How to Increase Milk Supply
Thinking about your milk supply and making sure you have enough milk for your baby are common worries as a new parent. The pediatric pros at Solid Starts offer evidence-based strategies to boost milk supply—and what to do if you reach your body’s limit.
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Key Points
✔ Struggles with milk supply are common but can often be resolved
The research shows that only 1 to 5% of women experience an inability to produce enough milk to feed their babies, even when they do everything right. Most are able to improve their supply.
✔ Demand for milk impacts your milk supply
The more frequently and effectively milk is removed from the breast (through nursing, pumping, or hand expression), the more milk your body produces.
✔ Consistent, frequent milk removal is the most effective strategy
Nursing or pumping frequently, breast compressions, and helping improve baby’s latch or adjusting the fit of your flange on your breast pump are usually effective.
How Milk Supply Works
The first 4 to 6 weeks postpartum represent the golden window for establishing and boosting supply, but it's never too late to increase your milk production.
Your breasts supply milk when your body feels demand for it. Demand is created when milk is removed from your breasts—either by nursing, pumping, or expressing milk by hand. Removing milk from the breasts sends a signal to your brain, “Baby wants more milk.” The brain responds by telling your body to produce more milk and push out the milk when you’re breastfeeding or pumping in a physiological response known as the letdown.
When breast milk isn’t removed often enough (or baby isn’t transferring milk well), your body will lower its production of breast milk.
What Influences Your Milk Supply
Frequency | Removing milk more times over 24 hours usually boosts milk supply more than longer, less frequent nursing or pumping sessions. |
Effectiveness | A great latch, active swallowing, and a comfortable setup can dramatically change how much milk is actually removed from the breast. Same goes for pumping. The more comfortable you are, the more likely you will be to let down your milk to the pump. Comfort also leads to more effective emptying of your breasts on a consistent basis, which can increase your supply. |
Early action | Milk supply usually peaks around 4 weeks postpartum, with much of the increase happening in the first 2 weeks. Addressing challenges early can make a big difference. That said, if you have already established your supply and you notice a drop, quick action to correct it can make the difference between a permanent decrease and a temporary one. |
Worrying about milk supply is incredibly common—especially in the early weeks. Nearly half of new parents have concerns early on. Even months later, about 10 to 25% of breastfeeding parents still wonder if they’re making enough milk for their babies.
The key is understanding whether your supply is truly low or actually meeting your baby’s needs. In this guide, we’ll walk you through both—signs that supply may need support, and signs that things are going just right.
If supply does seem low, there are generally two possibilities:
Your supply is temporarily low but can increase with the right support
Your body is already producing as much milk as it’s able to make
This second scenario is called primary lactation failure, and it is rare. Primary lactation failure affects an estimated 5% of parents or fewer, though high-quality data is limited and estimates vary depending on how it is defined. This suggests 95 to 99% of parents have the potential to increase their milk supply, often to a full supply, with the right strategies and support.
Signs of primary lactation failure include:
Little or no breast fullness or changes after birth
Hormonal conditions like untreated thyroid disorders, diabetes, or PCOS
History of breast surgery affecting glandular tissue, especially breast reduction surgeries
Insufficient glandular tissue, often due to widely spaced or underdeveloped breasts
Significant postpartum blood loss or retained placenta
Certain medications or medical treatments such as estrogen based birth control, high doses of certain decongestants, and certain medications that treat hypertension for example.
If you have any of these risk factors and you suspect your milk supply is low, talk to your doctor. They can help you find support that is tailored to your needs.
Signs of Low Milk Supply
It can be worrying when you're unsure if baby is getting enough milk—and nursing mothers often feel more anxious because they’re unable to truly see how much breast milk is transferring to baby. While a low milk supply is less common than many mothers fear, there are some warning signs.
In Baby | In You |
Fewer than 6 wet diapers per day after the first week | Breasts rarely feel full or don’t soften after nursing |
Poor or slow weight gain | Minimal or no breast leaking when you’d expect it |
Seeming unsatisfied or hungry shortly after most feedings | Little to no milk comes out when breasts are pumped |
Keep in mind the return of your period can temporarily lower your supply, and frequent feeding, a fussy baby, and soft-feeling breasts are often completely normal—not always signs that something is wrong. Even some of the signs noted above (such as breasts not leaking any more) can be perfectly normal as your milk supply regulates from being too high to just right over those first several weeks postpartum.
If you suspect your milk supply may be low, talk to your doctor. They may refer you to a lactation consultant for support.
