Mom's "Milk" Shake

When breastfeeding: Water makes Milk. An adequate amount of fluids is important. Another key to making more breast milk is a high caloric intake, especially in the first weeks after birth when establishing a good milk supply. This shake is a great, tasty way to increase caloric intake as well as fluid intake. It's also high in protein and fat, making it a great milk maker. Yum.

 

My Mother's Milkshake

1 Cup whole milk

1-2 tbs peanut, almond, or cashew butter

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp honey

1 banana

1 tsp brewer's yeast

4 large ice cubes

1/4 cup whey powder (optional, for extra calories and protein)

1 tsp chocolate syrup or cocoa powder (optional, for taste)

1 tsp vanilla (optional, for taste)

Put all the ingredients in a blender on high or 20-40 seconds. Add more or less milk to achieve desired consistency. Enjoy. If whey powder is added, drink right away to avoid separation of whey from the milk.  

 

 

Pump it up!

Ways to Increase Breast Milk Production

There are several theories about how to increase breast milk production.  What breastfeeding really comes down to is: supply and demand. Breastfeeding is generally a supply and demand situation.

The more demand there is on the breast for milk either from a little babe or a pump, there more milk will be made. Women's bodies are capable of adapting to a newborns desire for an adequate milk supply.  Only very few and rare circumstances with prevent a woman from being able to make enough breast milk for her babe. There are some women who are very gifted and are able to make enough milk without even batting an eyelash, and there are other women, myself included, that have to struggle to keep the milk supply flowing.

Here are tips for keeping increasing lactation

 

1) Drink 12 glasses of fluids a day:  This is so important to keep up an adequate milk supply.  In this case: water makes milk.  Don't go 1 hour without drinking at least 8 oz.

2) Pump in between feedings: Start pumping 1 hour after the morning feeding, when milk supply is at it's peak. Then gradually increase it to three times a day.  It's usually best to pump 45 min - 1 hour after emptying a breast at a feeding.


3) Keep stocked: Have plenty of breast pump supplies, bottles, or breastmilk bags clean and ready. The last thing you want to keep you from pumping is having to continually clean breast pumping supplies.  Having a good stock and washing them all at once, makes the pumping process easier

4) Get a good electric pump: Advent, Medela and Playtex all make great electric pumps. It is pointless to waste precious time pumping on a hand or manual pump.

5) Fenugreek - fenugreek is an herb that will increase milk supply. It comes in teas, pills and powder forms.

6) Mother's milk tea: Mother's milk tea is made by Traditional Medicinal and is sold at most Whole Foods or health food stores. It is also available online. It has herbs that promote lactation like fenugreek and anise.

7) Use heat: After a hot shower or after heat packs are applied to a breast, the will have more milk due to the increased circulation. Take advanteage of a hot shower or apply a heat pad before pumping or feeding.

Breastfeeding- Planning to Breastfeed

Getting off to the Right Start

Breastfeeding is a wonderful way to bond with your baby.  It has great health benefits for the mother and the baby and is something that is as age old as delivery itself.  Many women are intimidated by breastfeeding. Some women have been given inacurate advice from previous providers that they cannot produce enough milk or are unable to breastfeed. Except for a very few rare cases, most women should be able to produce enough milk for their infants and breastfeed successfully.

Planning to breastfeed is a great way to ensure success. Some women are natural breastfeeders and other women can have difficulties in the beginning.  Even though, it's hard not to compare ourselves to others, (especially sisters and mothers) each woman is unique. The majority of women who stick with breastfeeding find they are very successful after just after two or three days with their babe.

Some great ways to ensure successful breastfeeding:

• Get the baby to the breast as soon as possible after delivery. Once a baby is born, he will be alert and responsive for the first 60-90 minutes.  This is a great time to get the baby to the breast in a very relaxed way. Because a full-term infant is born with brown fat that they metabolize in the first few hours of life, there is no rush to feed them immediately.  Also, their stomachs are small (like a marble) and they cannot take in a lot of milk in the first few days as it is. This time can be used to get to know your babe and get to know your babe at the breast.
• Skin to skin:  Keeping your baby's skin on your skin as much as possible is a great way to encourage breastfeeding. This helps to decrease stress in the newborn and has been shown to increase breastfeeding success.
• Try, try, again.  Don't be intimidated. Even when unsure, the best thing to do simply get the baby to the breast. Attempt breastfeeding.  It is a very natural thing for both the mother and the baby.  You might be surprised how easily a baby will naturally latch on the breast
• Utilize the resources at your birthing facility. Many hospitals and birthing centers will have lactation specialists that can come and evaluate breastfeeding. Having someone telling you, you are doing it right is one of the biggest confidence boosters. Have someone watch you breastfeed and evaluate your latch before you leave the birthing facility.
• Try to avoid a bottle or pacifier in the first 48 hours.  This will help to avoid nipple confusion and also signal to the body to produce milk.
• Learn how to use a breast pump early on.  A pump is a great ally when milk supply is down.  Production is a supply and demand operation. The more demand there is (stimulation on the nipple) for milk, the more milk the body will make.
• Eat. The first 6 weeks are not a great time for dieting in order to establish a great milk supply. Also excessive exercising during this time may decrease milk production.
• Drink. Water is an essential component to milk production and a decrease in water intake will decrease your milk supply.
• If difficulty still persists after 2-3 days, consider having a lactation consultation or your midwife come to your home to assist with latch.
• Have confidence in yourself and your ability to breastfeed. It's all natural.

