For those who are unaware, it is World Breastfeeding Week – as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month – a week dedicated to bringing awareness, as well as compassion, for those who have struggled, have thrived, or are just beginning their breastfeeding journey.
If you’ve known me for long, you know I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding, and since I have been either pregnant or nursing since basically the beginning of 2012, I definitely have lots of advice to share on the matter!
I want to start off by saying that I know, first-hand, that nursing a baby is not easy! In fact, it can be downright miserable at times and really does take a LOT of work! In fact, I recently saw a stat that a breastfeeding mama spends nearly 1,825+ hours feeding her infant over the course of a year! A full-time job is roughly 2,000 hours, so to say it’s “work” is an understatement! And that doesn’t even bring into account the swollen and leaky breasts, mastitis so bad you can’t even let shower water hit your breasts, teeth-marks that cause bleeding… oh, I’ve been through ALL of it plus some!
But to me, breastfeeding is a journey – and like life in general, one that is not always easy! Filled with its ups-and-downs, I personally believe that there is no better feeling in the world than literally sustaining your baby through the nutrients that you are able to provide, watching those little eyes longingly gaze into yours, and those sweet little arms gently wrapped around your body.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE
I’ve written tons of info on breastfeeding over the years and shared all about my struggles to get pregnant, my 3 miscarriages, and over-producing (if you want to read more, HERE), but want I want to reiterate is that while we can’t control everything {God definitely has his own timetable for us!}, we can do our best to take care of our bodies and health!
In fact, I firmly believe that nutrition plays an essential role in all bodily processes and that by eating nutritious foods, using all-natural products, taking herbs and vitamins, exercising, and cutting down on stress we can truly help our bodies form as optimally as possible.
I’ve seen first-hand what amazing results herbs and acupuncture have had on trying to get pregnant, as well as how the foods I choose to eat has increased my milk supply to copious amounts. In fact, I’ve produced so much breastmilk over the years that I was able to feed over 10 babies – not including my own!
TIPS TO PRODUCE MORE MILK
So without further ado – and probably the reason many of you are still reading – I want to share some of my favorite tried-and-true ways to increase your breastmilk supply, all of which you can start TODAY!
And hey, even if you’re not a nursing mom, you can benefit from this list too – so keep reading to learn more!
1) Drink LOTS of Water!
And you thought you were thirsty while pregnant! There’s nothing like a nursing baby to make you feel dehydrated! Where do you think all that “liquid gold” comes from?!
The biggest issue here is that most people don’t realize that once you feel parched it’s already too late! You should drink water before you start to feel thirsty! Ideally, a nursing mom should drink at least the number of ounces that she weighs (in pounds). I know this seems like a lot (because it is!), but there is a direct correlation between the amount of water you drink and the milk you produce – so drink up!
2) Eat Lots of Fats
Ok, I know as a new mom we want to lose the baby weight and get our bodies back to our pre-pregnancy weight as soon as possible! However, breastmilk contains between 3-5% fat so the only way to get that composition is by eating it yourself! (The rest of the breakdown is around 1% protein, 7% carbohydrates, .5% probiotics, and .2% vitamins & minerals, and the remaining 86-88% water).
Remember, eating fat doesn’t make you fat (I actually have a whole blog post about Eating Fat for Weightloss as well as a blog on 7 Reasons to Eat More Fat), but if you eat it in the right amounts, your body will actually allow you to burn it as energy. Hello keto diet, I’m talking to you!
And eating more protein will also increase the amount of fat in your breastmilk because the synthesis of protein actually helps produce breastmilk. Crazy, huh?!
3) Eat Lactogenic Foods
From garlic to almonds to brewer’s yeast and oats, there are tons of foods that will help you produce more milk – and tons of companies who sell products who claim to do this as well! However, be aware that many of these products – cookies, in particular – are actually filled with lots of ingredients you shouldn’t be eating a lot of (ie, sugar), so making your own or simply eating the whole foods here is the best way to go!
Check out my original article for a list of 10 foods to increase your breastmilk supply, or better yet, let’s jump on a FREE CALL so I can help you develop a plan to get the most out of your breastfeeding experience!
The call is worth $99 but I’m offering it to you for FREE! So hurry, let’s get you and your baby feeling your best – because there is no better time than NOW!
Your health CANNOT wait!
Schedule your call TODAY!
