Can Certain Foods Boost Milk Production While Breastfeeding?

You want to give your baby the best care possible, and that means making sure you have enough nutritive milk if you’re breastfeeding. Just adding a few foods to your diet can naturally make your milk healthier for your baby.

At Women’s Health Care Center of Houston, with two locations in Houston, Texas, our team of women’s health and reproduction specialists offer a full range of obstetric services, including help with encouraging and maintaining a healthy milk supply.

When you have low milk supply

Things like stress or delivering your baby prematurely can cause low milk supply, but don’t worry. Plenty of new moms need a little bit of help to get their breast milk flowing properly. 

We start with making sure your baby is latched on correctly and that there are no reasons why sucking isn’t causing milk to let down. We also check to make sure the baby doesn’t have a condition like a tongue tie that could give them problems with latching and sucking. 

If you have milk, but it's just not enough to satisfy your baby, you can help boost your milk’s nutritional value by changing your diet and adding protein. However, no single food has been proven to increase milk supply, so remember that a fed baby is best, and don’t be upset if you need to supplement.

Foods to support healthy milk production

You and your baby deserve the best nutrition possible. Here’s how to make sure your milk is full of the things they need to grow and thrive.

Protein

Add extra protein to your diet with healthy, lean meats and dairy. This is the one diet change that's been found to improve milk supply. Healthy women should be getting between 40-50 grams of protein a day; for breastfeeding moms, that figure jumps to 65-71 grams  of protein a day or even more.

Micronutrients

Dairy, eggs, and seafood also contain iodine and choline, which you’ll need more of than usual when breastfeeding. Getting these micronutrients from your diet works better than taking a supplement.

Hydration

Milk is mostly liquid so you're going to need to drink plenty of water to keep your supply plentiful. If you dehydrate, your baby can too. You can also drink milk, juice (without added sugar is best) and noncaffeinated tea. Avoid coffee and alcohol consumption when breastfeeding.

If you’re having lactation issues, help is only a call away.  We can help you make sure your baby is well fed. Get in touch with our team by calling 713-365-2900, or visit our contact page to make an appointment today.