Give your breastmilk supply a little boost!

By Angeliz Venter

One of my biggest fears was not being able to breastfeed, having a low supply or just giving up on our breastfeeding journey prematurely. My other fear was not being able to gave the natural unmedicated birth that I wanted, without going into details for now, we encountered some complications while in labor and I ended up have a c-section. This made it even more crucial for me to succeed with breastfeeding.

Right from the start I tried all the teas, bars and the famous Jungle mix to try to increase my milk production, what I didn’t pay attention to is how much Fenugreek is in all of these products and to be honest I didn’t even research Fenugreek to establish it’s benefits and side effects. Needless to say, my milk came in and apart from early days engorgement and a few tweaks here and there, my fears subsided as I had an adequate supply and was even able to freeze some bags. I then started feeling very lightheaded, nauseous and just sick in general, my baby also struggled with gas and we couldn’t figure out why. At this point I reach out to Made To Lactate on Instagram as I thought I need even more supplements or products. I got talking to the owner and after a few days conversation, I mentioned the products that I am using and she pointed out that Fenugreek could be the culprit behind our symptoms. I googled it and all the side effects of Fenugreek was currently present in our lives and as soon as I stopped it, I felt better after a few days and my baby’s gas and wind got better!

I then decided to rather try Made To Lactate Latte’s as they have no Fenugreek in them and contains a specialized brewers yeast that increases your milk production. Brewer’s yeast is rich in protein and several B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin and B6 and is widely known to increase a mother’s milk supply. There are also many other benefits for the whole family namely, it will boost your energy and help fight fatigue, maintain healthy sugar levels, boost your immune system, improves your mood/mental state and gives you your daily dose of nutrition.

Essentially their products are galactagogue products made from high quality, natural raw materials, vegan, sourced locally and globally. Galactagogue products refers to a food or drug used to increase milk supply. I tried out all 4 of their latte flavors, Deluxe lactation Chai Latte, Deluxe lactation hot chocolate, Deluxe lactation toffee caramel latte and Deluxe lactation white chocolate (and here is a little secret, keep an eye on their social media and online store, they might be dropping an exciting new flavor soon). My favorite out of all the flavors is the Deluxe toffee caramel latte, which is actually not as sweet as it sounds. All of the latte’s I make with warm water and warm milk as I am scared that too much milk will give our baby some stomach issues. You can also make frozen and cold drinks with the mixes although I prefer to have a cozy hot drink and they have yummy recipes on their website if you run out of ideas. All the latte’s are so creamy an tasty, although you can taste the brewers yeast in the hot chocolate, but I actually now prefer that taste than normal hot chocolate with a lot of added sugar and additives.

Made To Lactate suggests that you use 1-2 servings daily, but if you have a tendency to develop engorged breasts like me, I would suggest only having it once or twice a week in the beginning to ensure your breasts doesn’t get more engorged and to evaluate the effect it has on your body. I am emphasizing this, because I drank 2 cups a day and I then struggled with some engorgement, which for me means it definitely works and I just need to use it in a more controlled manner. I would also suggest not mixing too many lactation products and just sticking to Made to Lactate lattes, as this could also have been a mistake on my part. Overall, I absolutely love the brand and their ethos as well as how responsive and helpful the owner is. I was very sick with mastitis as well (breastfeeding is not as easy as I thought) and she sent me so many helpful tips, links and just went that extra mile to help me!

For more information or to buy some of their amazing goodies visit https://madetolactate.co.za/ or pop them a message on social media, they are super responsive and helpful! Also make sure to add their cute “boobie mug” to your cart!