You might have heard that the Pink Drink from Starbucks boosts milk supply. Or maybe your friends are all drinking Body Armor so that they can pump more breast milk. But do these methods really work? Are they worth trying, or are these just urban legends?
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The truth is that there isn’t a lot of research on this – or on a lot of stuff related to breastfeeding, for that matter. I did a bunch of (obviously unscientific) polls on my Instagram stories to get a sense of what worked for people and what didn’t.
One thing to keep in mind about increasing milk supply – not everything will work for everyone. Oatmeal might work great for one mom and do absolutely nothing for another, and that’s normal. You might have to try a few different things to see what works for you.
Here are the results. (Each poll had 1,000 – 4,000 respondents.)
Does the Starbucks Pink Drink really increase milk supply?
The Pink Drink is a Starbucks iced beverage made with ice, a strawberry acai base, coconut milk, and frozen strawberries. It’s also known among breastfeeding mothers as a supply booster.
So I asked my followers whether or not the Pink Drink actually increased milk supply for the people that had tried it:
About one in four of the people who had tried the Pink Drink thought it boosted their milk supply.
Body Armor and milk supply
The next poll that I did was Body Armor.
It’s not uncommon for moms in our Facebook group to post pictures of their Target shopping carts full of Body Armor when there’s a sale, because a lot of people believe they pump more milk when they drink it.
So does Body Armor really increase milk supply?
Almost half of the respondents thought it worked for them!
What about oatmeal?
Another food that is known to increase milk supply in some women is oatmeal.
(I did an experiment on myself once over a few days to see if it worked for me! You can read about it here.)
Oatmeal had one of the highest success rates out of all of the things that I polled about, with 62% reporting success.
Any kind of oatmeal should work – it’s okay if it’s instant, steel cut, old-fashioned, etc. Just eat whatever the box specifies as a serving to give it a try.
Does coconut water increase milk supply?
Coconut water and coconut milk are two other drinks that you might hear about as milk supply boosters. I asked specifically about coconut water, and here’s what people said:
Like the other drinks I polled, hydration is probably the biggest factor that coconut water or coconut milk would have in increasing milk supply.
Does power pumping boost milk supply?
Power pumping is intended to mimic cluster feeding in nursing babies, where baby is on and off the breast for an extended period of time. Cluster feeding is thought to increase milk supply.
To do it, you pump for about 20 minutes, take a break for about 10 minutes, and then pump on and off a few more times for 10 minutes each.
Power pumping also had a high success rate, with 62% of respondents saying that it worked for them.
More on how to power pump here.
Do lactation cookies really work?
Lactation cookies are a fun way to try to increase milk supply! Most of these recipes include a mix of galactogogues like oats, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast.
But do they really work?
A lot of times, people think that they do seem to have an impact. (And if not, they’re at least fun to eat.)
Here are a few of my favorite recipes: Lactation Brownies, Triple Chocolate Lactation Cookies, and M&M Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies!
Nursing teas and milk supply
Nursing teas are teas that are formulated with special herbs (like fenugreek and blessed thistle) that are thought to increase milk supply.
Because the amount of herbs in nursing tea is relatively low, it may take a few cups of tea to see an effect.
If you don’t like the taste of nursing teas, you can try mixing it with lemon-lime Gatorade to make a “Lactation Lemonade.” More on that here.
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Does fenugreek work?
Fenugreek is a herb that seems to increase milk supply in some women, and it’s often recommended to women who are struggling with milk supply.
Here is more information on fenugreek (including dosage and possible concerns).
However, it only worked on 33% of the women that I polled who had tried it. Additionally, some of the women that used it saw a supply decrease. Therefore, it may be a good idea to be careful with supplements.
Oreos might increase milk supply?!
There was a rumor going around our Facebook group that Oreos increased milk supply, so I thought I’d do a poll just for fun!
The results were devastating, unfortunately.
Have you had different results with the Pink Drink, Body Armor, or any of these methods of increasing milk supply? Let us know if the comments!
