Sometimes, mamas have to stop breastfeeding for whatever reason. The good thing is that there are many practical ways to get your body to produce milk again. Here is how to relactate quickly and safely.

Some mamas may have a hard time breastfeeding. This can prompt you to wean and stop nursing. While this is normal and reasonable, there are also times when a mama changes her mind and wants to give breastfeeding another try.

Others may have medical conditions that prevented them from breastfeeding their babies for a certain period. And sometimes, a baby may have weaned a few weeks ago but is once again interested in nursing. These things can happen. But when they do, it calls for mamas to relactate. 

In this article, we’ll tackle relactation and how you can successfully do so with the least stress or pain.

 

What is relactation?

Defining relactation is simple. This is the process where a mama encourages her body to start producing milk again after pausing for days, weeks, or even months. 

To set expectations straight, those mamas who have given birth recently have more chances of relactating. This is especially true for babies who are three months old or below.

How long does it take to relactate?

According to the Central District Health Department of Idaho, the amount of time you spend trying to relactate will vary. Usually, it would take as long as the time you stopped breastfeeding.

So, if you didn’t breastfeed for two weeks, you can also expect to relactate around that time. 

On the other hand, a book called Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple has a different opinion. According to this, it would take about one month for full relactation to take place.

Relactation Tips From Mama

Tip #1: Eat Healthily

Your diet will play a big part in producing milk again. Aside from a healthy and balanced diet, adding herbs such as blessed thistle, goat’s rue, and fenugreek will benefit you.

Aside from this, adding supplements such as Mama’s Choice Almond Powder Breast Milk Booster will also help you. 

Our breast milk booster is enriched with natural ingredients that are known to increase breast milk production!

Best of all, Mama’s Choice Almond Powder is proven effective with 4 out of 5 mamas saying it improved their breast milk supply after the first consumption.

Now, the good thing about boosters is that they are easier to find and prepare.

Increasing your chances of relactating is just one of the positive effects of our milk booster. In addition, the DHA content of the milk will also be good for the baby’s brain development.

Tip #2: Let Your Baby Latch

Your baby’s preference will matter whether you will relactate or not. The baby needs to have a good latch on you to be successful.

To try this, you need to let go of the pacifiers. Instead, allow your baby to latch on you in between feedings for comfort.

Do this as often as you can. However, it would be best to try this every 2 to 3 hours if possible.

In case the baby doesn’t want to latch, don’t panic. Instead, you can spend time skin-to-skin to encourage the baby to latch onto you later.

Tip#3: Pump Regularly

While a latching baby is helpful, you can also reap the benefits of pumping. This also stimulates your breasts and encourages the production of milk.

In doing so, manual or automatic pumps will be your new best friend like Mama’s Choice Manual Breast Pump or our Single Electric Breast Pump. But, again, consistency is the key, and you would need to do this for 20 to 30 minutes, eight to 12 times per day. 

We understand that this may be tricky but trust us. This will help you achieve your goal of relactating.

Tip#4: Be Patient

There are a lot of lifestyle changes that come with trying to relactate. It can be exhausting and frustrating, especially for a new mama. 

You may ask yourself if it’s even worth it to relactate in the first place. The answer will depend on you.

Studies have shown that 75% of women who attempted relactation deemed it a positive experience despite the hardships.

Of course, there are also a lot of benefits when you breastfeed compared to giving your baby formula. The key is to give yourself time and not be too hard on yourself.

Tip#5: Take Care of Yourself

Aside from being patient, you also need to ensure that you are not losing yourself in trying to relactate. It may take a lot of your time.

You also must factor in the other responsibilities of being a new mama. Because of this, it would be best to welcome as much help as you can.

Aside from having loved ones to offer practical and emotional support, you also need to take good care of your body.

Since you will be stimulating your breasts for an extended period during this process, you may notice cracks and blisters on your nipples.

This can be excruciating and discouraging. That’s why either preventing or soothing these is important. A good nipple cream should help you figure out how to lactate. But be careful in choosing the right one.

For instance, the Intensive Nipple Cream from Mama’s Choice is made from natural ingredients, which makes it food-grade. This means you wouldn’t be required to wash or wipe it off during feedings.

This would be a great advantage as your baby is expected to latch on you a lot while you attempt to relactate.

Relactate with Ease! Let Mama’s Choice Help!

During these trying times, it’s crucial to have the right support system. Be it with the people around us or the products we use.  

Our Almond Breast Milk Booster and Intensive Nipple Cream are both available online so that you don’t have to worry about coming to the store. So, for now, you can focus on trying to relactate. 

In the meantime, you can also browse through the Mama’s Choice website. Here, you can find more products to take care of you and your baby.

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Pumping Breast Milk 101
How To Relieve Breastfeeding Pain