Teas To Help With Breastfeeding

A number of teas can help with breastfeeding, all in different ways.

It’s important to say that tea alone will not ensure a perfect breastfeeding journey.  Breastfeeding is one of the most amazing but difficult things you will ever do, and it’s important to approach it holistically and get as much support as possible.

The most important thing to do, is to increase demand for milk, as this will lead to more supply.  It is very hard, but try to feed your baby on demand, and pump additional milk after a feed.  

Alongside this, nutrition and lifestyle can help support this.  Here’s how tea can be a part of this.

HYDRATION

You need to drink 16 cups of water a day - 1.5 - 2 litres per day while breastfeeding.  This is because your need to add the hydration of your baby, to your own intake.  Coffee and black/green/white tea will all hydrate you, but not as much as water or caffeine-free herbal teas as they have a slightly dehydrating effect.  Adding fruit and herbal teas to your diet can bring variety of flavour into your day, but in a healthy way as they have no added sugar, and in our range, there is no flavouring or sweeteners.  

GALACTAGOGUES

Certain herbs have been used for millennia to support milk supply.  We’ve added these to our Milk’s Up breastfeeding support tea.  Fennel, fenugreek, aniseed and nettle are all natural herbal galactagogues.  Small scale research has shown that these herbs can increase the volume of milk produced, but fenugreek has also been shown to increase the fat content of milk.  For this reason it’s also given to dairy cows as a feed supplement!

CAFFEINE SUPPORT

Night feeds can be exhausting, and caffeine can be a great support.  You are allowed up to 200mg of caffeine per day when breastfeeding - exactly the same as when you’re pregnant.  And whilst you don’t want caffeine to pass into your breastmilk and keep your baby awake, a small amount can help you get through the day!  We’d recommend our Head Start white tea which has c. 90mg of caffeine per cup (more than a black tea, but less than a coffee).  It’s also very high in theanine - a natural chemical found in tea which is very relaxing.  In combination this means that the caffeine has a slow release effect - no caffeine jitters or heart palpitations. 

STRESS SUPPORT

Breastfeeding can be stressful. We need to talk about this more.  But certain herbs have relaxing and stress relieving effects, which can support you in feeling calm.  Our Night Owl tea is designed to support this, with hand selected anxiolytic herbs that have been shown to reduce stress in studies.  Chamomile flowers and lavender flowers are high in linalool, and this compound has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep.  Valerian root has been shown in one study to be more effective than a chemical sedative in helping sleep, and we add this to the blend to support relaxation when you need it.  It’s a tiny quantity so won’t affect your baby.  

So put the kettle on - or even better, get someone else to put the kettle on for you.

New Mum Tea Collection