Tend and Befriend
Tend & Befriend – The Podcast for Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond
Hosted by Deborah the Doula, a birth professional with over 20 years of experience, Tend & Befriend is your go-to source for evidence-based insights, real birth stories, and expert advice. After two decades in the birth world, I’ve learned a thing or two—and I want to make sure you have access to that knowledge.
Join me as we dive into the topics that matter most during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Whether you're preparing for labor, navigating new motherhood, or reflecting on your own birth journey, you'll find support, wisdom, and connection in every episode.
Let’s learn, laugh, and grow—together. 💛 Listen now!
Tend and Befriend
More Milk, Less Stress: Natural Ways to Boost Supply
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Episode Title: How to Boost Milk Supply Naturally
Welcome back to Tend and Befriend! I’m your host Deborah—mom, doula, health professional, and your biggest cheerleader on this journey through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood.
In today’s episode, we’re talking about a topic I hear all the time from breastfeeding moms: how to naturally boost your milk supply. Whether you’re just starting out or navigating a supply dip, I’ll walk you through research-backed strategies, supportive tools, and tips that really work. We'll talk about supply and demand, power pumping, hydration, helpful herbs, and simple ways to make your nursing life a little easier.
You’ll also hear my thoughts on how local breastfeeding support systems can impact feeding outcomes—and why preparation during pregnancy is so important.
✨ Plus, I’m sharing a few of my favorite mama-approved products (available in Canada) and some heartfelt encouragement, because you deserve it.
💬 Let’s normalize asking for help, rest, and support during this deeply personal time.
🔗 Check out the show notes for research links and product recommendations.
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Hey Mamas, you're listening to Tend and Befriend, a podcast about women's mental and physical health. This is Debra. I'm a mom of two, a labor and birth coach and birth advocate, a health professional, and today I'm your host. Let's dive into today's episode. Am your host? Let's dive into today's episode. Any information you hear or that is suggested or recommended on these episodes is not medical advice. Hi, mama, welcome to Tend and Be Friend. I'm your host, debra, and I'm also your doula, and I'm here to bring you some advice, some helpful tips and a whole lot of encouragement as you navigate pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood.
Speaker 1:Today we're diving into a topic that so many breastfeeding moms ask me about how to boost milk supply naturally. Whether you're just starting out or you're hitting a bump in the road, I'm going to share some strategies to support your supply, along with some products that are available to help. Let's get started. Before we dive into the tips, it's important to understand how milk supply works. Breastfeeding operates on the supply and demand system. The more often your baby nurses, or the more milk you pump, the more milk your body produces. For most moms, milk supply is determined by certain factors, and those factors are how frequently milk is removed from the breast, effective latching and milk transfer, and your overall health, hydration and nutrition. While some medical conditions, such as thyroid issues or insufficient glandular tissue, can impact your supply, for the majority of moms, natural strategies and a bit of patience can make a big difference. I want to talk about the breastfeeding rate in your area. I don't know where you live, but I do know where I live, and the breastfeeding rate here is 12%, which is devastating. Now, because I live here and I live in the birth world and the pregnancy postpartum world, I know that there are not a lot of resources, and I also know that the resources that are available, not a lot of moms know about them and a lot of moms can't afford them. When you're pregnant, if your plan is to actually breastfeed, you want to set yourself up for success by researching these support systems so that you can actually put them into play for your postpartum. So here are the best ways to increase your milk production, and these are backed by research and expert recommendations.
Speaker 1:Frequent nursing or pumping is a great way to boost your supply. You want to aim to nurse or pump every two to three hours, and that includes during the night. Now I'm saying this with a whole lot of caution, because I truly believe that anything is possible during daylight hours, but in the night not so much. The idea behind this is that emptying your breasts frequently sends the signal to your body to make more milk. So the more that you feed or the more that you pump, the more milk your body makes. Now, one of the things that can affect your nursing is that if your baby is not nursing effectively, you might want to consider using a high quality double electric pump. They can come in handy. I don't always love them and I do have some moms that don't love them, but I do have a lot of moms that really really find that this can help.
