I’m so proud to claim that my sweet girl and I are at nearly 8 months of exclusively breastfeeding! She won’t even take a bottle so it’s been entirely me for every single feeding. Most people would say I’m nuts, but it’s actually been way easier than I expected. Maybe because I don’t have to pump or prepare bottles, that just seems so daunting to me now.
So hats off to you mamas that use bottles!
All of that being said, I’ve picked up on some tips and tricks along the way. These are entirely based on MY body and what I’ve learned, they may or may not work for you!! But, if you’re having some issues or are curious you can at least give it a shot!
Identify foods causing baby discomfort
So, ya girl has a pretty limited diet. My husband (Trey) has a gluten intolerance on top of being extremely picky. Which means we eat the same things all the time basically. Our menu is not very substantial lol. It gets annoying for sure, but it’s definitely helped with narrowing down what’s causing any troubles for her from my milk.
Eating the same things frequently has allowed me to identify when something upsets her tummy. She doesn’t have any spit up problems! **As long as I eat safe foods** And the thing is, the weirdest things cause her to spit up!
- Rice Crispy Treats
- Peanut butter (And we know now that she’s eating that she doesn’t have a peanut allergy!)
- Vanilla flavoring (both artificial and pure)
- Motts and Welches gummy fruit snacks
- The seasoning a local restuarant uses on their Philly Cheesesteaks lol
- Slaw
- Nesquick
- Chocolate
- Lucky Charms cereal
There’s more I’m not thinking off right off, but you get the point lol. No joke, if I can figure out what’s different in what I’ve been eating and cut that out, the child doesn’t ever spit up (unless my mom holds her, something about that woman makes Nora spit up every single time lolol.)
But also find foods that help!
Also super random, but Great Value’s (walmart brand) version of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds ended up being called “Magic cereal”. I put lots of cinnamon (real cinnamon, not just the kind you buy cheap at regular stores.) on top because I just like it, but even without the cinnamon it helps her significantly. Any time she was having gas pains, I could eat the cereal and she’d manage to get her toots out without gas drops! It would take her from screaming to the happiest baby. And for whatever reason, it doesn’t work with on brand! It *has* to be Great Value. I’m telling you, it’s weird stuff I’ve noticed through trial and error.
Another miracle worker; Greek Yogurt!!!! I’m big on probiotics and I’ve seen so many benefits in myself from them. So I wasn’t surprised when I noticed benefits for baby. Even her pediatrician was excited to hear I’m eating it. They also gave me baby probiotics so she gets supplements as well.
Eat lots of protein!
Y’all, I’ve had cravings for hamburgers so strong they’ve rivaled pregnancy cravings! Normally meat is just not something I’m thrilled about eating, but the cravings helped me realize that if I don’t eat enough protein, my milk supply drops significantly. So I went from rarely eating meat to eating it for every single meal.
Not just meat though, there’s other ways to get protein. Yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, nut butters, Fairlife Milk (that’s a big favorite of mine recently).
Milk supply boosters
I’m beyond blessed to produce lots of rich milk. Believe me, I don’t take it for granted. I know it’s something many women struggle with.
Even still, my supply drops if I don’t stay intentional with what I eat and drink.
Some of my biggest helpers have been:
- The magic cereal I talked about earlier in this post
- Fairlife Milk
- Oatmeal!
- Making sure to eat plenty of protein (which is easy with my hamburger cravings lol)
- Water, obviously. Which is also easy considering I constantly feel like I’m eating cotton balls if I don’t have a cup right beside of me.
- Eggs
Other options
Personally I haven’t tried any of them, but I’ve seen quite a few products on the shelves claiming to boost milk supply. I’ve seen them at Target, but I’m sure Walmart, Amazon, and places like Buy Buy Baby carry them as well.
Postnatal Vitamins! My doctor recommended I continue taking prenatal vitamins because breastfeeding takes a ton out of you, understandably so. So at the very least, keep taking those. A few weeks ago, I found Nature Made brand postnatal vitamins at Target! I checked the labels of several other prenatals and even just regular multivitamins, and the postnatal had more in them around the board. I’ve been taking them for over a month and I feel great! Plus they smell and taste better than any prenatals I had taken, which is a big plus lol
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