How to Increase Milk Supply When Breastfeeding
Solution | Frequent Feedings |
Why | The most effective way to increase your supply is to nurse more frequently. Infrequent feedings, long stretches between nursing sessions, or offering expressed breast milk or formula via bottle and not pumping at these times sends a signal to your body to produce less milk. |
How | Offer the breast every 1.5 to 3 hours over 24 hours. Even just one additional nursing session per day can make a difference in your supply. |
Solution | Work on Baby’s Latch |
Why | Improving baby’s latch can make a big difference in their ability to efficiently empty the breast, which can improve your supply. |
How | Wait to latch baby until they have a wide open mouth, like they are yawning. This can help baby get more of your areola and nipple in their mouth. A lactation consultant can be particularly helpful when you need to improve the latch. |
Solution | Stay Hydrated |
Why | Staying hydrated is important. You may notice temporary dips when you are somewhat dehydrated, such as after a long day spent walking around outside on a hot day. That said, your body is quite capable of prioritizing breast milk production so small fluctuations in hydration levels do not typically have a large impact on supply. |
How | Keep a water bottle nearby and set a reminder on your phone for every 90 minutes to cue you to take a few sips. |
Solution | Breast Compressions |
Why | Breast compressions during feeds can help keep milk flowing, stimulate additional letdowns, and keep baby actively swallowing longer. |
How | Use compressions while baby is sucking to help them be more efficient with removing milk. Stop the compressions if baby begins coughing and only use this strategy if/when baby’s sucking slows. |
Solution | Hand Expression |
Why | Hand expressions before feeds can stimulate the letdown reflex and can help soften the breast to improve latch. Hand expression after feeds can help remove a bit more milk and sends another signal for increased “demand” to the body. |
How | Set aside 2 to 3 minutes to do a bit of breast massage and hand expression prior to latching baby. Use a bowl or manual hand pump to catch any expressed milk. End each breastfeeding with an additional 2 to 3 minutes of hand expression to further empty the breast. Check out How to Hand Express Breast Milk for more guidance. |
Solution | Calm Environment |
Why | A calm environment can help you with having a letdown and can help baby be more regulated and effective during a feeding. |
How | Offer skin-to-skin contact before and during feeds.. Offer the breast in quiet spaces, especially for distracted babies. |
Solution | More Active Time at Breast |
Why | Sometimes a baby is content to hang out at the breast while you’re watching television or reading though they are not actively feeding. Because it is very soothing to suck and be close to you, sometimes this means baby will sleep through feeding times and miss their own hunger cues. |
How | Try unlatching baby occasionally if they appear to be using you as a pacifier. This will likely mean that they wake up, which is what you want. Your goal is to make sure baby is noticing their hunger cues and there are periods when baby is actively sucking and audibly swallowing to ensure milk is being transferred at regular intervals. |
Solution | Avoid Pacifiers At First |
Why | Pacifiers can mask hunger cues and lead to preferring the pacifier over your nipple, which can interfere with breastfeeding and your milk supply. |
How | When baby needs comfort, consider breastfeeding on demand even if this means nursing every hour or so for certain times of day (this is called cluster feeding) or holding them skin to skin. |
Solution | Check Positioning |
Why | When baby has to work to keep their head up, or their head and neck are rotated away from their shoulders and hips, they are likely using more energy than needed during the feeding and may fall asleep early. |
How | Position baby appropriately (ears, shoulders, and hips in alignment) so they do not run out of energy before finishing their feed. |
Solution | Talk, Sing, Engage |
Why | Babies often fall asleep when they get too comfortable. Keeping baby alert helps them be more active and increases their chances of taking a bigger feeding, which is helpful for your milk supply. |
How | Keep baby engaged by talking to baby and socializing with them as they nurse. Also consider removing blankets and items of baby’s clothing to help them stay awake and engaged. |
What is a supplemental nursing system?
If baby needs supplementation (expressed milk or formula), a supplemental nursing system can sometimes protect breastfeeding while also helping increase stimulation at the breast. The system allows baby to receive more time at the breast, which can signal to the body that more milk production is required. Prior to exploring this option, it is best to practice with a lactation consultant, if available.
When to Add Pumping
Adding some pumping into your breastfeeding routine can be an effective strategy. The principle is simple: the more frequently and thoroughly the breast is emptied, the more milk your body is signaled to produce.
For some parents, a small addition is all it takes. Place a Haakaa or silicone collector on the opposite breast while your baby nurses. This is an easy, low-effort way to capture milk while gently encouraging additional production.
Others find that adding just one dedicated pumping session per day—often in the early morning when supply tends to be highest—can make a meaningful difference over time. If you want to stay closer to your current routine, spending a few extra minutes pumping after one or more breastfeeds to fully empty the breast can send a signal to your body to produce more.