Speaker 1:Power pumping is another option. Power pumping mimics cluster feeding and can help stimulate milk production. So you want to try pumping for 20 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes, then pump for another 10 minutes, and so on for an hour. If you do this once a day for a few days, you will notice a significant boost in your milk supply. Breast milk is about 90% water, so staying hydrated is essential. You want to keep a water bottle with you and sip it throughout the day and for an added boost, try an electrolyte drink like Noon or BioSteel. I like these two because they are both low in sugar noon or bio steel. I like these two because they are both low in sugar, and I like to tell mamas to create a nursing station and have it stocked with water and snacks. If you're nursing in your nursery, keep it in your nursery, but if you also nurse in your main room or somewhere else besides the nursery during the day, then set up a station there as well, and also stocking that nursing station can be somebody else's responsibility in those early postpartum days.
Speaker 1:Now you also want to eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein, some healthy fats and some grains, and also foods that are rich in galactogodes, like oatmeal, flaxseed and brewer's yeast. You can also try lactation cookies, which often combine these ingredients. There's brands online, like Booby Boons, and they're available on Amazon and specifically designed for breastfeeding moms. But if you know a really amazing baker or a friend or your, your mom or your sister, they can make them for you. New Greek and blessed thistle and goat's rue have been shown in some studies to support milk supply. You want to look for a high quality lactation tea or supplement like Earth Mama's organic milk made tea or Mother Love more milk plus capsules, because these have all of those ingredients in them and they are both available in Canada and are well loved by a lot of breastfeeding moms. Here's a word of caution on supplements. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any herbal supplements, especially if you're taking other medications or if you have any underlying health conditions.
Speaker 1:Another tip is to spend some time with your baby, skin to skin. This increases oxytocin levels, which helps with melt, let down and bonding, and this is especially helpful in the early days of breastfeeding or during a supply dip. If your baby isn't latching properly, they may not be effectively emptying the breasts, which can impact supply. You want to consult a certified lactation consultant for support. Many offer in-person or virtual sessions to help you troubleshoot the latch and maximize milk transfer.
Speaker 1:Stress and exhaustion can also play a role and affect your milk supply, and reducing these issues is easier said than done. But short naps, meditation, handing off the household duties these can all play a role in your stress and your level of fatigue. There are tools like guided meditation apps or white noise machines which can make rest a little bit easier Anything that you can do to get five minutes of rest. It doesn't have to be sleeping, just rest quiet time. Here's a list of some breastfeeding essentials that can help. There are therapy packs to soothe your engorgement and encourage letdown, and those are like warm packs and cold packs.
Speaker 1:You can buy a pumping bra which can make pumping more efficient and less of a hassle, and then, of course, the dreaded cracked nipples. It can buy a pumping bra which can make pumping more efficient and less of a hassle, and then, of course, the dreaded cracked nipples. It can make breastfeeding so painful and so uncomfortable, and even to the point where we won't don't want to do it. So you can use a baby safe nipple treatment or, for an even better option, just rub your breast milk on your nipples and let the mare dry, miracle worker. If you try these strategies and your supply isn't improving, or if you're experiencing pain or other issues, make sure to reach out to your healthcare provider or a lactation consultant. There may be underlying factors that need to be addressed, and they can provide personalized support to get you back on track. Please don't give up on breastfeeding until you have actually brought in a professional. For your reference, we've added some links to the show notes about the research. Feel free to check those out and, for your convenience, there are links to the some of the products that we love.
Speaker 1:Boosting your breast milk supply naturally takes time, patience and a bit of trial and error, but with the right tools and some support, it's absolutely possible. Remember that every mom's journey is unique and you're doing an amazing job, no matter where you're at. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with another mom who you might feel would benefit from these tips. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. Until next time, take care and keep tending to yourself and those you love. Let's talk soon. Talk to you soon. Okay, let's talk soon.
