How Can You Increase Milk Production?

If you want to increase milk production, the most reliable approach is to remove milk from your breasts more often and more completely. Milk supply works on supply and demand: the more milk that leaves the breast, the more your body tends to make. Frequent feeding or pumping, good latch, and enough calories and fluids support that process. Most other methods help only at the margins.

That answer sounds simple, and the biology behind it is fairly well understood. What gets complicated is everything layered on top — supplements, teas, cookies, and advice that ranges from useful to useless. This article walks through what actually drives milk production, what the evidence supports, and what it does not.

What Actually Controls How Much Milk You Make?

Milk production is a feedback loop between your breasts and your brain. When milk is removed, prolactin levels rise and signal the breast to make more. When milk stays in the breast, a protein in the milk itself tells the breast to slow down. This is why emptying matters more than almost anything else.

The hormone prolactin does most of the heavy lifting for milk synthesis. Oxytocin handles the release, or “let-down,” which moves milk out of the breast. These are two separate jobs. You can make plenty of milk and still struggle with let-down, and the reverse can also happen.

Early milk supply is also shaped by what happens in the first days after birth. Colostrum comes in small amounts by design. Around two to five days after delivery, milk volume typically increases as prolactin receptors in the breast are established. This early window is one reason frequent feeding in the first weeks matters so much.

The feedback loop in plain terms

• Milk sits in the breast → a small protein signals the breast to reduce production.
• Milk is removed → prolactin rises → the breast makes more milk.
• Frequent, complete removal → stronger and more stable supply.
• Long gaps or incomplete emptying → supply can drop.

How Can You Increase Milk Production Through Feeding and Pumping?

Frequency and emptying are the two levers that matter most. Feeding or pumping more often tells your body there is demand to meet. Aim to feed on cue rather than on a strict schedule, especially in the early weeks.

If you are pumping, the number of sessions and how well the pump empties the breast both affect supply. A pump that fits poorly or a flange that is the wrong size can leave milk behind, which over time can reduce output. Some people find that hands-on pumping — using your hands to compress the breast while pumping — helps remove more milk than the pump alone.

Feeding from both breasts at a session is common practice and often recommended. So is offering the fuller breast first. These are widely used approaches, though individual responses vary.

Night feeding deserves a specific mention. Prolactin levels tend to be higher at night, so dropping night feeds early can affect supply for some people more than others. This is one reason many clinicians suggest keeping at least one night feed going while supply is still being established.

Does Food or Drink Really Change Milk Supply?

No single food reliably increases milk production. That is the honest position. Certain nutrients and enough total calories support milk production, but eating a specific food to “boost” supply is not supported by strong evidence.

What is well established is that breastfeeding uses energy. Most breastfeeding parents need more calories than they did before pregnancy, and getting enough fluid matters too. Being undernourished or significantly dehydrated can reduce supply, but eating extra beyond your needs does not increase it.

Some traditional foods — oats, fenugreek, brewer’s yeast, flaxseed — are widely used as “galactagogues,” meaning substances believed to increase milk. The evidence for most of these is limited or mixed. Fenugreek in particular has been studied, but results are not consistent, and it can cause side effects like digestive upset. It is also not considered safe for everyone, including people with certain medical conditions. Anyone considering it should talk to a clinician first.

Hydration is worth a plain statement: drink to thirst. Forcing extra water beyond thirst does not increase milk supply and in large amounts can be harmful.

What About Stress, Sleep, and Rest?

Stress and exhaustion can affect milk supply, mostly by interfering with let-down and by making frequent feeding harder to sustain. This is different from saying stress “dries up” milk. The relationship is real but indirect.

Oxytocin, the hormone that triggers let-down, is sensitive to stress. When you are anxious or in pain, let-down can be slower or weaker, which means less milk comes out — and less milk coming out can, over time, reduce supply. Addressing pain, getting support, and reducing stress where possible can help the whole system work better.

Sleep is a genuine challenge for most new parents, and there is no clean evidence that a specific amount of sleep increases milk production. What is clearer is that severe exhaustion makes it harder to feed frequently, which is the mechanism that actually matters.

When Supply Is Genuinely Low, What Helps?

If supply seems low, the first step is figuring out whether it actually is. Perceived low supply is far more common than true low supply. Many parents worry about supply when their baby is gaining well and producing enough wet diapers.

Signs that generally suggest adequate intake include steady weight gain, regular wet and dirty diapers, and a baby who seems satisfied after feeds. A clinician or lactation consultant can assess weight, latch, and feeding patterns directly.

If supply is genuinely low, the usual approach is to increase removal — more frequent feeding or pumping, better latch, or correcting a pump issue. Some clinicians also recommend prescription medications in specific cases, but these are not first-line and come with side effects and monitoring needs. They should only be used under medical supervision.

Underlying causes matter here. Thyroid problems, retained placenta, certain medications, and some breast surgeries can affect supply. A clinician can help identify whether something like this is playing a role.

What Does Not Work, or Has Weak Evidence?

Many products marketed to increase milk supply have little or no strong evidence behind them. Lactation cookies, teas, and most supplements fall into this category. Some contain ingredients with limited study, and some are simply expensive calories.

It is worth being direct about this. No supplement is a substitute for frequent, effective milk removal. If a product claims to “boost supply” without addressing feeding frequency, that claim is not supported by how milk production actually works.

Some herbal galactagogues have been used for a long time and have some research behind them, but results are inconsistent and safety varies. Herbal products are also not tightly regulated in the US, so what is on the label is not always what is in the bottle. This is a real concern for anyone breastfeeding.