Low production of breast milk is a problem for many mothers, not just those with sick or premature babies, who must depend on pumping to stimulate milk supply. Infants who don't nurse early and often enough may be the most common reason for dwindling milk, but birth control, smoking, pacifiers and hormone imbalances can also interfere with milk production. Good nutrition is essential during lactation, and some foods may work independently to increase the amount of mother's milk.
Oats
Many cultures advocate grain-based beverages for breastfeeding mothers to increase and sustain milk supply. Women in North America favor oats. Lactation consultants Diana West and Lisa Marasco, authors of "The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk," state that steel cut or rolled oats are more likely to be effective than instant oatmeal. Oats can be incorporated in many foods, such as cookies, muffins and meatloaf as well as cereals. Grains with a reputation for increasing milk supply in other parts of the world include Mexico's cornmeal simmered in milk, Europe's coffee substitutes made with roasted barley, and China's millet or rice water prepared with seaweed, chicken bones and green papaya.
Fenugreek
Dried, ripe fenugreek seeds are used to flavor imitation maple syrup. A food in the legume family, fenugreek is an ingredient in herbal teas recommended by midwives and nurses to breastfeeding mothers. A clinical trial by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, updated September 2009, reports that 5 to 10 percent of breastfeeding failures are due to insufficient milk, and that fenugreek is the most popular herbal remedy used by women around the world. The study cites one small case report in which a 40 percent increase in breastmilk quantity was attributed to fenugreek. The seeds are rich in beta carotene, amino acids, calcium, essential fatty acids, iron, potassium, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. Other foods that are high in these nutrients include dandelion, red chard, beets, carrots, chickpeas, spirulina, romaine lettuce and pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds.
Black Strap Molasses
Anemia may be a contributing factor in low milk supply. Enzymes needed for energy production and metabolism are dependent upon iron; these functions and breast milk production may suffer in the presence of a deficiency. Lactation Consultant Cheryl Renfree Scott, whose 2004 article was published online in MOBI Motherhood International, states that mothers with low hemoglobin levels are more likely to wean early due to insufficient milk supply than non-anemic mothers. Blackstrap molasses is an iron-rich leaving from the refining process of sugar and a traditional remedy for low milk supply. It is important to choose a high quality product because cheaper brands may be diluted with corn syrup. Other iron-rich foods include dark green leafy vegetables, beans, kelp, parsley, plums, egg yolks and organ meats.
References
- "The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk," Dianna West, IBCLC Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC, 2008
- Clinical Trials.gov: Effect of Fenugreek on Milk Production
- Mobi Motherhood International: Anemia and the Breastfeeding Woman
