What To Drink To Increase Breast Milk
If you are struggling to produce enough breast milk for your baby, one of the easier solutions is to add in daily lactation drinks.
Drinking 1-3 servings of any of the lactation drinks included in this list is likely to boost your breast milk production within 24 hrs.
These tips for how to produce more milk can help too.
Is Coconut Water Better Than Other Lactaction Drinks Or Breastfeeding Drinks
There are many advantages and health benefits to coconut water over other drinks like tea and coffee. Benefits of coconut water include:
- It is caffeine-free and devoid of refined sugars.
- It helps to improve digestion.
- Full of essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and sodium- all which are great for lactation.
- It is a natural diuretic, flushing toxins from the body.
- It restores electrolyte balance which can be thrown off after delivery or during breastfeeding.
- Its high in potassium, magnesium and sodium all of which are important for lactation.
- Coconut water has been found to be more hydrating than other drinks like water and sports drinks.
- Maintains blood pressure as it rebalances your electrolytes.
- It boosts your immune system with its high antioxidant content. Tender coconut water contains antioxidants and lauric acid, which have been found in studies to have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulant activities.
- Keeps you hydrated and helps you to maintain your energy levels.
- Coconut water is a great choice for breastfeeding mothers, as it is packed with nutrients that are beneficial for both mother and baby.
- Its sweeter than oat milk.
- Can be drank cold, ideal for nursing moms who have no time for hot drinks!
Ingredients To Increase Breastmilk Supply
If youre one of my email subscribers, you already know that we welcomed a new baby boy to the family last month. Ive been exclusively breastfeeding since he was born, but now that Im starting to get back to work, I decided to start pumping in case I need to leave the baby for a couple hours.
I didnt want to mess with the babys supply while I started pumping, so I decided to research ingredients that increase breastmilk supply. While some of them are pretty off the wall, there are several common ingredients that are simple to incorporate into your everyday diet.
Here are a few ingredients to boost breastmilk supply, along with several gluten free recipe ideas so you can start eating them right away!
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How Much Coconut Water Should You Take In A Day
There is no set amount of coconut water that you should take in a day. However, it is generally recommended to drink around two litres per day. You can also drink more or less depending on your individual needs. It is best to speak to a nutritional expert for your individual needs.
Whilst coconut water has so many benefits for nursing mothers and it is a safe drink, as a breastfeeding mom you should not rely on it as your only source of hydration.
Lactation Smoothies For Milk Supply
Whether you are looking to maintain your strong milk supply or are struggling with low milk production, this strawberry oat milk smoothie is the perfect way to boost your energy and help meed the nutritional demands of your healing postpartum body.
Breastfeeding and pumping schedules, caring for a new baby, and going back to work can be exhausting. Its important to provide your body with healthy fats, carbs, and proteins to keep your milk supply up.
Lactation smoothies are a great addition to your healthy diet to help your body meet these nutritional demands with minimal effort!
To learn more about a healthy diet and what to eat while breastfeeding, heres a good article from Medela.
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Strawberry Banana Lactation Smoothie
| Amanda |
In the past, Ive found oatmeal to be great for my breast milk supply, but it wasnt my favorite thing to eat. Thats because I was doing it wrong! This strawberry banana lactation smoothie is delicious, and a much better way to use oatmeal to get your milk supply up.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase, Ill be compensated at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I love! More info here.
Ive mentioned before that when I did my oatmeal experiment, the way that I prepared the oatmeal was to put old fashioned oats in a bowl, add water, microwave it for a minute and a half and stir in some Splenda. This was pretty gross, frankly.
Ive been exploring some much better ways to eat oatmeal and boost your milk supply including brownies and cookies and this smoothie is another delicious way that has the same amount of oatmeal as that microwaved mess I used to eat. It also has brewers yeast and flaxseed as a bonus!
A few common questions:
Lactation Smoothie For Breastfeeding Mamas
Hi Mamas,
How are you and your littles doing? Lets chat some more about breastfeeding specifically a lactation smoothie to help increase your supply. Im seriously thinking about weening my son. He will be 6 months soon and I really want to make it to 1 year but I am exhausted and the constant battle with my supply not to mention him fighting the bottle is not making this breastfeeding experience fun. He is growing beautifully and he loves his veggies and some fruits so we will see what happens over the next few months.
While I figure out what the best thing is for both of us, I want to share my go to lactation smoothie recipe. Its easy to put together and I even do an overnight oats version which I will be sharing soon. Remember my list of 9 Things That Help Boost Your Milk Supply Quickly? This smoothie incorporates a few of those things including oatmeal and brewers yeast. You can drink this smoothie all at once or split having half with breakfast and the other half as an afternoon snack.
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Lactation Smoothie Freezer Packs
I love make ahead meals. My freezer sure gets a work out when it comes to preparing for postpartum too and one of my favorite things to freeze are smoothie packs!
Smoothie packs are so convenient:
- you buy all the ingredients you need in bulk
- you make your packs and use up all your perishable ingredients
- all you need to do is add liquid, blend and youve got an instant, perfectly frosty smoothie for breakfast or for a snack!
You can make this blueberry lactation smoothie into a freezer pack really easily by adding all ingredients into ziploc sandwich bags. Stack them as flat as possible in your freezer and then when youre ready to whizz them up, just break the ingredients up into your blender and add liquids. Blend and youre good to go!
You Can Customize Them To Your Hearts Content
I never strictly follow a recipe and I always add less sugar . If youre not a fan of mango, you can always use blueberry as an alternative.
Theres no point in making a smoothie that you wont enjoy drinking, right? So, feel free to customize them to your hearts content.
Be creative and, who knows, maybe you come up with a new, improved recipe and then share it with your friends!
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How To Make An Oatmeal Lactation Drink
The first step you want to take is to make sure you get all of the ingredients.
After you have ingredients youll want to put a large pot of water with a cinnamon stick to boil, once the water is boiled you will have to throw in a can of carnation evaporated milk.
After the milk is tossed into the water you can add your scoops of old-fashioned oats and sugar.
Youll have them boil together for 15 minutes.
Remove from the flame
Finally youll place in a microwave safe cup and wait for it to cool slightly.
Drinking it warm or drinking it cold it is up to you.
I see better results and have a fuller stomach after drinking it warm.
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Malta Drink And Breastfeeding
Malta is a drink common in the Caribbean. Because Malta has barley and hops, it is thought to help nursing moms produce more milk. It is non alcoholic and safe for breastfeeding moms.
Many moms say they mix it with condensed milk to make it taste better. But perhaps a better option might be coconut milk which also helps milk supply and is healthier.
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Lactation Smoothies To Get Your Milk Flowing
Recently, I discovered that nursing moms who are struggling with breastfeeding have started drinking lactation smoothies and shakes to boost their milk supply. Where was this magic when I was struggling to make enough milk for my babies? Seriously, I am addicted to smoothies. I can’t drive by a smoothie shop without stopping in to grab a giant cup, so thick and cold that my teeth hurt and my tongue gets numb. How some people feel about their daily latte is how I feel about my strawberry and banana smoothie with granola, Greek yogurt, and occasionally, chia seeds because I’m dangerous like that.
Combining milk-boosting foods into a smoothie is a quick way for a busy nursing mother to get all of the nutrients she needs, but remember, there’s more to milk-making than sucking down the occasional shake. Most important is staying well hydrated, getting as much rest as possible, and draining your breasts frequently, either by direct nursing or with a breast pump,” says. Dr. Cutler.
Of course, smoothies are a great way to stay hydrated, too. It’s fun to mix and match ingredients and try to come up with some tasty supply-boosting smoothies. But, if you don’t have the time to experiment, these bloggers and YouTubers have perfected nine unique and delicious lactation smoothie recipes to help make breastfeeding a breeze.
Do Lactation Smoothies Work
For most couples, smoothies have become part of their parental lives. From pregnancy to postpartum, its plant-based ingredients gratify the physical and mental needs of mothers. Another reason also lies with its uncomplicated preparation. It is blended thus easy to slurp and digest, plus its nutritious flexibility suits some breastfeeding diet restrictions.
If you wonder whether lactation smoothie works? Well, yes. It does! Even more so when mixed with the right elements. Here are 5-smoothie recipes that are worth the shot.
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Carrot Cake Breastfeeding Smoothie
My favorite kind of cake is carrot cake so when I found this recipe for a carrot cake inspired breastfeeding smoothie, I got so excited!
The reviews are amazing and it tastes just sweet enough. Add some walnuts on the side like I did for some healthy fats too.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Abbeys Kitchen
How To Increase Milk Production
The process of giving birth is stressful enough. Now couple that with torturous sleep-deprivation, having a straight-up panic attack every time your baby cries, and being deathly afraid of that first postpartum pee or poop. You might not be totally ~zen~. As a result, your milk might come in slower than expected.
When your breast milk does come in, you need to know how to maintain your supply so that you have one less thing to stress about and can instead focus on bonding with your new baby. Before jumping into how to increase your breast milk supply, we have to understand how our bodies make milk.
