Hoping to Breastfeed? Affect Milk Supply Today.
When steeped in a fertility journey, a healthy birthday for baby is the ultimate finish line. And yet for baby, it’s just the beginning! With all the wrinkles to navigate along the way, there’s one wrinkle, that when ironed-out early, has the power to positively impact pregnancy rates and to reduce risk of gestational diabetes. It affects baby’s metabolic health throughout their lifetime and continues postpartum with improved breastmilk supply!
The role of insulin in lactation
That wrinkle is insulin resistance. Approximately 2 in 5 American adults (and approximately 4 in 5 of those with PCOS, independent of BMI) are insulin-resistant. Insulin resistance is when the body doesn’t properly respond to the hormone insulin. Insulin is best known for regulating blood glucose, and it’s also involved in lactation! Its involvement here begins in pregnancy, preparing the mammary tissue, and helps through postpartum to maintain milk supply.
Signs of insulin resistance
Insulin resistance often accompanies high BMI, but not always! It’s also present for many with PCOS. If you’re already pregnant, failing a glucose-tolerance test is a telltale sign and those with borderline results might want to take their insulin sensitivity seriously. Other signs of insulin resistance may include: frequent sugar and carbohydrate cravings, abdominal weight gain and dark skin patches (acanthosis nigricans) or skin tags.
Since early insulin resistance may not present with physical symptoms, it can be helpful to request labs for fasting glucose, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting insulin and HbA1c for more data.
How to improve milk supply
First and foremost, when the time comes, be sure to address foundational best practices for lactation, including:
Latch technique with a qualified lactation consultant
Frequent feeding to build up supply relative to demand
And prior to birth, address insulin resistance as early as possible. The good news is that our bodies respond well to nutrition and lifestyle changes. If you have the foresight during pre-conception, managing insulin resistance can meaningfully impact fertility via hormone balance, egg and sperm quality, embryo quality and implantation rates. You can also reduce your chances of being the 1 in 10 diagnosed in pregnancy with gestational diabetes. As if that weren’t enough, improved insulin sensitivity shows up day to day with better energy, mood, and satiety.
What about galactagogues?
Galactagogues are foods that may have milk-boosting properties and include moringa, flaxseeds, fenugreek and brewer’s yeast. Keep in mind, their magic only extends so far, and they're not a panacea against other contributing factors to low supply. Generally, adding them into your diet postpartum won’t hurt, but be wary of packaged "lactation treats.” These snacks are often packed with more sugar and refined carbs than galactagogues. Instead, look for snacks that both provide galactagogues and keep blood sugar steady. Here’s a simple milk-boosting snack recipe which features brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast is regarded as a galactagogue, and it’s a great source of B vitamins and chromium. It’s no coincidence that both B vitamins and chromium support blood sugar regulation to improve insulin resistance. Enjoy these energy balls as a postpartum snack to support milk supply in more ways than one. They’re delicious and safe to snack on during preconception and pregnancy, too.
Milk-Boosting Energy Balls
½ cup almond butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup ground flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons debittered brewer’s yeast
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup hemp seeds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
In a bowl, combine almond butter, honey and vanilla. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flax, brewer’s yeast, oats, hemp and cinnamon.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is thoroughly combined.
Allow the mixture to set in the fridge for 30 minutes and then form into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter. You may need to add almond butter if your balls are not sticking together. Store in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
References:
Amisi C. A. (2022). Markers of insulin resistance in Polycystic ovary syndrome women: An update. World journal of diabetes, 13(3), 129–149. https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v13.i3.129
Boney, C. M., Verma, A., Tucker, R., & Vohr, B. R. (2005). Metabolic syndrome in childhood: association with birth weight, maternal obesity, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Pediatrics, 115(3), e290–e296. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1808
Watt, A. P., Lefevre, C., Wong, C. S., Nicholas, K. R., & Sharp, J. A. (2021). Insulin regulates human mammosphere development and function. Cell and tissue research, 384(2), 333–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-020-03360-0
