How can I make more milk?

Adequate hydration and balanced diet

Increase fluid intake can help milk production as the milk in the alveoli of the breasts is made from the water content and nutrient from the blood supplying to the breasts. Drink adequate water or soup during breastfeeding according to your need is mandatory.

To protect your health and to ensure your baby receives the necessary nutrition, you should maintain a well-balanced diet during breastfeeding. A lactating mother needs an extra 500 Kcal each day compared to before pregnancy. And you could eat

• more vegetables and fruits
• fish rich in omega-3 fatty acid and eat a variety of fish in turn (but avoid eating predatory fish with high levels of mercury e.g. shark, swordfish, bigeye tuna or bluefin tuna)
• seaweed, kelp, and iodized salt daily to ensure adequate intake of iodine
• calcium-rich foods: milk, fortified soy milk, cheese, yoghurt, tofu, dark green vegetables, dried shrimps, sesame, nuts, fish with bones that can be eaten

Outdoor activities and sun bath help to increase the amount of vitamin D in your breastmilk. Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium which is essential for the growth of your baby’s bones.

Some Chinese soup may also help to increase milk production:

• Octopus with peanuts
• Papaya with Rifle Cardinal fish (Cantonese "Saw Law Yue")
• Rice Paperplant Pith (Medulla Tetrapanacis, Putonghua "Tong Cao", Cantonese "Tung Cho") with White Tilapia fish (Cantonese "Jak Yue")