Breastfeeding Tea
Breastfeeding Tea: Does it Really Work?
Nursing mothers are sometimes recommended to consume a daily dose of breastfeeding tea to increase their milk supply. The first question for many new mothers is what is this breastfeeding tea and secondly does it really work?
Well, breastfeeding tea, sold under a couple of different labels, is essentially an herbal concoction and tends to contain ingredients such as aniseed, fennel, coriander, alfalfa or borage leaf. You are likely to find most lactation teas contain a combination of these items in varying proportions. The flavoring varies considerably with some manufacturers offering raspberry while other produce a peppermint or lemon flavored herbal tea.
The drink is usually prepared by steeping the small tea bag or specially produced loose leaf in boiling water for anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours. The immersion in hot water is supposed to release the properties of the ingredients and provide the maximum impact. While this drink is prepared like a tea, it is not regular tea and so there is usually no danger of caffeine content. As nursing mothers are told to avoid caffeine, this is a good detail to know.
The question whether this concoction is really useful – opinion is divided on this. While there has been no clear scientific proof of increased milk supply after drinking this tea, many mothers do say that they feel they produce more milk when they drink the breastfeeding tea. In the early days, as the supply is coming in, the impact of the tea is more apparent and once there is a steady supply it is hard to tell if the tea is really helping.
Even if the ingredients do not have a direct impact, the increase fluid intake will help. While nursing, it is recommended that women drink plenty of liquids to keep themselves hydrated and to make it easy for the body to produce a lot of milk. Of course, this increased drinking cannot be caffeine so coffee and tea are out and alcohol is also to be avoided. So juices and water are the best bet. A drink like the breastfeeding tea provides a nice alternative and can be a pleasant warm drink that can serve to soothe and calm the mother while helping her reach her daily quota of fluid consumption. As there is no harmful ingredient in the mix, it seems like a fairly good idea to consume the breastfeeding tea as part of a nursing mother’s daily regimen.
While the breastfeeding tea may have some influence on milk production, most experts say that it is not likely to help in cases where the mother suspects very low milk availability. If the milk is not coming in or if it is significantly low and does not leave the child feeling full, breastfeeding tea alone is not likely to make a difference. It is best to talk such a situation over with your doctor. If you find a doctor open to Eastern and Western philosophies of parenting and nursing it may help to come up with some creative solutions.
Tea drinking, especially herbal teas, are known to help the body’s immunity building and overall health and it also comes with social and psychological implications. Drinking breastfeeding tea can be a steady ritual as part of the new mom’s hectic daily schedule to sit for a few minutes to make and drink this tea. The psychological benefits of these 10 minutes of calming down can be as much or more that the physical benefits of consuming the actual tea. The structure of taking out some much-needed ”me time” will also help at the mom feel rejuvenated. So breastfeeding tea promises to be a good addition to a nursing mom’s menu.