How to maintain a strong Milk Supply during Summer Months

We have heard complaints from mothers that experience a 10-15% drop in milk supply during these hot summer days and this could be due to a variety of reasons, which we will discuss and try to resolve.

Dehydration is one big culprit when it comes to experiencing a dip in your breastmilk supply. You should drink water every time you feel thirsty, before feeding or getting ready for a pump session, have a bottle of water ready in reach to stay hydrated while you express. As long as your urine stays a light color, you are sufficiently hydrated so it is not needed to force water down your throat.

Your body works harder during summer months to regulate your body temprature which will likely lead to you perspiring more. This also contributes to the fact that you will need more liquids during these hot days.

It is no secret that being comfortable and relaxed on hot days is nearly impossible. If you feed/pump when you are uncomfortable you will probably yield less milk, because you are not relaxed enough to get a proper let down, this leads to frustration and anxiety over milk supplyand the vicious cycle continues. The best will be to get into a room and create an enviroment where you can relax for a few minutes before your pump/feed and for the duration of the pump/feed.

Increasing your energy intake by 300 kcal and protein intake by 20g can lead to a 15% increase in breastmilk supply. This will help counteract the effects of that hot summer weather.

A few ways to beat those milk supply dips during hot days:

• Make sure you get enough protein and collagen by drinking a protein shake.
• Eat some lactation bars!
• Eat your water! Fruit like Oranges, Watermelon, blueberries and cantaloupe.
• Limit hot coffee. Did you know that coffee can actually dehydrate you? If you crave that kick, try drinking iced coffee instead or replace it with low sugar iced tea. Lipton has a lovely sugar free option as well as Bos.