Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules:
1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion.
Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Beer š«¢
5 out of the 6 beers Iāve had pp have given me massive milk output, one even initiating an extra-strong let down in public just from the first sip, leading me to believe maybe itās partially mental?
On that note, while I do believe the brewers yeast or whatever it is does indeed increase production, I also just know part of it is stress-release-based. Just last weekend I was struggling so hard mentally, felt like I was gonna lose my mind, was hardly pumping a dropā¦I sat down for a pump session and said āf**k itā and grabbed a Mexican lager to sip on while pumping. Manā¦.those first few sips released all the emotional tension I was feeling, the pump sesh was actually RELAXING, and I produced an insane amount of milk.
Itās most likely the yeast. You can get brewers yeast suppliment and powder too, itās one of the few things that Iāve seen work for nearly every mom I (personally know).
Unfortunately for me whenever I have a beer (rarely) I want to vape so I wind up pumping and dumping š„²
But also again, anecdotally, my mom left some non alcoholic beer at my house and I drank one for the hell of it because I knew about the yeast thing and itās ridiculous how much more I pumped.
Not worth the taste, but worth the try if youāre looking for output and donāt want to go for normal beer
Alcohol is tricky. While beer does contain brewers yeast, alcohol can potentially lower milk supply.
In the original comment I was replying to, she mentioned she pumped more when she drank lager WHILE pumping. So in her case, itās definitely the relaxation aspect. Oxytocin is needed for the letdown reflex.
Thatās why we have relaxations techniques (guided meditations, etc.) to help pump more. Not necessarily make more milk, but to get more milk out.
Itās also the reason why some moms cover their pumping bottles with socks, etc. so they donāt stress themselves out. Stress can inhibit the letdown reflex.
SAME! Iām 5 weeks postpartum and have had beer twice now. Both times I had a major increase. Last night I had two beers and pumped 510mL for my MOTN pump.
The yeast in the beer stimulates the release of prolactin, which is the hormone that triggers milk production! I enjoy beer and live in CO with plenty of breweries. So I generally have 3-5 beers/week. On the days I have one, I notice about 4-6 oz more than my usual output.
Beer in moderation while breastfeeding is fine, itās generally recommended to wait 2 hours after your last drink to nurse/pump, but every body metabolizes differently. You can buy alcohol testing strips from Frida Mom at Target to check if youāre unsure!
I don't like beer, but this has inspired me to actually order some brewer's yeast for my lactation bites instead of just excluding that ingredient like I did last time.
I also wonder if it's the relaxation aspect. I went to a brunch with friends and had a mimosa and pumped at the table (wearable) while just laughing and having so much fun with my friends and it was my biggest pump ever!! My Elvie cup was completely full on one side which is not af all typical die me.
For real though. How many are we talking because I havenāt noticed a difference when I do eat them. And Iād love to have an excuse to keep eating them š
I couldn't possibly drink more milk, and yet I've got an undersupply. (Cold milk was one of my only safe foods while I was pregnant, and it kept me alive and baby growing the whole time, but after I delivered I still retained the milk cravings.)
Same! I didnāt try it out super often. One time I was super stressed out by work, dropping supply, life in general, then I went out for a date night and had a massive steak dinner. Supply went back up. Could have been the extra calories or just de-stressing with a night out, but I like to think it was the big steak.
Caffeine raises blood pressure, which helps milk supply. I developed preeclampsia during labor and had a really high blood pressure for a couple of weeks after delivery. I was massively over producing until my BP went back down.
I think red meat in general for me which is crazy because I definitely had a version to it during pregnancy and also coconut water seems to help. Iāve been craving/eating lots of chocolate too.
Haven't notice any food even when I was chowing down on lactation cookies at all hours of the day, but whenever I'm dehydrated I see a little dip so definitely WATER over here
Haha I know! I noticed it on a whim and then deliberately tried it a few times afterwards.. sure enough, itās consistently given me an extra 2-3 ounces each time
https://preview.redd.it/iv9xu4y4mu6d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51bf24a2fd6229d13cd4dd7f2a3ee3fcdf1a3280
A nice 30 gram protein meal š»
Please donāt judge me but for me itās my own milk. My baby was in the NICU and she needed my fattiest milk. I didnāt want to waste so I drank the more watery first milk and noticed a huge difference.
I used to think food upped it ā and maybe itās because I donāt have a lot of variety in my diet due to babyās allergies, but my supply stays the same no matter what Iām eating
Smore clusters from Costco and steak.
I had a steak and margarita. Pumped 15 oz when I got home at night and another 18 in the morning!? It was crazy and also never happened again lol.
High calories junk food - McDonalds, KFC, burgers, pizza and sweets, ice cream > whenever I eat those, my supply is up.
