Mother's Milk (ASI) is milk produced by humans for infant consumption and is the main source of nutrition for infants who are unable to digest solid food. Mother's milk is produced due to the influence of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin after the birth of the baby. Mother's milk is very important as a nutritional intake for newborns up to the age of six months or is called exclusive breastfeeding.
Mother's milk that comes out first is called colostrum and contains IgA immunoglobulin which is good for the baby's body's defense against disease. After the age of 6 months, breastfeeding is continued until the age of 2 years. But in reality, not all mothers are able to breastfeed smoothly. This happens either due to reduced production, inaccurate attachment, difficulty sucking the child, "retracted" nipple shape, or other causes.
One of the causes of the non-smooth breastfeeding process, namely production that is little or decreased. Some tips that can be done by mothers to increase milk production are:
- Breastfeed the baby more frequently, alternately, with short duration.
When the baby suckles the breast, the hormone oxytocin activates which will stimulate milk production, so that the more often the stimulation is given is directly proportional to the amount of milk produced. When finished with one breast, give the other breast to increase milk production in both breasts.
The Australian Lactation Association (Australian Breastfeeding Association) states that the frequency of breastfeeding at least 8-12 times per day is able to meet the nutritional needs of infants. Breastfeeding according to the wishes of the baby is prioritized over giving according to a schedule. The duration of sucking doesn't need to be long, just 10-30 minutes. If the baby is not sleeping, offer breast milk as a "snack" rather than a pacifier.
- Breastfeeding at night.
Does your baby sleep through the night? Babies who sleep soundly and don't wake up can reduce nutritional intake and make it difficult to gain weight.
- Pump breast milk between feedings.
Expressing or pumping breast milk can be done if: the breast still feels full but the baby is full, the baby doesn't suckle on a predetermined schedule, or the baby drinks formula milk. Breast compresses are very useful before breast pumping is done.
- Skin-to-skin.
Direct contact between the skin of the mother and the baby can stimulate the hormones of the mammary glands for milk production, especially in premature babies. Skin-to-skin contact stimulates the baby to be more active in sucking the breast so that nutritional intake is better.
- Relaxation.
Mothers with a calm mind and relaxed attitude while breastfeeding is proven to be able to increase the amount of breast milk. Taking deep breaths and taking warm showers can help make the mother's breastfeeding condition calmer and more relaxed.
- Supplementation or breast milk booster food.
Some food sources that can help increase milk production are referred to as breast milk boosters, including:
- Oatmeal or Oat Milk.
Whole grains are a great source of iron (a half cup of dry oats contains nearly 2 milligrams of iron or about 20 percent of a nursing mother's daily needs). The right micronutrient content in nursing mothers can facilitate milk production, on the other hand, low mineral levels are known to inhibit milk supply.
Grains have properties that stimulate the hormones responsible for producing breast milk. There are a variety of foods that contain whole grains that you can try, such as oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and oats.
- Almonds.
Various types of nuts are useful for promoting breast milk, one of which is almonds because of their protein content, essential fatty acids, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, and iron. The content of various nutrients from almonds can increase the production and quality of breast milk.
- Animal Protein. _
Lean beef, pork, lamb, and poultry are animal proteins with high iron content.
- Garlic.
One study that looked at the relationship between (aromatic) garlic intake and milk production showed that supplementation with aromatic ingredients did not make a significant difference in milk production. However, there were reports from respondents that garlic consumption helped produce breast milk.
- Green vegetable.
Vegetables with dark green leaves such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and broccoli contain nutrients, especially calcium. Green leafy vegetables also contain phytoestrogens which are considered to have a positive effect on mothers' milk production.
- Chickpeas.
Chickpeas are one of the foods that are proven to increase breast milk production. These foods contain phytoestrogens which can help stimulate milk production. These nuts also contain lots of useful protein to support the optimal growth and development of babies.
For the record, none of the sources of nutritional intake above have direct evidence of increasing milk production.
Good luck trying some of the tips above and hopefully useful for all the moms. Keep on breastfeeding, to all mothers.
The article was written by dr. Messia Paramita, Sp.A,M.Sc (Child Specialist at EMC Sentul Hospital).