Well, it's every new mother's goal or dream to breast feed their child until the age of 2 but not every mother has the privilege of doing it. It's not so bad. For as long as your child grow up into a healthy kid, then it's good enough. A mum gotta do what a mum got to do, right?

I've been receiving questions on how can my output can be soooo much, what I ate to increase my yield, how's my diet like. Oversupply to be exact. Oversupply can be something good but at the same time, it can also be a disadvantage for breastfeeding mum like me.

I'm currently 9 months into breastfeeding and alhamdulillah, I can still pump as much although the number of pumping session decrease by time and still can donate some of my breast milk to other babies :-). Fortunately I still have a large stash of frozen breast milk at my mum's place as well as my own place. Thank God that #babyjedi is such an easy baby to take care that he don't mind drinking chilled, frozen or direct feed even when he was born.

Okay, so what did I do right?. I'll share tips on how can you help yourself in increasing your breast milk yield. Take note that, this sharing comes from someone who does not have any previous breastfeeding experience and a first time mum :-)

Be Happy:

This is something I always emphasize whenever someone ask me about my yield. I'm an EP mum and my baby doesn't stay with me during weekdays. I only get to see him on weekends when I travel back to my hometown. So it is important for me to make sure that my supply is enough for him to feed on.

Why do I say being happy is important when breastfeeding? There are 2 types of hormones release during breastfeeding that are Oxytocin and Prolactin. Oxytocin and prolactin are the hormones produced during breastfeeding that work together to make milk, establish a letdown, and keep up with the supply and demand of a nursing infant. They are also understood to help with the mother-child bonding experience and to produce a warm and typically content emotional state.

When you're not happy, you have less chances of producing enough milk for your baby. So the next time when you're pumping, try to look at your baby photos, relax or watch your favorite movie or video of your child on your mobile. It helps in having 'let down'.

DON'T RUSH:

Take your time when pumping. Second most important factor in breastfeeding is DO NOT RUSH when pumping. This scenario normally happens to working mums. When they pump, their mind is thinking about the upcoming meetings, project deadlines, work loads, etc. DON'T!!!!!!!!. Stop thinking about everything else but focus on what you're  doing. I know it's hard but think about which is more important.

I normally try to not think about my work load of the day, rather I focus on my pumping while watching YouTube or watch videos of #babyjedi. When your body is in a happy mode, it is easier to produce milk too.

Don't be lazy:

I started pumping to save up frozen bm 2 weeks before I start work. I used to pumped 8 times a day with each session an average of 12oz to 14oz. I know, that's a lot. Gradually, I cut down to 4 times a day with an average of 10oz to 12oz each time. That number is still way beyond reach for #babyjedi. Now that he is on solid and teething, he drink less but my milk stock is not stopping anytime soon cause I plan to breastfeed him at least 2 years.

My pumping schedule used to be as below during confinement and first few months after I started working. However if my breast starts to engorge in between these time, I will pump a little so that it's easier for #babyjedi to feed.

12 midnite
3am
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm

Gradually my pumping session was decreased to max 4 times a day:

6.30am
Between 10.30am to 11.00am
Between 2pm to 2.30pm
Between 5pm to 6pm (ONLY if I need to stay back in office)
Bring 1 or 2 extra bm storage bags if you think you need to work overtime in office.
Between 9.30pm to 10.30pm will be my last pumping session

I don't wake up in between midnight unless if I feel there's leaking which hardly happens nowadays. The engorgement is not as bad as last time.

Do not be lazy. No matter how tired you're, wake up and do the mid nite pump, that is the time where you PROLACTIN hormone is at its peak.

Fatigue:

Another factor that most mothers face is FATIGUE. When you have a baby, your schedule changed. You have more things to do especially FTWM. I know how it feels. But no matter what, take a rest in between. Get your husband, in laws, parents to take care of the baby while you have a good rest. Insyaallah, your milk supply will go back to normal. During the day, try to get some sleep when you baby is sleeping. PUT AWAY any gadgets that might disrupt your sleep.

Caffeine, Cabbage, Brinjal:

Caffein and cabbage are the common milk killers for breastfeeding mums out there. If you are having more than one caffeinated drink a day, then you should probably decrease your caffeine intake.An additional milk killer for me is brinjal. Whenever I take caffeine in the morning or  brinjal for lunch/dinner, I notice that my milk supply will drop a little. So I have stop taking brinjal but not caffeine. I limit my caffeine intake around once or twice a week.

Drink plenty of water (I drink at least 2 or 3 liter a day) or boil dry red dates with longan. It helps to boost your milk supply. However these methods vary in each individual.

Diet:

To be honest, I've never actually monitor what I ate but I avoid food that will decrease my yield like the 3 types of food above. When I was in confinement, my breakfast consisted a lot of bread, cheese, cereal, milo and rice. For my lunch, my mum will cook fish (during confinement). Fish is one of my go to super food. I can feel the engorgement in less than an hour.

My mum also boils dry red dates with longan OR I drink date milk (susu kurma). I used to purchase the Farm Fresh brand, but I stopped cause it was pricey. So I decided to blend myself at home and drink a full glass of susu kurma every morning. It not only helps in boosting my milk supply, it also helps thicken my bm texture.

I don't limit my food portion cause once you decrease your intake, your milk yield will also decrease. Rice is the easiest milk booster. However I avoid eating the yellow noodle. E.g mee goreng mamak type of noodle cause it contain substance that is not good for you and your baby.

Plan your pumping time:

Time pumping:  One way of increasing demand is by pumping on top of breast feeding.  If you are going to do this, it is important to time the pumping to maximize the milk supply at the next feeding.  A lot of women have been told to pump in between feedings to increase demand, but I disagree with this. By pumping in between feedings, you are potentially decreasing the amount that your baby will have at the next feeding. You are also teaching your breasts that the "baby" wants smaller, more frequent feedings, when we really want larger feedings.  Pumping between feedings also decreases the amount of time you have for much needed sleep.  Instead of pumping between feedings, I recommend pumping for 5 to 10 min on each breast immediately after each feeding.  This will be a more efficient use of your time, it will also teach your breasts that they need more milk at each feeding.

Get the right pump:

This is also one of the most important factor. Expensive doesn't mean it can do a good job. Different breast pump has different impact on individual. Purchasing a breast pump is somewhat try and error. You will not know until you try them out. However, there are some shops that allows you to test it out first before making up your mind. But make sure they're clean first.

I'm one of the lucky individual who immediately can adapt to all my breast pump (I have 2, Spectra and Madre) and work tremendously great on my boobies :-)

Bear in mind, do not purchase a 2nd hand one cause the motor or accessories might not work as good as a new unit unless you can't afford it. Advisable to have a 30 mins session if you're a new mum and gradually move up to 20 mins per session. However it depends on your milk flow. Mine was quite long initially but after my bm starts to regulate according to baby's demand, I now pump around 20 mins each session and managed to yield around 8oz to 10oz.