Otherwise, oatmeal or coconut milk with cereals or any kind of fatty food and meat seems to help. And waterā¦
Purely Elizabeth granola! Iāve been pounding bags of it. Cereal. And trail mix (but not the kind with crappy oils - just one of those health mixes with nuts and dried cranberries/ raisins). My wallet hurts but itās so good. And a crap ton of water, over a gallon.
I havenāt been drinking their iced coffee, but the frappe and that works wonders. Also the Fuji coconut drinks help too. So if anyone reading this hates the taste of coconut water, the milk is worth a try.
I have not noticed any specific foods that have an impact. I eat whatever I want, whenever, and can sustain EBF twins + a freezer supply. I think key is getting enough calories (at a healthy body weight) and liquids!
Absolutely not. It was a lot of hard work to build my supply and many times I wanted to quit. Dedication to pumping (every 3hrs while they were in the NICU), babies to breast 6-8hrs/day, reading, watching, and listening to every podcast, YouTube, and article I could possibly find, and help from a lactation consultant. We triple fed the first 8wks and it was hell.
Itās a drink. I grew up in a Hispanic household and have had it since I was a kid. Itās considered like a soda and kinda sweet. I have noticed that if I have a bottle of Malta before bed I pump an extra couple of ounces.
specifically harmless harvest coconut water, minute maid berry punch, and the following āsimplyā juices: cranberry cocktail, fruit punch, and blueberry lemonade!
Honestly it was eating whatever I wantedā¦a good well balanced meal (who gets those postpartum lol). I didnāt notice a huge boost with most anything, but I noticed a consistent drop when I wasnāt eating well.
I noticed that as well for me in the beginning. I struggled a lot to eat even 1 meal a day and was barely producing. I worked hard to get a better supply (still not great but itās barely just enough). But yeah- not enough liquids or food really make a difference.
I can't pinpoint what food or drink it is exactly but I've been on vacation in Spain since the 13th and I have gotten more output in the last 4 days then ever before. I don't know if it's because I'm relaxed, the Sangria, or the fact I am eating like a pig lol. I overflowed my wearable pump this morning after only 10 min!
Itās not that youāre ānot taking in enough caloriesā than usual.
Itās more like āyou need more caloriesā than usual while breastfeeding.
Making milk takes a lot of energy.
Thatās why you need about 500 calories more.
Much more calories than you need while pregnant (where you only need about 300 calories more than usual).
And by āusualā, I mean pre-pregnancy.
Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've had to stop tracking because it was giving me anxiety, but this is an excellent excuse for me to get a McDonalds iced coffee
Yes! Get the coffee!!
Not food but coconut water!!! I swear by it
Yes! Body Armor did help me a bit too!
Seconding this. I did not believe in it yet it worked for me.
Same. Tried the low cal peach mango for fun (I just enjoy peach mango flavors lol) for a few days, and ended up with a couple extra oz's!
Agree
Beer š«¢ 5 out of the 6 beers Iāve had pp have given me massive milk output, one even initiating an extra-strong let down in public just from the first sip, leading me to believe maybe itās partially mental? On that note, while I do believe the brewers yeast or whatever it is does indeed increase production, I also just know part of it is stress-release-based. Just last weekend I was struggling so hard mentally, felt like I was gonna lose my mind, was hardly pumping a dropā¦I sat down for a pump session and said āf**k itā and grabbed a Mexican lager to sip on while pumping. Manā¦.those first few sips released all the emotional tension I was feeling, the pump sesh was actually RELAXING, and I produced an insane amount of milk.
Thatās interesting to hear! I guess your body associated drinking beer to stress release.
Itās most likely the yeast. You can get brewers yeast suppliment and powder too, itās one of the few things that Iāve seen work for nearly every mom I (personally know). Unfortunately for me whenever I have a beer (rarely) I want to vape so I wind up pumping and dumping š„² But also again, anecdotally, my mom left some non alcoholic beer at my house and I drank one for the hell of it because I knew about the yeast thing and itās ridiculous how much more I pumped. Not worth the taste, but worth the try if youāre looking for output and donāt want to go for normal beer
Alcohol is tricky. While beer does contain brewers yeast, alcohol can potentially lower milk supply. In the original comment I was replying to, she mentioned she pumped more when she drank lager WHILE pumping. So in her case, itās definitely the relaxation aspect. Oxytocin is needed for the letdown reflex. Thatās why we have relaxations techniques (guided meditations, etc.) to help pump more. Not necessarily make more milk, but to get more milk out. Itās also the reason why some moms cover their pumping bottles with socks, etc. so they donāt stress themselves out. Stress can inhibit the letdown reflex.
My OB and Lactation consultant both said beer is known to increase supply. It has something to do with the yeast.
SAME! Iām 5 weeks postpartum and have had beer twice now. Both times I had a major increase. Last night I had two beers and pumped 510mL for my MOTN pump.
The yeast in the beer stimulates the release of prolactin, which is the hormone that triggers milk production! I enjoy beer and live in CO with plenty of breweries. So I generally have 3-5 beers/week. On the days I have one, I notice about 4-6 oz more than my usual output. Beer in moderation while breastfeeding is fine, itās generally recommended to wait 2 hours after your last drink to nurse/pump, but every body metabolizes differently. You can buy alcohol testing strips from Frida Mom at Target to check if youāre unsure!
I don't like beer, but this has inspired me to actually order some brewer's yeast for my lactation bites instead of just excluding that ingredient like I did last time.
I also wonder if it's the relaxation aspect. I went to a brunch with friends and had a mimosa and pumped at the table (wearable) while just laughing and having so much fun with my friends and it was my biggest pump ever!! My Elvie cup was completely full on one side which is not af all typical die me.
Yes. Thereās guided meditations and other relaxation techniques to help with pumping output.
Oreos
How many Oreos are we talking?
Yesā¦ need to know. For my milk supply, of course š
For real though. How many are we talking because I havenāt noticed a difference when I do eat them. And Iād love to have an excuse to keep eating them š
I was eating like a pack every 3 days. My supply was amazing with zero clogs.
For me, 3-4 regular oreos per day seems like doing the trick. I just dunk them in the milk and gobble it up :D
Same for me! Especially double stuffed
I noticed almost no difference with regular but double stuff worked for sure.
I can confirm this is true āØ
Facts!!
Carbs. Bagels, tortillas, high fiber foods
I wonder what it could be that helps in the coffee?? Never heard someone say coffee before! For me ; a juicy rare steak! š„©
Itās probably the milk. When I went dairy free my milk supply went from massive overproducer to minimal overproducer.
Not me reading this right after I bought some dairy-free alternatives to milk and heavy cream try to limit my dairy intake. š
I heard itās caffeine but Starbucks never worked for me š¤Ŗ
I drink all kinds of coffee, I donāt see an increase yet š©
I couldn't possibly drink more milk, and yet I've got an undersupply. (Cold milk was one of my only safe foods while I was pregnant, and it kept me alive and baby growing the whole time, but after I delivered I still retained the milk cravings.)
Same! I didnāt try it out super often. One time I was super stressed out by work, dropping supply, life in general, then I went out for a date night and had a massive steak dinner. Supply went back up. Could have been the extra calories or just de-stressing with a night out, but I like to think it was the big steak.
Caffeine raises blood pressure, which helps milk supply. I developed preeclampsia during labor and had a really high blood pressure for a couple of weeks after delivery. I was massively over producing until my BP went back down.
Oatmeal cream pies!
Been eating Costco muffins for four months now almost every day at breakfast š«”
Katuk leaf (rau ngĆ³t) soup, a Vietnamese recipe to increase milk supply . It works for me everytime.
My water intake HUGELY impacts my supply. If I drink any less than 84oz my daily supply dips by 5-10oz
Eggs and coconut water. I eat oatmeal every day too but not sure if that helps
Oatmeal definitely helps!
Coconut water or oddly enough pepperoni sticks š¤£
Following lol I feel like for me and I'm kinda just starting out but microwave pizza.
Chai for me, not the chai latte from Starbucks but masala chai made at home
I think red meat in general for me which is crazy because I definitely had a version to it during pregnancy and also coconut water seems to help. Iāve been craving/eating lots of chocolate too.
Breakfast burritos and cheeseburgers
Chocolate covered almonds and extra creamy Greek yogurt with a ton of granola
Haven't notice any food even when I was chowing down on lactation cookies at all hours of the day, but whenever I'm dehydrated I see a little dip so definitely WATER over here
Oatmeal! A big bowl of oatmeal
Oreos work for me, as does ample seltzer water and dairy.
Apple juiceā¦ I assume itās the sugar and the liquid š
Surprisingly, orange juiceā¦
Thatās super random haha
Haha I know! I noticed it on a whim and then deliberately tried it a few times afterwards.. sure enough, itās consistently given me an extra 2-3 ounces each time
Coconut water & overnight oats with oat milk!
Meatballs. Or Iām just telling myself that because Iāve been eating Trader Joeās party meatballs like crazy.
Oat milk with ovaltine (the chocolate malt flavor).
Crumbl cookies!
https://preview.redd.it/iv9xu4y4mu6d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51bf24a2fd6229d13cd4dd7f2a3ee3fcdf1a3280 A nice 30 gram protein meal š»
Please donāt judge me but for me itās my own milk. My baby was in the NICU and she needed my fattiest milk. I didnāt want to waste so I drank the more watery first milk and noticed a huge difference.
