The paramount of human health is having unhindered functioning of all the organs in the body of both male and female genders. It is essential that all the fluids in the body, both excreted and utilised, are in sync with each other. This creates the perfect balance for the body to work, heal, and generate energy for life. In the ayurveda, nutrition is not just stomach filling food but the natural medicine that keeps the fluid sync of the body balanced. Food and herbs that a person intakes are supposed to supplement the proper functioning of all bodily systems. Hence, having a balanced diet is undoubtedly one of the most important suggestions of medical sciences.
Reproduction and nurturing of the offspring is an important goal of human life. Both men and women have their own systems to procreate. Due to the changing environment and poor quality of life, this is the most affected system for humans today. Even though the reproductive system works for creating life, nurturing after giving birth is tough given the hardships of earning a living. The nurturing part, which requires the mother most of all, has become difficult due to the disbalance of fluid and hormonal sync in the body.
A large number of women are unable to nurse their babies in the same way they were doing before. This is happening because an essential part of nurturing- lactation- is getting low in quality and quantity. Like every other system in the body, lactation for women is also something which needs to be supplemented in the time of need. However, every other woman has the question- whether a supplement for lactation actually works or not? So, we’re here with the answer to your doubts.
What to know about lactation supplements?Supplements for any body function or general nutrition only works depending on the factor that it targets the root cause of the problem. With most supplements, the issue is that they are made to simply supply a number of nutrients which can be gained even from whole foods. They do not essentially target the issue in the organs. So, taking a supplement that is made exactly according to the problem you are facing is important. Similarly, taking just any nutritional supplement and thinking it will affect the quantity of milk you produce is a waste of effort. That ‘s why you must know what to use when you’re having trouble lactating.
In medical and health sciences, lactation supplements are called “galactagogues” or “lactagogues”. Before starting with these lactation supplements, a woman needs to evaluate a couple of factors that might be affecting the milk supply. The first and foremost is LATCH evaluation.
LATCH assessment is a test that determines the perfect breastfeeding conditions for both the mother and the child. Each letter of the word latch refers to a factor which is essential in breastfeeding. ‘L’ denotes the effectiveness with which the baby latches onto the breast. ‘A’ denotes the audible swallowing sound from the baby and how many times it occurs during a feeding session. ‘T’ is for the type of nipples that a mother has (smaller or new mother nipples and large or experienced mother nipples) and whether they are healthy. ‘C’ denotes the comfort level of the mother while breastfeeding as being uncomfortable and stressful decreases the amount of lactation. ‘H’ means the help that a mother requires to hold the baby to her breast to make it comfortably suckle. The factors of LATCH are important to have a perfect breastfeeding session. It largely affects the amount of milk being delivered through the nipples and also affects the baby’s suckling capacity.
Apart from LATCH, a mother also needs to make sure that the baby’s oral structure is good, sometimes a baby with a smaller tongue or held back tongue has trouble sucking milk from the nipples. In that case, the paediatrician can make a small incision below the baby’s tongue to allow free movement. A mother who has hydration issues and doesn’t drink enough water throughout the day will also have trouble delivering milk to the baby because of the thickness of fluids in the breasts.
Once you have checked all of the above factors and determine they are in the right place, you can move on to using galactagogues which will directly target the hormonal or glandular issues that reduce milk supply.
What to look for in a lactation supplement?Lactation supplements can be either synthetic (drug synthesised) or herbal. Before you use any synthetic galactagogue, ensure that there are no side-effects. These supplements might work on increasing quantities but may have side-effects for the mother and the baby. And while nursing a baby, quality of milk and health is most important. Which is why the best supplements that work are herbal supplements that are made from naturally derived ingredients which target hormones and mammary glands without any side-effects. Here’s a list of herbs that are proven to increase the quality and quantity of milk in mothers.
- Shatavari- commonly known as asparagus, the roots of shatavari are known to improve the strength and function of mammary glands.
- Vidarikand- vidari or alligator yam, is a tuber with purple flowers which is known for its effectiveness on strengthening reproductive and nurturing hormones oestrogen, progesterone and prolactin.
- Sowa seeds- anethum graveolens or dill is a herb which acts as a natural prolactin booster and galactagogue.
- Gokhru- it is a plant that has qualities which treat hormonal imbalances to improve prolactin production in the body.
- Singhara- commonly known as water chestnut, it is a fruit which improves nutrition synthesis for mothers and helps with increasing the filling quality of milk for the baby.
- Mulethi root- licorice or mulethi is known for its stress relieving qualities which decreases cortisol and improves lactation abilities.
The major reason why herbal lactation supplements work is that they target the exact hormones and body fluids that affect lactation in women. Ayurveda has always focused on natural healing, which makes herbal extracts a great way to treat lactation issues where you and your baby are safe. This makes Namyaa’s Amritbaras Lactation Supplement Granules a great choice for nursing mothers. It comes with all natural extracts that are recognised by ayurveda as galactagogues. Bring home the health for your baby and nurture it responsibly.
