And some not so great ones…

Hi friends! I am back sort-of, from maternity leave! I had my son in March and I took the spring and summer to really adjust to being a stay at home mom of 5. That turned into fall and winter. And now I am a homeschool mom too! And I am not adjusted to any of it – AT ALL. Soooo how are you doing?

It was really wonderful to just focus on my family and myself. As much as I can focus on me anyway. I have been trying to get back to working out and including the kids but I have had some strains and it has been slow. And now I am trying to get back to blogging and being consistent there. So without further ado let’s talk about nursing foods!

Have you struggled with baby gas or colic? It is the worst. And if you are breastfeeding you can blame something you ate most likely. What about supply issues? Too much or too little? Well I have dealt with all of these. I thought I would round up some foods and ingredients that are great for breastfeeding and highlight some that are not so much.

I would like to stress that there is not a lot of scientific proof that any of these things increase your supply and that I am not a medical professional. That said, these foods have many great things inside them that are good for you and baby either way as long as it is in moderation.

All right let’s start with oats. Oats are a great food when nursing. They tend to be filling for that crazy breastfeeding hunger and they contain a ton of iron so many lactation specialists recommend oats. I don’t actually care to eat oatmeal prepared the normal way. I always turn steel cut oats into no-bake lactation cookies.

I try to pack in a ton of good stuff into those cookies, of course including m&ms (I am trying to find some without food dyes though) and chocolate chips. One of the other superfoods I put in is flax seeds. Flax seeds or flax meal contain a good amount of Omega-3 fatty acids which is great because I hate taking them in a vitamin.

Moving on down the list you need something to stick those cookies together. In the past I have always used peanut butter but almonds are actually really great for breastfeeding. And while you can eat them raw, you can also use almond butter to make your cookies. Do you see a theme here? I clearly love cookies. Almonds are stock full of magnesium, vitamin E and B vitamins amongst other things. We had a slight scare with our last baby after I had almond milk that made us think he could have a nut allergy. If you notice anything of the sort get medical help.

The next ingredient for my cookies- seriously you can put these ingredients in anything but I love cookies- is brewers yeast. It is packed full of vitamins and minerals. One of which is selenium. Selenium is super important for your thyroid and many, many women have thyroid issues after pregnancy. Selenium can help keep your thyroid functioning well. You can also get selenium from Brazil nuts. I usually have those on hand as well and just eat a couple a day. Brewers yeast has way more than just that though and I love to cover the flavor in some chocolate and nut butter. It is a little bitter.

You can find recipes for these types of no bake cookies all over the internet. And you can add things you like. Those are just a few of the superfood ingredients I like to use while nursing and when I am not!

And of course, let us not forget, green leafy vegetables, fruit and lean protein. These are staples in my diet. Also mothers milk tea is incredible with fenugreek and milk thistle.

Now let’s talk some things that I don’t like during nursing. These are things that you may want to avoid or at least try them alone to see how your baby reacts to them once your milk is in.

Cruciferous vegetables are a, try when the baby is older, food for me. Broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are a few that fall into this category. These veggies are full of wonderful minerals and vitamins but they can also make you gassy. Guess what? If they make you gassy, they make your baby gassy. Baby gas for me is not worth it at all. It ends up being, up at night- crying baby for me and for me, sleep is more important.

Now if you are used to these veggies because you eat them a lot, you won’t feel the effects anymore but your baby still will. If it is something you still want to incorporate into your diet because of the health benefits (normally I love these veggies), try them cooked first, one at a time, and see if your baby has any issues over the next few days.

And just as you will get used to them so will your baby. Just go slow and try them every few days to see how your baby handles them.

Another on my not good for baby- list is, dairy. I have had one baby that struggled so much when I would eat dairy. It was awful. Tummy trouble, so much spit up and eczema all over his skin. With all the options for milk now I say just use an oat or rice milk. Make it organic if you can. That goes for everything but I know it isn’t super cost effective. Do what you can!

This is not a comprehensive list by any means but it is a great place to start when you are looking to turbocharge the foods you eat for breastfeeding or pregnancy.

What else have you used to help with breastfeeding?