1) Taking my prenatal vitamin daily (I'm switching between New Chapter and Vitamin Code that I have on hand) along with other supplements such as wheat grass tablets, vegan DHA, B12, (and iron on occasion right now because my numbers after birth showed they were on the low side). There are some other things, but I take them maybe 1-2 times a week (K2, spirulina, chlorella, etc). I'm also making sure I get vitamin D (I just had my blood levels tested and I'm waiting for the results).
2) Trying to get in enough calories. A breastfeeding mom needs about 500 more calories than pre-pregnancy is my understanding. I haven't had the biggest appetite, so I'm trying to get extra calories down through heavy shakes and smoothies that I load up with things like: hemp seeds, protein powder, flax or chia meal, fruit, greens, sunflower lecithin, and sometimes things like avocado, prunes, goji berries, raw carob, etc.
3) Staying hydrated!!! I'm drinking lots of water, eating water rich foods like watermelon, and plenty of Raw organic young Thai coconut water is being enjoyed. I haven't had any green juices yet, but I need to get going with that! I've been so busy working on breastfeeding and getting enough rest. I'll get green juices back into my diet soon though.
4) I want to make sure I'm getting enough calcium in my diet so I'm adding more foods that are rich in calcium such as dark leafy greens, almonds, wakame, tempeh, etc.
I might be missing some things, but that's off the top of this mommy's loopy brain right now. :)
Do you have any other suggestions for great breastfeeding nutrition?
Try adding coconut oil and sesame seeds/tahini to your smoothies. Healthy fats and calcium ftw!
ReplyDeleteAll yummy and nourishing, I feel this mommy is doing just fine!
ReplyDeletexoxoxoxox
Great suggestions! I am going to be coming back to these posts down the road when breastfeeding! XO
ReplyDeleteGood idea jvegegirl :)
ReplyDeleteKristen- I have 6 children that I breastfed for 2-3 years. I just want to encourage you- you are doing just fine! Relax and enjoy! Trust your body.
ReplyDeleteChocolate bliss! Mmm! Mommy and baby like it over here!
ReplyDeleteI'm having a brain blank... U mean chocolate in general or is that a particular product? :)
ReplyDeleteants on a log are a good thing to make up when you have 15-20 minutes for prep time. They seem to keep well in the fridge for a few days and are great when the nursing munchies hit. I currently have a 9 week old nursling :).
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Sara!
ReplyDeleteI know they are not vegan but bee pollen is EXCELLENT for breastfeeding. Lots of protein... basically lots of everything you need in the exact perfect proportions. I always throw a tablespoon or 2 in my smoothies. I'm due next week with my second baby; great to happen up on your blog!
ReplyDeleteFirst, you're doing better than 99% of the world in terms of your nutrition and balancing it out and thinking it through. I agree w/ the woman who's had 6 kids. As a lactation educator, I think you're totally on track. The only thing I would suggest as well would be more fat. I found that my milk was creamier and more abundant when I had plenty of fat. Coconut oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds are nice, but truly, I just produced half and half :) when I ate lots of oils/fats. I had to work to keep weight on, so was not concerned about loading up on the fats. And considering I nursed for 3+ years, I loved fats the whole time :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Averie! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're doing fantastic, Kristen! Kamea is gorgeous, and what a blessed girl she is to have you, a health-conscious mama, looking after her. :)
ReplyDeleteHow about some coconut - high in calories and lauric acid.
ReplyDeleteI heard the funniest thing today. Apparently in Quebec (canada) the hospitals stock refrigerated cabbage for breastfeeding mommas instead of ice packs. You just pull off a few cold leaves to help compress your sore swelling mommy jugs!! haha... I'm totally going to be trying this theory out. I have half a mind to start already even though I'm not due yet. Somedays... OUCH!
ReplyDeleteI googled it and this link is pretty informative.
http://www.promom.org/bf_info/Problems.htm
You are doing an amazing amazing amazing job Kristen! You have the nutrition/supplement market covered. Continue to focus on peace/serenity. As she nurses from you, she gets ALL of what is flowing thru your body--hormones/chemicals and all. Just being aware of that made a huge difference for me.
