Improving Lactation

The main duty of a new mother is to breast feed her baby exclusively for 6 months. However this may not be possible in few cases like first pregnancy, twins or any other mother-baby issues. In such cases its better to partially breast feed as much as possible and do your best to improve milk quantity.

We must first understand the how and why of milk production. Please read through this link:
milkproduction
The gist is the initial days postpartum milk production is purely hormonal after which it moves to a demand supply basis. So whenever baby shows feeding cues or cries, don't put the baby to sleep by rocking or holding, offer your breast as much as possible. The new mother may be tired or feeling sleepy but the establishment of milk has to happen or else long term milk supply problems will arise. Whenever the baby cries or at a frequency of 2 hours, allow the baby to suck for at least half an hour.

Another major factor is latching: The baby has to latch on well. Mother and baby have to work on this as a team. Its always better to learn it from hospital staff or a lactation consultant. This may take days to weeks. Patience is highly essential and never give up on breast feeding. A lactation consultant I know in Chennai:
Ms.Jayashree.. KM speciality hospital K K nagar

If you happen to breast feed exclusively then there is no need to giving water to babies separately. If you are using infant formulas, then make sure to give extra water to your baby.

To improve your lactation, start pumping as soon as you can. Buy a cheap( aprox .Rs.1500) manual breast pump eg. Medela brand. Pump half an hour after every feeding or 15 min for every 3 hours on each breast. This signals the body to produce more milk. Do not pump hard when there are no more drops coming as this may result in wounds or sore breasts.
If you need and can afford, you can rent a hospital grade pump.
You can contact the below address if you are in Chennai:
Old No 45
New no 20
Thiruvenkatam Street
Raja Annamalaipuram
Chennai 28

There are certain foods that have shown improvement in mothers lactation though there is no scientific proof yet. Eg Fenugreek(vendiyam, methi) seeds, Lactare tablets (2 per meal, 3 times a day), mother's milk tea, Garlic in all forms, Murunga keerai(drum stick leaves), Milk shark (a particular variet of fish : Paal sura), Mother's horlicks, juice made from a fistful of coriander leaves, mint leaves and arugam pul(a particular grass) mixed with honey etc.

Happy Feeding! Do share your experiences too.