Breastfeeding tips for desperate mommas!

I’ve had five kids and breastfeeding has never come easy for me. Over the years I’ve listened to women talk about all the extra milk they make and how they love breastfeeding because it practically sucks their fat away. Hmm… not my experience, but I certainly wish it was. To be honest, my experience is completely opposite. After my fifth, I did a lot of research, talked to a bunch of moms and things went much better. I thought I’d share what I learned for any moms out there needing an extra boost in their milk supply.

Background – so you know where I’m coming from.
Breastfeeding Preslee, my oldest went alright, I still had to supplement about a bottle a day and nursed for 8 months until I dried up.

Ledger came and after a couple months I threw in the towel. It was a nightmare and I kept getting mastitis. Later down the road I learned he couldn’t breathe through his nose and the first question the ENT asked was, “Did he struggle breastfeeding?”

I never produced enough for the twins. I’ve since learned I don’t produce as much pumping, and that my boys were tongue tied. But I kept trying and worked with a lactation consultant until my sweet husband sat me down and told me it just wasn’t working, and that it was okay. I told him I felt so much pressure, probably because the first question people often asked me was, “Are you breastfeeding both?”  Life became much more doable for me once I turned to the bottle.

When it came to Oaklee I did a lot of research beforehand and decided I was going to give it my best effort. (She couldn’t have breathing or tongue issues, right?) I was able to nurse her for 11 months and this time it went 100 times better! I still didn’t overproduce and it took a lot of effort, but it was a much better experience due to the things shared below.

Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply

1. EAT! I don’t tend to lose weight while breastfeeding, (I’ve since learned many others don’t either!) so my natural reaction was to count calories. But this time around, I ate… a lot! I made sure most of it was healthy and I saw results. I could definitely tell a difference in my milk supply if I wasn’t eating enough calories during the day. I had to mentally remind myself I’ll drop the weight in the end.
2. Water, water, water! I bought this tumbler here, (If you don’t have one, it will change your life!) and made sure to get at least 100 oz. in every day. Make sure to drink, drink, drink! It will make a world of difference.
   
3. Oatmeal for Breakfast. I ate oatmeal nearly every day for the first six months. After six months, my body didn’t seem to need as much help. Many times I’d throw in a little ground flax seed as well. (Flaxseed is known to help with breastfeeding)
4. Supplements. I took Fenugreek daily for months. Many people suggested Milkflow instead of fenugreek, but my supply actually went down. After reading the comments I think I may be the minority, but I’d still recommend giving it try. Another great supplement to try is Mother's Milk, it’s a tea and many swear by it.
5. Booby Bites! When I was low I’d make some of these energy bites, (aka booby bites as my friend called them). I swear by these healthy little treats, they tasted great, and I snacked on them regularly. (Recipe below)
6. Smoothie. When I got sick of oatmeal, I’d replace it with this laction smoothie recipe. (Recipe below)
7. Mastitis? I feel ya, it’s the absolute worst! I got it one time with Oaklee, and a friend shared that she immediately takes Lecithin as soon as soon as she felt symptoms. The next time I felt it coming on, I immediately took it and it seriously worked! Why hadn’t anyone shared this stuff with me before? I’d have these babies on hand at all times while nursing. If you’re prone to mastitis, get some!
8. Ouch! As I was leaving the hospital, my nurse heard me talking about how sore I already was from breastfeeding. She ran and grabbed some Black Tea Bags and instructed me to place them in as hot of water as I could stand and then place them over my nipples. I gave it a try and it worked wonders, even better than the Lansinoh cream I was given. It needs to be black tea, and be careful, because they stain a little bit.

It seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? But I felt it was definitely worth it, especially since Oaklee gave the binky and bottle up after a couple of months. But if it doesn’t work out, I promise that it’s okay. Don’t let the pressure get to you like it did me with my twins. As long as you are doing what’s best for you and your baby, that’s what matters. For me, that included bottle feeding twice.

Do you have any other tips that I missed? If so, please leave a comment below!

Booby Bites
1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup of honey
1/2 tablespoon Brewer's Yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1.  Combine and mix the dry ingredients - oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, Brewer’s Yeast, and flax seed.
2.  Add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla and mix together.
3.  Refrigerate mixture for at least one hour.
4.  Remove from the refrigerator and roll mixture into small balls.

These are addicting! My boys loved them, too :)

Lactation Smoothie
1 banana
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 TBS honey
1 TBS peanut butter
1 TBS brewer’s yeast
1 TBS flax seed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toss ingredients in a blender along with some ice. Blend well.