ReplyDeleteI also LOVED Traditional Medicinal's tea "Mother's Milk"...
Hugs,
Jayna'
Thx Jayna :)
ReplyDeleteOh! I have that tea, too! Great company!
XO
Sorry I don't have any suggestions, just wanted to say I think you are doing great. You know you body so well!! : )
ReplyDeletePure2raw twins
Hello Kristen - congrats on your beautiful new baby! She's precious and oh so blessed to have you as a mama. i have a quick and easy question for you. I am saving to buy a hurom but in the interim wanted to get a breville. this should be ok since i drink my juice right away. But I have no idea which model you have. Would you mind sharing the particular model of Breville that you use? Also, is the Breville that you have the best one for juicing greens or is there a better one for this sort of thing? I will be primarily making plant blood like you ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for expertise!
Jeana
Good idea, Jeana. If you go to kristensraw.com/store you'll see a link to the breville I use. It's about $99 I think. It does most greens well. Parsley n cilantro not the best so sometimes I roll those into a leaf of dinosaur kale and juice it that way.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Kristen
nurse on demand! get rid of the bottles - soon she will space out her feedings a bit more on her own and it will get easier! if you need to relieve yourself with the pump, do so, but freeze or dump the milk. take care and congrats!
ReplyDeleteHallo I have little 1 year old girl, I do not suggest you to eat many nuts, beacuse they can cause alergy to little baby from your milk or be very heavy to baby. I was eating avocado daily, actually I still do. It has good oil for developing baby brain, very nourishing for you also. I´m very skinny 47-48kg, so when I was breastfeeding, I was looking for extra more calories like you do. Eat lot of bananas, dates figs, avocados, coconut, buckweat granola, and for calcium I take 1 spoon of poppy seed, it the best source of calcium, even better than sesame seed, but take just 1 spoon because it can be heavy for a baby. Take care hug you
ReplyDeleteHallo I have little 1 year old girl, I do not suggest you to eat many nuts, beacuse they can cause alergy to little baby from your milk or be very heavy to baby. I was eating avocado daily, actually I still do. It has good oil for developing baby brain, very nourishing for you also. I´m very skinny 47-48kg, so when I was breastfeeding, I was looking for extra more calories like you do. Eat lot of bananas, dates figs, avocados, coconut, buckweat granola, and for calcium I take 1 spoon of poppy seed, it the best source of calcium, even better than sesame seed, but take just 1 spoon because it can be heavy for a baby. Take care hug you
ReplyDeletethere's a cocoa bliss made by artisan
ReplyDeletehaha... do I have suggestions? I had to lol when I read that remembering another mom telling me she had to eat milk and cheese to make milk and I totally agreed! ha! I used to love milk... now I love almond milk. So, no, no suggestions here. You're doing an awesome job.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristen!
ReplyDeleteI just recently discovered your blog and I wanted to say I love what you're doing here! I've been veg*n for years ever since my son was born 4 months ago I've been eating very high raw. Just seems to be what my body wants!
Here's my nursing experience: my body is asking for a ridiculously high-fat diet, but it's not interfering with slow and steady losing of baby weight (which I doubt you're worried about anyways) and it feels great. Lots of avocado and coconut oil (which has lauric acid found in breast milk) and nuts. I know nuts are controversial but the most recent research says withholding allergens is unnecessary - may even be allergy causing - unless there's a family history. So I do nuts and rely on them for a lot of my protein and minerals.
The other big thing is probiotics! Keeping my gut flora balanced and healthy has been key after all the craziness/hormone fluctuation/etc of pregnancy and birth. I eat tons of almond yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchee, and other fermented foods and it's been great for me and my son seemed to respond well to it when I started. So yeah, I definitely suggest some sort of probiotic regimen.
Thanks so much for what you do here! As a fellow blogger I know how much time it takes and how it can be hard to balance especially with a new baby. Good luck with everything!
Great tips Sayward... thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you use as a vitamin D supplement?
ReplyDeleteAlthough the vegan aspect is controversial, I understand if people want to use Garden of Life's D3. However, living in AZ, I get it primarily from the sun. :)
ReplyDelete