The important question in the beginning

First: Not enough milk is not necessarily a reason not to breastfeed or to wean.

Many mothers ask themselves whether their baby drinks enough breastmilk. It is very important to look carefully, whether worrying is justified and, if your baby really needs more milk, to find out how much and which changes are helpful. You need recommendations exactly according to your personal situation.

Not enough milk? - often false alarm

Frequently, the worry “not enough milk” is not justified, when you as mother might assume that you do not have enough milk, though you baby is drinking enough.

If you observe everything what is normal for a breastfed baby it is most probable that your baby gets enough milk.


To increase your milk supply by a small amount

To increase your milk supply by a small amount is necessary if you are breastfeeding and your baby:

  • is gaining weight a little bit too slow or

  • takes additionally to breastmilk a small amount of formula.

If you want to increase your milk supply by a small amount it is often enough to breastfeed more often and more intensively, to avoid a pacifier and have lots of body contact. You could spend a weekend with your baby in bed and keep on breastfeeding …

If it is necessary to increase the milk supply by a larger amount

To increase your milk supply considerably is necessary, if:

  • your exclusively breastfed baby does not gain enough weight

  • your breastfed baby who is gaining adequately is drinking a considerable amount of formula.

If you need to increase your milk supply by a larger amount you can additionally change sides often, stimulate the breast by hand, pump, supplement with an at-breast supplementer, try galactagogues and search for eventual causes. It is a great help if others take over some of your responsiblities but not caring for your baby.

Milk from mother’s breast and additional milk through a tube

Milk from mother’s breast and additional milk through a tube

If really necessary - do supplement

Sometimes it is necessary to supplement. More important than WHAT and HOW MUCH you supplement is the question HOW you supplement. If for some time your baby would have liked to drink more and then the baby experiences easy and fast nourishment from the bottle it can easily happen that your baby prefers the bottle over the breast.

You can prevent this when you give your baby the needed additional milk during breastfeeding. A very good possibility is at-breast supplementation. Like this, your baby continues to enjoy the closeness of your breast and will be gaining well. This way of supplementation also increases your milk supply. There are different devices for at-breast supplementation. It is not relevant WHICH device you use, but that you DO USE it.

More about at-breast supplementation in the booklet “Breastfeeding with the Supplementary Nursing System”.

More breastmilk and less supplementation

Alone replacing the bottle with at-breast supplementation usually increases your milk supply slowly. Further interventions can support your milk supply. Your baby will show you when he or she requires less supplements but continues to grow well. A careful lactation consultation consultation is very helpful during reducing supplements.

Further information

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