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Breast milk contains almost everything a newborn baby needs to thrive, including fluids, vitamins, minerals, immune system building blocks, and even hormones! The catch—mothers must consume enough of the nutrients and fluids needed to make ideal breast milk for their babies to get the full benefits.
If you’re breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, you might wonder—can I make my breast milk the most nutritious and healthy it can possibly be? The answer is absolutely—yes! From increasing your breast milk supply to ensuring your breast milk is nutrient-dense and toxin-free, this article highlights all you can do to optimize breast milk's health so both you and your baby can thrive.
The first step in ensuring breast milk is a good food source for your baby is to make enough to keep your baby fed and fueled for the tremendous amount of growth they’ll do during their first few months of life.
Your doctor or pediatrician can help determine how much milk you’re making, particularly if your baby doesn’t gain the expected amount of weight in the first few days and weeks of life outside the womb. Several issues could be involved if your baby isn’t gaining enough weight, including nipple latch difficulties, tongue tie, or inadequate breast milk supply.1 A lactation consultant can be essential for determining the root cause of breastfeeding issues.
If you need to optimize the amount of breastmilk you’re making, there’s good news! Herbs and other lifestyle factors can help.
Several medicinal herbs known as “lactogogues” or “galactogogues” effectively increase breast milk supply without negative consequences for mothers and babies. Some of the most effective are fenugreek, milk thistle, shatavari, and moringa.
Fenugreek is a clover-like plant that tastes sweet—like maple syrup—when made as a tea or consumed as food. Its latin name is Trigonella foenum-graecum. Colloquially, it’s also called alholva, bird’s foot, bocksharnklee, Greek clover, Greek hay, Hu Lu Ba, and Woo Lu Bar.
Fenugreek is used medicinally to help with high blood sugar, to normalize insulin production, and to improve hormonal health.2 When taken as a 200ml tea three times daily, fenugreek has been shown to significantly improve breast milk supply without side effects for mothers or babies.3,4
Taking fenugreek with meals or as a liquid, like in tea, can enhance its benefits. Since breast milk is comprised of fluid, any additional fluid is a strategic way to ensure mothers and babies stay hydrated while increasing supply. Consuming fenugreek with meals helps lower the glycemic effects of meals to prevent high blood sugar and keep moms feeling fuller and longer.
Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have been using shatavari for various health conditions for centuries. Shatavari is a plant with long roots that grows 2 meters tall in rocky soil in the high plains of India. Its root is used for medicinal purposes. It is considered safe at most doses and is known as the “queen of herbs” for its utility in reproductive health.5
In a study on shatavari supplementation in breastfeeding, mothers who took shatavari for 30 days experienced a three-fold increase in prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production.3 Their babies gained three times more weight than babies of mothers who didn’t take shatavari.
Shatavari is safe except at high doses. It can be consumed as a supplement or powder.
While you may have heard of milk thistle, it has many names—including its Latin name, Silybum marianum, and others, including holy thistle, blessed milk thistle, cabbage thistle, and more.6 Milk thistle gets its name from the appearance of its leaves when it is a seedling, which look as though white milk has been spilled on them.
Milk thistle is considered safe to use as medicine and food and most people tolerate it without side effects.7 People with severe allergies to ragweed, marigolds, and daisies should use caution when taking milk thistle as it is from the same plant family as these common allergens and may cause reactions in people who are sensitive to other Asteraceae plants.
Milk thistle is effective for increasing breast milk production. In one study, breastfeeding people who consumed roughly 400mg of a milk thistle extract called silymarin per day for 30 days nearly doubled their breast milk supply compared to those who consumed a placebo (an 85% increase in the silymarin group versus 30% in the placebo group).8 Silymarin is an extract of milk thistle that can be used medicinally and is available as a supplement.
You can take milk thistle as a tea, tincture, pill, or powder. Adding dried, ground milk thistle to oatmeal or smoothies is an excellent way to consume it without even noticing it. The seeds themselves are crunchy, and some enjoy chewing them like sunflower seeds (though be warned, they are quite tough to chew!).
Moringa is a plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. Its leaves are a significant source of antioxidants, fiber, and amino acids. Moringa leaves contain seven times more vitamin C than oranges and fifteen times more potassium than bananas.9
One study suggested that dried moringa leaves could increase serum prolactin in breastfeeding mothers and help babies sleep longer.10 Moringa is also a general nutrition supplement that could help mothers stay nourished while helping boost breast milk production.
Controlling blood sugar adequately during pregnancy can reduce the risk that mothers will experience low breast milk supply. In one study, mothers with gestational diabetes were more likely to experience issues with supply after giving birth than mothers with normal blood sugar.11
Thankfully, there are many effective nutrient and lifestyle interventions for controlling blood sugar in pregnancy, from increasing fiber and protein in the diet to consuming more whole foods. Pregnant people should work with a registered dietitian to ensure they are consuming a healthy diet that optimizes blood sugar, as this may increase their chances of making enough breast milk after birth.
People who are breastfeeding should consume an additional 300 calories per day and increase their fluid intake beyond what they needed when they were not pregnant or breastfeeding, according to thirst.
Consuming an extra 300 calories or additional fluids may seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! Simply adding a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit twice a day, an energy bar, or a protein shake will yield 300 additional calories. Snacks like crackers and cheese, vegetables and hummus, olives, and charcuterie can also help boost calories while also boosting nutrients.
People who are breastfeeding are more likely than the general population to be deficient in vitamin B6 and iron.12 Choosing a prenatal vitamin that has B6 and iron and taking it regularly while breastfeeding is a great strategy for staying replete with these nutrients.
Breastfeeding people can get more B6 by consuming foods like garbanzo beans, beef liver, tuna, salmon, and chicken.13 They can get more iron by consuming foods like oysters, white beans, beef, lentils, spinach, and tofu. Additionally, some cereals are fortified with iron, which makes getting iron easy for people who don’t like to cook or tend to avoid beans or meat.
Babies also need EPA/DHA for healthy brain development. Still, many Americans consume a diet deficient in these two fatty acids. Since the human body cannot produce omega 3s on its own, breastfeeding people must consume adequate EPA/DHA daily.
One way to do this is to consume flax seeds, chia seeds, salmon, and walnuts. Another way is to take a fish oil supplement, cod liver oil supplement, or EPA/DHA supplement. Fish oil supplements can be taken as liquids, pills, or gummies. I always advise my patients to keep fish oil pills in the freezer and take them right before a large meal to reduce the fishy smell and burps they are famous for, and it works like a charm!
As wonderful as breast milk is, babies cannot live on breast milk alone forever. For example, iron supplementation in very small amounts after four months of age is recommended for exclusively breastfed babies. Parents should talk with their pediatrician about appropriate supplementation for their breastfed infants before initiating any supplements on their own.
This article contains the information you need to have an informed conversation with your doctor about increasing milk supply, enhancing the nutrient status of breastfeeding mothers and the breast milk they feed their babies, and understanding the nutrients exclusively breastfeeding babies may need to supplement after a certain age. With this information, you can optimize the health of your breastmilk and ensure your baby has the best start in life!
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By Dr. Kate Henry, N.D.