Essentially, breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more you feed, the more milk your body will make, right? Sounds simple enough.
Well, not exactly. Your milk supply will increase and decrease several times within the first 12 weeks until breastfeeding is well established, and can continue to fluctuate for as long as you choose to breastfeed.
Numerous factors such as stress, diet, hormonal changes, and even lifestyle changes can cause breast milk supply to drop. That is why it is so important to increase your milk supply as soon as you notice it decreasing.
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Blueberry Lactation Smoothie For Breastfeeding Moms
This smoothie for breastfeeding moms helps boost the milk supply. Blueberries are rich in vitamins A and K, as well as calcium and potassium. Compared to other fruits, it provides the highest antioxidants that help bring more infrequent allergic reactions to your baby. It is also helpful for brain development, healthy bones, heart, and cognitive functioning.
As you breastfeed, you cannot take off the possibility of milk ducts blocking. Among the other ingredients of this recipe include pineapple, a natural inflammatory that can help you ease that disturbance.
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 frozen banana
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds or chia seeds
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Stevia
- 1 handful of baby spinach
- 1/2 cup pineapple pieces
- 1 tablespoon Brewer’s Yeast
Procedure
Dates To Increase Milk Supply
Dates are awesome additions to a nursing moms diet. They are packed with vitamin C, thus promote a stronger immune system for your little one.These sweet treats enhance the production of prolactin that helps keep milk flowing in your mammary glands. I looove dates. Its one thing that you will always find in my house.
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Are You Struggling With Postpartum Recovery Milk Supply Or Losing The Baby Weight
Maybe youre trying your best to keep you milk supply high for your little one but dying to get your before baby body back . Exhaustion is all consuming as a new mom, hours and even spare minutes are limited, and your body is still healing and repairing.
After my first birth it literally took me an entire year to learn how to rehab my body to feel normal again. The key ingredient for me was rehabbing my pelvic floor.
But maybe that area is ok for you, but you struggle with losing the baby weight?
Or maybe neither of those plague you but you cant for the life of you keep your milk supply high, your waist slim, AND eat large meals!
Well I came across and took myself the absolute BEST program to solve all and any of those issues. The Postpartum Cure details:
- how to rehabilitate your pelvic floor
- exactly how to begin exercising after birth the right way for weight loss while strengthening the parts of your body that were naturally weakened through carrying a child
- how to follow nutrient rich meal plans to feed your body, not starve, lose weight, and feel more energized
- how to keep your milk supply high while losing the weight and adjusting your diet
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Why A Breastfeeding Smoothie Is A Great Choice To Pack In Nutrition While Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding smoothies are quick to make and pack in a load of nutrients. They only require a handful of ingredients and are easy to drink while nursing and cuddling with your newborn.
They are also easy to customize. Dont like mango? Do banana instead! Another great thing about smoothies is that you can make them ahead of time! Just add your ingredients to a ziplock bag, freeze, and pour it into a blender when you are craving a smoothie.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe has a great balance of flavor and nutritional ingredients both very important in your diet as you are breastfeeding.
- This recipe calls for easy ingredients and can be blended up in no time at all!
- There arent any funky flavors or ingredients in this lactation smoothie like in other recipes Ive seen.
Yummy Lactation Smoothies To Try
Here are some of the best lactation smoothie recipes I found. Make sure you click through the original sources for each lactation smoothie recipe.
Were Parentschocolate peanut butter banana lactation smoothie looks like something you would order at an ice cream parlor!
It is full of all-natural ingredients like cocoa powder and peanut butter, so breastfeeding moms can enjoy it, but so can spouses and other kids! Head to their site to grab the recipe for the peanut butter lactation smoothie!
Love Our Littles created a happy yammaries smoothie to keep those mammaries happy. I am a big fan of yams and think this smoothie looks amazing! She also includes a list of foods to stay away from that could decrease lactation, which is super helpful to know!
Craving a chocolate lactation smoothie? When you want a sweet treat that can help your milk come in, this brownie batter protein lactation smoothie from Joyful Messes looks amazing! It includes a breastfeeding-safe protein powder to help fill you up too.
Get festive with Milkdusts gingerbread shake recipe. Curb your craving for gingerbread cookies with this yummy green lactation shake. Perfect for the holidays or gingerbread lovers!
Sometimes you just dont have it in you to blend up ingredients for a smoothie and thats where Milkflow comes in! Its a lactation supplement drink mix. Just mix it with milk and ice and you have a delicious lactation milkshake / smoothie!
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