Best Drinks for Breastfeeding Moms to Make the Most Milk

Hydrating Drink Ideas for Breastfeeding Moms

If you’re a breastfeeding mama, you’re thirsty. Thirsty ALL OF THE TIME. Water gets a little boring and some of us even hate water!

Having said that, if you are interested in finding some alternative drinks for breastfeeding that will add some flavor to your every day liquid intake, you are in the right place!

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What is Good to Drink While Breastfeeding?

The most obvious answer to this question would be good old fashioned water of course. Sasha Watkins, a dietician from Babycenter.co.uk says to drink plenty of liquids while breastfeeding to stay hydrated.

A breastfeeding mom may need up to 700ml of extra fluid per day.

She says some good drink options while breastfeeding are things like water, semi-skimmed milk, or unsweetened fruit juices.

Best Drinks for Breastfeeding

We’ve established how thirsty a breastfeeding mama is. As well as, how important it is for her to stay hydrated throughout the milk-making process.

Now, let’s take a look at these 8 breastfeeding beverage ideas!

Herbal Teas
Sports Drinks
Coconut Water
Vegetable Juice
Seltzer Water
Infused Water
Nut Milks
Fruit Juice
Beer?

There’s your quick list of some great drink options for breastfeeding, but that is not even close to everything I want to share with you today on this topic.

Let’s dive deeper into this pool of delicious liquid and get even more inspired and creative!

1. Herbal Teas

For the mama who loves her hot cup of fragrant liquid hugs every day, herbal teas are a great breastfeeding drink option. The most obvious and best herbal tea that is coming to mind for a breastfeeding mom would be Mother’s Milk Tea.

Mother’s Milk Tea is well known to help increase milk supply for some mothers. However, there are many different kinds of herbal teas to choose from.

Be cautious when choosing an herbal tea to drink while breastfeeding.

As some herbs are used to medically decrease milk supply, such as peppermint and lemon balm. Ginseng may also be harmful to mom and baby.

2. Sports Drinks

These beverages are sweet, refreshing and easy to grab and go. They may also be super hydrating with added vitamins and electrolytes.

Body Armor Drinks for breastfeeding are a great option and many moms claim that they do wonders for their milk supply.

However, many sports drink do contain ALOT of added sugar, this may be something you want to avoid. Especially, if you are having more than a couple per day.

Thankfully, Body Armor also has a Lyte version with much less sugar and here is where you can find an assortment of their Lyte flavors at Amazon.

3. Coconut Water

Fresh coconut water is a drink straight from nature. What makes coconut water good for nursing mothers? For one, it’s low in calories and high in tropical flavor.

Coconut water is also recognized as being super hydrating due to naturally occurring electrolytes. This is why you see it as a main ingredient in a lot of sports drinks, like Body Armor and Greater Than Sports Drink.

You can also find coconut water in this Hydration Booster electrolyte drink mix by Majka. It’s an awesome way to ensure you’re staying adequately hydrated and it improves your mood, energy and mental clarity.

Need I say more…

An important tip to note when drinking straight coconut water while breastfeeding, is to try and choose a brand that is organic and cold-pressed to avoid added sugars and chemicals.

4. Vegetable Juice

Vegetable juices are probably the healthiest and most nutritious breastfeeding drink idea you will see on this list today. There are a couple different ways to try this breastfeeding drink idea.

One, you can buy them at the store. V8 offers yummy vegetable juices in many different flavor combos. There is even word buzzing around the breastfeeding moms’ social circles that V8 is a secret milk boosting weapon.

If you want to stock up on the original V8, find it at Amazon here or go for the V8 fruit fushion instead.

The second way to enjoy vegetable juice is to juice it yourself and this may be the best option since it ensures no added chemicals or preservatives are added.

4. Seltzer Water

I don’t know what it is about this bubbly beverage, but I find myself always keeping my fridge stocked with it these days.

Seltzer water is a great drink idea for breastfeeding moms because it’s sugar-free and can be customized to the flavor you want simply by squirting in your favorite natural water drops.

MIO is another very popular water enhancer, but is MIO safe to use while breastfeeding?

Some moms say they avoid using it due to the artificial sweeteners and some chemicals it has. The best way to find out for sure is to ask your healthcare provider.

6. Infused Water

I know, water is sooo boring, but have you tried infusing water?

It’s so simple!

All you do is cut up vegetables or fruit and pop it into your water and ooh la la, you’re a fancy mama. Try it with cucumber, berries or even cinnamon!

7. Nut Milks

So glad you have made it to this section because there is going to be ALOT of really good breastfeeding drink ideas here. Let’s start with coconut milk.

It seems as though you either love or hate coconut.

If you fancy it like me, then you will love this copycat Pink Drink from Starbucks made using organic coconut milk.

Nut milks in general are practical breastfeeding drinks because according to Kellymom.com, dairy is the number one upset for babies who experience digestive problems.

8. Fruit Juice

Here’s an easy way to drink more fluids while breastfeeding.

However, as you know, fruit juices are incredibly high in sugar. The store bought fruit juices can even contain added preservatives that you may want to avoid while breastfeeding.

A better fruit juice alternative would be to juice your own fresh organic juice.

Kellymom.com also warns that drinking or eating citrus while breastfeeding may cause digestive upsets to your baby’s delicate system.

Keep this in mind, you may need to limit your intake of citrus fruit juices if you notice any unpleasant changes in your baby.

9. Beer?

Have you heard that beer can help increase your milk supply, but is it really true? Wouldn’t you need to pump and dump after you drink alcohol?

According to some studies, alcohol may be safe in small amounts while breastfeeding, but that has not been solidified as fact.

Alcohol actually dehydrates you, which will ALWAYS negatively affect breast milk production.

Beer may have gotten the reputation as a breast milk booster because of the hops it contains, which may be a galactagogue. Dark beer in particular, such as Guiness, seems to be the best option for a nursing mom because of the lower alcohol content.

What Can I Drink to Produce More Milk?

Other than water and staying hydrated in general, there must be some more potent and targeted drinks just for breastfeeding moms that also increase milk supply.

Well, of course there are!

Majka lactation protein powder is formulated for breastfeeding moms. It helps to nourish your body for faster postpartum recovery and fuels your cells for a more abundant breast milk supply. If you like to make lactation smoothies, this would be the perfect addition! Use the discount code LOVEOURLITTLES10 for 10% off!
Pink Stork Iced Lactation Tea is made with organic lactation herbs that enrich breast milk for baby. It also contains no wheat, dairy or soy.
UpSpring Milk Flow is a concentrated lactation supplement drink blend with no artificial ingredients. This is a great drink option for breastfeeding moms who want something quick and easy.
Milksta Lactation Instant Coffee is for you coffee-loving breastfeeding mamas (yes, my hand is raised). This instant lactation coffee is rich in vitamins to enhance milk and energy. Sounds like the best of both worlds!

Pssst… Look here you’re also interested in breastfeeding snack ideas that range from vegan to dairy free and everything in between!

Make Your Own Breastfeeding Drinks

The breastfeeding drinks above are awesome for the mamas who want something quick and convenient, but maybe you like to be in control and know exactly what you are consuming.

If this is you, then making your own drinks for breastfeeding is also worth doing.

For example, lactation smoothies are healthy, hearty and abundant in cell nourishing ingredients. You can get creative and invent your own or follow a couple recipes here on the blog, I’ll link them below for you to easily find.

You can also help yourself to this freebie lactation smoothies recipe eBook!

How to Make A Pink “Milky” Drink

Remember how we touched on the Starbucks Pink Drink earlier in the nut milks section? Here is the recipe for a homemade pink drink. Or, as I like to call it, a pink “milky” drink.

1/2 cup Ocean Spray White Cran-Strawberrry juice
1/2 cup organic coconut milk
Dehydrated strawberries

And in case you are curious to learn more about how, why or if the pink really does increase milk supply, read this!

Be equipped with EVERY IMAGINABLE breastfeeding recipe for maintaining and increasing milk supply with this downloadable PowerMilk cookbook, it’s a top recommendation of mine!

Is it Ok to Drink Soft Drinks while Breastfeeding?

Pepsi, Coke and Sprite (just to name a few) are nice to enjoy from time to time, but what about drinking coke while breastfeeding?

I’m sure this question comes up due to the caffeine present in soft drinks. Kidshealth.org says that it’s best to limit the amount of caffeine a breastfeeding mom drinks per day.

They go on to say that a couple cups of coffee are fine, but more than two servings of caffeine per day may negatively affect your baby’s sleeping habits and mood.

A better alternative would be a seltzer water mixed with some natural or organic water flavoring drops. If you like club soda, try using the Sweetleaf Sweet Drops in Vanilla Creme.

FREE for you, lactation smoothies recipe eBook!

Breastfeeding Drink Options Summary

There you have it mama, a long list of breastfeeding drinks to try! No more forcing hydration on yourself with plain old boring water.

Hopefully some of these breastfeeding drink ideas will become a new staple in your breastfeeding diet.

If you want to learn more about breastfeeding support supplements and which ones are available to you, hop over to this related read next: 10 Best Lactation Supplements to Increase Milk Supply.

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