Breastfeeding: Embracing the Natural Process of Nourishing Your Baby
Breastfeeding is the natural process of feeding a baby with breast milk directly from the mother’s breasts. It is recommended by healthcare professionals as the best source of nutrition for infants, especially during the first six months of life. Breast milk provides essential nutrients, antibodies, and other beneficial components that support a baby’s growth and development.
Why Breastfeeding?
During breastfeeding, the baby latches onto the mother’s breast and suckles to extract milk. The act of breastfeeding not only nourishes the baby but also promotes bonding between the mother and child. Breast milk is easily digested, helps protect against infections and diseases, and offers numerous health benefits for both the baby and the mother.
Why low milk supply?
But often many a women face issues of dip in breast milk supply due to various reasons like stress or fatigue, introducing formula milk or pacifier too early, poor latch or ineffective feeding technique, mother’s health issues like hormonal imbalances or poor nutrition.
But fret not, as a fellow mother I can empathise with the mother’s guilt one feels on being incapacitated to feed their tot due to low breastmilk supply. I bring to you 10 home remedies I can vouch for to improve your milk supply like I did.
Here are 10 best Home Remedy to boost breastmilk supply
First and foremost a lactating mother needs to be stress free and relaxed always. Even taking stress of why my breast milk supply is dipping will affect your current milk supply. So it’s like a vicious circle but a mother needs to keep and feel her state of mind as happy to boost her milk supply.
Skin to skin touch between mum and tot is really important to promote good milk supply. Try to take the baby without clothes onto your breasts (preferably topless) 3-4 times in a day. This really helps in mental stimulation of hormones for increasing your breast milk supply.
Frequent and effective nursing because Breast milk supply works on a supply and demand basis. The more you nurse your baby, the more signals your body receives to produce milk. Aim for at least 8 to 12 nursing sessions in a 24-hour period.
Make sure your baby is latching correctly to effectively stimulate milk production. One can seek assistance from a lactation consultant if they are unsure about the latch. Latching should not be painful if it is properly executed.
Drink plenty of fluids, such as water and herbal teas, to stay hydrated. A well-balanced diet that includes foods rich in nutrients and healthy fats can also support lactation.
One can always increase their breastmilk supply by consuming this mixture that I personally prepared on my mother’s advice. Making a powder with a fistful of carrom seeds (ajwain), fistful of cumin seeds (jeera) and a fistful of sugar candy (mishri) and consuming it twice a day (2 tsp) with water or a cup of milk. All the above are natural galactagogues.
Make sure your breasts are fully emptied during each nursing session. Encourage your baby to nurse on both breasts and in case there is an issue of dissimilar supply in both breasts, one should start feeding with the breast with low milk supply and end the feeding session with the one with adequate supply. If baby seems full or engorged after nursing, consider using a breast pump to express any remaining milk.
Including Asparagus Racemosus (commonly known as Shatavari in India) in mother’s diet through various forms can do wonders to the milk supply and also purifies blood.
Including Garden Cress seeds (also commonly known as Halim ke beej) in mother’s diet can help in increasing breastmilk supply manifold.
Avoid pacifiers and bottles: Introducing pacifiers and bottles too early may reduce your baby’s desire to nurse, which can affect milk supply. Try to delay their use until breastfeeding is well-established.
Conclusively one must always remember that every woman’s body is unique, and individual effects on breastmilk supply may eventually vary. But I have tried the above remedies and have found them to be highly effective. One must always follow them with a positive mindset. For other issues & personalized advice and support, women must always consult with a lactation consultant or a healthcare provider.
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