What I Eat To Maintain My Milk Supply While Breastfeeding

If you want to maintain your milk supply, then what you eat matters.

As a breastfeeding second-time mom, I learned with my first how important it is to make sure I’m consuming foods and drinks that will maintain and increase my milk supply.

Because the last thing you want as a breastfeeding mom is your supply dropping when you have a hungry baby.

I currently have a 9-month-old who is breastfeeding and not showing any signs of weaning anytime soon.

My first daughter nursed for 18 months before she weaned herself.

So it is possible that this baby may nurse for just as long or longer.

I usually go with the flow and follow my baby’s cues when it comes to breastfeeding so I need to make sure I’m maintaining my milk supply while she is still nursing.

And the way that I do that is by making sure I’m eating foods and drinks throughout the day that will boost my milk supply.

I want to share some of the foods, drinks, meals, and even snacks that I eat while breastfeeding that help maintain my milk supply.

If you are interested in what I eat to maintain my milk supply while breastfeeding, then just keep reading.

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What Not To Eat While Breastfeeding

Before I discuss what I eat to maintain my milk supply, let’s talk about what not to eat while breastfeeding.

What should I not be eating while breastfeeding?

If you all read my post on what I have been doing to boost my milk supply, then you know I discussed some of the things there that can cause your milk supply to drop.

Some of those factors included:

• Not getting enough rest
• Stress
• Health issues
• Getting pregnant again
• Not nursing enough

But one of the biggest factors that will affect your milk supply is what you consume.

There are some things to avoid altogether when you are breastfeeding such as:

• Fish that contain high amounts of mercury (shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel)
• Large amounts of caffeine daily
• Large amounts of alcohol daily
• Lots of high processed and junk food

This doesn’t mean that you can’t eat any of what I listed above.

You just need to limit your intake of items above with the exception of eating fish with high amounts of mercury.

According to The Bump, there are many health benefits of eating fish such as its high protein.

In fact, it is encouraged to have 12 ounces or 2 meals of fish a week while breastfeeding.

But in regards to caffeine and alcohol, you have to be mindful about the amount of these substances that you can consume because they can be passed through your breastmilk.

Caffeine should be limited to no more than 3 caffeinated drinks a day.

And it’s recommended to wait for 2 to 3 hours to nurse your baby after you have had one alcoholic drink.

So if you nurse your baby, then you can have one alcoholic drink right after that breastfeeding session so that you can wait 2-3 hours to nurse again.

Now that we know what not to eat while breastfeeding, let’s get into what I eat to maintain my milk supply while breastfeeding.

What I Eat To Maintain My Milk Supply While Breastfeeding

The way that I’m going to break this down is by dividing this section into the meals and snacks I eat while breastfeeding throughout the day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast

Starting with breakfast, I like to have a cup of tea every morning.

If you all read my post on my breastfeeding essentials, then you already know that I love to drink this Mother’s Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals.

This tea contains fennel and fenugreek which are considered to boost your milk supply which is what I want to start eh day off with.

I like to add honey and a little bit of lemon to this tea and I will enjoy one cup of this every morning.

As far as food goes, I typically eat 2 eggs scrambled with one sausage patty and a piece of wheat toast.

Between the benefits that eggs provide such as protein and folate and the whole grains in wheat toast, I am able to maintain my supply eating these food most mornings.

Another great option to eat in the morning is oatmeal.

It is quick and easy and is packed with a lot of nutrients that help boost your milk supply.

Mid-Morning Snack

If you all are familiar with my daily routine with my baby and toddler, then you know that we typically eat breakfast around 8 AM every day.

So there is a good chance that we might be a little hungry again towards the later part of the morning.

I may grab some fruit such as blueberries or strawberries to snack on but sometimes, I will make myself a smoothie that will take me into lunch.

Smoothies are great for mixing a bunch of healthy foods together in one.

