"BREASTFEEDING IS EASY" ... NOT

Post From August 16, 2018

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Hi Everyone! How are you all doing today? So I wanted to speak on breastfeeding. The photo to the left is a photo from when my baby was still under one month old! I was so uncomfortable with breastfeeding in the beginning I covered up sometimes even in the house, especially if we had visitors. For some reason, there is this common misconception that breastfeeding is easy. Well let me tell you first hand, it is not! Breastfeeding is easily one of the hardest things about parenting/ being a new mom! Some new moms will struggle with breastfeeding, and even those who have it easy, the list of those who NEVER have an issue breastfeeding is still slim to none. Breastfeeding is magical and is honestly great bonding time for you and that new little bundle of joy you brought home. But if we are being real, for most women it is also frustrating, challenging and even lonely at times. Now don't get me wrong, I 100% percent support breastfeeding - I exclusively breastfeed - but I realize it is not for everyone. And if you are one of those moms for one reason or another couldn't breastfeed or just didn't want to, you are no less of a mother! So long as that baby gets fed, you are doing a great job!

So for me, breastfeeding always seemed as though it was the only option. I prayed that I would be able to breastfeed because the price of formula nowadays is absolutely ridiculous. The other reason breastfeeding was so important for me is, I wasn't breastfed as I was almost 12 full weeks premature, and was formula fed from day one. Breastfeeding is good for your baby for so many reasons. Between being the primary source of all the vitamins and nutrients that your newborn needs, breast milk is packed with "disease-fighting substances." Breastfeeding is also food for the mother's health! Anyone wonder why so many exclusively breastfeeding moms sometimes tend to drop the baby weight a bit faster? Well, when breastfeeding you are burning an extra 500-700 calories per day just producing milk for your baby. So if you are following a healthy meal plan and exercise plan, the weight will literally just fall off! -- For some mothers, the weight doesn't always fall off for all --

I lost all of my baby weight within my first 12 weeks postpartum with zero exercise. Post-cesarean I was not cleared to exercise past walking for the first 12 weeks. When I was in the hospital, Rei would not latch because every time he tried, he would choke on mucus. He had excessive amounts of mucus which is common with c-section babies because they don't go through the birth canal which helps to clean some of that mucus out. In the first 48 hours of life, my baby boy lost over 2 lbs. If your baby loses over 10% of their body weight in the hospital, they recommend getting food in that baby by any means. He wouldn't latch, and the nurses and lactation consultants tried to force him on the breast which was traumatizing enough for me that I decided to become an exclusively pumping mother. For us, this meant bottle feeding. I was still so adamant on breastfeeding that they allowed me to pump and bottle feed him breast milk first followed by supplementing with formula. We did this for the remainder of our hospital stay and the first week at home.

We came home on a Sunday, and by Friday, Rei was looking for the breast. I didn't force him on the breast but if he was looking for it what the heck why not try to let him latch. For the first four weeks of his life I was pretty much an exclusively pumping mother, as he would only latch here and there, but day by day he would latch longer and more often. By the time he was five weeks he was exclusively breastfed. I can tell you all nothing was more exhausting than exclusively pumping, but breastfeeding was the one thing that I was adamant on!

For the first eight weeks, I had so much milk it was ridiculous! I was pumping 8 oz total from both breasts together AFTER feeding the baby. I was able to pump and save 100 oz of milk my first month, and another 150 oz my second month. This last month I have only pumped probably 50 oz as I have gotten super lazy with my pumping! As Rei goes through growth spurts or doesn't feel well (after his 2-month shots), and even when I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough water after the 8-week mark, I started to notice a significant dip in my milk here and there. If you are a breastfeeding mother, you understand when I say you have never been more stressed that you get when you have a huge dip in your milk as an exclusively breastfeeding mother! On top of that, I have a baby that refuses formula! As soon as I noticed a dip the first time, I decided I would do my research (on other mom blogs) and grab a few supplements that they recommended to see what works best for me!

