Saturday, November 22, 2014

Indigo Willow Breast Milk Jewelry: Tips for Increasing Breast Milk Production


The "More Milk" Blog Entry

I've received many requests for our breast milk jewelry from mothers whose breast milk supply is less than stellar. Even though we only require a very small amount of breast milk to make a piece of jewelry (2 TBSP or 30 mL), I've decided to write a few tips for increasing breast milk supply. This not only helps moms get the needed amount for a piece of jewelry, it allows them to better feed their precious babies, and that is very special and very important! :)


                     www.breastmilkjewelry.com


Hydration:


Hydration is key for enhancing and maintaining milk supply. Be sure you're getting an adequate amount of water each day. Usually 3-4 Liters of water per day is sufficient for lactating women. If you live in a dryer climate, aim for the higher number. To keep up with water intake, use a large glass and try to drink a certain number of full glasses (depending on the size of the glass, of course) each day. 



Lactogenic Foods:


Certain foods cause a milk-increasing effect. Below is a table I've compiled to help you:


Herbs & Spices:
Fenugreek
Alfalfa
Milk Thistle
Blessed Thistle
Fennel seeds
Flax
Brewer's Yeast
Garlic
Anise
Dill
Basil
Ginger

Foods:
Oatmeal
Barley
Apricots
Papaya
Spirulina
Avocado
Hops
Carrots
Hummus
Lentils
Brown rice
Legumes



Please be sure to clear these with your healthcare provider. Some of these herbs, spices, and foods may be contraindicated if you are taking prescription medication or have certain conditions. If you have an allergy to anything listed above or develop allergies to anything listed above, please do not use that particular food or herb. Be sure to observe your baby for allergies, as well.


Proper Nutrition:

To keep your supply up, you need to eat 300-500 extra calories per day (compared to pre-pregnancy). Since many toxins can be stored and released in fats, it is usually not recommended that one diets while breastfeeding either. Breast milk does contain a certain amount of fat, and any toxins that would be released when dieting might end up in the breast milk you feed your baby. As always, consult your health care provider when considering dieting or starting an exercise program. 

Make sure you're getting good, whole foods that provide you with plenty of healthy fats (omega 3s and omega 6s), as well as lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eating healthily is absolutely essential to maintaining milk supply. It is recommended that lactating women get as much as 71 grams of protein a day. It's a tall order, but it's important to maintaining a good supply. In addition, lactating women require 1300 mg of calcium per day, at least 9 mg of iron per day, and 120 mg per day vitamin C.


Nipple Stimulation:

When your baby is hungry, he or she cries and wants to suck. This is a reflex, a primal instinct indicating hunger. Instead of soothing your baby with a pacifier, consider soothing with the breast, even if you think your breast is "too empty." Nipple stimulation from your baby suckling will help to let your body know that your baby is hungry and thus will help to signal your body to produce more milk. Many women notice a decline in breast milk when a pacifier is introduced. I'm not suggesting that you forego the pacifier altogether (especially if it's good for your sanity!), but if you're having supply issues and would like to continue breast feeding for a longer period of time, it may be best to use the pacifier less when soothing. 


Length of Feeding:


It is always best to let your baby be the one to decide when to stop feeding. Cutting a feeding session short might impact your supply by letting your body adjust to shorter feeds. Your baby should feed for as long as possible, and may feed from one or both breasts during a feeding. 



Feeding On-Demand:


When breast feeding, studies show that feeding on-demand rather than scheduling feeding is better for maintaining supply and helping your baby to increase and maintain proper body weight. 


It should be noted that breastfed babies often appear hungrier than their formula-fed counterparts due to the ease at which breast milk breaks down in a breastfed child's digestive system. Breastfed babies need to eat more often, because their bodies are more efficient at breaking down breast milk protein. In other words, your milk was made for your baby! :)



Baby Wearing:

Wearing your baby has been shown to increase oxytocin; an increase in oxytocin, the bonding hormone, has been shown to increase prolactin, the hormone responsible for increasing milk supply. The more you hold and wear your baby, the better your supply will be. 


Co-Sleeping:

According to Dr. McKenna, the world's leading authority on mother-infant co-sleeping, sleeping with your infant can increase your milk supply and make night feedings much simpler. In addition to the benefit of increased milk supply, co-sleeping (when properly performed) may decreased the incidence of SIDS. Be sure to research co-sleeping and observe safe co-sleeping practices. 


Your Health:

Along with all of these other tips, it is very important that you maintain your own health throughout the length of your breastfeeding. Certain actions and conditions can affect your breast milk supply. A few include hypothyroidism, anemia, smoking, PCOS, and other hormonal imbalances. If you're having supply issues, get a check up with your healthcare provider to be sure you're in tip-top shape. It's important! 


As with any information about nutrition and health, seek out your health care provider's advice.


I hope you've enjoyed this short list, and I do hope it helps! Happy breastfeeding! 

Welcome to my Indigo Willow's Breastmilkjewelry.com blog!

Hi, World! 


This is the first blog post for my website www.breastmilkjewelry.com There you will find breast milk pendants, breast milk rings, and other breast milk jewelry (that's right-- jewelry made from your own pure breast milk!), along with placenta pendants made from encapsulated placenta powder and personalized jewelry. 

About Me 

I'm a Registered Nurse turned stay at home mom, placenta encapsulator, and childbirth educator. When I was working as a nurse, I was put on bed rest and had a difficult time. Since I knew that women on bed rest have a more difficult time with baby blues and an increased risk of Postpartum Depression, I started researching natural ways to prevent it. I wanted to enjoy every moment I had with my new baby and I planned on breastfeeding, so heavy medications were out of the question for me. This led me to placenta encapsulation since placenta encapsulation is known for an increase in milk and lifting moods. It really helped my moods and I had plenty of milk for my baby so I decided to start offering the service to local mothers. Placenta encapsulation eventually led me to find other creative things to do with placenta powder.

I've been an advocate of breastfeeding and breast milk's healing and nutritive properties since the birth of my child. I've enjoyed our breastfeeding journey for the past year and a half so far. It's been a long and bumpy road. I've had supply issues (which I'll address in a future post), and dealt with soreness from a super-hungry wee one. I'm truly thankful that I have been able to continue breastfeeding despite my struggles with it.

Indigo Willow

All my life I've been artistic. For as long as I can remember I've loved sketching ideas, drawing, sculpting, painting, and eventually got into logo and graphic design, and crocheting. My love for art ran the deepest, though, with jewelry. I love creating beautiful, wearable things! I begin making placenta pendants as a creative outlet for myself while also giving my customers something beautiful as a keepsake to remember their pregnancy.

Eventually, my passion for creating mixed with my passion for breast feeding sparked more fires in my soul and led me to the creation of breast milk jewelry. I loved being able to commemorate my time breast feeding with a physical keepsake and decided to begin offering this to other mothers who feel the same way about breastfeeding their precious little ones.