Mom's Nutritional Needs

The importance of good nutrition during pregnancy is probably not new to most people. Most doctors have started talking to their pregnant patients about prenatal vitamin supplements. But did you know that there are some nutrients that are particularly important for your growing baby? And that there are other nutrients that are particularly important for helping your body to recover after birth and for supporting your milk production? Here are some nutrients and foods that our doulas recommend for momma to stay healthy and happy through pregnancy and during the postpartum period!

Prenatal Needs

Folate, Iron, and Calcium

I group these together because most people are recommended to take them, so hopefully you already are eating foods rich in them, and most prenatal supplements contain them. These nutrients are really important for baby’s growth and your health, too. Vitamin C supplements or foods will help you to better absorb your iron.

Omega 3 and Vitamin D

Once again, grouped together because they are often in supplements together! A good quality Omega 3 supplement is great for baby’s brain and overall development. Vitamin D is made in the body via sunlight, however deficiency is common. Oily fish is a really good source, but quality is important with this one and it needs to be free from damage via air or light.

Here are a few others that are often not mentioned in day-to-day conversation:

Choline

It’s extremely important for baby’s brain and nervous system development, and it nourishes the placenta. It’s abundant in eggs, organ and muscle meats, soy beans, wheatgerm, and sunflower seeds. It’s also in lecithin, which can be added to foods.

Iodine

It’s vital for baby’s brain and for your thyroid. It’s found in seaweed and seafood, potatoes, many green vegetables, and is in iodized salt.

Magnesium and Zinc

Abundant in green foods, nuts and seeds, these 2 minerals have a huge list of functions in the body and in growing baby!

Postpartum Needs

Baby is here! Now your body needs to heal, rest, and recover. If you’re lactating then you need the extra nutrients to support your milk production. Keep taking your Omega 3 and Vitamin D, but here are some other nutrients and foods that may help your body to heal and rebuild.

Vitamin C

It’s found in most fruits and vegetables but abundant in kiwifruit, peppers, citrus, and berries. Vitamin C is super important for your body to heal and rebuild.

Iron

Replenish that vital blood supply! Abundant in meat, but also found in blackstrap molasses and leafy greens.

Zinc

Once again, this amazing mineral can help your body heal and recover. Especially good if you have tears, scars, or cracked nipples. Remember, if you’re taking iron also take it at a separate time from zinc, and always have it with food (it can cause nausea on an empty stomach).

Ginger

A warming anti-inflammatory! Have it fresh as a tea, or grate and add to foods. A small ginger grater is a good investment!

Collagen

Collagen is a protein that forms the building blocks in the body. It can be taken either as a supplement (powder for shakes or unflavored in soup, or tablets), by eating foods that contain it, or by having foods that help the body make it. It is found in bone-broth and gelatin. Vegetarian alternatives include seaweeds and agar-agar. Cabbage is a rich source of the ingredients that the body uses to produce it.

Not sure where to start or what meals to make that will incorporate these important nutrients and foods? Here are some fantastic recipes for momma, prenatal and postpartum!

15 Healthy Recipes for Pregnancy

10 Best Folic Acid Foods to Eat During Pregnancy

9 Nourishing Meal Ideas for New Moms

Real Food Postpartum Recovery Meals: 50+ Recipes and Freezer Tips

And, of course, the Nouris(her) e-book, which you can find here!

My Dirty Little Secret

Yep, that’s right… I’m just going to come right out and say it…

Right now…

Any second now…

Okay, I did it.

I bedshared with my daughter.

There is so much controversy around bedsharing that I have gone back and forth many times on writing this blog. However, the research doesn’t lie and it’s these two blurbs from an article I read that made me finally want to do it.

If a mother’s afraid to nurse in her own bed, her most likely options are a sofa, recliner or upholstered chair - all riskier places to sleep with a baby. One study found that 44 percent of mothers who nurse in those places at night fell asleep there at least once.

Even though most new breastfeeding mothers today don’t plan to bedshare, studies show that eventually 60-75 percent of them will, at least some of the time.

