1. First Month of Postpartum

After delivery, it is absolutely important for the mother to recover whether it is C-section or natural delivery. There are books and research that label this as the Fourth Trimester (you can refer to Postpartum 30 by Dr. Krystal Lau). We won’t be going into extended detail of the Fourth Trimester here but I would like to stress that building your Breast Milk Supply starts with the first month of postpartum. In the Chinese culture, mothers will go through Confinement or known as “Zuo Yue Zi“. It commonly lasts for 28 days and can be done at home or at Confinement Center to allow the mother’s body to recover from the tedious delivery process.

During this First Month, mothers need to eat well with nutritious food and hydrate well as the composition of breast milk is 90% water. It also is important while keeping healthy, to build the momentum of latching your little one and pumping. This crucial month will determine whether you are able to build and maintain a healthy supply. It is very hard to build or increase your supply past the first month as your body has now accustomed to what is required by your little one. If you have a good supply during the first month, then you can continue to keep the momentum and supply will follow according to your little one’s demand.

2. Skin-to-Skin

In this modern day, you would always hear that it’s good to have as much skin-to-skin with the little one. Besides creating the bond, skin-to-skin helps to increase milk volume by increasing your levels of the milk-making hormone called oxytocin—the hormone responsible for milk ejection. Moreover, holding your baby skin-to-skin primes your baby to nurse. Your baby can smell your milk and feel your skin. With increased demand, comes increased supply! This is especially important during the first few days after delivery. So, don’t forget to snuggle up with your little one as soon as he/she is out of the womb!

3. Latching

Even if you plan to become an Exclusive Pumping [“EP”] mum, it is recommended that you latch your baby and breastfeed at the start. The doctor and nurses will always encourage to only breastfeed first at the hospital after delivery and avoid feeding by the bottle or supplementing with formula. They will encourage you to keep trying and let the milk “come in”. How does latching play a part? When your baby suckles, it stimulates nerves that tell your body to release prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin causes the alveoli to make milk and oxytocin causes muscle contractions that push it out of the alveoli and through the milk ducts. So, the more you latch your baby, the more signals will be sent to your body to produce milk! Remember, breast milk production is driven by demand and supply, not supply and demand.

4. Breast Pump

Choosing the right breast pump is a factor in extracting your breast milk. I have tried a few different brands (Spectra, Medela are some of the few) and figured that breast pump plays an important part. While there are many brands out there boasting their own characteristics, choose one that is suitable for you and your routine. For me, Spectra S1 has contributed to my steady supply of breast milk. This hospital-grade breast pump proves its worthiness by being effective – Able to empty my breasts, due to its heavy-duty feature. After dragging pumping hours to 8-12 hours, rock-hard breasts are the most painful thing ever! Worse than giving birth, some would say. So, you will need an EFFECTIVE one that helps empty your breasts especially if you are a busy mom. You can check out Spectra S1 features.

5. Empty Breast

Research has shown that the emptier the breast, the faster the breast makes milk. A full breast has no place to store milk. Hence, milk production slows down. To increase milk production, empty your breasts as much as possible each time you nurse or pump.

6. Hydration

While drinking excess fluid may not increase breast milk production, you may want to check if you are well hydrated if your production is lacking. As 90% of your breast milk is composed of water, it is recommended to stay well hydrated as body fluids are continually being lost in urine, stool, and sweat. In the Chinese culture, mothers are encouraged to drink lots of Red Dates Water and nutritious soup, especially during Confinement Month.

7. Massage & Heat Pack

If this is your first week of breastfeeding and you are probably experiencing engorged breasts and clogged ducts, use a heat pack and massage your breast before nursing/pumping/hand-expressing out your milk. This will help milk move freely and relieve clogged ducts. I love using an electronic heat pack as I can adjust the heat intensity and the length of each session.

At times when the clogged ducts are too hard to be massaged off by using your hands, you can use a lactation massager to help. I have tried LaVie Lactation Massager and it helped to massage the affected area.