Now I have to say the best thing for keeping your milk supply up is making sure that you're eating right! DIET DIET DIET is so very important! Galactagogues are foods that stimulate milk production! So I decided I would make myself a meal plan full of galactagogues, and see if that helped my milk! Let me tell you guys not only do I believe that doing this helped me with the postpartum, but I also noticed my milk supply was healthy. I created a meal plan incorporating, oatmeal (old fashion steel rolled oats), spinach, beets (which I hate more than anything in the universe might I add), garlic, carrots, asparagus, brown rice, salmon, cumin, fresh dill, fresh basil, sweet potato, almonds, chickpeas (hummus), coconut oil, avocado, brewers yeast (I linked what I used because this was hard to find in stores), flaxseeds and flaxseed meal. This is a pretty decent sized list and honestly includes a lot of things I would incorporate in a client's healthy meal plan. So it was pretty easy for me to incorporate most of it. The second thing I did was make sure I was drinking a minimum of 90 oz of water daily. When nursing it is important to incorporate an extra 32 oz of water daily. So the average recommendation is 64 oz of water daily, just add an additional 32 oz on top of that if possible. Now for me, I was already drinking anywhere between a gallon and a gallon and a half, so water wasn't really that hard for me! But don't get me wrong there were days where I would be so busy with the baby I would forget to drink my water and realize around 4:00 pm and panic. So I found that stashing water bottles around the house seemed to help also making sure to keep them around where I pump and where I nurse made a difference too. I would be sure to drink 8 oz of water every time I pumped, and an entire water bottle every time I ate. The other thing I did was always fill my one gallon water bottle with water and my goal was to be sure that I always had this with me and drink out of it as often as I could.

Third my secret stash of milk-producing supplements. The first supplement I found to work wonders is one I am sure you have seen plenty of mothers do reviews on, is Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Tea. This stuff works wonders! I used to only drink one cup in the morning because any more would make the baby sort of gassy. Plus add some lemon and drink this warm it is great for boosting your metabolism. Amazon has a killer deal on a pack of 6 for only $22.56. If you buy them at the supermarket, you are looking at one pack for anywhere from $4-$6 depending on what store you get it at. Another product I found great is Upspring Milk Flow! This supplement is another that worked miracles for me! I would mix this into a water bottle and drink it before bed. This seemed to make sure my breasts stayed full overnight as after Rei's first long stretch this is when he feeds the most! The last product that I found and loved is Vitanica Lactation Blend. This is my, "holey crap I have no milk" panic mode option. This stuff works legit miracles. I used this a few times and so far so good. I take one capsule in the morning and then would take one packet of the Upspring Milk Flow before bed, and I would be able to pump all day on top of feeding the baby! This is a great way to increase your supply enough to be able to pump a quick 30 oz stash over the course of 2 days while continuing to feed the baby. Remember the best thing you can do to keep your milk supply or establish a milk supply is get that baby on the breast as much as possible! Try to get the baby to latch as often as you can! If you are an exclusively pumping mom, get on the pump (here is the pump we used I tried 2 other pumps and felt like there wasn't as much suction as with the medela) as much as possible! You want to mimic a baby constantly feeding! Another thing I do when I feel as though my supply is a little low is I will pump for even just 5 minutes after my day feedings. I like to always have a bunch of milk in the freezer because I am paranoid my milk will dry up, so I also power pump once a day. I like to power pump after Rei's 4 am feeding and this is because this is when I have the most milk. Power Pumping mimics a baby cluster feeding! I do this to keep my stash healthy, but you can also incorporate 2/3 power pumping sessions a day to help increase milk supply!

Whatever your situation, breastfeeding is hard! If your a pregnant mother keep in mind, it is extremely difficult, so be prepared for ups and downs, but it is so rewarding! Stick in there! The first two weeks are the hardest, but if you tough it out you won't regret it! New moms, same goes for you! I understand sometimes it is hard, my son is literally attached to my breast what feels like 24/7, but I know that this was so important to me, and it is so good for him, so it calms me when I get frustrated. I almost gave up breastfeeding within the first two weeks, and I am so glad I didn't! Any questions feel free to ask away! I hope you all have a blessed night!

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PEACE LOVE & HAPPINESS. LOVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN. #BBTE