Increasing Breast Milk and Exercise.

The BEST way to increase your supply is to have your baby nurse most often. Nothing else stimulates breast milk production as well. Yes, you can pump more often, and it will likely help your production, but the best way is always to have your child nurse.

People will recommend Fenugreek. I never tried it personally, I preferred to use the above mentioned ways when needed. I was lucky to product a LOT more than I ever needed for my kids.

I am sure it's fine to wear push-ups - I really think it's all about your personal comfort. I, personally, liked to wear athletic bras because I HATED nursing bras. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I don't know of any reason not to wear what you prefer, but you may want to ask your OB/GYN for a medical point of reference.

Good luck! It's a great thing you're doing.

If you consistently pump at a particular time of day, your body will naturally make more milk every day at that time - but in tricking your body by this increased demand, you'll have to deal with always having to pump at that time (I get clogged ducts and my milk supply actually decreases if I stay full for a long time without nursing), so this method might tie you to a pump. The other way, that would be a little less time-committing, is to pump immediately after nursing - you won't get a lot at one sitting, but it will accumulate. Make sure that if you do feed your baby a bottle, that you pump in it's place - or it will mess up your supply, since he/she will be demanding less from you and you will be staying fuller longer. This isn't as big a concern if you already have an abundant supply.

In regard to push-ups, I know that there can be a connection between clogged ducts and using your chest muscles - but, I really wouldn't worry about this unless it actually happens to you - certainly more women are prone to it than others and push-ups are a great form of exercise.

Breastmilk is supply and demand - the more you demand your body to make, the more it will supply. When my son was finished nursing I would use the pump to drain the remaining milk from my breasts and then I would keep the pump on me for another 10 mins. About 1 hr after a nursing session, I would use the pump again to stimulate production (my son nursed every 3 hrs so this allowed plenty of time for my supply to build up for his next nursing session). After a few days of that I had a big increase in supply! I was only able to breastfeed for 10 wks, but in that time I was able to pump and freeze 180 oz (plus he got 1 or 2 bottles of expressed milk each day).

I agree with Dana, the best way to increase your milk is to just let your baby latch on and nurse away. The more the baby nurses, the more signals get sent to your brain that the demand is greater than the supply, and it will kick in the high-gear production. I am not sure about pumping; if it has the same effect as a child nursing. I don't think so. It might help a little, but the best way is to let your baby nurse.

No idea about the push ups; I don't see why it would be a problem.

God bless!
M. D

Probably not at the same time, lol.

You would be able to do pushups while breastfeeding as long as its comfortable for you. Physically your breasts do not need any special treatment except not drying out the nipples with soap and not wearing something that is consistently tight on one spot (ie and underwire). You probably don't need to "build" your actual supply because then you will be uncomfortable if your baby is not using that milk. I think what you are really asking about is how to get enough milk to store some - you already probably have plenty to do this. Just wait for an hour to an hour and a half after feeding and pump (make sure your baby isn't likely to be hungry for an hour or so)- your body will then make more milk so you will still have enough when your baby wants to feed. You can permanently increase your supply by pumping frequently and consistently every day (especially if you pump right after your baby eats so your breasts get completely emptied).