Mums, it’s OKAY if you are struggling to increase your breast milk supply. It is normal and you don’t have to keep on worrying over it. There are a few reasons and factors that are causing low breast milk supply in women. These are some of the important things that you need to know:
- The amount of milk you produce is dependent on the number of milk ducts you have, not breast size.
- The more you empty your breasts, the more they will replenish—meaning the more you breastfeed or pump, the more your supply will be. It’s the old demand and supply rule.
- Some foods have been proven to boost breast milk production because they are galactagogues. As mentioned before, galactagogue is a substance that promotes lactation in humans and some animals. Thus, you may consume meals with galactagogues to promote healthy breast milk.
However, you may put in some effort to increase your breast milk supply by consuming the soup recipes below:
Fish and Green Papaya Soup (Version 1)
Ingredients
- 6 cups Water
- 200 gram White fish of your choice
- 4-5 slices Fresh ginger
- 5-6 Red dates (jujubes)
- 1 Small green papaya peeled, seeded, and cut into medium chunks
- ¼ cup Goji berries
- Sesame oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil. Add all the ingredients and bring the water back to boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Do not stir the soup too much so the fish will not break into pieces. Remove from heat.
- Add goji berries and let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt to taste and add few drops of sesame oil and serve immediately.
Fish and Green Papaya Soup (Version2)
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized golden threadfin bream
- 1 large green papaya
- 5 to 6 pieces dried scallops
- 3 large dried red dates (jujubes)
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- 2 litres water
- 1 tsp salt to marinate the fish
- 1 tsp oil to saute the fish
Instructions
- Clean the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt on fish (inside and outside). After an hour, drain off any excess water.
- Peel and cut the papaya into large cubes.
- Start boiling your soup water.
- In a pan, add oil and fry the ginger with the fish on low-medium heat, until the fish is completely cooked and the skin is slightly browned.
- Put the fish into a soup bag and add to water.
- Add papaya and ginger.
- Boil for at least an hour before serving.
Fenugreek Soup
Fenugreek has a slightly sweet, nutty flavour often described as a cross between celery and maple. Ingesting too much can cause sweat, breastmilk, and urine to smell like maple although this seems to have no effect on the baby. Fenugreek can increase your breastmilk within 24 to 72 hours, making it, without a doubt, one of the best galactagogues around.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fresh fenugreek leaves
- 1/2 cup Onion finely chopped
- 1 Ripe tomato finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 cups Water
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash, clean, and chop fenugreek leaves.
- Heat oil in a pan, add onion, garlic and saute until onions turn transparent.
- Add tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add chopped fenugreek leaves and saute until the greens wilt.
- Add 2 cups of water and salt to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Pumpkin and Fenugreek Soup
The fenugreek seeds add an amazing flavour. Do not puree the fenugreek seeds or the soup will taste bitter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups steamed pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 1 red chilli
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ cup soy milk /coconut milk
- Salt
Instructions
- Soak the fenugreek seeds in some water for about an hour. In a saucepan, add the chopped onions and red chilli and saute with one teaspoon of water.
- Keep adding water and stirring in intervals till the onions are translucent.
- Add the fenugreek seeds and pumpkin puree and bring to a boil. Add salt and the soy or coconut milk (santan) whichever you like, and serve hot.
For more breastfeeding and confinement recipes, visit Motherhood Story.