Preparing for the Postpartum Period

The postpartum period can sneak up on us and catch us off guard. We spend countless hours preparing for the labor and the delivery but not as much for the postpartum period.  Those inital days and weeks can be very challenging even for the experienced mom, so I recommend a little preparation and planning to ease the transition. Here are a few suggestions.

BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT
1) If you plan on breastfeeding, set up a postpartum doula or lactation consultation ahead of time to meet with you in your home after the delivery

• Ask your provider for a recommendation during a prenatal visit
• There are plenty of doula organizations D.O.N.A and ICEA (to name a few) that have lists on their website for postpartum doulas.
•  The international lactation consultant association also has a listing by area

HOUSEHOLD HELP
2) Get cleaning and laundry help set up ahead of time.

• Due to the needs of a newborn and sleep deprivation, it's very difficult to keep a home organized and clean.  
• Sometimes it can be very distracting to have the dishes and the laundry pile up. 
• The postpartum period isn't a time to be stubborn. Take as much help as you can get (even daily) from hired help or from family for the first 6-14 weeks to do household chores and cleaning. 

MEALS
3) Get meals set up ahead of time.

• Mealtrain.com is a website that will allow your friends and family to organize meals. Most people are happy to help out in this way and it let's them feel involved and part of the birthing experience.
• Make meals in your last few weeks of pregnancy that can be easily heated up and freeze them like lasagna, sauces, baked goods and soups
• Don't be afraid to buy frozen meals. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods sell great frozen (even organic) meals.

FINANCES
4) Put some money aside. Sometimes, it's not possible, but if you start putting even just a little away week by week of your pregnancy, it can help.

• Financial stress can contribute to postpartum depression. 
• Keeping a little money aside can be a stress relief even it it's not needed.

SOCIAL SUPPORT
5) Find a community

• Connecting with other new moms can lead to a better sense of self-efficacy as well as decrease the baby blues and postpartum depression.
• The National Mother's Center Association has a list by area of Mother's Centers, groups and actives by area.
• Holistic Mom's Network is another national group that has local chapters
• La Leche League also has local chapters, groups and actives to be a part of 
• Ask your birthing facility or provider about support groups

The Importance of Postpartum Support

Women are doing excellent jobs of preparing for childbirth. They begin labor with many weeks or months of studying, preparing, exercising, and practicing.  Even these women, though, can be side swiped when it comes to the postpartum period.  It's overwhelming, but something that women can also prepare for.
Postpartum support in American is dramatically undervalued.  Women are discharged from the hospital in 48 hours (sometimes less) and expected to go back to work in 6 weeks.  There are no routine/standard home visits or groups for women from their hospital or providers like in many other countries and women are expected to figure it out on their own and basically cope as opposed to thrive.
The rise of postpartum depression has escalated. Up to 80% of women experience postpartum blues or a milder, generally shorter lived and non-medicated form of postpartum depression. While it is often fleeting, it's disconcerting and emotionally taxing. While hormonal changes are often the culprit for postpartum blues, women report that feel they have ample postpartum support from family, friends or professional support (doulas, nurses, midwives, lactation specialists) seldom report postpartum blues and depression.
Postpartum depression occurs about 10% of the time while major depression occurs in 6% of women.  The difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues is that in order to be diagnosed as depressed, the woman must have the symptoms of depression most of the day, every day for two weeks or longer.
Women who are at risk for postpartum depression include women who have: marital stress, childcare stress, a lack of perceived social support from family and friends, lack of emotional and financial support from the partner, living without a partner, and complications with their own relationship with their mother.  There are other factors that place a women as risk, but each of these aforementioned risk factors involve a perceived sense of lack of support.  It is proven that in cultures where support from extended family is available and where spousal support is encouraged the rates of postpartum depression are lower.  So, as part of a labor team, family, or circle of friends . . . support those mommas!