There are so many reasons I didn’t want to admit to bedsharing. Mostly, because I love my daughter and I didn’t want anyone to think that I would risk her safety, simply because I was undisciplined or lazy. I had great intentions of following ALL THE RULES. I had a bassinet beside the bed for her to safely“room in” with us. But at no time was I going to risk her safety by bringing her into bed with us.

Until I did.

Well, sort of.

My daughter was one of those babies that startled a lot. The startle, or the Moro reflex (named after German pediatrician Ernst Moro), is one of several involuntary movements in newborns. It’s a baby’s response to the sensation of falling or stimuli in their environment such as loud, potentially threatening sounds or bright light. And it was the bane of my existence.

I’d have my girl swaddled (poorly) in her bassinet and she would go from what looked like a deep sleep to a startle. It was like a jolt, her arms and legs extending, her fingers spread apart and her back arching. As a result, her arms and legs would hit the side of the bassinet and she would wake up crying.

I can’t tell you how many nights I would sit by the bassinet, barely able to keep my eyes open, wondering if she was in a deep enough sleep for me to rest as well.

And then one day, I just cracked. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was breastfeeding my daughter every two hours, so what would it hurt to bring her into bed with me.

Just for a few moments.

Just long enough to close my eyes for a few minutes.

I mean, I was going to be awake to feed her in 30 minutes anyway…

So, I pulled my crying daughter from her bassinet, propped myself up on a bunch of pillows so I was almost completely upright, and placed her on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and finally closed my eyes.

I did this for four months. Why four months? I think any new mom reading this right now already knows why. Because I’d read somewhere that after four months, a baby’s risk of SIDS drops significantly. It is also around that time that the Moro reflex disappears.

So, what’s wrong with this picture?

  1. I never intended to bedshare, but at my most exhausted and sleep deprived moment, it seemed like a good idea. Had you asked me after a full night’s sleep if the risk outweighed the reward, I would have looked at your like you had a third eye… OF COURSE NOT!

  2. Because I never intended to bedshare, when the moment arrived, I didn’t know how to do it safely. I propped up pillows, held my daughter in her swaddle blanket against my chest, beside my husband, in a bed full of blankets… all no-no’s when it comes to safe bedsharing.

It wasn’t until many years later that I supported a client (a new momma of twin boys) who chose to bedshare and that’s when all of these memories of my perceived failure came back to haunt me. Other than my husband, no one knew that I bedshared with my daughter and I would never tell anyone.

I was ashamed.

Momma and her twin boys. Read her blog, Mom Uprising, here!

Momma and her twin boys. Read her blog, Mom Uprising, here!

But here was this new mom, setting up for bedsharing from the start! I was fascinated and I wanted to know everything about what and how she was doing it. It led me to look into safe bedsharing and that totally changed my mind about it.

Momma’s twin boys and older daughter sleeping while bedsharing.

Momma’s twin boys and older daughter sleeping while bedsharing.

At the end of the day, bedsharing is a VERY personal choice. And it’s something that each individual needs to research and then weigh the risks and rewards. That being said, I can personally say that I think SAFE BEDSHARING is something that should be taught to new families (it’s not only moms who bedshare), as a safety measure for those late night, sleep deprived moments when you’re exhausted and your barometer for measuring risk/reward might be off and your resolve might be easily influenced. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics understands that bedsharing is happening more often, planned or unplanned, and has given guidelines for safe bedsharing.

La Leche League International created the Safe Sleep 7, a set of rules for safe bedsharing. They were designed to help new breastfeeding parents tackle the exhaustion of frequent feedings through the night and the logistical nightmare of moving baby in and out of a separate sleeping space.

THE SAFE SLEEP 7

If you are:

  1. A nonsmoker

  2. Sober and unimpaired

  3. A breastfeeding mother and your baby is:

  4. Healthy and full-term

  5. On her back

  6. Lightly dressed, and you both are:

  7. On a safe surface

Indulge me, I’ll cover here why, if I’d only been counseled in safe bedsharing techniques, I would have had a less sleepless and guilt-ridden first four months of my daughter’s life.

  1. Both my husband and I were nonsmokers. This is so important on so many levels outside of safe bedsharing. Little was known about the dangers of third hand smoke when my daughter was an infant, but now so much is known and the dangers are frightening.

  2. I was a breastfeeding mom, so sober and unimpaired CHECK! It’s important to note that this goes for anyone sharing the bed with baby, not just momma.

  3. I was exclusively breastfeeding. You might wonder why this plays such a large role in safe bedsharing. Anyone who has had me as their doula has heard me tout the benefits of nursing in the side-lying position. It’s the BEST of all the positions, in my humble opinion. In this position you are on your side, your baby’s head in line with your breast, your knees are bent at 90 degrees and your arm against the bed is extended above your baby’s head while the other arm is behind your baby’s back, pulling her close to you and onto your breast. Imagine cuddling in the reclining position with your baby as she nurses. It’s magical. In this position, you are in what’s known as the cuddle curl. It’s in this position that you’ve created a protected space for your infant. Because your legs are bent, there’s no way for you to roll toward your baby. And no one else can roll into your space because your knees and elbows are in the way. And because a lactating breast is the center of an infant’s universe, they will stay in a position, even when not latched, that will keep them close to the breast and not outside of that protected cuddle curl space.

  4. Healthy and full-term. My daughter was 10 days past her estimated due date and weighed almost 9lbs at birth.

  5. On her back. For nursing moms, it’s a natural move for baby to roll onto their back after breaking the latch. I can’t tell you how many moms who nurse share with me the beauty of waking to find baby on their back, a drop of milk rolling down their cheek, fast asleep.

  6. Lightly dressed. Just one more fascinating thing about the bond between moms and their baby. When a baby is placed skin to skin with mom right after birth, a mother’s body heat helps to regulate that of her baby’s. A baby who is bedsharing doesn’t need all the extra clothing or swaddle, because she will have the added benefit of mom’s body heat.

  7. On a safe surface. What constitutes a safe surface?

THE SAFE SURFACE CHECKLIST

Avoid these possible smothering risks:

  • Sofas and recliners

  • Soft or sagging that rolls your baby against you or keeps her from lifting her head free

  • Spaces between mattress and headboard, side rails, or wall where a baby could get stuck

  • Pets that could interfere

Clear your bed of:

  • Unused pillows

  • Stuffed toys

  • Heavy covers or comforters

  • Anything nearby that dangles or tangles

Check your bed for possible hazards:

  • Distance to floor

  • Landing surface

  • Sharp, poking or pinching places

Looking back to those first four months with my daughter, I wish I would have known some safe bed sharing techniques. I can’t say for sure that I would have done it every night, but I do think on occasion or during daytime naps, knowing how to safely bedshare would have made those times less stressful and much more enjoyable.

And, if you’re not comfortable with bedsharing but want to be prepared, the Co Sleeper and In Bed Co Sleeper are great options, even if you never use them.

***This should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to bedshare, but rather a resource to help reduce the risks if you’re someone who might eventually, if inadvertently, bedshare.***

Foremilk vs. Hindmilk - Fact or Fiction

For anyone who knows me, they know I am incredibly passionate about breastfeeding. It’s almost a little scary how much I could sit and talk about breastfeeding with just about anyone. I mean, when you think about it, your body has the ability to feed and grow an ENTIRE human being! That’s pretty amazing! I’ve often said that if men birthed babies or even breastfed babies, it would be on TV every Sunday, sponsored by some big car company.

We as women are fascinating creatures and I think deep down we all know that. Yet, we are told at every twist and turn during pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, and postpartum to question this. Think about it: your body was built to create, grow, and feed a human being. Despite that, women are being scheduled for inductions at 37 weeks, and treated like someone who is “sick” the moment they arrive at the hospital. After delivery there is someone there to “teach” them how to breastfeed, when, if they were just given the time to do the Breast Crawl (something we’ll talk about in an upcoming blog), they could easily have a successful breastfeeding relationship. And don’t even get me started on friends and family during the postpartum period with their guidance, suggestions, and opinions.

Today we’re going to focus on one of the questions I get the most from breastfeeding mommas out there… and one that proves, once again, that women are given WAY TOO MUCH unnecessary information when it comes to breastfeeding their babies, fostering only doubt and anxiety.

“A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. This has never been so true as in the ongoing debate about foremilk and hindmilk and their impact on breastfeeding. The misunderstandings around these concepts have caused anxiety, upset and even led to breastfeeding problems and premature weaning.”

