1 Year of Breastfeeding!
We hit our goal of 12 months nursing & as interested in health & nutrition as I am - I wanted to share with you some things that worked in our journey! I was very intentional through my pregnancy to watch videos, demonstrations, & study so that I felt as ready as I could when she got here. I am not an expert by any means, these are just tips that helped our journey and maybe they will help someone else! I loved reading articles and other experiences before I had Remi. I also utilized making an appointment with the lactation consultant when she was just a few days old. There are so many resources out there to help you, do not be afraid to use them!
Always remember that every BODY is different, fed is best! I am NOT a doctor and the information below is NOT medical advice!
One of the BIGGEST things I want to begin with is GET AHEAD! Start creating some of these habits early on, instead of expecting yourself to be able to incorporate them all freshly postpartum.
1.) STAY HYDRATED! This is a great habit to begin during pregnancy. I always have at least 8 cups of water per day, starting with 1 as soon as I wake up. Electrolyte drinks such as gatorade zero, body armour etc. are also popular in the nursing community - I opted for coconut water, which is a major source of hydration in most of those drinks you will find! I also added pink sea salt and lime to it, to increase the electrolytes.
2.) GET ENOUGH CALORIES! It is easy to accidentally restrict your calorie intake if you are not careful postpartum as you are not always thinking about food! RX Bars, almond butter, kind bars, cliff bars were all some higher calorie options that I had on hand to grab quickly. I also tried to eat or snack every 2-3 hours.
3.) SUPPLEMENTS! While I can't say that this magically helped me make more milk, I did start taking the supplements below about 2 weeks before Remi's due date. AGAIN, I wanted to get ahead. I didn't want to wait until 1 week postpartum not making any milk, and try to overcorrect. I wanted to start the habit early so it felt normal to me when we came home from the hospital!
Brewer's Yeast Powder - You will see this ingredient in a lot of 'lactation bite' recipes. I mixed it into my morning protein shake every day (chocolate flavored protein) and masked the flavor of the brewer's yeast with Hershey's cocoa powder so I just tasted lots of chocolate, but got the benefit of the Brewer's Yeast! https://amzn.to/3Ji6J4y
Protein - I drink protein every season of life, but I really wanted to prioritize it to keep me full and help me regain my strength postpartum! This is the protein I used in my morning shake the first 2-3 months of Remi's life. Then, I switched back to the brand Arbonne which is a natural brand I usually use. https://amzn.to/3U2xMpn
Flax seeds are filled with healthy fats and minerals, so I added about 1tbsp into my shake as well and you can't taste it blended up. This was a good way for me to get some more calories and vitamins in.
If you struggle hitting calories, adding in peanut/almond butter, whole milk, and fruit (I like frozen banana) are a good way to increase the calories in the shake. TIP: You could even consider bagging some of the dry ingredients ahead of time so that when you go to make it you just dump everything in at once.
4.) HAAKAA! While I nursed on one side, I would attach my haakaa on the other. This was how I was able to store a lot of milk early on! It took me a lot of trial and error to get the hang of it being attached and I felt getting started it helped me if I leaned forward a bit while I did it. It did take quite a few days postpartum (as expected) for me to get any milk at all to drip in it. https://amzn.to/43YN3fz
She was always on a boppy/nursing pillow, which helped me to lean forward. https://amzn.to/3U3OZip
These are just a few things that we incorporated early on. There is nothing I love more than being a mother so please don't hesitate to reach out or ask any questions!
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