Every new mother asks me the same two questions: am I making enough milk, and what should I eat to make more? Here is what actually helps, using simple South Indian food.
The Two Questions Every New Mother Asks Me
In 30 years of practice in Madurai, the questions from new mothers barely change. Am I making enough milk? And what should I eat to make more? The worry is very real, and I understand it completely. But let me settle the first question first, because the answer changes how you should eat.
Your body is remarkably good at making milk. For most mothers, supply works on demand, the more the baby feeds, the more you make. Food and water support that process; they do not replace it. So the goal of your diet is not to force more milk. It is to keep you strong, well-nourished, and full of energy while your body does the hard work.
First, Eat Enough. This Is Not the Time to Diet
I see many mothers rushing to lose the pregnancy weight in the first two months. Please do not. Breastfeeding itself uses up a good amount of energy every single day. If you cut your food too hard now, you will feel weak, your energy will crash, and for some mothers the milk supply dips as well.
Eat three proper meals and two small snacks. Weight loss can come gently, later, once feeding is well settled. Right now, food is genuinely fuel for two.
Water With Every Feed
Milk is mostly water. Every time you sit down to feed the baby, keep a glass of water, buttermilk, or warm milk beside you and drink it. Make it a simple habit: one glass with every feed. Most mothers who feel their supply is low are simply not drinking enough through the day.
The Traditional Foods That Genuinely Help
Our grandmothers were right about many of these. They are nourishing, and several have a long tradition of supporting milk supply:
Fenugreek (vendhayam) is the best known of all. Soak it overnight and add it to dal, or drink the soaked water in the morning.
Cumin, fennel and ajwain (jeera, sombu, omam) as a warm water after meals helps your digestion and reduces gas for the baby too.
Garlic, a little in your rasam or dal, is a traditional milk-supporter and good for immunity.
Garden cress seeds (aali vidai), made into a laddu or kanji with jaggery and coconut, is one of the strongest traditional postnatal foods in Tamil Nadu.
Dry ginger (sukku), as sukku coffee or in rasam, keeps digestion strong in the early weeks when everything feels heavy.
Protein at Every Single Meal
Your body is repairing itself after delivery and producing milk at the same time. Protein is not optional here. Have dal at every meal, an egg a day if you eat them, fish two or three times a week (sardines and mackerel are excellent and affordable), along with paneer and sundal. A mother who eats mostly rice with very little protein will feel tired no matter how much she rests.
Calcium, or Your Own Bones Pay for It
Breast milk is rich in calcium, and if you do not eat enough, your body simply pulls it from your own bones. Ragi is the easiest answer, a bowl of ragi kanji in the morning is a wonderful food for a feeding mother. Add sesame (ellu), milk and curd, and drumstick leaves through the week.
Iron and Greens
Delivery causes blood loss, and many mothers are already low on iron before the baby even arrives. Drumstick leaves (murungai keerai), other keerai, dates, and jaggery in place of white sugar all help rebuild your iron. Deep tiredness in a new mother is very often low iron, not only lack of sleep.
Good Fats in Sensible Amounts
A little ghee, a small handful of soaked almonds and walnuts, and coconut give you the healthy fats that both you and the baby need. The traditional postnatal laddus made with dry fruits, edible gum (gondh) and ghee are genuinely good for a feeding mother, in moderation. One a day, not five.
What to Go Easy On
You do not have to give up your normal food, but keep an eye on a few things.
Too much coffee or tea passes into the milk and can make the baby restless, so keep it to one or two cups a day. Skip alcohol entirely while you are feeding. And if you notice your baby becomes unusually gassy or fussy after you eat a particular food, cut that food back for a few days and watch. Every baby is different.
Crash diets, biscuits, packaged snacks and sugary drinks do nothing for you or your milk. Now, more than ever, real home food does the work.
When to Ask for Help
If your baby is feeding well, wetting enough nappies, and gaining weight, your supply is fine, whatever a well-meaning relative may tell you. But if you are genuinely worried about supply, or you feel weak and exhausted despite eating, come and see me. Very often a few simple corrections to your food and a proper feeding routine are all it takes.
You are doing one of the hardest and most important jobs there is. Eat well, drink well, and be kind to yourself.
Written by Mrs. Murugeswari, Senior Dietician at Tummy Dreams, Madurai. Contact: +91 93611 27615
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