{"id":669041,"date":"2026-10-29T17:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T17:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/669041\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T17:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T17:14:19","slug":"breastfeeding-supplements-and-drinks-that-may-boost-milk-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/669041\/","title":{"rendered":"Breastfeeding supplements and drinks that may boost milk supply"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tNew York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.<\/p>\n

New moms should be prepared to hear the same mantra over and over: \u201cBreast is best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breast milk contains the right mix of water, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and nutrients to fuel a growing baby\u2019s development, hydration and immune system needs.<\/p>\n

Breastfeeding also strengthens the bond<\/a> between mother and child and lowers their stress levels through skin-to-skin contact.<\/p>\n

\"ABreastfeeding has many benefits for mother and baby. Many health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months. \u00c3\u00c2\u00c3\u00c2\u00bd\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0\u00c3\u00c2\u00c3\u00e2\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0\u00c3\u00c2\u00c3\u00e2\u00c3\u00c2 \u00c3\u00c2\u00a1\u00c3\u00e2\u00c3\u00c2\u00c3\u00c2\u00b3\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0\u00c3\u00c2\u00b9\u00c3\u00c2\u00bb\u00c3\u00c2\u00be \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Experts generally recommend<\/a> that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months.<\/p>\n

But breastfeeding can be hard for many mothers. Like, really, really hard<\/a>. Think sore nipples, blocked ducts, supply issues and many more exasperating challenges.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why some 86% of infants start out receiving breast milk, US government data shows<\/a>, but only about 30% are exclusively breastfed through their first six months.<\/p>\n

I am one of the mothers who struggled to breastfeed. My newborn twins and I faced a seemingly insurmountable hurdle \u2014 they were rushed to the NICU at birth and fed by a small tube that passed from their nose down into their stomach.<\/p>\n

So I focused my efforts on pumping breast milk that could go in their feeding tubes. It wasn\u2019t so easy.<\/p>\n

First, I started with lactation consultants. Every lactation consultant I met was relentlessly upbeat, assuring me that I\u2019d master pumping and feeding in no time!<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t as confident, but I politely listened to their advice. One consultant suggested that things could improve once I tried a different size of flange, which is the plastic piece that fits directly over the nipple to help stimulate milk flow.<\/p>\n

\"AThis is often not as easy as it looks! Bigc Studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Of course, the recommended size was not part of the flanges that came with my breast pump. Ten dollars later from Amazon, and I actually got less milk out.<\/p>\n

I asked another consultant about supplements, but she shrugged. It\u2019s better to pump more than to try to supplement your way to more milk, she advised.<\/p>\n

Experts generally recommend<\/a> pumping at least eight times a day shortly after giving birth to establish supply. That\u2019s a tall order, especially while caring for a newborn, chasing around older children or simply trying to avoid being tied to a milk- and soul-sucking machine.<\/p>\n

I increased my pumping sessions, and I tried supplements.<\/p>\n

Legendairy Milk<\/a> makes popular herbal capsules designed to support milk production and supply. I experimented with three types \u2014 \u201cLiquid Gold,\u201d<\/a> \u201cMilkapalooza\u201d<\/a> and \u201cPump Princess.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Each lactation blend emphasizes a different herb or seed while being free of fenugreek, which has shown mixed results<\/a> for breastfeeding moms.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiquid Gold\u201d features goat\u2019s rue<\/a> for milk supply and mammary tissue growth, while \u201cMilkapalooza\u201d contains moringa<\/a> (milk production and prolactin levels) and \u201cPump Princess\u201d boasts nigella sativa<\/a> to improve supply.<\/p>\n

\"ABreast milk has long been referred to as \u201cliquid gold\u201d because it is a precious fluid packed with all the nutrients that newborns need. Legendairy Milk<\/p>\n

All three blends have other supportive ingredients and fennel, which small studies<\/a> suggest may help enhance milk volume.<\/p>\n

There are 60 capsules in the Legendairy bottles that retail for $21.87, with moms encouraged to take two capsules three times a day.<\/p>\n

I saw the best results with \u201cLiquid Gold,\u201d but the flow was still nothing to brag about. It was more of a trickle.<\/p>\n

I also tried Legendairy\u2019s \u201cShe\u2019s Flowing\u201d lactation support blackberry lemonade mix<\/a> (18 packets for $29.84), but the flavor was too strong for my liking, even when diluted with more water.<\/p>\n

I much preferred Munchkin Milkmakers Lactation Drink Mix<\/a> in berry lemonade (12 packets for $11.99).<\/p>\n

\"ALactation drink mixes are designed to help nursing moms stay hydrated. Munchkin<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t love the 6 grams of sugar per serving, but it was worth it for the collagen, vitamins B6 and B12 and most especially, the taste.<\/p>\n

I used the packets long after I eased myself off the breast pump.<\/p>\n

Hydration is key for breast pumping and feeding because breast milk is approximately 87% water<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To that end, I choked down coconut water, which provides electrolytes and hydration, even though I loathe its taste.<\/p>\n

\"FourIt\u2019s important to replenish electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium lost to breastfeeding. Q Mixers<\/p>\n

A more flavorful way to hydrate is Q Mixers Refreshers<\/a>, which come in the flavors watermelon lime, pineapple passion fruit, raspberry lemon and peach nectarine. An eight-pack with two of each flavor<\/a> is $7.99.<\/p>\n

Electrolytes, like the ones in these mixes, help to replace minerals like sodium, potassium and magnesium lost through milk production.<\/p>\n

I pumped and I supplemented and I hydrated and I looked on with envy as other NICU moms brought in bags of breast milk as I came up short.<\/p>\n

\"TwoHoopDee tracks your breast milk, which is key for ensuring it\u2019s safe for the baby and doesn\u2019t go to waste. HoopDee<\/p>\n

There were tools I wanted to try to enhance the pumping experience, like Figaroo EverSeal Breast Milk Storage Bags<\/a> ($17.75 for 100), which are designed to make storing and freezing milk mess-free.<\/p>\n

HoopDee hoops<\/a> ($39.99), meanwhile, serve as a milk tracking system so babies never get spoiled milk.<\/p>\n

In the end, my twins took to special formula that helps preemies grow \u2014 and I got to kick my pump to the curb. Sayonara, milk sucker!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[2121,41137,25257,6474,10764,103,61,60,446,1786,507],"class_list":["post-669041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-womens-health","tag-breast-milk","tag-breastfeeding","tag-dehydration","tag-food-drink","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition","tag-parenting","tag-shopping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}