If you are a new mother, as you welcome the bonniest new addition to your life, you need to take extra care of your diet. It is important because you are not only feeding yourself but also your baby. For the first six months of an infant’s life, breast milk is the primary source of nutrition. A newborn baby needs to be fed 8-12 times a day and therefore, so it is necessary that your body produces enough milk.

Before you start getting worried here are the top signs to check if you are producing enough milk for your baby. And you can add Lactogenic (milk-producing) Food items like oats and green leafy vegetables to your diet for increasing your milk supply.

Some of the most prominent lactogenic food items are as follows:

Oats: A bowl of oatmeal is a formidable mix of energy and fiber. It is one of the most recommended breast milk inducing food. It also lowers the body cholesterol levels thereby balancing blood pressure. Moreover, a bowl of hot and light oatmeal is comfort food for a mother and therefore, it increases the secretion of the happy hormone (Oxytocin), which in turn upturns the breast milk supply.

Green Leafy Vegetables: Green leafy veggies provide the mother’s body the much-needed quota of minerals it so urgently requires in those days. Spinach is a great source of Iron, Calcium, fat-soluble vitamins and folate, which not only fight anemia but also stimulate breast milk production. Green leafy vegetables also contain Phytoestrogens (plant-based chemicals that mimic estrogen) that stimulate breast tissue health and lactation.

Fish: Fish meat (Salmon, tuna,etc.) is a great source of essential fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids which are known stimulants of breast milk. Essential fatty acids are the building components of breast milk. Also, these fatty acids strengthen the mother’s body by eliminating a wide range of deficiencies and promote the secretion of hormones that aid breast milk emission. Essential and omega 3 fatty acids in breast milk help in the body development of the infant.

Carrots: Carrots are rich in beta-carotenes and Vitamin A that a mother’s body requires in large quantities. Carrots also, like green leafy vegetables, contain Phytoestrogens. Carrot is thought to provide extra energy to lactating mothers that may boost the breast milk supply. A glass of carrot juice before a meal greatly increases breast milk supply for the next few hours.

Green Papaya: Papaya is known to act as a sedative, which helps a mother relax, and subsequently ups the production of breast milk. Green Papaya soup has been traditionally recommended for breast-feeding mothers. The phytochemicals and enzymes present in papaya are believed to supplement the growth of breast tissue and aid in lactation.

Water: Drinking adequate (but not excess) quantities of water improves a mother’s breast milk supply. It eliminates dehydration and increases the total milk volume per feed. Drink a glass of water whenever you feel thirsty or just before sitting down to feed your baby.