The right approach will depend on your goals, your schedule, and what is realistic for your life. Below are a few strategies to try, and a lactation consultant can help you figure out which approach makes the most sense for you.
How to Increase Milk Supply With Pumping
Solution | Why | How |
Adjust your schedule | More frequent pumping can make a big difference in your supply within a few days. | Consider more frequent pumping sessions, or add just one additional pumping session per day or at night. |
Assess flange fit | A well-fitting flange allows the nipple to move gently and freely within the tunnel during pumping, without pain, color change, or swelling. A poorly fitting flange can cause nipple pain and damage—too small or too large can lead to rubbing and soreness. Most pumps come with a standard “medium size” 24 mm flange, though flanges can range from 13 mm to 36 mm from one brand to the next. | Use a ruler or soft measuring tape to measure the diameter of your nipple at the base (not the areola) in millimeters. From there, most find that adding 2 to 4 mm to that measurement gives the most comfortable and effective flange size. Keep in mind that your left and right nipples may differ, so it's worth measuring both. When in doubt, a lactation consultant can assess your fit in person and help you find the size that works best for your body. |
Stimulate the letdown | A letdown is a physiologic response that causes the muscles around the breast to contract and push milk out. Rather than relying on the pump to suck milk out, the letdown helps your milk to flow more quickly. | Try one or more of these strategies to elicit a letdown while pumping. Hold baby skin to skin prior to pumping. Take a few slow, deep breaths to relax and consider placing a warm compress on the breasts. Then add in some gentle breast massage before getting the pump going. Use the rapid “non-nutritive” setting on the pump if there is one, before progressing to the slower setting. |
Skin-to-skin contact | Skin to skin contact promotes oxytocin release, which can help to stimulate the letdown reflex. Just because you’re pumping doesn’t mean you can’t hold your baby. | Using a hands-free pumping bra or similar system can free you up to hold your baby to your skin while pumping. |
Hand expression | Pairing hand expression with pumping can increase breast milk output and improve supply. | Hand expression before pumping can help stimulate the letdown reflex to improve output. Hand expression after pumping can help remove a bit more milk, signaling to the body that there is a need for more milk production. Check out How to Hand Express Breast Milk for more guidance. |
Try power pumping | Power pumping mimics a baby’s short, frequent feeds when they’re experiencing a growth spurt or going through a cluster feeding phase. It can be a highly effective way to increase your milk supply. | Add one power pumping session per day for 5 to 7 days. Check out Power Pumping for more guidance. |
Stress & Your Milk Supply
Stress can indirectly and temporarily affect your milk supply. It doesn’t reduce your body’s ability to make milk; it interferes with the release of milk, also known as the letdown. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline can suppress oxytocin, the hormone responsible for moving milk from the breast to the nipple. When the letdown is delayed or incomplete, and less milk is removed from the breast, the body gets the signal to produce less milk.
Stress-related dips in milk supply are more common during periods of:
Sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion
Anxiety about baby’s intake or weight gain
Returning to work or navigating pumping challenges
Illness, pain, or recovery from birth
Ongoing emotional stress or postpartum mood disorders
In these situations, parents may notice slower letdown, baby fussing at the breast, or lower pumping output—even when feeding or pumping frequency hasn’t changed.
Good news: short-term stress does not permanently reduce milk supply, and feeling stressed does not mean your milk is “drying up.” Breast milk quality remains appropriate for baby, even during stressful periods. The most important factor for maintaining and increasing milk supply is still frequent and effective milk removal. In addition, the following strategies may help counteract stress-related challenges:
Prioritize regular nursing or pumping sessions
Use skin-to-skin contact to support oxytocin release
Practice deep breathing or relaxation before feeds or pumping, or even during
Apply warmth (moist heat works best) or gentle breast massage before letdown
Seek support for mental health concerns when stress feels overwhelming
With rest, support, and continued nursing or pumping, supply typically rebounds. If stress is ongoing and concerns about milk supply persist for more than 1 to 2 weeks, or if symptoms of postpartum anxiety or depression are present, reach out to a lactation consultant, healthcare provider, or mental health professional. Caring for a newborn is demanding work, and you deserve support, too.
How to Know If Milk Supply Is Improving
When you’re actively increasing supply, you want to reassess at different milestones.
