5. Inadequate rest and improper diet

Sleep deprivation raises the level of stress hormone like cortisol which inhibits the milk reflex and due to supply and demand mechanism eventually results in less milk production.

Take an ample amount of sleep and rest to keep your mental stability and hormones in balance. Mother should sleep whenever the baby sleeps regardless of day or night. Listen to soothing music to induce sleep. One can have a cup of warm milk with a pinch of nutmeg powder and 1 tsp sugar with ghee.

 Improper diet

Ayurveda believes improper diet intake leads to stanyadushti i.e. milk is contaminated by the harmful qualities of vitiated vaat, pitta, and kapha doshas. Spicy and junk food results in indigestion in the mother’s body and the milk of such mothers will create flatulence, constipation, digestion issues in babies too. Breast milk composition consists of protein 1.2%, fat-3.2%, carbohydrate-7.5%, water-87%. water plays a very vital role in milk production hence if the mother doesn’t hydrate herself well then it will affect milk supply.

The baby needs 150-175 ml fluid per kg body weight per day and 100-110 kcal food per kg body weight per day. If a baby weighs 3kgs, it needs 450-500 ml of fluid and 300 kcal of food per day. A healthy mother will produce 500-900 ml milk per day with 520 kcal per day.

a. More amount of milk in the diet will eventually increase the amount of milk produced. A glass full of milk with 2 tsp shatavari kalp and ghee is advised to take twice or thrice daily as per hunger or need.

b. Aaliv kheer (gardencress seeds porridge) twice a day which is made with jaggery and add ghee to it.

c. Have homemade butter with 1 tsp sugar in that.

d. Include different types of porridges in your daily diet like rice porridge, semolina porridge, samo rice porridge, wheat porridge etc. prepare these porridges with saffron, jaggery, ghee, and add poppy seeds.

e. Include turmeric in curries, dals, vegetables, breakfasts, etc. you can also include homemade pickles containing turmeric and saindhav salt.

f. Use of asafoetida (hing) in daily diet to avoid stanyadushti.

g. Add sprouted fenugreek seeds (methi) in curries and soups. It helps in milk production.

h. Jeera i.e cumin seeds are good for breast milk. You can use cumin seeds powder in buttermilk or sprinkle it on smoothies and soups.

i. Horsegram (kulith) soup with ghee twice a week helps.

Post Pregnancy care is as important as pregnancy care. Along with physical care, the new mother demands and deserves emotional care too. The human body is complex and all the three levels physical, mental, and emotional are interconnected.

Take good care of both mother and child.