feeds without waiting for baby to cry for them.
• We can try offering the breast as a comforter for a few days instead of dummy or thumb.
  
• We can also try massaging our breast by stroking it towards the nipple on all sides as baby feeds. Take care not to disturb the nipple in our baby's mouth.
  
• We will find that throughout lactation baby will have days when more breastfeeds are needed. This is Nature's way of producing more milk for our baby's growing needs.
  Most mothers find that they need to feed at least 6 times in 24 hours just to maintain their supply. Many new babies need 8 - 12 or more feeds in 24 hours. However the frequency of feeds generally declines as baby gets older.
  
• To increase our supply, we will need to fit in more feeds than is usual for OUR BABY. Feeds do not need to be very long, just more often. Though in each 24 hours some feeds will be only 5 to 10 minutes long, others may be 30 minutes or longer, particularly when baby feeds to sleep slowly and contentedly.
  
• Help our milk to let-down quickly. Relax and enjoy feed times. Try to remove distractions (take the phone off the hook, put a do not disturb sign on our door), then settle with baby into a comfortable chair and breathe deeply, relaxing each part of our body separately as we may have learned to do at ante-natal classes. Have a drink on hand, a book or a magazine, listen to the radio or watch TV.
  
• Babies vary greatly in the amount of sucking they seem to need. There is no need to worry if our baby is contented with a fairly short feed. Some babies, however love to continue sucking long after the flow of milk has dwindled to a trickle. This is fine too. Our baby will let we know how long feeds need to be.
  
• A baby who is well positioned is more able to empty the breast. Hold our baby close to our chest, body facing ours, and lower arm around our waist. (baby's mouth should be directly opposite our nipple.) This makes it easier for our baby to take the breast. When offering the breast, just touch our baby's lips with our nipple and wait for the mouth to open wide. Centre baby's mouth over our nipple, guiding it over the tongue and pull the baby close against us so that a good mouthful of our nipple and areola (the darker area around the nipple) is in our baby's mouth.
  
  
  MORE FREQUENT FEEDING MEANS MORE MILK
  
  How to make more milk:
  
  Feed our baby more frequently than usual.
  Check that baby is well positioned at the breast.
  Whenever possible, allow the baby to decide on the length of a feed.