A product that I have been loving to mix into my smoothies is this Essential Protein Powder for Pregnancy and Postpartum by Ritual.

This plant-based protein is full of Choline to help support women’s heightened nutrient needs during pregnancy and lactation.

Along with this protein, I will mix the following ingredients into a smoothie:

• Spinach
• Almond Butter
• Frozen fruit (berries or strawberries)
• Coconut water

I will blend these ingredients together in a blender until they are smooth and then I will drink on this smoothie for the remainder of the morning and into lunch.

If you are interested in this protein, you can check it out through the link below.

Lunch

After having breakfast and possibly a mid-morning snack, we move into lunchtime.

So throughout the week, lunch varies and it can be leftovers from dinner the night before, a salad, or eating out somewhere.

I will get into the dinners that are cooked regularly below in our home, but usually 2-3 days of the week, I will have leftovers.

Another great lunch option that I love to have is a salad.

Much like smoothies, you can mix a lot of healthy options within a salad and pack it full of nutrients that will boost and maintain your milk supply.

I often go back and forth between making a Cobb-style or Ceasar-style salad.

With the Cobb Salad, I will make it with:

• Spring Mix Greens
• Boiled Egg
• Avocado
• Cheddar Cheese
• Bacon
• Fried or Grilled Chicken
• Corn (Optional)

The Ceasar Salad is just made up of romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and grilled or fried chicken.

Consuming leafy greens are always recommended while breastfeeding so I try to make sure I eat a couple of salads throughout the week.

If we do eat out during lunch, I try to go to a deli-style place such as McAlister’s or Panera Bread or a burrito place such as Chipotle or Freebirds.

At these types of places, I’m able to get some of the nutrients that I need to maintain my supply.

Afternoon Snack

Depending on how early we had lunch which can be anywhere between 12 and 1, there is a chance that we might be hungry again around 3.

Most nights, I don’t cook until 5 since my husband usually gets home around 5:30.

So that can be about 4 hours or so until we eat again so a snack will usually hold me over until dinnertime.

Some great snacks to eat while breastfeeding are:

• Fruit
• Crackers
• Trail mix
• Yogurt
• Nuts
• Carrots
• Cheese
• Dark Chocolate
• Granola Bar

My go-to snacks when I’m breastfeeding are usually fruit, nuts, cheese, and chocolate.

All of the foods I mentioned above are great to snack on while breastfeeding due to the benefits that they will provide for your milk supply.

Dinner

And this finally leads us to what I eat for dinner to help maintain my milk supply.

Dinner can tricker because I have a toddler that I’m trying to feed as well that can be a little picky when it comes to what she will eat.

Like most kids her age, she can literally survive off of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese every night and only likes a couple of vegetables.

I personally don’t want to eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese every night, so I have to mix it up while cooking things that she will also eat.

There are a few regular meals that are cooked consistently within our home that I know she will eat.

Those meals are:

• Spaghetti
• Chicken Tortellini Pasta
• Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
• Baked Chicken w/ Carrots and Potatoes
• Fried Chicken w/ Mac and Cheese and Green Beans

These are the meals that I know my 3-year-old will eat when they are served so I have to keep these in rotation.

I will cook other meals such as salmon or tilapia, but I have to keep in mind that my toddler doesn’t really like fish currently so when I make things that I know she won’t eat, I will serve leftovers from another meal.

Most of these meals contain protein, a vegetable, and carbohydrates in every meal.

Which makes them great for maintaining your milk supply.

And like I said above, my toddler will also eat these meals which is always a win.

Your Turn

Well, that is mostly what I eat to maintain my milk supply while breastfeeding. Of course, I eat fast food and other processed food sometimes, but I try to keep it to once a day. And at night, I like to have a water bottle beside my bed to drink while I’m breastfeeding my baby through the night. But I want to hear from you all now. What do you like to eat to maintain your milk supply while nursing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Preparing My Toddler To Share A Room With A Baby

Love,

Just Jass