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I am about 8 days postpartum now, and I was so happy to see my milk start coming in about 4 days postpartum. Breastfeeding in the first couple of days can feel useless because it doesn’t seem like anything is coming out. The newborn keeps sucking and practising latching, for what appears to be nothing. With each baby, I was always anxiously waiting for my milk to come in. With my fourth baby, it came in by about 4 days postpartum, which was a bit faster than my other three.

I thought it would be helpful if I went over my steps in the hospital and at home that was a little different with this baby, which I think made a difference in how fast my milk supply came in.

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Keep Baby “Nursing” As Much As Possible:

As soon as the baby arrives in my arms, I basically start working on latching and breastfeeding. I won’t stop until the baby figures out how to latch. This is key to ensuring your milk comes in fast. I make latching and sucking my top priority in the first few hours of birth. If you are having trouble, make sure to reach out to your lactation consultant that is usually available in the hospitals. The earlier you can get the baby to latch and practice sucking, the earlier your milk will start coming in. Your breasts need to be stimulated to encourage milk production, so get on this right away. That’s exactly what I do!

Eat The Right Foods Right Away – Not Just Hospital Food:

I’ve talked a few times about how I was so happy to have my Milk Dust products at the hospital with me. This really helped me ensure I nourished myself, while only having access to hospital food for two days. I had to stay in the hospital (unexpectedly) for 48 hours because I wasn’t able to get the antibiotic for GBS in enough time before the baby arrived. I luckily packed a few Milk Dust bars and my sample pack of Milk Dust protein powder, so I could eat and drink extra nutrients with my hospital meals. Milk Dust also has the milk-boosting herb blend, which I think was key to helping my milk supply come in really fast this time. 

Some important foods for milk supply after delivery:

Some of these foods you can order at the hospital. I had oatmeal and fresh fruit on both mornings. There was also a veggie soup one night that was pretty good. You can also pack fresh fruit like apples and oranges, as well as nuts and seeds in your hospital bag!

• Fresh fruits (this will help your digestive system get back on track too!)
• Nuts and seeds
• Hearty soups with bone broth are amazing for healing
• Sweet potatoes
• Overnight oats or fresh oatmeal

Hold/Wrap Baby All The Time:

I don’t leave the baby in the hospital crib/bed much at all to sleep. I have them sleep right with me and hold them a lot. Keeping the baby close allows the pheromones to really kick in and work to your benefit for milk supply.

Pro-tip: when you need to have your baby sleep in the hospital crib, or a crib next to your recovery space, keep it super close to you, to keep the connection going strong. Try not to move them to another room. They will also sleep better if they can smell you 🙂

Co-Sleeping can be a big help too!

If you want to try co-sleeping, that works really well too. There are a lot of safe ways to co-sleep with newer products and sleepers on the market! I’ve used the Dock-A-Tot before, and here is a quick list of some other options:

Swaddle Me By Your Side Sleeper

Baby Bedside Sleeper Bassinet

Baby Lounger and Baby Nest Co Sleeper

Bring a Milk-Booster Drink + Snacks

Milk-boosting drinks and snacks are a MUST right after birth. Whether you choose a lactation tea, drink or lots of oatmeal, make sure you pump your body full of drinks, supplements and snacks that promote a healthy milk supply. Seriously, this is really important!! There are so many options on the market now, that help with milk supply, and it is a good idea to get a wide variety of samples if possible, to make sure you find something your body will respond to.

I’ve also used Mother’s Milk Tea with fennel and fenugreek, and that was great for me! Both of those ingredients are in the Milk Dust products, and you can combine teas with the protein powder, bars and foods like oatmeal and almonds to ensure your body is getting a helpful boost.

Herbs and supplements that boost milk supply:

• Milk thistle
• Turmeric
• Fennel seed
• Brewer’s yeast
• Fenugreek

All of these foods have essential nutrients that help with milk supply and nourish your body properly, so it can function optimally. That is really the key to milk supply and the foundation of my whole program. I focus on nourishing mamas properly, limiting excess sugar and low-nutrient foods, and encouraging a healthy diet overall.

Drink A Lot Of Water:

Don’t forget your liquids! I drink a lot of water, and I keep drinking water because breast milk is a liquid! Hydration has been associated with milk supply, and if you are eating a lot of fruits and veggies, in addition to drinking water you are infusing your body with electrolytes and antioxidants. These all play a part in optimal hormonal function, as well as keeping your body full of the liquid it needs to produce breast milk.

I love to sip on sparkling water, Spindrift (it is all-natural fruit juice with carbonation) and plain water. You can also sip on unsweetened ice teas if you aren’t a huge water drinker.

You will go to the bathroom quite a bit in the beginning, but this will also help your body shed the extra water weight that is stored during pregnancy! It is a win-win for the milk supply and for shedding those pregnancy pounds!

I was so happy when my milk really started coming in just 4 days postpartum. I remember it seeming to take longer, and having the colostrum for longer with my others. I think it was just a bit faster and strong this time around because I had my Milk Dust, and because I really focused on ensuring I had my milk-boosting products available right at the hospital. I didn’t have Milk Dust with my third, so this was my first time being able to compare the experiences.

These are the tips and tricks that worked for me this time, so I hope you can try them and see if they work for you too!

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