Breast milk provides the perfect balance of nutrition for your baby for her first eight months, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Experts at Ohio State University Medical Center state that your baby is receiving a sufficient supply of breast milk if he gains four to seven ounces each week during his first three months, if he has three to four bowel movements a day during his first weeks, and if he wets five or six diapers a day by the fourth or fifth day. If you believe your baby isn't receiving enough milk, you can take steps to help increase your milk supply.
Step 1
Nurse your baby eight to 12 times a day every day. The more often you nurse, the more milk you will produce. If your baby is not a big eater or doesn't want to nurse this often, use a breast pump to express milk from your breasts in between feeding your baby. As the University of Maryland Medical Center explains, nursing stimulates the hormones prolactin and oxcytocin, which influence milk production.
Step 2
Drink plenty of fluids. You need to drink enough water or other liquids to meet your own fluid needs, plus to replace the fluid you lose while breast feeding. Try to drink six to eight glasses of water, juice or milk a day.
Step 3
Eat enough calories. Nutritionist Sue Gilbert points out that it takes an extra 500 calories a day to produce breast milk. If you're trying to diet and nurse at the same time, you may not be eating enough to produce the milk your baby needs.
Step 4
Relax. Tension can make it more difficult for you to let down your milk. Caring for a newborn can be a time of stressful change in your life. Try to lessen that stress as much as you can. Let your partner or a family member care for the baby while you take a relaxing bath. Use the baby's nap time to nap yourself. Find ways to exercise, which can be a good stress reducer.