- Nancy Mohrbacher, Breastfeeding Made Simple

“How do I know if my baby is nursing long enough at each breast to get the important hindmilk?”

Ahhh… the good ole FOREMILK HINDMILK debate…

If you type the words foremilk and hindmilk into Google, the first predictive search that shows up is “foremilk hindmilk imbalance.”

It’s true.

Go ahead, try it!

I’ll wait…

Scary stuff, huh?

If you take the time to look at one of those myriad articles you will find it is no wonder that new moms are completely stressed out about breastfeeding. I mean, I would be too! Because we all want is what’s best for our babies, so we want ALL THE INFORMATION! But we have to stop looking outside of ourselves, our babies, and our maternal instinct for answers.

So, let’s talk about FOREMILK and HINDMILK.

Do they exist?

That’s a tricky question.

We have come to know both as something that shows up at a particular time during a nursing session. How many times have you been told my nurses, family, or well-meaning friends that you have to nurse for at least 15-20 minutes per breast to make sure your baby gets both? Yes, it is true that the milk that comes at the beginning of a nursing session typically has a higher water and sugar content, and that the milk that comes at the end of a nursing session has a higher fat content. However. there are exceptions to this rule. And more importantly, what we’re often forgetting is babies need BOTH.

Foremilk does come at the beginning of a breastfeeding session and is also power-packed with antibodies and glyconutrients (healthy sugars that kill cancer cells and feed the developing immune system). And as your baby begins to nurse, that milk gradually changes. It becomes more and more dense in healthy fat which feeds the cells of the rapidly developing brain and body of your baby.

So, we’re back to the question…

“How do I know if my baby is nursing long enough at each breast to get the important hindmilk?”

Well, here’s my answer to new mommas:

If you are emptying your breast, then your baby is getting both foremilk and hindmilk. And remember, foremilk doesn’t flow from your breast for a certain amount of time and then is abruptly switched over to hindmilk, so you can’t watch the clock to know when this happens. It’s fluid (literally), so at any time, depending on your supply, your nursing frequency, etc., your baby can be getting fore- or hindmilk.

Breastfeeding is a closed system, so it makes it hard to know what is happening and when there are changes in consistency. It’s one of the things a lot of breastfeeding moms struggle with when nursing.

“If I could only see how much he’s getting.”

“If I could only see if it’s thin milk or thick milk.”

This is something we can’t control. What we can control is HOW we choose to feed our baby.

Allowing your baby to feed on demand is the best way to ensure your baby gets both foremilk and hindmilk. There will be times when baby will nurse for just a few minutes, and this can be for what we refer to as a “snack” or for comfort, getting only foremilk. And there will be times when baby will nurse for close to 20 minutes and empty your breast, getting both fore- and hindmilk. There will also be times (new moms ALWAYS reach out with concern about this) when it seems like baby is nursing around the clock. Cluster feeding! And these times, depending on how close the feedings are (more often than 2-3 hours between feedings), your baby will be getting fattier (hindmilk) at the beginning of their feeding.

Your baby is the only one who knows what’s going on in this closed system and should drive the process.

My pumping moms know this because they can see how milk is ever-changing. From day to day, moment to moment, and for breastfeeding babies, swallow to swallow.

Just like the picture below… Look at how different those two bags of milk look! Taken only a few days apart.

breastmilk Dr Sarah.jpg

Your milk’s ever-changing consistency is why I suggest the 3-bottle system for pumping moms.

3 Bottle System for Pumping Moms

3 Bottle System for Pumping Moms

The bottom line is this; if your baby is nursing 8-12 times a day, having the appropriate number of wet diapers, and is gaining weight, then the best thing you can do is stop worrying and enjoy the special time you have with your little one. Breastfeeding is such a beautiful relationship with precious memories and feelings that will last with you for a lifetime. Don’t try to micromanage it by keeping track of every feeding, duration, and nursing side. Just bring your baby to your breast when you see one of their early feeding cues and trust the one thing you gained the moment your baby was placed in your arms: your mother’s intuition.

Baby’s Early Feeding Cues

Baby’s Early Feeding Cues