Your Nutrition + Hydration
Cause this baby’s not the only one who’s hungry every 2-3 hours. ◡̈
It's important to know that frequent stimulation & milk removal are by far the most impactful thing you can do to improve milk supply, but your hydration and nutrition are key elements to your healing and wellness which of course do contribute to milk production.
High calorie diet: Your body is working very hard right now to heal after birth (which sometimes also means surgery!) and to make nutritious breastmilk which means you'll be requiring even more calories per day compared to pregnancy.
Hydration, hydration, hydration! Some people assume that if they miss that extra cup of water or two that this will cause low milk production within a given day. It’s important to know that it’s not quite this sensitive and not to beat yourself up when (not if!) this happens.
Focus on hydration with vitamins & minerals: sports drinks, coconut water, high water-content foods, broth/bone broth, etc. so that your body can absorb faster. Drinking a ton of straight water can easily go right through ya, and I know you’re already spending enough time in the bathroom with all those pads and sprays, etc.
Whole grains, especially oatmeal, chia seed, flax seed
Foods rich in phytoestrogens [note - this article doesn’t talk about lactation but gives a good list of foods as well as a breakdown of benefits and cautions]
Snacks! Easy to grab snacks you can have near the couch/bed where you breastfeed/pump are ideal to boost calories. Here's a recipe -- send it to your friend/sister/doula and ask for a weekly delivery for a couple weeks. ;)
Healthy fats: avocado, coconut, olives, salmon, eggs, sardines, etc.
And free yourself from worrying about these diet + breastfeeding myths! The broccoli in your stir fry doesn’t give your baby gas. Babies just toot a lot ◡̈
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Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood―and Trusting Yourself and Your Body by Erica Chidi
The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou, Amely Greeven, + Marisa Belger
@motherbees on Instagram
The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson