The number one factor that's going to impact your breast milk production is actually your infant's demand. So I hold off on using a pacifier or bottle until you've had a chance to establish a good breastfeeding routine with your infant, and then, really try to nurse on demand and for as long as the infant would like, because that's going to be one of the biggest factors on the amount of breast milk that you'll be able to produce.
Another key strategy to support breastfeeding is to it to make sure that you're well hydrated. You don't want to wait until you're thirsty because then you most likely already dehydrated, so use each nursing session as an opportunity to drink about 16 fluid ounces of water, and that will help to ensure that you are well hydrated and able to meet your baby's needs.
Breastfeeding also provides the opportunity for you to introduce creative flavors on a very early stage. Your breast milk will change in flavor based on the fruits, vegetables, and spices that you're consuming. And research has shown that if you expose your infant to wide varieties via your breast milk and through your actual diet while you're nursing that they may be less picky and more accepting of new foods later in their childhood.
So I encourage you to have fun and experiment while you're breastfeeding with your own diet so that you can expose your child to a wide variety of healthy foods as they age. So just like in pregnancy you are nourishing your infant through your breast milk. So you do want to use caution if you are going to consume caffeine, try to keep that to less than 200 milligrams a day; just like when you were pregnant; so that you can reduce in fussiness or reactions from your infant.
Same for alcohol; if you decide to have an alcoholic drink, and you just want to make sure that you've had time for that alcohol to be reabsorbed. So, give yourself at least four hours after one drink to make sure that you're not exposing your child to any of the alcohol that you may have consumed during that day. You can certainly pump, and then also dump that breast milk to ensure that you're not exposing your child to any of the alcohol you may have consumed.
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