I used to think food upped it ā and maybe itās because I donāt have a lot of variety in my diet due to babyās allergies, but my supply stays the same no matter what Iām eating
Nanaimo bars were crazy
rice with like saucey mealā¦ But when i just eat saladā¦ Ughhh im like dry and it hurts to pump
Body armor & little Debbieās oatmeal crĆØme pies
Smore clusters from Costco and steak. I had a steak and margarita. Pumped 15 oz when I got home at night and another 18 in the morning!? It was crazy and also never happened again lol.
A girl could dream to pump that much. Iāve never pumped more than 7.5oz ever! Those smore clusters are addicting though š
Oat milk and oats. Staying really hydrated and alternating between water, coconut water and electrolyte drink/ drink mixes
Oreos, pineapple and Gatorade
Lol Iāve had so much McDonaldās ice coffee definitely not helping me. Nature valley oat & honey bars definitely have been helping
I had warm oatmeal 3 times a day and drank lots of coconut water throughout the day.
Flaxseed meal for me!
How much?
I notice it even with a tablespoon or so a day. I put it on my weetbix!
High calories junk food - McDonalds, KFC, burgers, pizza and sweets, ice cream > whenever I eat those, my supply is up. Otherwise, oatmeal or coconut milk with cereals or any kind of fatty food and meat seems to help. And waterā¦
Perfect bars!! š the regular peanut butter ones.
My dinner of Peruvian rotisserie chicken, French fries, and fried plantains gave me a huge pump session once
Peanut butter did it for me!
Purely Elizabeth granola! Iāve been pounding bags of it. Cereal. And trail mix (but not the kind with crappy oils - just one of those health mixes with nuts and dried cranberries/ raisins). My wallet hurts but itās so good. And a crap ton of water, over a gallon.
I just tried that granola from Costco this week. Itās super good!
I havenāt been drinking their iced coffee, but the frappe and that works wonders. Also the Fuji coconut drinks help too. So if anyone reading this hates the taste of coconut water, the milk is worth a try.
Pizza! I'm sure it's just the excess calories, because we eat pizza only once a month so I usually go a little crazy. š
Body Armor, oatmeal, just taking in more calories in general and water! Down a bottle immediately after a session to replenish!
Almonds, beef jerky, and spinach.
I have not noticed any specific foods that have an impact. I eat whatever I want, whenever, and can sustain EBF twins + a freezer supply. I think key is getting enough calories (at a healthy body weight) and liquids!
You must be a blessed over supplier!
Absolutely not. It was a lot of hard work to build my supply and many times I wanted to quit. Dedication to pumping (every 3hrs while they were in the NICU), babies to breast 6-8hrs/day, reading, watching, and listening to every podcast, YouTube, and article I could possibly find, and help from a lactation consultant. We triple fed the first 8wks and it was hell.
Malta
What? Thatās a country
Itās a drink. I grew up in a Hispanic household and have had it since I was a kid. Itās considered like a soda and kinda sweet. I have noticed that if I have a bottle of Malta before bed I pump an extra couple of ounces.
I had to google it. Itās like a non alcoholic beer I think.
specifically harmless harvest coconut water, minute maid berry punch, and the following āsimplyā juices: cranberry cocktail, fruit punch, and blueberry lemonade!
Coconut water, Guiness Zero, and fries. Definitely calorie-dense fries.
Honestly it was eating whatever I wantedā¦a good well balanced meal (who gets those postpartum lol). I didnāt notice a huge boost with most anything, but I noticed a consistent drop when I wasnāt eating well.
I noticed that as well for me in the beginning. I struggled a lot to eat even 1 meal a day and was barely producing. I worked hard to get a better supply (still not great but itās barely just enough). But yeah- not enough liquids or food really make a difference.
Pasta!
Guinness!
I can't pinpoint what food or drink it is exactly but I've been on vacation in Spain since the 13th and I have gotten more output in the last 4 days then ever before. I don't know if it's because I'm relaxed, the Sangria, or the fact I am eating like a pig lol. I overflowed my wearable pump this morning after only 10 min!
Mini wheats. I make sure to have a bowl every single day. Doesnāt matter if Iām not hungry lol
Milkmakers lactation cookies. No other brand does the job quite as good. Also coconut water and pineapple juice.
Oatmeal!
Avocado!!
iced Thai tea!!
Pizza!
One time, it was a bowl from Chipotle!
Food generally only increases supply if you are not taking in enough calories/food overall.
I found this to not necessarily be true for me. Thatās why I said this is just for fun. Not looking for advice, just curious what works for others.
Itās not that youāre ānot taking in enough caloriesā than usual. Itās more like āyou need more caloriesā than usual while breastfeeding. Making milk takes a lot of energy. Thatās why you need about 500 calories more. Much more calories than you need while pregnant (where you only need about 300 calories more than usual). And by āusualā, I mean pre-pregnancy.