Almost Here

I’m dilated to a four, and am anxiously awaiting our little lady’s arrival. Today as I sat in her pink nursery, I couldn’t help but wonder if this little unnamed girl will look like her older sister, Preslee.

(38 weeks)

I feel like I’ve come such a long way over the past six years. With each pregnancy I desperately hoped and prayed for another little girl. I’ll admit I always left the doctor’s office disappointed after learning each boy’s gender. After having twin boys, I started accepting that maybe having another daughter just wasn’t in the cards for us. But today as I sat in the nursery and as each one of my boys found their way in and we sat there giggling and discussing that their baby sister would be here soon, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for Heavenly Father’s plan and was reminded that He knows me better than I know myself.

There’s nothing I love more than my three boys. I simply cannot imagine life without any of them. They each bring something special to our family, and I love how much they love one another due to being close in age. (I laugh that I wasn’t so sure about that as well a few years ago) I now feel like enough time has passed, that having a girl won’t be as painful as it could have been just following Preslee’s death. I feel like we’ve been given six years to heal and are now ready to just love on and celebrate another little girl in our home. The timing feels perfect and I know He was aware of our needs the entire time.

As I realize our family will soon be complete, I’m filled with more gratitude than I could have ever imagined. God is good, and I’m grateful He is aware of each and everyone of us. I simply cannot wait to hold another little girl in my arms and can’t wait to introduce her to all of you.

 

Fingers crossed that she arrives soon!

October 2016

This year is flying right on by! Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to.

Patrick – is enjoying his job and recently switched positions, which he is really happy about. He was able to go to the opening football game for Boise State with his dad and one other game while we were in Boise for the Ladybug Luau with my brother. The most exciting part of the day is definitely when he gets home from work and the boys attack him with hugs. 

Ashley – is trying to survive the last few weeks of pregnancy and learned that pregnancy brain is real…She forgot to pick up Ledger on an early out day, and didn’t check her phone for awhile to see missed calls from the school and Pat. Luckily Ledger is a chill kid...

Preslee – has inspired her mom to take on a big project. It’s been in the works for months, proving to be much more difficult than she thought it would be, but Ashley hopes she can spread goodness after so many of you have inspired her with your example.

Ledger – Is rocking Kindergarten. He was recently the citizen of the week and had to share a poster and book talk in front of his class. (It was adorable!)  He’s loving all the new friends he’s making and he loves homework even more. (Lets hope this lasts)

Cannon – is obsessed with the baby in mommy’s tummy. He talks, sings twinkle twinkle little star, and hugs her all day long. Each morning he hugs the baby before mom and has been obsessed with Legos.

Cruiz – is finally potty trained at night! He wakes up saying, “Me pee the bed, no!” while he gives his mom a great big hug. He loves telling mom she’s beautiful and beams when mom says “Thank you handsome.”

Baby Girl – is looking good. She’s the most active at night and just this week dropped! She’s still nameless, and her name has caused more arguments than anything in her parent’s marriage. (Thank you for your name suggestions, we loved many of them, we just can’t agree on anything!) Her room is nearly finished and the family is all anxious for her arrival.

Life has been wonderful, and we’re anxious to begin a new chapter as we add one more member to our family.

Newborn Pictures: Twins

Yes, I’m a little late posting these, but that seems to be my life these days :) These were taken by the talented Kassie Crapo, when the twins were exactly one month old. It was a little later than usual due to Cruiz staying in the NICU for three weeks. These two boys were a little difficult, being a month old, they didn’t sleep much, and Cannon was very aware of what was going on. But nonetheless, I love them, and am already a little sad that they’ve tripled in size, and miss the hair they had left in these pictures. I kind of liked having boys with dark hair, it’s now coming in blonde, just like their older siblings. 

Enjoy!

    Cannon   

Cruiz

I had to throw this one in, I’m usually the one behind the camera, but this is how we sat for weeks, all cuddled together, looking exhausted. Cruiz is on the left, Cannon on the right. (Took me a minute to figure it out)

Thanks Kass we love them.

Bow ties: Simply Sublime Design

I Made It.

       

I delivered at 35 weeks & 3 days.

Baby A weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. // Baby B weighed 5 lbs. 2 oz.

To anyone expecting twins of their own, hang in there. All the tears, pain, nausea, stretch marks, sleepless nights, aching back, and feeling just plain miserable is all worth it in the end.

I mean, c’mon, look at these two.