Reassess in 72 hours
You’re looking for early signs that milk removal is improving:
More audible swallowing
Slightly increased pumping volumes
Changes in your breasts–periods of feeling fuller then softer breasts after feeds/pumps
Baby seems more satisfied after feeds
Reassess in 7 to 14 days
You’re looking for trend changes:
More consistent increase in pumped milk if pumping
Less need for supplementation (expressed breast milk and/or formula)
Improved infant weight gain and diaper output (your pediatric clinician can guide this)
Reassess after 2 weeks
If you’ve truly optimized:
frequent milk removal,
effective latch/transfer,
comfortable pumping setup,
and addressed medical contributors,
…and your milk supply still isn’t meeting baby’s needs, it may be time to discuss whether you’re at (or near) your current physiologic capacity—and how to feed your baby confidently with the least stress.
When to Seek Help
Talk to your doctor if:
You suspect your supply is low, especially shortly after birth
Baby is not latching well at the breast
You feel increasingly anxious or depressed
Strategies to increase milk supply do not seem to be working
Your doctor can connect you to a certified lactation consultant who can quickly identify whether the issue is supply, transfer, latch, pump mechanics, supplementation strategy, or a medical factor—and that clarity can save you days (or weeks) of stress.
It is important to keep in mind that some parents do everything “right” and still can’t reach a milk supply that can meet their baby's growing needs. That’s real—and it deserves compassionate, practical support. Many nursing mothers express a sense of “failure,” and of feeling inadequate in doing what they feel their body “should” be able to do–when in fact, building and maintaining milk supply for a baby is an incredibly taxing and difficult endeavor for many parents even with the best intentions. It is important to remember that you did the best you could with the information you had. So many circumstances can play a role in your nursing journey, many of which may be out of your control.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does milk supply regulate?
Most parents notice their supply regulates between 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. This is when breasts may feel softer and less full, a sign your body has learned exactly how much milk your baby needs, not a sign that your milk supply has dropped.
Why is my milk supply changing?
Your milk supply naturally shifts in response to how often and how effectively milk is removed from the breasts. Growth spurts, illness, stress, hormonal changes, and returning to work can all cause temporary fluctuations. In most cases, getting back to frequent nursing or pumping will bring supply back into balance.
How can I increase my milk supply fast?
Nurse or pump more frequently. This is the fastest and most effective signal you can send your body to make more milk. You should also ensure baby is well-latched at the breast, and focus on your needs, too. Stay hydrated and rest as much as possible.
How long does it take to increase milk supply?
Most parents notice an increase within 3 to 5 days of adding more frequent nursing or pumping sessions. Consistency is key: supply responds to demand, so the more regularly you pump or breastfeed, the faster your body responds.
How to increase milk supply in one breast?
Start every feeding on the lower-producing side to ensure it receives the strongest stimulation when baby's hunger is greatest. Offer it more frequently, pump after feeds on that side, and massage before and during feeding to encourage better drainage.
How to increase milk supply during my period?
A temporary dip in supply around your period is common due to hormonal shifts. Nurse or pump more frequently during this time, stay well hydrated, and consider adding a calcium and magnesium supplement starting at ovulation through the first few days of your period — a practice commonly recommended by lactation consultants that many mothers report helpful, though clinical research has not yet confirmed its effectiveness.
How to increase milk supply after being sick?
Rest, hydrate, and get back to nursing or pumping as frequently as possible. Supply often dips during illness due to dehydration and reduced feeding frequency, but it typically rebounds within a few days once you're feeling better and maintaining your routine.
How to increase milk supply while pregnant?
If you become pregnant while still nursing or pumping for your baby, it is normal for milk supply to decrease during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, particularly after the second trimester. If you choose to continue nursing or pumping while pregnant, focus on your nutrition and hydration, and try to nurse on demand or stick to a pumping schedule. Always consult your healthcare provider, as nursing and pumping during pregnancy is not recommended in certain higher-risk pregnancies.
What foods increase milk supply?
Focus on nutrient-dense foods that can support lactation, including oats, leafy greens, nuts, and flaxseed. Staying well-hydrated is equally important. Some mothers also find herbal galactagogues such as fenugreek, moringa, and blessed thistle are helpful, but it’s important to consult your doctor before trying herbal remedies.
What are signs your milk supply is decreasing?
Key signs include fewer wet diapers than usual, poor or slow weight gain in your baby, baby seeming unsatisfied after most feeds, breasts not feeling drained after nursing, and a noticeable drop in pumping output. If you notice several of these signs together, reach out to a lactation consultant sooner rather than later.
Written By
K. Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT, , Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Specialist
K. Rappaport, OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLC, Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Specialist
M. Suarez, MS, OTR/L, SWC, CLEC, PMH-C, Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Specialist
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