Nursing can be a hot topic but on this blog is free conversation.
I’ve always felt if no one knew I was nursing then I was rocking it. I still feel that but don’t worry as much about how others feel. Nursing your child is such a basic life task that it should not be up for debate. GOD made a woman’s body to be able to provide everything for that child from conception until they are 6mo (then a continuation but finally the aid of food). With this said though for myself I just don’t let myself be exposed when men are around or I’m out in public becuase I don’t feel comfortable with it.
So with all that being said let me dive into the actual important information. I’ve nursed 3 babies with exclusive breast milk (our 3rd child we ended up needing to supplement with formula for a few months at the end becuase I had to have thyroid surgery, then had the stress of my grandparents falling ill and passing all with in 3 months which crushed my supply).
There are 3 main things you need to keep in mind with nursing.
Water
Drink. Drink. Drink. I can’t stress this enough. You need to be drinking water constantly. If you think you’ve drank to much and will float away fit another glass into your day. Water is the best try to avoid all others becuase they can actually dehydrate you like coffee.
As soon as your start nursing you’ll be reminded that you need to drink water anyways so try to have water stocked close by your nursing stations or have a runner to get you water. (Husbands, Mothers, and MIL’s are the best at this). It doesn’t have to be expensive bottle water either. You can just have clean bottles or mason jars of water around.
To give you an example if you weight 100lbs your supposed to drink at least half your weight in water for regular health maintenance. So take your 50 ounces of water and add half so you’re at 75 ounces of water a day.
Pumping
If you don’t feel you have a good supply then pump 15 minutes after a feeding and if they are on a regular sleep schedule pump in the middle of their nap or get up at least once to pump at night.
Also anytime they only eat on one side then pump the other side right after they are finished.
You’ll be surprised how much of a stock you’ll create just by doing this.
Aides (with food)
- Fenugreek (aka Methi) can be found in many forms such as teas, seeds, powers, and vitamin casuals.
- Brewer yeast is another great addition, but I’ll warn you that it doesn’t taste that great so you’ll want to kind of hid it. (*see recipes below)
- Ground flax seed
- Oatmeal
Recipe
Sugar Free Ice Tea
- 1 tbls Fennel Seeds
- 1/2 tbls Dill Seeds
- 1 tbls Methi (Fenugreek) Seeds
Put all seeds into a pot and fill pot with water and boil for 30 minutes. Halfway through you’ll more than likely need to add some water. Then let cool completely strain your seeds and take the concentrated tea and pour over a glass full of ice and enjoy.
Brownies With or Without Ganache
- Take any brownie recipe you like homemade or boxed and follow regular directions and ingredient
- Add:
- 4 tbls Brewers Yeast
- 2 tbls flax seed meal (you can ground yourself if you only have seeds)
- 1 tbls water (to accommodate the extra powers)
Then bake like you normally would. Then let cool completely and either cut up and store as is or add ganache* let firm up in fridge then cut and store.
Energy Balls
- 1 Cup Mejool Dates (that have been soaked in hot water for 10 minuets and drained)
- 1&1/2 Cups raw (unsalted) cashews
- 1/4 Cup ground flax seed
- 1/2 Cup of your favorite chocolate chips (mini are the best)
- 2 heaping tbls of Brewers Yeast
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Toss all into a food processor and blitz till it looks like a nice fine consistency but not mush. Then I like to take a small scoop and scoop onto a cookie sheet and toss into the fridge till nicely firm. You can store as is or add ganache* for dessert treat.
***If you’d like the ganache which is what helps hide that brewers yeast taste just take 1-2 cups of any of your favorite chocolate chips to a bowl then cover with heavy cream (coconut cream if you can’t have dairy) and create a double boiler on the stove with your glass bowl and a pot with about a half of an inch of water and simmer until it’s almost all melted and yummy. Let it cool a bit before pouring over your brownies or dipping your energy bites.
Extras:
- Storing your milk is important. Make sure you take care of your milk as quickly as possible after expressing to keep it’s freshness.
- I have a deep chest freezer that I love to utilize to extend the life of my milk supply.
- Here is two great links to check out for safe storing and use of your expressed milk. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm AND https://www.medela.com/breastfeeding/mums-journey/storing-and-thawing-breast-milk
Till then God Bless and Enjoy
~Just Your Average Mama