How to BUILD Your Milk Supply || Milk Supply MINI SERIES VIDEO 1️⃣

If you’ve ever found yourself five, six, even seven months postpartum with a milk supply that’s barely hanging on, just know—you’re not alone. I get calls from moms in that exact spot all the time, and while I always do my best to help, the truth is: nothing replaces a solid start to your milk supply.

That’s why I’m here today. I want to help you get off on the right foot—or get back on track if things didn’t start as planned. In this post, I’ll walk you through the two most critical factors to building a strong and stable milk supply, and the four biggest traps that might be holding you back. These are the same foundational principles I teach to my coaching clients—moms just like you who are working, pumping, and doing everything they can to feed their babies breast milk.

And yes, I’ve seen moms go from giving mostly formula to nearly exclusive breast milk in just a few weeks. It’s possible. But wouldn’t it be even better to build your supply strong from the beginning?

Let’s dive in.

(This blog post was originally a video. Check it out, here!)

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Why Random Strategies Give You Random Results

If you’ve been googling “how to increase milk supply” at 2 a.m. and trying every tip you find—supplements, cookies, new pumps, power pumping—you’re not doing anything wrong. In fact, most moms start here. It feels proactive. Maybe even a little fun.

But eventually, that chaos becomes confusing. You’re doing all the things, but seeing inconsistent results. And you have no idea why. Sound familiar?

This approach usually leads to one of two outcomes:

1. You barely hit your feeding goals, feeling burnt out and exhausted the whole way.
2. Or, you give up earlier than you wanted—feeling like your body failed you.

But your body didn’t fail. The strategy did.

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The Two Pillars of a Solid Milk Supply

Let me save you a ton of time, stress, and trial-and-error by giving it to you straight:
A strong milk supply starts with two foundational pillars—frequency and consistency.

If you’re missing one or both, no supplement or fancy pump will fix it.

1. Frequency: How Often You Remove Milk

Frequency is simply about how many times you’re expressing milk in a 24-hour period. For example:
4 times a day? Probably not enough.
8 or more times? Now we’re getting somewhere.

Milk supply is a supply-and-demand system. When you remove milk, two things happen:

• It stimulates your brain to make more milk.
• It removes what’s already there, creating room for more.

Just like you wouldn’t eat 2,500 calories for breakfast and then fast all day, your body needs milk removal spread throughout the day and night to keep up supply.

2. Consistency: Steady Habits Over Time

Consistency is about doing it again and again—not just for a few days, but for weeks and months. Your milk supply thrives on routine.

Pumping 7 times today and 3 times tomorrow sends your body mixed messages. And yes, I know you’re tired. You need sleep. But when you’re building your supply, it’s important to think long-term:

Are the short-term breaks costing you long-term supply?

A tortoise wins this race, not a hare. Trust me.

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But What About Efficiency?

Now, frequency and consistency are foundational, but they’re not the whole story. If you’re doing both but still struggling, efficiency might be the missing piece. That’s what we’ll cover in the next post in this mini-series.

Because here’s the deal: More stimulation without effective milk removal just clogs the system. Your brain is saying “send more milk,” and your body’s like, “there’s nowhere to put it!”

Stay tuned—video two in this mini-series will dive into protecting your supply and improving efficiency. If you want to get ahead, I also created a free workshop that walks you through all three steps: building, protecting, and controlling your milk supply.

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The Four Biggest Milk Supply Traps (And How to Avoid Them)

Now that you know what works, let’s talk about what doesn’t. These are the four traps I see moms fall into all the time, and they can quietly sabotage your supply-building efforts.

1. The Supplement Trap

Lactation cookies, teas, brownies—sound familiar? Buying a supplement feels like you’re doing something helpful, but here’s the truth:
Supplements can’t replace a solid pumping strategy.

Sure, some can support supply if your body is missing key nutrients or calories. But eating Oreos (even if they’re labeled “lactation-friendly”) won’t magically increase supply. Focus on real food, real rest, and real milk removal first.

2. The Formula Trap

Let’s be clear: Formula is a fantastic, life-saving tool. We use it with many clients to support feeding goals.

But without a plan, formula can quickly lead to a downward spiral. For example, if your partner is taking over night feeds with bottles and you’re skipping night pumps, your body doesn’t know someone else is feeding the baby. It only knows milk isn’t being removed.

Every missed session chips away at your long-term supply goals.

3. The New Pump Trap

Buying a new pump might feel like the solution—but even the best pump won’t help if it’s not used correctly.

Technique matters.
Fit matters.
Your body’s response matters.

Don’t spend your time and money chasing the “perfect” pump. Focus on using the one you have efficiently for your unique body. (More on that in our next post.)

4. The “I Need a Break” Trap

This one’s tough. Because I get it—pumping around the clock is exhausting. But when you take a break (even just slow down), it starts what we call relactation if you try to return later. And relactation is HARD.

You’re basically restarting your milk supply from scratch. So yes, take care of yourself, but know that building a strong milk supply means frequent and consistent milk removal—especially early on.

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Is It Too Late to Fix My Supply?

One of the most common questions I get is:
“Is it too late to increase my supply?”

And the answer is: Not necessarily.
Even after your milk “regulates” around 6–12 weeks postpartum, changes can still happen. But by then, you’re mostly in a supply and demand mode—your hormones aren’t helping you as much.

So while it might be too late to get to 100% breast milk for some, it’s never too late to improve and find a routine that works for you.

And here’s the thing—100% breast milk doesn’t have to be the goal. That’s something we’ll talk more about in video three of the mini-series.

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Final Thoughts: Start Strong, Finish Confident

If you take nothing else away from this post, let it be this:

✨ Your milk supply depends more on strategy than on luck. ✨

Focus on frequent, consistent milk removal, then work toward efficiency and personalization. That’s the formula (pun intended!) that helps moms go from struggling to confident—without the burnout.

And if you’re going back to work soon and relying heavily on your breast pump? You’ll especially want to watch the next post, where I’ll walk you through how to protect the supply you’ve worked so hard to build.

In the meantime, you can watch the full workshop covering all three steps—build, protect, and control—for free. Click here to get started.

You’ve got this.
Happy pumping!

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P.S. Want to learn how to pump faster and get better output without burning out? That’s exactly what I’ll cover in next week’s post. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!